brake dust help

JayC said:
Okay but if you had to scrub it, what makes that stuff any better than anything else?
Click to expand...



I didn't need to "scrub" the wheels. Wiping is a more accurate word.



This is what makes them different from other wheel cleaners: (from Autogeek.net)



This is a water-based non-acidic detergent that provides great cleaning and guarantees not to damage any type of wheel.



P21S Wheel Cleaners are the famous German-made factory approved way to remove corrosive brake dust from alloy wheels. Safe, pH controlled, non-acid, non-lye based formulas are guaranteed not to attack any type of road wheel, braking system or other automotive surface.
 
Guys...I think we've gotten off-track a little with this one...(almost) no one seemed to notice that the original poster's wheels are steelies, with hubcaps. I'll presume they are plastic, which means that the brake dust hasn't pitted into the base metal through galvanic action as would happen with aluminum wheels. The biggest problem with cleaning those "spoke holes" is that you can't put a spoke brush thru there because it just hits the steelie behind it. My recommendation to Bortass is to pop those wheel covers off, bring them inside to the basement sink, and clean them with some Eagle One A2Z (now All Wheel and Tire Cleaner) and a soft spoke brush, you should be able to get them nice and clean. While you have them inside, you might as well wax/seal them, it can't hurt. Before you put them back on, it will probably be worth washing or wiping the face of the steelie cuz it will be all crudded up with brake dust which will spill out a bit onto your clean wheel covers.
 
Sorry, I didn't notice because when I originally viewed this thread, I was on the dial up and didn't other viewing the picture. I've seen dirty wheels before, so I didn't feel the need to see another. I can just look around the parking lot. :)
 
SpoiledMan said:
Not all brake dust is created equal. Tracking a car for the weekend may create a lot of dust on the wheels but it's not like that baked on stuff that you get from having nasty wheels that get wet and heat cycled and wet and more dust added all through that process. That caked on stuff is tough to remove.
Click to expand...



Good point. I would never let that dust get wet and sit, as from what I hear when the caked on dust gets wet and sits for a week, scrubbing them with simple green and a brush will still not get all of the track dust off.



I use the SnR full strength on the wifes BMW wheels. As long as the products contacts the surface it will come clean when its sprayed off. About 3 days of her driving around town and they start to look like crap. Then add a day of rain in. Some of you may know that the brake dust from the stock BMW pads is a PITA.



No before pic, but this is after:



IMG_9083a.jpg
 
Setec Astronomy- Thanks for pointing out that the All Wheel & Tire is the same as A2Z; I didn't know that. Too bad you can't get the older, acidic, version of A2Z, that stuff was great for really nasty jobs.



JayC said:
.. Ive been putting Collinite 476 on my rims and I cant tell it does squat for keeping them clean or making them any easier to clean in the future... I broke down and bought some Kleen Wheels...
Click to expand...



Hope the Kleen Wheels don't cause overheating of your brakes. I'd rather have dirty wheels and plenty of airflow myself; those little vents in the Kleen Wheels don't amount to much. And I'd take them off before having the car serviced if you're still under warranty. And isn't it hard to see/clean your calipers with those on there?



Funny that the 476S doesn't work for you. It's not my favorite wheel LSP, but it works fine on my winter wheels. Just like the sealants I use on my "good" wheels in the summer, it makes it easy to clean them with just carwash shampoo and minimal light agitation with a BHB. I sure wouldn't want to use something so strong that it'd work as a touchless wash, it'd strip off the LSP that not only protects my wheels but makes them look nice.



Could be that you and I are just approaching this whole thing differently, but I would think about the potential overheating issue.
 
WOW, the plastic wheel covers look pretty darned good for never having been cleaned for several years!



I run plastic wheel covers/steel wheels for the winter setup on one of our cars. If they aren't tended to on a regular basis, the staining from the brake dust, etc. really seems to penetrate the plastic making the cleaning process much more challenging.



I'll agree on the Meg's (OTC) wheel cleaner and a simple (tooth) brush to take care of it. If that isn't meeting your satisfaction, you can always try a little polish or cleaner/wax.
 
You could just buy new wheel covers :D...



I used Castrol Super Clean APC diluted and it washes most brake dust off.
 
Another thing to help on the brake dust situation- when the pads wear out, switch to a low-dusting performance pad. I just did a complete brake job on my S-10 yesterday and I'm hoping this will help with my chrome wheels.
 
Accumulator said:
Setec Astronomy- Thanks for pointing out that the All Wheel & Tire is the same as A2Z; I didn't know that. Too bad you can't get the older, acidic, version of A2Z, that stuff was great for really nasty jobs.
Click to expand...

:o I think they changed the name about a year ago, as well as packaging it now in a silver bottle, but I never bought it as A2Z, I'm only going by what other members said as far as it only being a name change. The AW&T is certainly caustic as the recent version of A2Z was...I dunno, I don't use it on my vehicles, only when I do a wash for someone that needs it. The AW&T is really foamy; spray it on a dirty tire and this brown foamy muck comes off...I always wonder if that is just dirt or if it's pulling the additives out of the sidewall...as I said, I only use it on really gunky tires, so I don't know if the stuff coming off is because the tire is so dirty or if the cleaner is so strong.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top