Ok. I admit that I hadn't washed my front rims in a few months and they became packed with brake dust. I just detailed my car and couldn't get it all off. Most of it came off but a few spots wouldn't budge. Any tips?

 

I keep my Crossfire wheels clean so I can't comment on them personally. I would try some brake dust cleaner and let it soak for a while, repeat as needed but be careful when scrubbing.

I helped a friend clean her wheels on the new style Bug. She NEVER washes them and then decided one day when she was over and asked for help. We literally scrubbed the paint off the wheels in the bad spots. I don't recommend that but she didn't care. In a week you couldn't tell again anyway

 

Eagle One A2Z All wheel and tire cleaner. $6.00 for 26oz. @ Autozone.

They say just spray it on, let it sit a couple of minutes and then spray it off.

I say, spray it on, scrub the s**t outta it, spray on some more, then hose it off. Be careful spraying it off though........you really don't want that stuff in your eyes.

 

Go to this thread. I haven't used this product, but I plan on buying some for my other cars.

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Let's start with this first: What wheel cleaner did you use and exactly how did you use it? You can get fairly aggressive with the painted wheels on the Crossfire (NON SRT6 I'm talking about here - those wheels are different) but you always want to work on just one wheel at a time. Meguiar's All Wheel Cleaner should do a decent job, but letting it dwell for a minute or so and then hitting it with a mild brush should help, and a clay bar ought to get rid of anything else.

Brake dust that is allowed to bond to the surface and then mix with water and heat can etch into the paint on the wheels so it's really best to clean them often, and thoroughly.

Let me know what you used and we can take it from there.

 

Try Meguire's wheel cleaaner. You just wet the wheel, spray on and rinse off. It' works well. You may have to apply twice if you have build-up.

 

Let's be more specific here: We make three different wheel cleaners in the consumer line and whatever you do, do NOT use Hot Rims Chrome Wheel Cleaner on anything but true chrome - it will damage the wheel. Chrome is extremely hard and durable and as such it can withstand a much harsher chemical cleaner. Use this on high polished aluminum or anodized wheels and it will ruin your day. You'd be amazed how many people have polished wheels and think they're chrome then get pissed off when they pick the wrong wheel cleaner - even though the bottle clearly states not to use it on these surfaces. I keep telling folks they need to know what they're working on and the bottle is not smart enough to know it's being aimed at the wrong material.

Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner is safe for all factory OEM wheels and would be the correct choice for the OEM Crossfire wheels. As with any cleaning product it has limitations. If brake dust has been allowed to literally etch into the finish then it's possible you're beyond the "cleaning" stage and into the "restoration" stage. Huge difference.

Just so you know.

 

Mike! How are you? I think this would be a great thread for you to discuss meg's wheel brightener. Being that I detail many neglected wheels, I feel that I have yet to truly maximize the potential of this product. My partner has used it more than me and he always tells me that cleaning the wheel first with regular cleaner, and then spraying on the wheel brightener and letting it dwell for some time will greatly improve cleaning ability on severely caked-on brake dust (besides clay barring, which would take an unreasonable amount of time for most clients). Do you have any tips to fully maximize the potential of this product?

 

Mike - You bring up an excellent point "clean them often and thoroughly". We bought a used 04 C240 Mercedes. The car was clean but like most Mercedes owners the wheels had been neglected. Took them off the car. Scrubbed the fronts and the backs and put a coat of polish on both sides and reinstalled them on the car. That was almost two years ago. They look new. I have a wheel brush that not only cleans the front of the wheel but more importantly the back of the wheel as well. That is where a lot of dirt and dust build up that ultimately finds its way to the front of the wheel. My wife drives several hundred miles a week and very little brake dust shows up on her rims. Most 240's I see the front rims are usually black, caked with brake dust. I clean the car weekly and the rims get polished monthly when the car gets polished. I guess the old saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" applies here. You can dump all the wheel cleaners you want on your wheels every month, 6 months whatever but if you don't maintain them with the same care as your car you are gonna have problems. A messy wheel and wheel well can really detract from the beauty of your car.

 

Clean the rims and then change your brake pads to Rotex Gold.

 

It's always a good idea to wash the wheel with soap and water first to remove any of the easier to get rid of stuff, then spray properly diluted (4:1) Wheel Brightener liberally onto the wheel and allow it to dwell for 20-30 seconds, then agitate with an appropriate brush and rinse thoroughly. WB is an acidic wheel cleaner with a pH of 5.5 when diluted, so it's fairly potent. Even so, sometimes a second application is needed if the brake dust has actually etched down into the surface. Of course you want to keep it away from bare, high polished aluminum or anodized wheels. Otherwise it's safe on chrome, painted and clear coated wheels. It should be noted, however, that if you have a polished aluminum wheel with a clear coat over it, you want to inspect the wheel for any pitting, cracking or peeling of the clear coat. This often happens when wheel weights are installed/removed, and it is possible for WB to get into and under these problem areas and stain the polished aluminum underneath. But if the wheel is fully sealed you shouldn't have any problems.

I know when I had my factory brake pads on my car and spent a weekend of hammering around Buttonwillow Raceway, even my BACK wheels were black with brake dust. You can then imagine what my front wheels looked like!! I pulled the wheels off the car and used WB to get even the reverse of the wheels looking like new. Granted, the brake dust hadn't sat on there for months, but the back side of the wheels was an almost uniform black.

 

I don't think this is the safest way to clean my rims but I just used "Gunk engine degreaser" and rubbed it around with my hand and it ALL just came off perfectly. I NEVER cleaned the inside of the rims since I owned the car and they were dirty. Now its all cleaned and I am trying to keep it that way with just some soap and water. It worked for me

 

Between three XFs and two Audis (one with two sets of rims), I self-limit myself to a once a summer thorough cleaning of all the rims. They are removed, sprayed with Hot Rims All-wheel cleaner, then washed off with a good dishwasher detergent to cut any grease. I have used a polishing compound on the inside to get them good and clean.. and smooth them out so dirt is less likely to stick. Final activity is to apply 2-3 coats of car wax to the inside and 1-2 to the outside. I find this allows future brake dust and dirt to wash off easily and lasts for about a year.