I recently hand washed and waxed the mini but I can't seem to get all the brake dust and junk off the wheels. Especially in the front. With all the little angles on the rims it's darn hard. I used a towel with the same stuff I used to wash the car but they are still not clean. I did not use a wheel brush or any wheel specific cleaner as I'm a little afraid of things being to abrasive or harming the wheels. Can someone recommend some good wheel cleaner that will take care of tough brake dust/gunk? Thanks!

 

polish it out using ScratchX by meguiar's.

use a soft cotton applicator pad and some elbwo grease. wax the wheels
afterwards.

 

We need something like the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner that will pop out and spray your wheels at night and be sparkling clean in the morning.

Maybe that can be the next thing OctaneGuy invents.

 

I use simple green and a bug sponge. Seems to work really well and not to harsh like some of the dedicated wheel cleaners

 

I like it!!

We'll race OG to see who can invent it first...

-Heather

 

As you've already found, car wash soap is not strong enough to remove most brake dust and other wheel gunk buildup. It needs to be gentle on your paint, so therefore isn't strong enough for brake dust.

If you only have some spots and marks on the wheels, then I'd also recommend a polish style product. We have Prima Wheel Shield (which has a protective sealant in it as well as a very effective chemical cleanser) and Prima Swirl (a traditional medium paint polish). Are your wheels painted or bare metal? (wheels are often painted silver)

If the wheels are still generally dirty and gunky all over, I would start with a wheel cleaner prior to a polish or cleanser....

You're smart in fearing certain chemicals on your wheels. Many wheel cleaners are either acidic (the strongest/most dangerous kind) or basic/alkaline (not as bad as acid but still can damage your wheels). There are, however, many brands which offer a pH-neutral wheel cleaner. P21S and Four Star both have pH-neutral wheel cleaners. pH-neutral wheel cleaners are completely safe... even if you leave them on your wheels for a long time. They will not damage your wheels.

Some people use Simple Green... if you do, please be careful. Simple Green is alkaline and can damage wheels if left on for too long or if used in a too concentrated form. It's very effective but just rinse really well and don't leave it on for too long. I personally only use pH-neutral wheel cleaners because I don't like to take a chance!

After cleaning the wheels with a wheel cleaner, you may still have to polish/cleanse them- especially if they haven't been cleaned for a long time. Brake dust and other wheel gunk can also etch your wheels. It's best to clean your wheels regularly and apply a protectant to help prevent buildup and etching.

I hope that helps!

-Heather

 

Haha, don't get me started!! I've been fantasizing about building a shower for my MINI. I mean heck, we all wake up and take a shower before work-or before going to bed, why not shower our MINIs before bed with DI water? Since we keep them sparkling clean, it's not like we need a car wash brush system--just a way to spray clean water--from the sprinkler system--filtered by a DI system---and have it drain somewhere--maybe back to the lawn for watering the plants. LOL.

OOOOr maybe it could spray hydro once in awhile--but I'd have to manually dry it!

Hmmm, robot scrubbers that come out at night and clean the wheels. Years ago, I had thought about a disc, similar to a garbage can lid with a rotating sprayer head like those lawn sprinklers that you just pushed against your wheel and is sprayed them clean (after first spraying with a soap solution)--then you could have a clean car without a wet car! Of course I thought of this when I had white wheels and spent way too much time keeping them clean!

re: Race
Heather's got her crushed cockroach juice cocktail Wheel Shield--she's already a step ahead! I'm gonna have to do some serious hightailing to catch up!

 

Well until one of y'all comes up with the be-all-end-all automatic wheel cleaner, I'll keep using my Saeco Steamer. http://www.amazon.com/Saeco-Piccolo-.../dp/B0009317JQ

It's not a whimpy kind of steamer "as seen on tv" -- it's a serious machine. Really does work great.

 

A buddy has some Prima Wheel Shield. Will that actually clean the wheels vs just protecting them? Can I use a clean white wash cloth to apply and scrub with it? Thanks for all the advice so far!

 

But it looks like you bought the last one!

 

I've got R-98 Web Spoke wheels, they were a bear to keep clean. With an application of Prima Wheel Shield, they are a snap to clean. Wash them off,using a dedicated MF mitt to agitate the dust and a good rinsing and let 'em dry and wipe them off with a little Prima Slick and they are good to go for another week.

 

I got it on eBay about a year ago. Don't know where to find them now but it's worth the search. When I got it, I cleaned my 1948 O'Keefe & Merritt vintage stove. It blasted away stuff that I didn't think would ever come off! Gets into all the nooks and crannies with no chemicals or cleaners.

It laughs in the face of brake dust!

 

I have a LadyBug XL-2300 for wheel and chassis cleaning chores.

Does a nice job on wheelwells too, but in the R56 the wheelweels are made from some type of felt. I am trying to figure it out before I hit them with the Bug, as I am concerned steam cleaning might damage the wheelwell liners.

Whatever the material is, it sure likes to hold dirt and oils from the road.

 

hummmmm....come to think of it, haven't tried my WheelSheild on stained wheels yet.
i should give that a shot on my legacy wheels where i have slight stainage from brake
dust.

my civic wheels came with this super slick surface from the factory so
it cleans off real easily. my other car's wheels are Slicked after each drive
so obviously no stains.

 

Skuzzy - I have not seen the new wheel wells yet, but I'm guessing that the material is something a kin to the heat shielding under the bonnet. I used 303 Fabric Guard on this area and as a result the felt does not trap dust and dirt like it once did. The 303 Fabric Guard is the same product I use for my rag top. It might be worth a try on your wheel wells.

 

Thanks for the tip on the 303 Fabric Guard, but I need to be abl to clean them before I attempt any type of seaing.

What I might have to do is order a wheelwell part from Mini and experiment on it to find the best cleaning/sealing method.

 

I have the factory Web Spokes and just use Meguiers Gold car wash and a micro fiber towel and the brake dust just comes right off. It's never been an issue for me. I think that the micro fiber towel is the key more than the soap. My wheels still look like new

 

My brother in law has the felt wheel well things on his car...the last time I detailed his car I used the power washer on them and they came clean.

 

Wow, either you don't drive it very often or you are truly obssessive-compulsive.

 

i only drive them once or twice a week, so not too OCD.

 

I use the Wheel and Tire Cleaner from Eagle One and it cleans better than anything else I have ever used. I also wax the rims after cleaning and they stay pretty clean for about a month. So about once a month I will clean and wax them again.

 

I second that. Eagle One makes the best wheel cleaner bar-none that I've tried. It's almost spray on rinse off. I should know I've got wire wheels on my MINI.

 

what will assist the removal of the brake dust that seemingly has "bonded" into the clearcoat of the s-lites? p21s and nylon "dobie" dishpad?

 

scratch-x, as mentioned above. just use a mild polish if carshampoo and
light scrubbing doesn't take it off.

 

Meguire's makes a confusing array of wheel cleaners. I tried their "Hot Rims Multi Piece Wheel Wash" because it claimed to be safe for polished aluminum. It works well. I used it with a wheel brush and it was quite a painless endeavour. It is the only thing I've ever used, so can't compare it to anything else.

A friend with a Porsche was complaining about the difficulty of cleaning wheels so I told him about the stuff I used. He couldn't find it and tried an Eagle One wheel cleaner. He was ecstatic with how well it worked.