My Mini has white wheels. I like the way they look; they're just hard to keep clean. It's hard to reach all the cracks and crevasses. Plus, today as I was washing the car, and I noticed little dots of what looked like rust. I'm guessing from brake dust, etc. It's not that noticeable, but I would rather it not be there. What do you guys use to wash your wheels? Can I wax them? Any tricks that I can use? Is there a way to remove the rust and keep it off? Thank you.

 

There are lots of wheel cleaners out there, and they all seem to do a decent job.

Rust is orange, while brake dust is black. If your spots are orange, something is very wrong, and you need to complain to your dealer. The white paint is very thick, and would have to be pretty badly damaged to permit the metal underneath to rust.

There are a lot of threads (the search command is your friend) dealing with waxing wheels. It definitely makes them easier to clean.

Replacing the stock brake pads with Green Stuff reduces dust a little, and the dust you do get is easier to clean.

 

MiniSuperCooper-Welcome to the world of white wheels! I have them too and they are the best! (see my gallery)

Anyway, I use a good car shampoo (like Meguires Gold Class) and an OXO Wash brush to scrub them safely.

With any black specs left, I found that some good wax (like Meguires NXT) will actually rub off the specs, in most cases. Wax the entire painted surface and the dust will hardly stick anymore.

I read on here that the insides get dirty too. Once I took the wheel off I had a bit of work to do. After scrubbing and waxing, they are clean inside and out! I do the insides about once a month.

Good luck. Motor on.

 

The rust spots are most likely from your rotors. They are steel & steel rusts. Your wheels are aluminum & will never rust.

I don't have white wheels, but I fight the brake dust the same as you do. My best advice is to not let them get very badly coated with brake dust. The longer that stuff is there the more damage that can be done. I use my regular car wash soap to clean the wheels. They are kept waxed too. Many of the wheel cleaners out there are very harsh. Be careful what you use.

 

Good point on the rust spots.

 

I have found that a good coat of whel wax (http://www.wheelwax.com/), 2 on the fronts, every month/month and a half. I have been very pleased with it. Not only does it give a cleaned set of white wheels a good shine, but it makes in between wash cleanings a breeze (little detail spray and a cloth and good as new). At wash time about 80% of the brake dust that has accumulated will rinse right off with a good pressure nozzle. I think it is a must for those of us with white wheels.

Matt

 

Waxing the wheels is a great idea... I use a bit of Zaino Z2 on them! It makes them so slick, the brake dust just slides right off with a damp sponge during each successive cleaning.

rock on,

-boognish

 

I'll definitely give them a good wax. I thought those tiny rust specs might have come from the rotors. I'm hoping they'll come off with a little Zaino polish. Thank you for all your comments.

 

The best cleaning product for my white wheels is new brake pads! I replaced mine only a few thousand miles into owning my mini and it was a night and day difference. Well worth the $75 set of Mintex Red Box Pads.

You want to make sure you have a paint-safe wheel cleaner, which basically means nothing you can buy in the store. P21S Gel or Sonus Rim Bright are my products of choice. They are made to combine with the brake dust and it can be wiped right off.

Any spots that don't come off are baked-in brake dust. Cleaning the wheels often is the way to prevent this, but removing any that is currently there is very tough. You can try a clay bar, or a good ol' fingernail. Someone suggested a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser sponge, which might be a final choice because it is abrasive and I wouldn't recommend using it often, certainly never on your body paint.

 

Eagle One All-Wheel Cleaner (used to be called A-Z) works great and is safe for all painted wheels. I've been using it for year with no problems. It's now in a grey bottle but it used to be orange. I just bought some on sale at Shucks for $3.95.

As an added bonus, it also does a great job of cleaning your tires. It doesn't turn them white like Westly's does.

 

Definitely wax your wheels... the most durable synthetic you can find will hold up the best against the heat/wear-and-tear that wheels have to withstand. As the wheels are painted, you can use any synthetic wax (aka sealant, polymer wax, etc) you would use on your body paint. Wheel Wax is also decent, although it contains both carnauba and a polymer. It also has cleaners.

