Caked on dirt on wheels

[spree]

My mom has a 2001 Volvo S40 with regular alloy wheels. The problem is she's got some dirt/brake dust that's basically stuck onto the wheels. I've tried just about everything to remove it (simple green and a few off the shelf wheel cleaners), but nothing is doing the job. Those products did nothing to even help get rid of it...it's just as bad as it was before I tried removing it.



I don't have pics unfortunately...but does anyone have any advice on how to deal with it?

 

[White95Max]

I had great results with P21S wheel cleaner on the backsides of my wheels. The brake dust had been on there for over a year since I last cleaned the backsides.

I'll try to see if I can find the pictures (before/after).



I think Eagle One A2Z Wheel Cleaner is usually recommended for very filthy wheels. Did you try that one?

 

[White95Max]

Here's a pic of the wheel before cleaning. It wasn't as dirty as some I've seen but it was pretty caked with brake dust.

After a good scrubbing and P21S Wheel Cleaner...

I didn't get every bit cleaned out, but these are my soon-to-be winter-only rims (with snow tires coming) so a little bit of brake dust doesn't bother me.



After the cleaning I washed them again, and then applied EX-P to them, and then 2 days later, took them off again, washed them, dried them, and applied #16. They are nice and slick now and hopefully in the spring they won't be very difficult to clean.

 

[togwt]

~One manâ€â„¢s opinion / observations~



Brake dust:

Particles produced from the friction of brake pads rubbing against the rotor (note: some contain asbestos). This metal on metal friction disperses tiny particles of black dust, which adheres to the wheel. The front wheels are usually more soiled, as this is where most of the vehicle braking effectiveness is.



For badly soiled surfaces use an undiluted citrus-based APC (P21S Total Auto Wash), then use detailerâ€â„¢s clay followed by a gel-type neutral pH wheel surface cleaner (P21S Gel Wheel Cleaner). Due to the friction heat transferred from the rotors (175oF+) apply a polymer surface protection as it has a higher melting point than wax (130-180oF) this will also ensure easier future cleaning (Klasse All-In-One)



Sequestered brake dust, if left for any length of time on the wheelâ€â„¢s causes galvanic corrosion, which etches the surface and eventually dulls the wheelâ€â„¢s appearance if not removed on a regular basis. To remove brake dust stains use a mildly abrasive cleaner (Iz Einszett® Metal Polish "Chrompflegeâ€Â�, P21S Multi-Surface Finish)



~Hope this helps~



Knowledge unshared is experience wasted [each one / teach one]

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ JonM

 

[Don]

These were my rims last summer. I hadn't cleaned the back sides since I bought the car (5 lashes with a wet MF). Even oven cleaner wouldn't touch them, so I ended up using a soft brass toothbrush and Simple Green. They were finished off with NXT topped with #16.



I recleaned them about a month ago, and all it took was a few spritzes of Meguiars *Instant Wheel Cleaner* and a small paintbrush to get them back into shape.



If I had to do them over again, I would use the Instant Wheel Cleaner instead of the Simple Green





Before

After