Stainless steel wheel covers and simulators are installed by most motorhome manufacturers to add an attractive extra shine to the vehicle.

Wheel simulators like this Dicor Versa Liner dress up chassis "truck like" wheels for cosmetic appeal.

However, they do get dirty, and sometimes you’ll even see rust — but it is important for you to know that it’s NOT coming from the covers and simulators!

Dicor’s wheel products are composed of a 304L stainless compound that contains a nickel alloy that prevents them from rusting. What you’re seeing on the wheels is spin out rust from the studs and lug nuts where the cover/simulator is attached to the wheel. Moisture can cause both the lug nut and the attaching post to rust. As the RV moves down the road, rust dust can spin out from under the lug cover and appear on the simulator.

If you clean regularly, such rust can easily be removed by a product like Windex® or a mild soap solution. This holds true for most dirt and road contaminants. However, some things like tar and oil may be harder to get off, as well as other contaminants if you’ve not cleaned the wheels in some time.

In such cases you may be tempted to use a more abrasive cleaner, detergent or cleaning tool. DON’T! Simulators and covers are polished to a mirror finish, and using items like steel wool or wire brushes along with harsh detergents (such as Comet®) or solvents can ruin that finish. So avoid any muriatic or hydrochloric acid-based products or anything containing ferric chloride or copper sulfate.

If you need a little more oomph to get your wheels clean, you can try using a nylon bristle brush. For road tar and other difficult contaminants, regular tar-and-bug remover can be used as well as mineral spirits applied to a cloth and then rubbed on. Some products like Nevr-Dull® cleaning wads, or Jeweler’s polish rubbed in with a cloth, can both clean and polish your wheel. You can also add a wax coat using regular car paste or liquid wax if desired. Basically you can use anything you would use on a car’s finish.

As with any high-gloss finish, what you DON’T USE in cleaning can be as important as what you DO USE. We hope some of these suggestions are helpful in keeping that special sparkle on your wheels.

Next: Obtaining spare parts for wheel covers and simulators