The synthetics with a cleaner also work well, for obvious reasons... cleaning! (Klasse AIO would be a good example of a synthetic w/ cleaners) Although, these shouldn't replace your first step of washing the wheels with a safe wheel cleaner. Safe wheel cleaners are pH neutral. It's the acidic and basic (less so than acidic usually though) which can damage your wheels. P21S Gel Wheel cleaner is always a safe and effective option.

Carnauba waxes are not usually a good idea for wheels, as the carnauba (and the oils in the carnauba waxes) tends to attract dust. Kinda defeats the purpose!

Of course, you could always switch your brake pads for low-dusting ones. But others have already covered that one for ya...

-Heather

 

^^ i was just thinking about this the other day and planning to wax my
wheels using Epic. Is that a sound choice?

 

Thanks Heather!

Can you tell me if I did the right thing? (anything wrong with this products)

First I used Eagle One All Wheel and Tire Cleaner
http://www.eagleone.com/pages/produc...=1003&cat=5006

Then I used Zaino Z5 wax on the wheels (only one coat)
http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...ory_Code=Zaino

The Eagle One works great to clean painted wheels. I've used it for years and have never noticed any damage caused by it. Comments?

I used Zaino on the wheels because I like how it lasts a really long time on our cars.....but I've never tried any of the other sythentic waxes that are on the market now. Comments?

Thanks again Heather!

 

Looks good! Some comments though...

The Eagle One is not pH neutral, although it's not acidic either. Manufacturers are getting trickier as consumers become smarter! Many people know it can be dangerous to use an acid-based wheel cleaner, so manufacturers have changed their formulas to not be acidic and have indicated "acid-free" on their packaging. At the same time, most of them don't want to make a pH-neutral wheel cleaner because they don't work as well. Soooo, they make basic (as in a pH higher than 7) wheel cleaners.

Basic wheel cleaners are stronger than pH-neutral wheel cleaners but can also still be dangerous if not used correctly. Yet, they are certainly not as dangerous as acid wheel cleaners. In summary:

Acid: very strong and very effective (read: no elbow-grease) but can etch and damage wheels if not properly and thoroughly rinsed off in the specific timeframe (sometimes as short as 30 seconds)

Basic: fairly strong and fairly effective, yet not as high-risk to use as acid cleaners. Still, one must thoroughly rinse off in the specific timeframe. Also, I recommend always following immediately with a thorough hand-wash (with your regular car soap) for basic and acidic wheel cleaners, if you must use them.

pH-neutral: effectiveness depends on the brand but never as effective as either of the above (read: often requires at least a little aggitation with a cloth or soft brush). But, no need to worry about thorough rinsing and post handwashing. Most importantly, zero risk of etching or damaging your wheels at all.

In summary, most people don't have the discipline to rinse quickly and thoroughly enough to use acid and to some degree basic wheel cleaners. Also, who's to say you didn't spray a little in some nook that you accidently don't rinse out? At the same time, sometimes its nice to have the happy medium... aka the basic wheel cleaner.

In my usual long-winded way, I'm saying that the Eagle One wheel cleaner, as it's very likely basic, is perfectly safe to use as long as you rinse well (and I recommend a handwash afterwards). It's nice to have that extra *umpf* that a pH-neutral doesn't have.

BTW, when a wheel cleaner states "acid-free" instead of "pH-neutral" it's a near dead giveaway that it's a base.


I think the Zaino Z5 is an excellent choice for your wheel wax. As you said, its durability makes it a great choice. Really, any of them with proven durability will work well. I feel that for wheels you don't have the "burden" of considering other attributes like depth, gloss, etc. like you might for your body paint wax. Durability is king for wheels! Of course, the slicker ones (like Zaino, Epic and Four Star UPP) will likely prevent brake dust adherence more than some of the others. Still, I'd rank durability the most important overall.

I also like the Klasse AIO for wheels, even though the others mentioned above will be more durable. Sometimes its nice to have the help of Klasse's cleaners for stubborn marks and spots on the wheels that the wheel cleaner didn't get rid of (like when you use a pH neutral wheel cleaner).

FYI: Prima is currently working on a wheel wax that is based on a chemical used by the Air Force in extremely high-heat situations, for its high-heat durability. The final formula is still being worked out for other attributes as well, but it's looking good. Once its perfected, it will have superior durability under high-heat and will also have some cleaners in it. I'll keep you posted...

