[ebarone968]

Any recommendation on cleaning and polishing rims ? Is there any safe brake dust removers / cleaners especially for cleaning the inside of the rims ?

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

P21S works really well, but make sure you fully rinse

simple green isn't bad, but requires more scrubbing

there are some wipes that rustad found at costco that work well for maintenance - i have some and will post the brand in a few minutes

a caution though is using any chemical on repainted wheels - the paint is soft and may be damaged

do not use any chemical on anodized wheels

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Darryl]

There are so many different chemicals for wheel cleaning these days it make your head spin. I use two main things for everyday basic cleaning. P21S and a generic degreaser, ie, Simple Green, Meguires All Purpose Cleaner, Costco, Sams' Club, etc. You should dilute whatever degreaser you use according to mfg recommendations as pretty much any of these things can and will destroy the finish if left on too long.

Now, you mentioned the insides of the wheels. While it is indeed mostly just brake dust, there will be lots of tar chunks, road grime, metal dust and probably other things that I can't think of off the top of my head. Each one of those may require a different method to get them clean. You have to be careful to not destroy the finish when doing this level of cleaning as I'm guess the previous owner probably never cleaned the insides on the rims. It is tremendously time consuming to get them really clean without doing any damage and that's the point where I usually decide to clean them the quick and easy way and then refinish them. I realize that everyone doesn't have this option, so my advice is to go slow and be careful.

At the fall detail day, we did Jay's wheels and got about 85-90% and used 3 or 4 different chemicals and lots of brushes, rags, towels, non-scratch scrubbies.

- Darryl

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

the wipes i referred to above are turtle wax 2001

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[ebarone968]

   


Here is a shot of the inside of the wheel. The outside is fairly clean and easy to maintain. My main concern is damaging the finish. I am not sure if they are anodized..

   

outside wheel

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Lonestar968]

I've got OEM hollow spokes on my car and while I was doing the Big Red upgrade a few weeks back, I decided it was a perfect time to thoroughly clean up the interior of the wheels. My wheels looked just about as bad as yours, maybe even worse in some areas.

I'm lazy and didn't want to spend a lot of time scrubbing etc. so I broke out with my favorite all purpose cleaner. Brakcleen brake parts cleaner (from CRC). I was only cleaning the insides of the wheels with it because the outside was GTG, like yours.

I carefully sprayed some chemical on an old gnarly car towel and wiped off a small area of the wheel at a time. There were a couple of tough spots where, as Darryl mentioned above, tar and wheel weight glue etc were present. I sprayed a tiny amount of chemical into a small metal container (bowl), dipped an old toothbrush into it and gently swirled the bristles around on the spot, like brushing one's teeth, for just a few seconds. I didn't want to risk damaging the wheel finish scrubbing for longer. I followed the brushing with a quick swipe of the chemical dampened towel. The brake cleaning chemical evaporates very quickly so you have to stop frequently to spray the area of the towel you're working with. Rotate the towel often using a fresh area to work with.

All I can say is it worked like a charm for me and there was zero damage to the wheel finish. My wheels now look like brand new ones.

I would NOT recommend using brake cleaner on the exterior wheel surfaces. I just don't think the paint (or clear coat) would tolerate the chemical very well.

Be sure to only use this, or any other similar chemical, in a very well ventilated area, wear glasses or goggles, and definitely wear rubber/latex gloves.

Good luck, be careful, and have fun!

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Darryl]

Those are not as bad as most I see. They are not anodized...painted and clear coated from the factory. Get gloves and goggles! I'm planning on posting up pics of some of the things I'm working on...I'll throw a few in this thread of some wheels before, during and after.

- Darryl

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Darryl]

Dan was posting simultaneously.... [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img]

Brake Cleaner does work very well but can also cause the most damage. If you rub hard enough, it will take paint off. Sounds like you had a good technique. Congrats!

Meguires Wheel Brightener diluted 4:1 is usually strong enough for wheels in this condition.

- Darryl

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[ebarone968]

Thanks Guys ! Looks like a good weekend project for me

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Darryl]

Here are some samples from a Boxster I did awhile back.

Wheel as Removed from the Car:
   

After First Pass - see the tar chunks still remain:
   

Final:
   

Wheel Well Before:
   

Wheel Well After:
   

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Lonestar968]

Wow! Very nice work!!!

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[blue968]

Man what a nice job!!!! Wish you lived closer would let you loose on my car!!!

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

this is of prime timing, as i've got to get in and do the wheels on the denali - i'm going to be prepping that car next week for the hershey run, and that is a part of it

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[ebarone968]

Looks nice Darryl. I will be dropping my car off to you for wheel cleaning [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img]

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Melvivio]

it is always better to keep the car clean in every way you can! I hear from some folks they never wash below hood and such. And they always wonder why it is,that after a couple years the rust devil comes along. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/huh.gif[/img] I always tell them to stop driving vauxhalls [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif[/img]

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.