I'm Done With Wheel Covers (UPDATED)

It’s common knowledge that you should protect your tiny home or RV wheels with covers, right?

Maybe not.

I just discovered the hard way that wheel covers may actually do more harm than good. While it’s important to protect your tires from the sun’s UV rays, I discovered that my wheel covers were providing a perfect shelter and habitat for mice to take up residence in my wheel rims.

Apparently mouse pee is highly corrosive to steel.

In addition to the corrosive mouse urine, the covers may have been trapping moisture. Even though I had sprayed Blaster Surface Shield on the wheels before covering them and was checking tire pressure once or twice a year, somehow I missed that the paint was beginning to peel off of my rims. I caught it before things got too bad (the rim pictured here was the worst of the 6), but once corrosion starts it’s tough to stop.

I spent a few hours carefully cleaning all 6 wheels, degreasing, and scraping off all the loose paint I could find. Then I brushed on a liberal coat of Fluid Film to prevent the rust from spreading any further, at least until I can do a more thorough refinishing. My plan moving forward is to ditch the wheel covers and just apply 303 Tire Balm & Protectant for UV protection. I’m located in a fairly shady area, so I think this will be sufficient.

Hopefully this can save someone else the repeating the same mistake I did.

I’m proud of my wheels anyway—might as well show them off!

UPDATE (May 2026)

After several months rolling without covers, I’m not confident of the long term efficacy of the chemical protectant on the tires, and I’m not a fan of the ongoing maintenance step. Two of the tires started to form a light brown film on them, which I understand is not harmful, but suggests that the tires are reacting to UV light. 

I looked for any covers on the market that might cover only the tire and not the wheel hub, but I couldn’t find any. My solution was to find some light duty covers made from a non-fraying material and trace a circular cutout a few inches smaller in diameter than the wheel hub. I then used a pair of scissors to cut out the opening. Now I have full coverage of the tires without creating a habitat for mice.

Note: The links below are Amazon Associate links, which means I earn a small commission if you buy through them (at no cost to you). Thanks for your support!

• Fluid Film Rust Prevention (1 Gallon Can) (also great for protecting your trailer frame)
• Fluid Film Aerosol Can (alternative to brushing it on)
• 303 Aerospace Protectant (looks like the product I used is discontinued, but their standard aerospace product is also good on tires and much more)
• Light duty wheel covers (good for cutting your own holes in, no tempting fluffy insulation)