Refurbing my wheels.

[MichaelP]

I had to drive my car 4 hours before going out of the country and couldn't clean the rims.

So basically there was brake dust on them for two weeks.

I have tried cleaning them with Dawn and water most of the black came off but they still look very bad.

I am afraid of going through the clear coat.

What would work best to get them back to their shinny selves?

Thanks

 

[ruckdr]

50/50 mixture of Simple Green and water to clean. Even a little stronger if stains persist.

 

[MichaelP]

Thanks I will give it a try now.

 

[MichaelP]

Nope didn't work.

Anyone have other ideas? I wonder if it has gone into the clear coat. It is little spots but VERY noticable.

 

[jgfurr]

Claybar them suckers! You'll be amazed at the results.

 

[MichaelP]

Already did that yesterday.

Any one experience this problem?

 

[Gerald]

Aluminum or chrome polish?

 

[Robert1994]

I have chrome 96 wheels on my car, and they were not clear
coated, so I don't know what it might do to your wheels,
but one of the wheel distributors that I work with suggested I use spray-on wire wheel cleaner. DO NOT follow
the instructions an the can that tells you to spray it on and leave it for several minutes. Just spray it on, and
hose it off with water. It works great. The only problem
with this is that if you get the cleaner on the inner
surface of the wheel (behind the spokes) it will also
clean the brake dust off the inside of the wheels where it
is really thick. If you don't take the wheels off the car
to clean them you will end up with alternating clean and dirty sections that are visable from the outside.

 

[MichaelP]

Aluminum or chrome polish?

Thanks Gerald. That is what I was wondering but with them being clear coated I thought I read on the board you should not use either of them.

Anyone?

 

[Russ M]

I had the same problem, the only thing that really worked was Meguires clear coat prep. The only thing is you need to follow my instructions and not the ones on the bottle.

Put on a nice amount on a rag and rub into rim. It will remove the dust and rough feeling. Repeat this as long as needed, and dont worry this stuff is safe for clear coats.

After you get them clean Zaino them to keep the brake dust away, it helps alot.

DO NOT USE any sort of polish, it will destroy your clear coat.

 

[MichaelP]

Thank you to everyone for their help


Russ I will give that a try tomorrow.

GREAT responses and of course a great board.

NO Gerald it doesn't mean I want a group hug.

 

[carguy07]

I have used Eagle one wheel cleaner for years with good results. I just used this http://www.eagleone.com/products/products.asp?view=overview&catid=5006&itemid=1003 last week on my wheels and they cleaned up great. I think it is a new formula though. The old stuff was not orange. Anyone think this is not safe? I'm no expert, but I thought it was good stuff.

 

[Russ M]

carguy07,

The clear coated viper wheels do not need much to get the clear coat damaged. Do not use any kind of harsh chemicals to clean these rims.

 

[onerareviper]

Eagle One A-Z (New and Old formula) is clearcoat safe. Just don't let it dry on the wheels - spray, let sit for 30 seconds, agitate if necessary, spray clean.

All these questions and more can be answered at:

www.autopia.org

BTW - Eagle One A-Z is one of my favorite products. It works great, and is reasonable priced. Around $5 a bottle, give or take.

 

[brianflynn]

Aluminum or chrome polish?

Thanks Gerald. That is what I was wondering but with them being clear coated I thought I read on the board you should not use either of them.

Anyone?

Im starting to hear buhler, buhler.

Try using good old wax and let it sit for a couple of minutes the an eletric buffer or lots of elbow grease. It works on my white wheels, OH yeah ill never do white again.

 

[brianflynn]

I also try fast orange hand cleaner put it on with a real wet towel and the rinse it off then wipe them off. dont try to buff it on make sure its a wet towel then used a damp towl to wipe the rims off after rinsing them.

 

[Larry Macedo]

Michael,

I have a company that can make your rims look like new if the cleaners you've tried don't cut the mustard.