Important tip: Take these 2 points...

1. All wheel cleaners will wear down any wax (more so the less durable but they will still wear down even durable waxes)
2. The point of a durable, synthetic wax on wheels is to prevent brake dust from building up and from sticking to the wheels.

Sooo, I recommend using a good wheel cleaner of your choice to initially clean the wheels really well. Then, apply the durable synthetic wax of your choice. Then, (here's the important part) wash your wheels with just your car soap and water each time your wash your car/wheels after that. You shouldn't need the power of a wheel cleaner anyway! Of course, there will come a time when you do need the wheel cleaner again, but not right away. Let the wax do the preventative work for you.

Hope this helps! As usual, sorry so long-winded.

-Heather

 

Yes! Also an excellent choice... great durability plus super slickness. That's a nice combo for brake dust prevention.

Of course, and with any wax, it will wear off your wheels before it wears off your body paint. Just FYI...

So I take it you're a becoming a big fan of Epic?? Seriously though, thanks for giving it a try- on lots of different things too!

-Heather

 

Nice explanation. Heather said it much better than I could!

 

Yeah, thanks Heather! And you even answered my question about whether wheel cleaners will remove wax, before I even asked it! Thanks!

BTW, I've always rinsed like crazy after using wheel cleaner.....but I never knew how important it really was until you pointed it out.

The one thing I didn't do this time is wax the INSIDE of the wheels. I'll just keep an eye on the brake dust build up and then pull them off and clean/wax them again....but this time inside and out.

Thanks again Heather!

 

I'm glad you guys find my posts helpful instead of just long-winded... I'm always afraid I say too much! LOL

-Heather

 

1) Simple Green cleaner (non-toxic)

2)Turtle Wax or another cheap alternative

3)Min-Tex pads if you just can't stand the dust

 

Good suggestions too.

Just know that although Simple Green may be officially classified as "non-toxic," this refers to its environmental toxicity, not its wheel etching ability or inability. Simple Green has a pH of 9.5 (therefore it's basic). Even if you dilute it, it's hard to get it down to pH-neutral. As I mentioned earlier, and as with any basic (pH over 7) wheel cleaner, just make sure you rinse really well. (and I like to handwash afterwards if I use any basic cleaner)

Also, Turtle Wax has several wax variations, about half of which contain carnauba. Although I personally think there are more durable options out there (and just as cheap), I would make sure to use one of their synthetic waxes if you use Turtle Wax.

There are really tons of good options and combinations out there for wheels.

-Heather

 

cool! Epic is going on my Civic's factory wheels and my
MCS's SSR's. yes, Epic is good stuff.

 

Heather,

Thanks for the skinny on the PH of Simple Green. I always start my car wash with a good cleaning of the wheels (Simple Green then elbow grease via my cleaning sponge), followed by applying some car wash soap over the wheels (a hand wash) and a wax. Yeah, my Turtle Wax is synthetic so I guess its the right kind.

Question: In order to make the basic solution of Simple Green more neutral, one would have to add an acidic counteragent correct? What would you recommend to do this, or is it easy enough just to protect the wheels with wax and not let the solution remain more than a minute or two?

 

Your process sounds good to me the way it is... the soapy wash after the SG is a great extra preventative measure.

You're right... in order to neutralize the pH level you'd need to add an acid. This gets tricky though- it can be difficult to get it just right and easy to make it worse (like creating an acid instead).

In my opinion, it's just best to either 1) use a pH neutral wheel cleaner, or 2) use a base for strength and just rinse well and probably wash with soap/water... just like you're already doing. And, of course all the synthetic wax stuff already discussed.

Side note: my rule of thumb is that if a basic (aka high pH... hate that word!) wheel cleaner doesn't specify how long you can leave it on your wheels, I don't leave it on for more than a minute. And, I use a timer so I don't screw up. Some will allow for more time, but I don't take that chance. It will usually work well after that long anyway.

-Heather

 

Rather than Z-5, I used Z-2 which I thing is a better sealer. Two coats. 7K miles and numerous cleanings, still look great.