1st ever post - baked on brake dust......argh

[black.magnette]

Hi - I `ve never posted on a forum before, so sorry if this has been answered before.... I have a 2004 Holden Zafira with very bad brake dust on its alloy wheels. Only purchased the car second hand a couple of months ago and have tried a few things to remove the dust left behind by the previous owner. Yesterday i bought some Meguiars quick clay as the paintwork has never been cleaned properly, and broke off a small amount to try on the wheels. Didn`t work so well. I can`t post any pics as this is my 1st post :hmph: Any suggestions?? My thoughts now turn to wet & dry, or even a respray, but the $$$ are hard to find in the household budget...........

[JimHare]

The experts will chime in as well, but its been my experience that brake "dust" is very difficult to remove completely - the problem, as I`ve read, is that the crud from your brakes is hot when it hits the wheel, and that when it hardens, it chemically attaches to the surface - mere `cleaning` is not going to remove it. I`ve used nearly every product under the sun, from "spray it on, wait a minute and rinse off" stuff to the stronger bug/tar removers, etc. I`ve even tried paint stripping chemicals. The only thing that seems to really work well is a very strong tar removing product, fine steel wool, and elbow grease. My outer chrome isn`t too bad, but the inner wheel surface got pretty gunky. Once I got them clean enough (90% or so..) I covered the inside surface with three coats of Collinite 845 IW, and switched to ceramic pads. Now, a quick spritz with almost any APC and a high-pressure washdown removes 99% of the stuff, and a light rub with a cotton towel gets the rest. Another coat of IW after each cleaning (about 4 times a year) and I`m good to go.

[joshtpa]

I would start the cheap way before spending a ton of money. Magic ERasers have rid most baked on brake dust that I have seen. If that does not work, then step it up, but for $3.49, its hard not to try them.

[black.magnette]

Thanks for your advice. I am in the middle of rewiring a 1954 MG at the moment, so the wheels will have to wait. But at least I can head in the right direction with a bit of confidence!:up

[KnuckleBuckett]

Have you tried clay? Purple Power? Those are both pretty effective. The magic eraser idea is pretty awesome too!

[anaxagoras]

I had this problem last year on my chrome rims. What a nightmare, i never got them 100% clean, but pretty close.



I used a LOT of Eagle 1 All wheel and tire cleaner, scrub brushes, and clay (i used the wheel and tire cleaner as clay lube, which while turning the clay into goop after a while, did help). Oh yeah and a lot of elbow grease.



00 Steel wool and tar remover is probably not a bad idea either.



**edit I should really proof read my posts*

[black.magnette]

The magic erasers worked great! Fair bit of effort but the result so far has been worth it. Thanks heaps for the advice!! :grinno:

[imported_Jakerooni]

Durogloss Aluminum cleaner will eat away all the brake dust in mere seconds with no wiping of any sort. Just spray it on leave it for a few seconds and then spray it off with a good shot of water. Anyone telling you to do anything more is inexperineced and dosen`t have the best answer for your issue.

[imported_Totoland Mach]

I`ve had excellent results using Meguiar`s Hot Rims all wheel cleaner.



Here is some baked on brake dust covering a Bentley Flying Spur...I used an entire bottle of the Hot Rims to remove. My process is: soak one rim at a time, let it stand for a minute or so (don`t ever let it dry), then scrub with all purpose cleaner/soapy water and a soft bristle plastic brush.



http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o212/Totoland/Bentley%20Flying%20Spur/BentleyWheel_Dirty.jpg



After washing



http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o212/Totoland/Bentley%20Flying%20Spur/BentleyWheel_Clean.jpg



After applying wax



http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o212/Totoland/Bentley%20Flying%20Spur/BentleyWheelreflection.jpg



Toto

[KnuckleBuckett]

Idiot Bentley owner.

[WhosRich]

Idiot Bentley owner.



thats some harsh criticism considering you dont even know the whole story

[JBs]

thats some harsh criticism considering you dont even know the whole storyneglect?



like Toto said, Meg`s Hot Rims+wheelbrush then use an aggressive clay (and plenty of lube) to get the specs that dont come off.

[KnuckleBuckett]

maybe



just seems a shame