Besides Andrew, I can't think of anyone that could possibly keep their car cleaner than I do...Although I wash it about every 3-4 days, I seem to be getting brake dust baking on the wheels. Everytime I wash the car, I use the soap and water with a sponge and clean the wheels and wheel wells. Certain parts of the wheels (mostly the triangular openings) look grayish as if brake dust is on it. But it won't come off. I've never had a problem like this before. I've tried rubbing compound, "Wheel Wax"...nothing seems to remove it. Anyone have some tips?? Much appreciated. Thank you.

 

How about daily cleaning....how is that for being certifiable? Being in SoCal (the land of little to no rain) I use a California Duster (of course) TW Ice detailer (daily) and Meguiar's NXT once a week. I have had my SRT since January and it has had water on it once.

As for the wheels, the fronts are wiped down almost every day. The rears once a week.

I use a disposable wipe called "Wheel Wipes" and disposable latex gloves. One wipe per wheel and then a buff with my wheel rag (use it until it gets totally black then toss it). The Wheel Wipes are gentle to the wheel finish. I had tried another wipe on my old BMW Z4 and it did harm the finish, not so the Wheel Wipes. The best thing is that they come 40 in a container and are sold at the 99 cents Only chain out here. I buy 10 containers at a time and it costs a whopping $9.90 for 400 wipes.

They keep the wheels looking new!

 

I'd get some quality wheel cleaner and an old toothbrush (make sure its OLD) and commence with the "elbow grease".

If I were keeping my car I would've already changed out the brake pads to some carbon ceramic ones to drastically cut down on the brake dust. Andrew has one of the cleanest cars for sure, especially since he used to own a detailing shop for the better part of 10 years, but him and you are NOT alone, check out my sig and believe me, I'm not making up the numbers. BTW, if you wanna keep that black looking real good, try some Pinnacle Souveran carnauba wax, PM me for any questions on detailing. I'm always willing to help out, just like everyone else on this GREAT forum!

 

Thanks for the help guys... Hey SRTSIX, what is the name of the store you buy the wheel wipes at and what is the brand of wipes? I'd like to get some of them to try.

Aeroblue - Have you compared meguiars NXT to the wax you use? I'm currently using NXT about once a week and I'm wondering how it compares to the wax you recommend...

 

Unless you're into cleaning wheels all the time... get Rotex Gold brake pads installed, at least on the front. They produce a little less dust than the stock 'rear' pads. I just wipe them out with my wheel rag, no soap water or elbow grease needed...

 

Where's the best place to purchase rotex pads? I've been thinking about that for a while and it should solve my brake dust problem...

 

Try: http://buybrakes.com or http://brakeworld.com

 

Black Limited, NXT is a good product because its easy to use and produces a GREAT shine, but it doesn't last that long and thats ok because its so easy to apply/remove. Its good for NO longer than a month. As far as how it compares to what I use, well, I use Klasse All in One and its "twin" Sealant Glaze. These products are acrylic and are even easier to use than NXT, believe it or not. You don't need to use Klasse AIO all the time and layering SG is the best way to go. This is the reason I have so many coats on my car right now, well I've clayed it 3x's this year, but you've gotta do that from time time. In closing for being an OTC product, NXT is fine and if your waxing once a week and don't mind it, go for it, nothing wrong with that because that finish on black must look GREAT.

 

To get rid of the brake dust, I'm not sure, but you might try a clay bar on it.

 

AeroBlue,
Thanks for the info on detailing. Where would you recommend I purchase the Klasse AIO?

 

www.topoftheline.com

Your going to want to buy the AIO and SG together though. Once you get these products I'll tell you the best way to apply them as you DO NOT want to apply them like your normal waxes, its a whole new process. I've purchased other products from them too, great customer service and great products!

 

A product called never dull will work wonders on the wheels and will also remove the black from your exhaust. It is in a blue tin and is actually a wading.

 

Never dull is an awesome product, but here in the states its in a silver tin. I would've thought it was a bit to aggressive to use on painted surfaces, but a quick call to them would clear that up for sure. As far as the exhaust tips, nothing works better!

 

I use never dull on my exhaust but didn't know it worked on painted surfaces. I'll give it a try. Thanks.

 

The company on the Wheel Wipe package is SOFT99. It appears to be a Japanese company. I checked their website (checked on English in the upper right corner) and could not find the product listed. http://www.soft99.co.jp

I have been buying them for a chain in California called "99 cent Only" stores. Interesting thing is that the packaging does not look imported at all. Also the packaging lists the product as "Made in the USA"

I sent an email to the company to see who sells and distributes their products in the USA. Will let you know what I hear back.

 

Thank you! I'll check around here and see if I can find a $1 store that sells them. BTW - the dash plaque still looks great in my car, thanks again!

 

Glad to hear you like the plaque.

I still have a few left. Just about at the break even point. Unfortunately a number of people who first said they wanted the plaques seem to have changed their minds...

 

Well anyone who hasn't purchased one of your plaques is missing out. Since I purchased 2 of the plaques (one was engraved off center), I used one of the plaques and made a framed picture set of my car. I had some nice 4x6 photos of my car so I framed them and put the engraved plaque in the corner. Turned out great.

As for the brake dust issue, have you tried the Orange Degreaser Wipes made by greased lightning? They aren't $1/container, but I'm wondering if they'd do the job...

 

Hmmm...I'm surprised nobody here mentioned clay barring their wheels! This works well too. I will be doing this when I have a chance to remove my wheels. Aero Blue is a good guy...I think we both share similar views on similar products. I am surprised that you, Aero, think that NXT is easy to apply. It's ok but it is nothing that compares to P21S! Get the S100 for $15 and you have awesomely buttery, great looking wax which is the exact same stuff as the P21S, just marketed differently. I hear the product wheel wax works well too to provide a barrier against brake dust. Klasse All In One is another excellent product to apply to wheels. It really brings back the pop and sparkle of the wheel finish.

 

Thanks for the tip. I never thought about clay barring the wheels but I'll give it a try. I've heard AeroBlue talk a lot about the Klasse AIO, so I'm going to order some this week and try it. I've been really happy with the NXT, but he's right, it doesn't last very long.