Do you use custom ESR Wheels? Very good! Do you take good care of them and wash them regularly? You do? Even better!
When you take good care of your wheels and rims, they will last for much longer, will resist rust a lot longer and will provide greater ROI, given how expensive most high-quality aftermarket wheels are.
All that said, it is necessary to clean these wheels with some best practices. These are top-of-the-shelf BMW Wheels too, meaning that they require more care, being members of an exclusive club of rims.
Cleaning them needs some experience and some professional ideas. We will try and provide you with 5 pointers which you must always follow- without exception.
5. mistakes to be avoided when cleaning ESR Wheels
These tips are not merely for ESR’s products; they are equally applicable to Rohana Wheels or similar HQ rims too.
1. Never wash the wheels when they are hot
Do keep in mind that you are washing and cleaning aftermarket wheels. As you will know, custom or aftermarket wheels will never be of the same calibre as OEM wheels. That essentially means that the wheels may stain a lot quicker than you would expect.
This implies that it is a strict no-no to clean the wheels when you are just returning from a drive. Allow them to cool down a bit, especially if you are using Magnesium ESR Wheels. If they are cool enough to touch, they are cool enough to clean. This is a generally accepted thumb rule.
2. Navigate automated car washes carefully
These are custom BMW Wheels and have custom offsets, not to mention bespoke tracking. All these implies that the rims have to be treated with extreme care, something that might not be very simple at car washes. So, what can you do?
Nothing much, unfortunately. What you can do is to ensure that the custom tracking is intact after the wash is complete. If not, you will have serious issues with your ESR Wheels. It is better to discuss this with your local car wash and their personnel before the process begins.
3. No abrasive tools please!
Abrasive tools are always lying around in your garage or at any professional service station. Even the smallest wrench is an abrasive tool, a weapon that can damage the construct of the wheel. Before you start a manual cleaning session, ensure that no such tool is around you. These may not only damage the rim and make them look ugly; these tools will also destroy the powder-coating on such high-grade wheels.
Whenever you are cleaning ESR Wheels, ensure that you are in an open space with plenty of room to move around. If you are forced to wash the vehicle indoors, ensure the surface is free from any such sharp objects and acetone-based cleaning agents.
The same rules apply to Rohana Wheels, needless to say!
4. Look out for brake dust
Brake dust is far more common than you would believe. The dust settles on wheels and shrouds them, making them rather difficult to clean. Assuming that the dust will accumulate after every drive, especially after off-roading sessions, it is vital that you remove it with a soft cloth or a wet sponge.
Once that is done, you can safely proceed with the cleaning session. Remember that BMW Wheels are generally large-diameter rims; the brake dust can be of significant quantities. So, be careful and be thorough!
5.Do not use unrecommended cleaning products
All the wheel manufacturers we are referring to here belon to the top tier of products in their category; most will come with detailed instructions on which products you can use to clean them- and which you should never ever use.
For example, think twice before you use very strong detergents on custom ESR Wheels. These detergents contain a lot of acidic components which will seriously impact the surface of the wheels you are using, irrespective of the manufacturer!
Acidic components are the backbone of any strong detergent. Fortunately, there are several substitutes available which are labelled ‘Finish-Safe’ as they are recommended for cleaning any custom rim without serious aftereffects.
To sum up
These are the top 5 mistakes you must never make when cleaning your precious set of ESR Wheels. Remember that when you take care of them, you are also increasing the resale value of your vehicle in the long run. It is a no-brainer really!
Clean them whenever you have the time, but ensure you do it properly!
Happy motoring!
