A dirty 5 series with "black" wheels

[imported_Gary]

I need to clean off some heavy brake dust and I am considering these products. Any experiences, comparisons or favorites here.

[Langley Interior Car Kare]

full/diluted strength....but...what kind of wheels do u have...chrome..etc...clearcoated...etc...whathave u used in the past...???

[BradE]

I also like EF HI. It is a great product and for the price it is a great value. I always buy a gallon because it is so usefull.

[Lemonxxs]

I tried the Sonus, Meguiars Hot Rims, & TW 2001 wheel cleaners this weekend for a test on cleaning wheels & tires of a weeks (400 miles) worth grime.



I found that the Sonus and TW were about the same in everything; smell, cleaning, etc. I think of them as better than the Meguiars.



Yeah yeah I know TW but I had some and it worked pretty good.



Now my wheels were not that dirty but as for the tires they had some grime. The Sonus and TW both cleaned them well and better than the Meguiars.



A tip I tried after scrubbing the tires with a tire brush I rinsed than reapplied the cleaner and than used an old MT. The MT scrubed more grime away.



Oh well off to buy another cleaner and try it next week.

[imported_Gary]

the inside of the wheels were caked with brake dust. I cleaned them recently with the car wash I use (Z7), but there is still some dust remaining. I want to get it all off and then zaino the wheels.

[Langley Interior Car Kare]

http://autopia-carport.com/forum/showthread.php3?s=&threadid=2799&highlight=caked+on+brake+dust (`http://autopia-carport.com/forum/showthread.php3?s=&threadid=2799&highlight=caked+on+brake+dust`)

[YoSteve]

P21S didn`t work well on my painted wheels with my VW brake dust :( it was kinda pricy, I think and it sorta made the break dust yellower and stick on more :)

[imported_roadk]

another vote for EF Hi...

i`ve also used P21S , and i like their gel because it`s stronger than their regular spray and it `sticks` better, eating away tough dirt.

but after you`ve cleaned the wheels, you won`t need the gel if you clean them weekely with EF Hi.

[Don2000g]

I`ll go with the EF Hi Intensity. You can dilute the stuff 1:1 with water or use it near or at full strength. If you buy the gallon it will last you a very long time. Laters.

[YoSteve]

I wanted to add that some or all of these will take Klasse off your wheels. The P21S took my Klasse right off (no beading), which was okay cause I was cleaning them to rewax regardless. Once you get them cleaned and then wax the wheels, then just use carwash so it doesn`t strip the wax (if that`s what you`re doing)

[Don2000g]

You`re absolutely right Steve. Personally I wouldn`t use the wheel cleaners unless I absolutely neglected my wheels for a while or had all sorts of dirt, mud and grime on them for a few days. But for normal maintenance, follow Steve`s advice. Laters.

[imported_broker99]

I posted about this BMW 2 weeks ago. As you can see the wheels are really dirty with brake dust. My 5 year old son made me laugh when he said it looks like a super car with the black wheels. I really love the BMW 5 series with these wheels. The car has a great look and a great stance. The owners told me not to go crazy because the car`s lease is up in August and they wanted me to go back over the car before they turned it in. I knew the wheels needed to be taken off or the they would still look like crap.
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3289.jpg?t=1272410376
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3288.jpg?t=1272410456
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http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3291.jpg?t=1272410555
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3293.jpg?t=1272410603
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3294.jpg?t=1272410645
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3300.jpg?t=1272410783
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3305.jpg?t=1272410826
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3307.jpg?t=1272410900
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3308.jpg?t=1272410935
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3309.jpg?t=1272410979
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3311.jpg?t=1272411036
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3322.jpg?t=1272411160

As you can see the wheels where caked with brake dust. I was reading some posts about Flash?s-Brown Royal and I came to find out that it is sold not too far from where I work so I decided to give it a shot. I had my doubts but, well take a look for yourself.

http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3324.jpg?t=1272411226
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3325.jpg?t=1272411284
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3326.jpg?t=1272411315
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3327.jpg?t=1272411346

This stuff is the real deal. It ripped through the brake dust like a hot knife through butter.

http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3329.jpg?t=1272411425
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3330.jpg?t=1272411528
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3333.jpg?t=1272411607
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3334.jpg?t=1272411642
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3336.jpg?t=1272411695
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3337.jpg?t=1272411760
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3338.jpg?t=1272411788

Surprisingly enough the paint was in pretty good shape for how dirty the car was. I decided to save the machine correction for next time. I used my PC with a red pad and Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish followed up by 2 coats of Wet Diamond. WD really darken the gray paint. I used Meguiar?s #21 sealant on the wheels. I was really happy with how well #21 made them look. I finished the wheels with Autoglym wheel sealant. This product claims to repel brake dust so this car will be the perfect test mule.
On the interior I used interior cleaner from Huey Chemical. I cleaned the leather with Lexol leather cleaner and conditioned them with Leather conditioner also form Huey. Doors and dash wiped down with 303.
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3340.jpg?t=1272411840
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3341.jpg?t=1272411889
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3342.jpg?t=1272411929
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3343.jpg?t=1272411963
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3344.jpg?t=1272411995
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3346.jpg?t=1272412028
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3352.jpg?t=1272412137
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3355.jpg?t=1272412212
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3356.jpg?t=1272412267
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3357.jpg?t=1272412334
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3358.jpg?t=1272412377
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/broker99/IMG_3361.jpg?t=1272412481

Thanks for looking.

[Leadfootluke]

Wow! Great turn around.

Did you happen to try anything to clean the wheels with before Brown Royal, just to compare?

[Legacy99]

Great job:wink:

[imported_Indy YZF]

Great save on the wheels. Why people spend so much money on a car and let it go to crap is beyond me. Great job.