Cleaning brake dust off race wheels

P

PaulTso

New member
Ok, this past weekend i detailed an e46 m3 and the owner took the track wheels off and told me to clean them thorougly. inside of the wheel, there were chunks of rubber 2inches x 2 inches long and also smallers pieces baked on. Ok fine, i used some APC and got the majority off. i also did the same for the face of the wheel. But on the outter rim of the face of the wheel, there was brake dust that just wouldnt budge. I clayed, used APC, and also a myriad of brushes. NO LUCK. I felt like crap telling him i couldnt do anything about it. My customer was still thrilled because they looked 500% better, but i couldnt get them spotless. Also on the innner side of the wheel, there were brake dust stains from where his huge 6 piston stop techs sat. I couldnt remove those spots of brake dust either.



Am i just out of luck when it comes to cleaning wheels that have been raced, or is there some secret process out there?



ps. i proceeded the seal the entire wheel with detailers pride premium surface shield
 
Do you know what brake pads he was using. Race pads omit some really nasty dust...which will stain wheels beyond repair in many cases if it gets wet and then dries again without being cleaned.



I too have an E46 M3 that I track and I always wash my wheels immediatly following a session at the track and usually with some pretty heavy duty stuff (poorboys spray and rinse which is acid based...or Wheel Acid).



I run Hawk HT-10 pads and had the unfortunate instance of getting caught in sprinkles my last time home from the track...It caused major headaches with the wheels and I even got spots on the paint where there was brake dust buildup that got wet and dried and I had to break out the buffer and AIO to remove the discolored spotting from my white paint as it wouldn't come off with normal washing.



So....try an acid based cleaner..but the damage could be done to the point that they need to be refinished.
 
I have some 4* Wheel Cleaner Gel (Internet order) with a pH of 7 that's pretty good on brake dust. I also have some of the new EO Wheel and Tire Cleaner (A2Z repackaged ... highly alkaline) that I got from Walmart that simply blew away 4 months of brake dust on a neighbor's Subaru. You just have to be careful to follow the manufacturer's directions (I used some brushes to help the process).
 
EXACTLY! he said right after his run, it started to rain. I used full strength purple power APC. I dont know if its acid based but i definitely know it doesnt have a neutral Ph of 7.
 
"Wheel Wax" from CMA cleaned brake dust that no amount of wheel cleaners(AtoZ, P21 ect) cleaned. Best stuff I've used. Just like the ad copy at CMA.
 
Go acid-based. Try PB's Spray + Rinse first, its the Autopian way. If that doesn't work, use the "good stuff" : I.E. a Hydroflouric acid based aluminum brightener. The difference between a good APC and Chemfast Alumabrite is indescribeable. I've burned rust off an engine block with this before, if it gives you any idea of what it does. You can even get buried in dust off, cause it burns off a slight layer of metal (fraction of an inch). I cannot stress the need for protection enough, wear gloves and safety glasses. Spray it on undiluted, wait 45secs, pressure wash off. Its not the gentlest way to fix these problems, but it will do the trick.
 
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