I've searched the archives a bit but really couldn't find anything on this subject. Has anyone been able to successfully remove the black pit marks from white wheels (caused by brake dust)? I've cleaned my wife's MCS religiously since we bought it (every 1 to 2 weeks MAX), but the wheels have slowly started to get these black pit marks (on the flat spots in between the spokes) that seem to be burned into the paint!

The only thing I've found that successfully removes them is a rough scour pad, but this obviously leaves scratch marks and dulls the paint. Luckily I tested this on a small section of one wheel, but I can't imagine doing it on the entire car...

I've told the dealership and they don't really care that much (although they have received a few similar complaints from other customers), so I'm planning to change the pads to Akebono EURO's (ceramic, low-dusting) and hopefully prevent further damage. But I was also hoping to find a way to clean/repair some of the damage to the wheels and restore them to semi new-like condition.

Aside from having them refinished/repainted ($$$$), does anyone have any ideas? Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks

 

Wow... 66 views and no comments?? Someone has to have an idea or two!

 

Try this;

http://stores.shopprimacarcare.com/-...our/Detail.bok

Mark

 

Try claybar. I removed over 7 years worth of those pit marks with claybar.

 

1 to 2 weeks max is too long to maintain white wheels.

Check out my white wheels after 66,000 miles


How did I do it?

1.) Use a quality quick detailer like Prima Slick. QD it atleast twice a day. Don't let the brake dust sit on the wheels otherwise it'll pit the paint.

2.) Use an easy to use spray wax like Prima Hydro to protect the wheels. Use this weekly and still QD daily.

3.) After a couple months, you can start to reduce the amount of daily maintenance and just use a clean MF cloth to wipe the dust off.

4.) Lower dusting brake pads can be helpful.

5.) Don't use a scouring pad on any part of your car. As others have suggest use Clay Bar and rub like mad. Then protect the paint with a wax and maintain constantly.

Note that I now have matte black wheels!

Richard

 

Nice! Thanks for the input guys... I've got some extra clay bar after detailing my S4, so I'll give that a try. I just figured this type of damage was too deep for a clay bar, so I never tried it. I had planned on applying a couple coats of Carnuba wax after I got the spots out anyway, which also ought to help prevent future damage.

Thanks again!

 

If your going to wax the wheels, a wheel wax will last way longer. The heat from the brakes really shortens the life of most other waxes.

Mark

 

if it's like tar specks i'd use motor spray... or even gasoline. works very quick.

Hydro afterwards.

 

Carnauba probably won't be the most desirable choice. It won't last long at all. I like Hydro (synthetic wax) because I spray it on and dry the surface the same as if I were washing/drying the wheel. Unlike a wax where I wash the wheel, dry it, apply the carnauba, let dry, then buff off. Way too many steps for something that needs to be done often.

 

No, I'm almost positive it's not tar cause I tried rubbing it off w/ mineral spirits and then laquer thinner and neither one worked... It's definitely from the brake dust, specifically the tiny metal particles from the OEM semi-metallic pads.

Fair enough... I'll give that Hydro stuff a try and let you know.

 

Powder coating would be a very nice alternative. Low cost and nice finish. No paint to be worried about.

 

in that case definitely clay or even some fine polish will do the trick.

way back when, i used some meguiar's 'cleaner wax' on the wheels and it worked great.

but it was carnauba based so not sure how long it lasts... defintely use Hydro on wheels. no more of that special wheel wax deal. too much work for too little benefit.

 

Like others, I use Hydro on wheels. I use the Wheel Armour ever few months as a cleaner(it is very effective for cleaning, yet gentle on the paint), and to get a good base sealant on them.

Mark

 

yeah, I'm not to sure if powder coating would do that much better... brake dust can be pretty corrosive, especially when tiny particles of hot metal are mixed in there too

 

But that is damage that can't be detailed out. The powder coating is a much more durable coating compared to paint.

 

Yeah, it's usually a much harder coating because of the chemical composition and the oven baking process (polymer binding). That being said, it's not indestructible by any means and can still susceptible to burns and marring.

Unfortunately for us, I'm sure that BMW decided to paint these wheels instead of powder coat them due to reduced manufacturing costs (i.e. increased profit margins).

 

Powdercoating is harder than spray on paint, but it too can be scratched, and you can polish it as well. I had my chrome gas cap door powdercoated matte black, and a painter, who no longer works for me, scratched it and said he could fix it..so he pulled out a buffer and now my gas cap door is semi gloss, lol.

For wheels, Powdercoating is definitely preferred, but because of the high temp baking process, you have to consider whether you will be compromising the integrity of the wheels by PCing them, and usually you can't do them more than once...atleast that's what I've heard.

I had my wheels powdercoated in two colors. It's held up very well for the past several years, but they are far from perfect, and I'm convinced that if they weren't powercoated, they would have lasted only a fraction of the time.

 

yah, typically matte is matte for a reason... it's not polished!

 

I just bought my MCS and it has the same problem. At first I thought it was tar or corrosion, but with a toothbrush, scrub brush, some wesley's bleach white, and some elbow grease a lot of it came off. I got everything nice a polished up as best I could and now three days later they are covered in dust again. I'm going to try some of these cleaning products, probably some clay, and a nice stiff nylon brush to get the wheels back in shape and then look into some low dust brake pads or black rims.

Maybe i'll just start downshifting as opposed to braking. How hard can a clutch be to replace???

 

You definitely need to look into low-dust ceramic brake pads as a long-term solution. Otherwise you literally will be fighting the dust twice a day.