How To Clean And Repair Your TRD Alloy Wheels
Toyota Racing Development (TRD) wheels are masterpieces in terms of design and functionality. We talk about them a lot. Many would consider neglecting your TRD alloy wheels borderline sacrilegious.
If your wheels are dirty and/or scratched up, let us come to the rescue with this guide. Depending on their condition, your wheels might need a good cleaning and/or repair job. In this guide, we’ll show you how to:
- Clean your alloy wheels properly
- Go over a few ways to restore your wheels if they’re scratched up.
Cleaning Your TRD Wheels
Image Credit: SteadFAST4Runner/AdamDS
Whether you’re routinely cleaning your wheels or you’re prepping it for a repair job, this list of steps is for you. Here’s how you can clean your alloy wheels in the safest and most efficient way possible:
- Rinse the wheels with a hose. The stronger the water pressure, the better.
- Spray all of the wheels with an alloy wheel cleaner. Be sure to spray the lug nuts, too.
- Wait the amount of time specified in the wheel cleaner instructions, and then brush the wheels with a soft-bristled wheel brush.
- Clean around the lug nuts and inside the lug nut holes with a lug nut brush.
- Spray the wheel wells with an all-purpose cleaner.
- Scrub the wheel wells with a long-handled brush with hard bristles.
- Thoroughly rinse the wheels, lug nuts, and wheel wells.
- With a microfiber towel, thoroughly dry the wheels. Skipping this step may result in water spots.
Repairing Your TRD Wheels
If you need to repair your TRD alloy wheels, you have a few options:
1. Refinishing The Whole Wheel
This is a good option if your wheels have light scratches or pitting. It costs about $75-$150 to have a professional refinish your wheels for you. If you’re on a budget, you can refinish them yourself, but it’ll be a challenge to get your wheels to come out looking flawless.
The refinishing process involves:
- Stripping the paint and coating off the entire wheel
- Sanding down the wheel to even out the surface
- Polishing the wheel
- Waxing or coating the wheel
It’s a pretty time-consuming process (especially with all 4 wheels) but the end result can be rewarding if done correctly.
2. Repairing Only The Damaged Area With An Alloy Wheel Repair Kit
This type of repair job requires a bit of practice for decent results. The process involves:
- Sanding the damaged area(s) to smooth them down
- Filling in the gouge with filler
- Sanding down the filler to the surface of the wheel
- Applying primer and paint
This is a good route to take if you’re not terribly concerned about others noticing the cover-up on close inspection.
Keep in mind that it’s quite a lengthy process, and the end result might not look that great. For instance, the new paint may not match the old paint. Plus, the multi-step process is so volatile that one small mistake could lead to a botched job. We suggest using an alloy wheel repair kit only if you have a lot of experience in this department.
3. Replacing The TRD Wheels
The idea of tinkering with an expensive set of wheels can be pretty intimidating, especially if you’ve got some severe damage. There’s one more solution you can consider: replacing your wheels. If your wheels have deep scratches and/or heavy pitting, then it’s just easier to go with this solution.
Replacing your TRD wheels doesn’t have to be expensive. You can order an OEM set online at discounted prices. In fact, you can save some money by ordering a genuine OEM set from us. For example, this TRD wheel made specifically for 2013-2018 4Runners and 2013-2014 FJ Cruisers (part no. PTR20-35110-BK) normally costs over $190, but you can get it from us for only $172. We've got instructions for how to install the wheels here, too.
Got any questions about cleaning or repairing your TRD wheels? We’re always here to talk.