When I washed the car yesterday, I couldn't get the wheels, (Crown spokes), completely clean. Some of the brake dust just wouldn't come off. So, has anyone used a wheel cleaning product on their crown spokes, with success?

 

I used Dawn on mine with a lot of elbow grease then used ICE on afterwards - since then it's an easy clean with the ICE wash.

 

I use Griot's Garage wheel cleaner. Once you get the wheels clean, wax them. It will keep the dust from sticking.

 

P21S Wheel Gel, been using it for over 7 years. Amazing.

Then once clean, you may want to get the wheels off, and treat them with Rejex (we carry it and love it). This will keep the surfaces more slick, and that helps get most of the crud off at later washings.

 

Thanks to all that replied, I'm off shopping this afternoon.

 

Once you get them clean try to wash them once a week. Car wash soap does just fine for me. In fact that is what my aftermarket wheel manufacturer recommends. It's when all that dust bakes on/etches in over time that it becomes impossible to get off

 

After going through gallons of Griot's, P21s (both regular and gel), and a bunch of other cleaners, I've pretty much gone to just using car-wash soap.

The reason is, I haven't found anything that's truly "spray-on/hose-off" that gets the wheels spotless, so if I'm going to have to clean the wheels by hand anyway, car-wash soap seems to work as well as anything.

But, I haven't tried the Meguiar's "Wheel Brightener" yet, and OctaneGuy recommends that pretty highly, so I may try that before I give up on dedicated wheel cleaners entirely.

Also, I think the region where you live makes a big difference. I've found that the "road grime" in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area seems to stick to the wheels a lot harder than the dirt here in Central California. As long as I don't let the wheels get too grungy, I can almost use the spray-on/hose-off cleaners here without having to finish the job by hand.

 

BritBoy, please let us know if you are referring to black spots that will not come off using any known wheel cleaner, polish, wax, etc.

This seems to be hot brake dust that gets imbedded in the clear coat. After having several Mercedes, BMW, Mini Coopers, this was always a problem if you did not clean your wheels often especially before driving in the rain. I have asked everyone in the auto detailing biz, dealers, etc. and no one seems to have an answer other than refinish or replace the wheel.

After many attempts, I have finally developed a solution that removes the imbedded dust without destroying the clear coat. Does anyone know how this can be marketed? When I demonstrated it to a Mercedes dealer, they could not believe it! Not really interested in doing this for a living, but folks with this problem would love this product.

Let me know what you all think.

 

I would be interested in it for my OEM wheels. They had some dreaded black specs that absolutely would not come off when I replaced them (but I still have them). The one single item I ever used that got the most old, baked on specs off my silver OEM wheels was the Mr Clean eraser. It did no damage but still, I would only use it as a last resort. I still wash my wheels weekly but found that having black ones does wonders at hiding that pesky dust

You might ask Octaneguy for marketing recommendations as he is familiar with that

 

My favorite cleaning tool for wheels is a Mothers Power ball

 

Many people that I have spoke with have tried: brillo pads, scouring pads, and brushes that scratch. These might work but you will destroy the clear coat! This problem seems to be the most common with the Mercedes, BMW/Mini.

 

Simple Green seems to work reasonably well. Spray on, let it sit 10 min., a little brushing , then hose off.

 

I have the stock 15" Star Spooler wheels on my Clubman, and plain old car wash detergent (Mother's) gets them very clean. I just use a lambswool wash mitt. I don't bother trying to clean the "inside" of the wheels, as I can't get to all the interior surfaces, and I know it's a losing proposition in the long run (former BMW owner). I also use a small foam swab to clean around the lug bolts, I found the perfect swabs in the makeup accessory aisle at my local supermarket, four double-tipped foam plastic swabs for $2.

 

Sounds like you guys take care of your wheels. However, if you have what the original poster has described, simple green, soaps, wheel cleaners, etc. will not work.

 

I just tried using Meguiars Hot Rims Spray Cleaner and, while it did a lot of the dirty work, it did not completely clean 'em. I think I'll continue to use it, but combine with car wash soap and a brush. It made it a whole lot easier than scrubbing the whole &^%$ wheel, though, that's for sure.

EDIT: Oh, OP got brake dust that won't come off? I'd love to hear a fix for that other than repainting...

 

Letting the wheels get rancid the first time will only make it worse.
Clean em' every few days with a micro rag. (2 minutes of time)
It's like cleaning your flat! Keep it clean or suffer later.

 

Scroll up a few posts, I have developed a solution that really works!

 

^Nice! Sorry I missed that. Although I have no clue how to get a product to market

 

JJtricket, maybe the guy who puts out Black Wow would be able to help bring that product to market.

 

as stated earlier, meguires wheel brightener really works. i was in the car detailing business last summer and learned a LOT of tricks of the trade. first thing i learned was GET A POWER WASHER! i washed my wheels at home, with a conventional hose and spray nossel with the same wheel cleaner (mequires wheel brightener) and thought they looked good. went to my buddys house and used his (husky 1500 psi electric power washer) power washer, and there was SO much dirt that came off...not only from the face of the rim but the INSIDE of the rim gets clean too.

i think the reason mini wheels get so dirty is that the brakes give off a crapload of brake-dust. the meguires stuff is, for the most part, a chemical made up of "metal-eating chemicals" that really works. only downside to this stuff is you can only order from their website, so ive noticed.

 

I'm not a big fan of letting a power-washer anywhere near a car. Yes, they're very effective, but high pressure water can do a lot of damage. Ever been to the Grand Canyon?

 

I've used an older dirty clay bar with good success. Doesn't work 100% of the time but works fairly well most of the time.

Currently I'm testing wheel wax (my car is only 2months old). I cleaned then waxed the wheels with Wheel wax last week. I'm going to let them go for 3 weeks and see how easy it is to clean off the brake dust.

 

The best tool I found to clean front and back of wheels

http://www.autogeek.net/ezdebrfca.html

 

Meguiars Hot Rim All Wheel Cleaner.
Spray on, sponge off 99% of the gunk without effort.
This stuff is good on factory coated wheels. Watch out for cleaners with acidic solvents. Available at any sprawl-mart type story.

Once you get your wheels cleaned, don't let them stay filthy.

 

havnt been to the grand canyon, however i understand your fear of putting high pressure water near your car. i was extremely worried as well but once i saw that i could wash a ferrari, masserati, and other high end cars with power washers, why cant the mini take it? the reason this power washer works so well is because its 1500 PSI, which isnt that strong compared to gas power washers. ive been using power washers on cars for a year now with no damage. doesnt even rip emblems up from point blank (ive tried). the husky 1500psi washer from home depot does the trick, and its just $100