Why remove iron from anywhere but paint?

[bennylava]

I`ve been seeing that a lot of people spray the iron remover stuff on places besides the paint. The brake calipers specifically. I know the rotors basically just fling metal into the paint all the time, but what is the point in removing those particles from the outsides of the brake calipers? Seems like every time I see a video where people are detailing, they all use the iron remover on the brakes and generally inside the wheel.

It really doesn`t seem like this is going to do anything. How can removing iron from brakes help? It`s just going to start making more immediately. Thanks!

[dcjredline]

Well in that same vain washing your car is stupid too cause its just gonna get dirty immediately. Even sitting in the driveway or garage its still gonna get dusty.

[crg001]

"Why bother cleaning when it`s gonna get dirty again" kinda goes against the whole idea of Autopia, but I feel that when you`re getting in there and cleaning the wheels, why not get the surrounding areas? The best fix is always preventative maintenance IMO. If you let the brake dust build up eventually it will invite corrosion through the paint on the calipers and wheel barrels. In the case of my own car, the calipers are painted red and I had my wheels custom powder coated, so I will take every effort to keep them in good condition, even though it is a german car that has absolutely ridiculous levels of brake dust after just one drive.

https://i.imgur.com/0B0AY7T.jpg

[Stokdgs]

I`ve been seeing that a lot of people spray the iron remover stuff on places besides the paint. The brake calipers specifically. I know the rotors basically just fling metal into the paint all the time, but what is the point in removing those particles from the outsides of the brake calipers? Seems like every time I see a video where people are detailing, they all use the iron remover on the brakes and generally inside the wheel.

It really doesn`t seem like this is going to do anything. How can removing iron from brakes help? It`s just going to start making more immediately. Thanks!

Because if brake dust keeps building up -because- you never keep up on removing it, it`s going to make it really hard to get it all off someday..
If you absolutely do not care about this, well then there is that..

Dan F

[Lonnie]

crg001:
Thanks for posting the pic of your German-engineered (was it built there as well?) VW.
I agree about cleaning as being part of the preventative maintenance process. Let`s face it, most vehicle owners or leasee`s see their vehicle as an appliance to be used for personal transportation and dcjredline`s statement "it`s just going to get dirty anyway" is the prevailing attitude that most of them have about such a vehicle`s appearance and that the vehicle will get replaced eventually. What is unfortunate is that most are not aware of how much that attitude can affect a vehicle`s net value, either when traded in, resold privately by themselves, or returned at the end of a lease. That said, I do think that the current shortage of vehicles in the new car market and hence, its effect on used vehicle availability is making those individuals realize that they may be driving "that appliance" for a while longer than expected, and it may require paying more attention to its appearance. That`s an "opportunity" for those Autopians who detail others vehicles professionally or as a hobbyist and the car-care product manufacturers whose products are used on them. I say "opportunity" because I do not know if that is actually happening for both detailers and the products they use or not; I am only surmising and guessing on my part.

So here`s the Captain Obvious question: What brake-dust/wheel cleaner product(s) are you using on your VW wheels (rims!) in that photo?

[crg001]

crg001:
Thanks for posting the pic of your German-engineered (was it built there as well?) VW.
I agree about cleaning as being part of the preventative maintenance process. Let`s face it, most vehicle owners or leasee`s see their vehicle as an appliance to be used for personal transportation and dcjredline`s statement "it`s just going to get dirty anyway" is the prevailing attitude that most of them have about such a vehicle`s appearance and that the vehicle will get replaced eventually. What is unfortunate is that most are not aware of how much that attitude can affect a vehicle`s net value, either when traded in, resold privately by themselves, or returned at the end of a lease. That said, I do think that the current shortage of vehicles in the new car market and hence, its effect on used vehicle availability is making those individuals realize that they may be driving "that appliance" for a while longer than expected, and it may require paying more attention to its appearance. That`s an "opportunity" for those Autopians who detail others vehicles professionally or as a hobbyist and the car-care product manufacturers whose products are used on them. I say "opportunity" because I do not know if that is actually happening for both detailers and the products they use or not; I am only surmising and guessing on my part.

So here`s the Captain Obvious question: What brake-dust/wheel cleaner product(s) are you using on your VW wheels (rims!) in that photo?

Thanks Lonnie! It`s a VW Jetta GLI so built in Mexico actually, haha. But the performance brakes create crazy amounts of brake dust. I would tend to agree with your statement of there being an opportunity for detailing enthusiasts due to the current state of the market. I`ve been keeping very busy with this as a side-gig for myself!

Before I mounted these wheels I had coated them, barrels and behind the spokes and all, with some left over CQuartz that I had. Combined with the naturally hard surface of the powder coating, these are pretty easy to maintain, so I usually just use an iron decon product. In this photo I believe I was using Blackfire`s Iron Remover, which is a very good product and can be had at a good price when you catch their bigger sales. It is enough when combined with light agitation and a strong rinse to keep them perfectly clean, and since the iron decon product is pH neutral it doesn`t harm the ceramic coating either. Makes maintenance super easy. I have since replaced the Blackfire with Meguiar`s D1801 Wheel And Paint Iron Decon, though. I find it breaks down the iron deposits more thoroughly and has the same gel-like consistency as the Blackfire, which allows it to dwell for extended periods of time.

Even though these get dirty very fast and very easily, the frequent maintenance makes the whole task much easier to accomplish at any given time. Just last night I used Feynlab Pure Rinseless in a waterless wash solution to clean them and it worked perfectly!

[Accumulator]

Why wouldn`t ya clean the calipers if they show?

The ones on the Crown Vic are hidden behind the wheels/wheelcovers, but all the other ones, even the `93 Audis behind those BBS wheels, do show so you can bet I get `em nice and clean every time. And often redo them between regular washes.

But that`s just me...IMO it boils down to "do you care?" Not like you *gotta* care about any of this stuff, so do what works for *you*.