Brake Dust

[Bazzer]

A real pain on alloys, if you leave it too long before cleaning it leaves tiny solid bits.

I can remove them with an implement but is there anything I can apply to a cloth and get them off ?

So far I've tried car polish, switch spay, alcohol,nail varnish remover and Hobrite!

 

[browellm]

Autoglym alloy cleaner works a treat for me - spray on, leave 1 min, wipe off with sponge and rinse. But I am by no means a detailing expert Barney.

 

[Bazzer]

Cheers Mark but does it bring off the raised chips that seem to glue themselves to the alloy ?

 

[rabski]

'Wonder wheels' is the best I've found. However, after time none of them work. Brake pads now are metal composites, if you drive hard, then you end up with tiny pieces of white-hot metal hitting the alloys. These will melt through the coating and will permanently mark. There is nothing short of complete refurbishment that will fix this.

Ha. You should see mine. Pitted to buggery with all the lacquer gone.

 

[browellm]

Think so. It's acid based.

 

[s2000db]

Cheap alternative is carbon ceramics ! ;-)

 

[birstallcalling]

Bilberry wheel cleaner and some wheel sealant poorboys is good stuff

 

[s2000db]

The problem with something like Wonder Wheels, is that it's basically Hydrochloric acid (iirc) which works a treat on the brake dust, but if the lacquer is chipped, it'll start eating the wheel..

So use with caution!

 

[falcoron]

Stop pissing about with acid based cleaners buy green pads they don't give off dust, clean wheels all the time bar road grim.

 

[mj446]

Several coats of good wax after cleaning will help, as will regular(more often than the car) washing will help too, as said above it's the materials used in the pads that are the problem now along with car manufacturers using crappy quality wheels, I'm after my 3rd set under warranty right now due to crappy laquer/paint finish. I have been told WD40 is good for cleaning brake dust but have never tried it myself.

Powder coating wheels in dark grey colour also helps hide the dust.

 

[s2000db]

Or alternatively just order Matt black wheels and don't bother cleaning them..

 

[taff]

Please, no acid wheel cleaners! A well waxed wheel should need nothing more than a strong soap solution to clean it. A light solution often is better than a heavy clean after longer periods.

The best is something to dissolve the iron in the dust, like car pro iron X.

 

[Jezzer]

As others have mentioned, good wax tends to help. I've used Wonder Wheels in the past and it has been effective.

 

[Injector]

Steel wheels and plastic trims are the answer here boys.

 

[rockmeister]

pressure washer...full on it strips the wheel back to the base metal nicely. Then buy some enamel paint (like you paint models with) and make attractive colour scheme of your own choosing.

Or 'wonder wheels' is fine if you use little and often, well rinsed.

 

[awkwardbydesign]

Have you tried brake cleaner? It works ON the brakes, would it work on the wheels?

 

[JPG]

Nah, brake cleaner's just a hydrocarbon solvent, and won't lift metal particles from the finish of the wheel.

What you need is drum brakes. :^

 

[Samantha]

Stop pissing about with acid based cleaners buy green pads they don't give off dust, clean wheels all the time bar road grim.

You are joking!? I tried Green Stuff and not only were my wheels filthy after one spirited drive, but I also managed to get brake fade!

That car now has had the wheels refinished in a dark grey finish - looks great and you don't realise how dirty the wheels are, until you clean them!