Hubcaps take everything: brake dust, tar, salt in winter. They clean up very well — as long as you don't treat them like an alloy wheel.
The method, in order
- Rinse first, generously. Everyone skips this step and it's the most important: brake dust is abrasive. Scrubbing it dry is effectively sanding the surface.
- Wash with car shampoo, using a soft sponge or microfibre mitt. Neutral soap works too.
- Work into the recesses with a soft-bristle brush — an old toothbrush is perfect for tight areas.
- Rinse and dry with a microfibre cloth. Drying prevents limescale marks, especially in hard-water areas.
What to avoid
Acidic wheel cleaners. They're formulated for alloy and lacquer. On plastic they dull the surface irreversibly.
Acetone, white spirit, solvents. They attack the plastic and strip printed designs.
Scouring pads and wire brushes. They leave a haze of micro-scratches that never comes out.
A pressure washer held right up close. Pressure washing itself is fine, but a lance a few centimetres away can pop a hubcap off. Keep 30 cm back.
Tar and stubborn marks
An automotive tar remover applied locally works well. Test on a discreet area first, let it dwell without rubbing, then rinse.
In winter
Road salt is the main enemy — less for the plastic than for the clips and the rim edge, which it rusts. A clear-water rinse after a salted road is plenty.
What about printed hubcaps?
A quality UV print is cured into the surface and handles automatic car washes and car shampoo. It's no more resistant than anything else to solvents and acids, so the rule above applies to all of them.
If a hubcap moves after a wash, it isn't the wash: revisit the 6 causes of a hubcap flying off. And to start fresh, create your own.
The white vinegar method
This is the household remedy that genuinely works on plastic: one part white vinegar to two parts warm water, applied with a sponge, left for five minutes on the grey areas, then rinsed thoroughly. Vinegar dissolves limescale and the film of brake dust without attacking the material. Always rinse: left to dry, it dulls the surface in turn.
Plastic and stainless steel are not maintained the same way
A plastic cover washes with soapy water and a soft sponge; what it fears is solvents and stiff brushes, which scratch it permanently. A stainless steel cover takes more, but shows fingerprints and needs a dry microfibre cloth to finish. In both cases the real enemy is brake dust left in place all winter: it bakes on and becomes very hard to shift.
What you must never use
No acetone, no white spirit, no acidic alloy wheel cleaner, no wire wool and no metal brush. On a printed cover these products do not merely dull the surface — they can damage it. Warm soapy water, diluted vinegar and a sponge are enough in 95 % of cases.
The particular case of printed covers
UV printing is cured into the material, not laid on top: it takes a pressure washer and an automatic car wash without flinching. The only useful precaution is avoiding abrasives — not because the ink would come off, but because scratched plastic loses its gloss and makes the design look dull.
Frequently asked questions
Does an automatic car wash damage wheel covers?
No, neither the plastic nor the UV print. The brushes rub the surface without attacking it. It is in fact the most reliable way to stop dirt baking on.
How do I remove baked-on brake dust?
Soak it: lay a cloth soaked in vinegar water over the area and leave it ten minutes before rubbing gently. Scrubbing dry only scratches.
Do I need to take the cover off to clean it?
Not necessarily, but it is more effective: you reach the back and the rim edge, where grime collects. Allow five minutes for all four.