I just got done cleaning my white V-spokes with Simple Green. There are small specks of brake dust that have adhered to the wheel that aren't coming off.

I haven't used anything more abrasive than the scrubby side of a kitchen sponge on them.

Should I use a more abrasive cleaning tool, or try some other kind of cleaner? Is there a solvent that removes the adhered specks?

I feel dumb because I never put anything on the wheels to keep the dust from sticking.

I really want to get them clean again so I can put on some Rejex.

Thanks!

 

No. Don't use anything abrasive, you will scratch the paint.

Try using a clay bar. If you haven't used one before, you must first wash the surface, then spray a solution in order for the clay bar to glide over the surface as you move the bar back and forth. You can either buy clay bar kits (around $16) or the higher end clay bars, which are around $25 (solution extra).
The clay bar absorbs any contaminants on the painted surface. It'll take off sticker residue, fallout (those tiny brown specs on white roofs, even wax, so you should polish/rewax afterwards.

Good luck :smile:

 

The clay bar will work like magic on those spots, so don't sweat it.

Don't feel dumb either, you were out driving when you otherswise would have been waxing your wheels, right? Nothing wrong with that

 

So there's nothing I could try short of a clay bar? I don't know if that might be overkill.

Any other suggestions?

 

>>So there's nothing I could try short of a clay bar? I don't know if that might be overkill.
>>
>>Any other suggestions?

You might try our Mothers Clear Coat Wheel Polish (part # 05108), it will polish off the embedded brake particulates, and leave a polymer coating behind that will slow down the re-adherence of brake dust to the wheels.

_________________
forrest@mothers.com

 

I have the same exact problem on both of my MINI's silver wheels. Spots with embedded brake dust junk, mostly on the front wheels. Will try the Clay bar method and then will use the Mother's product to help alliviate the problem by adding a protective coat to the wheel surface.

How about using wax like Zaino's Z2?

_________________
'02 Cooper CVT PW/B, Bone stock (Hers)
'04 MCS CR/W/Chrome Grille and mirror caps (His)

 

Zaino's waxes, although advertised as "show car polish" are NOT abrasives and not cleaners. They're simply polymer sealants. I have the stubborn spots on my silver clearcoated wheels, and will use claybar and possibly Mother's clearcoat polish.

The best way to take care of the wheels in the future is to keep a healthy layer of wax/sealant on them at all times. They're far easier clean when washing the car, and the black spots will cease to be an issue.

Hope this helps, and report back what you find when trying to remove the spots!

-Troy

 

As capsfan13 said; First you must clean the surface, then you can protect the surface.

try a good clay bar, Zymol cleaner wax, Pinnacle or P21S paintwork cleanser - stuff like that.

Then, use a quality wax; P21S caranuba, favorite Zymol, WheelWax, Zaino...

 

Any suggestions as to where to purchase any of the aboved mentioned products? Do any stores carry them, or is it an online thing?

Thanks for the feedback!

 

An auto paint shop should have this stuff. Some parts places as well. A store like Target may have some paint care stuff, but it is generally not of the best quality.

 

Well, I bought some Zymol cleaner wax. It did a nice job on the paint, but it didn't take the brake particulates off the wheels.

I guess I'm on the the clay bar now, although I might shop around for that Mothers Clear Coat Wheel Polish.

 

I have the same problem and I tried the clay bar.
No luck, it didn't do a thing.
The clay is fine for small contaminents and polutants but is not abrasive enough to cut these spots out.
I tried Scratch-X, and a mild paint scrub. No luck
I will have to try the clearcoat polish.
If that doesn't work I guess I will try a mild rubbing compound.

 

I have the same problem and guess what? I noticed these black specks shortly after I picked up the car when it was new. I almost mentioned to the dealer, but decided that would be too picky. My theory is that they are specks that were in the powder coating (contaminants) when the finish was applied. If you scrub it seems to make them show more, because you wear off the white that was hiding them. Maybe I am all wet on this theory, but generally they aren't too noticable from 10 feet away. What is realy bad is when the wheels turn yellow from brake dust. That will take some work. I waxed my wheels, but it still happens.

 

I have the black specks too, I can't stand them. I was using Simple Green on my wheels, because people on here recommended it. It worked ok, still needed to do a lot of scrubbing. The other day I was in Pep Boys and picked up something called Westley's Bleche-white for all wheels, and I like this much better. I've been spraying some on every day, you don't need to do nearly as much scrubbing as with the Simple Green. I spray some on and just rub it into the black specks with my fingers, and most have faded significantly and some have disappeared. I'll keep doing it every day until they look as good as new.

 

I use Castrol Super Clean on my silver wheels - i didn't clean them for about 2 months during the winter.. and cleaned them off this past weekend and got every bit of black spec off..

took a lot of elbow grease, but super clean came highly recommended and worked great

 

Thanks for the tip, MCJoe! I'll give that a shot.

As far as the specks being there fromthe beginning, mine defintely weren't. The wheels were totally pristine when I picked the car up.