Any one have White wheels that have what appears to be a layer of brake dust and/or dirt caked on to them? i washed my car the other day with SONAX and noticed it didn't get this light shade of dirt film off my rims, most notably the 2 front wheels. If i scrub with my finger nails im able to slowly get it off and have a noticeably nice white rim underneath it. What do you guys use for deep cleaning some wheels? I have a wheel brush but its not doing the job.

Wheels are Factory Painted white from WORK USA

Thanks

 

try some mild polish like scratchx and wax afterwards.


at least your wheel is not the anodized polished finish i have on my gnosis..

 

Simple green, spray on let it sit then mist another layer and just wipe it off and rinse

 

This safe for painted wheels? Interested

 

The Simple Green may take away any gloss finish.

I would use a powerball with some cleaner/wax. The leftover wax will help keep it from happening again so fast.

 

it'll take off wax for sure but it has not de-glossed(?) my rims.

 

One of the best wheel cleaners is sold by MOPAR. The guy detailing at my local Dodge dealer uses it. I use it on my Caravan.

I am loving my wheels. They just don`t get dirty. yes some on the inner part but not that they need scrubbing all the time.

 

Products like Sonax aren't really "cleaners." They're fancy and work well with a pressure washer. I personally use CG Diablo Gel with great results. I detail my car at least once a week and never had problems with any type of dust or grime. However, when detailing neglected wheels, if clients opt to not have their wheels "restored", an APC (if you must use SG, dilute the heck out of it) works fine with a reseal after. Meguiar's Wheel Brightener is the best dedicated wheel cleaner - but fair warning, wear a mask and eye protection when using it. It is a part of their "pro" line and require the utmost caution when using. That said, I have not found a job that WB couldn't handle.

 

Your wheels are painted and clearcoated like your car's paint. The brake dust is particulate matter that gets embedded in the paint. Remember, while your car is traveling at 60 mph, your spokes are spinning at speeds much higher than that as brake dust and other particles get smashed into it.

I recommend you wash, claybar, and then wax/seal the wheels, just like you would the car's paint. The claybar should remove all of that "stain."

Definitely don't use scratch-x on it. That is terrible advice.

 

It's mostly on the front wheels because that's where the disc brakes and brake dust are. You may notice while you claybar that more embedded particles are found on the leading side of the spokes too. After you claybar, you'll feel the surface of wheels/spokes are a lot smoother.

 

ive read about people using simple green on oem wheels. ive not tried it personally. all i use is car shampoo and water, PrimaHydro to seal it at the end.


i dont trust wheel cleaners either.

 

I personally treat my wheels with as much care as I do my paint

Have a dedicated soap bucket and sponge just for your wheels and use a good citrus wash with that sponge and it should remove any of the impurities

Follow it up with clean microfiber towel and some wheel wax and it should help to give the wheels an extra layer of protection

 

When I have wheels that I care about, I really like P21S, the only drawback being that it is not a great remover of caked on brake dust.

For this, I'd wash with soap/detergent, hit with IronX, let sit, rinse, run clay bar over the wheels, polish them with paint polish by hand, throw on a sealant/wax...have your bright white wheels back with added protection.