I am looking for tips on cleanning tires and rims when you wash your mini. I still have not found a perfect brush for the rim. Love to hear your thoughts. Thanks guys.

 

You'll get a lot more help if you post your question in the Detailing 101 thread.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ailing-101-12/

 

The kind of brush you need depends on the style of your wheels. Some people like waffle weave microfiber towels.

I have two tips:
1. Clean your wheels thoroughly, and wax them with a wax designed for wheels. Wheel Shield is one. This makes them much easier to clean next time.

2. Replace your brake pads with Carbotech 1521 Bobcats. The MINI OEM brake pads put out vast amounts of black brake dust. My wheels were getting dirty within a week. It also gets all over the boot and lower sides of the car. I had Bobcats put on and my car can now go months without cleaning (how long depends on how OC you are). Changing from OEM pads will void your brake warranty, but the Bobcats will last longer and are gentler on the rotors. They also brake a little better (not as grabby for one thing) and are as quiet as the OEM brakes.

 

I hate washing the tires and rims. If I had to I would use P21S with this wheel scrubber brush.

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...ber+brushes.do

The lambskin mitt also works:

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...finger+mitt.do

Otherwise, you could use a low dust brake pad like Carbotech Bobcat 1521 to save yourself some elbow grease.

 

Great tips so far. Thanks guys.

 

Scrub your tires with a soft bristle brush and Comet cleanser, when dry, apply a liberal coat of Prima Nero, let that soak in as long as possible, then wipe them with a dry cloth and they will be clean and black, but not shiny, I hate that wet shiny look. Unless you go through a bunch of mud and let it dry, all you will need to do for quiet some time is to wash the tires when you want the car.

I use a soft mitt to wash my wheels, since I use brake pads that put off absolutely no brake dust, washing the wheels is just like washing the hood.

YD

 

Changing brake pads will void the brake warranty!? That can't be right? If it is, what's next...changing your air cleaner will void the warranty?

Isn't there a law against this practice?

 

ArmorAll has a tire gel that will moisturize the rubber on your tire which will last forever if you are into the shiny tire look. Also if there is chrome or some other polished metal on your rim get some bras-o that works really well.

 

Warranty may not be the best word to use here. The MINI comes with a maintenance plan and if you change a wear part out that is covered by the maintenance plan then MINI no longer has to replace that part as it is now non standard. So in effect it voids the maintenance plan for that item and in this case it is the brake pads.

 

Am I the only one that has zero problems with using my leftover wash water and using a tire brush with a basic household sponge? Totally cheap and my wheels are always super clean.

 

That's exactly what I do as well. I never have trouble getting the OEM brake dust off the rims with soap, water and sponge/microfiber towel.

 

Now this makes sense! Thanks Schatzy

 

Soapy sponge at the end of washing your car is a good idea. As long as you don't have wheels the scratch easy like Enkei's.

 

Ah yes very good point Porthos! Mine are stock 17" webspokes. When I get painted wheels next year I'll have to change my strategy... mostly just using a clean batch of soap.

 

I think it also applies to the rotors. Usually, MINI replaces the rotors with the pads. MINI rotors are not designed to be turned down. With non-OEM pads, I doubt they would give you new rotors during the free maintenance period.

For me, this isn't an issue. The Bobcats and rotors will probably long outlast the warranty period. I'm easy on brakes as I anticipate normal situations and adjust speed with the throttle. I see other drivers rush up to stop lights, or the car ahead, and then jam on the brakes. Or, they ride the brakes for long distances. That really eats up brakes.

 

Paper towels and water work just fine and are totally disposable.

 

My rims are so simple I just use a sponge and soapy water..and wash inside and out. Basically I have a dedicated sponge for them as it is now black lol. Then i rinse em and rinse the bucket and fill it up w plain water and use it as a rinse bucket for the car wash.

 

Left over wash water, a long bristle brush, and wash mitt work great for me as well.

 

That's what I do, seems like any kind of brush would eventually scratch...

 

never brush. you will create micro-scratches that you won't be able to see and brake dust will gather in these scratches, only making it harder to remove later.

wax your wheels, and use a wax-friendly car wash with a microfiber wash mitt.

if you absolutely need a brush to get pits out, use a soft bristled plastic brush.

All I need to do is touch my wheels and all the brake dust comes right off.

 

They make brushes especially for wheels. The one I have has soft plastic bristles that have been sort of shredded at the ends to make them very soft.

A sponge or microfiber cloth can pick up grit and create mico-scratches (In amateur astonomy, we call them sleeks.) just as easily. This isn't a problem if your wheels are waxed. If you think sleeks are a problem, do what we amateur astronomers do to clean telescope mirrors. Don't touch them with anything other than liquids. You will need a lot of alcohol and distilled water.

 

Soft bristle brushes are okay, but only if needed. You will scratch wheels with them, much more so then with microfiber.

and saying that microfiber cloths scratch wheels, that's kinda stretching it. scratch lenses, sure... wheels? you won't see it.

 

I buy 10 packs of good Egyptian cotton wash clothes and use them to clean everything. I've found if I wash the wheels last, enough water has fallen on them from the rest of the wash that only a little more water and a quick wipe down is all I need. I've got the 17" bridgespokes, so brushes don't work well.

Robin: what sort of telescope do you use? I restored my dad's hand-made 6" Newtonian reflector a couple of years ago.

 

You could also use something like Eagle One wheel cleaner which will strip off the heavier coats of brake dust then go in with something more subtle like P21 or soap + water at the end of your car wash.

Eagle One is probably more likely to damage finish (I used it for nearly 3 years on my Mazda 3 and the wheels looked great after still), but it melts the brake dust away fast with only a spray and rinse.

 

Don't know what the problem is with wheels. They should wipe clean with a wash cloth when washing the car. Brake dust should come right off just like dust does from the car.