toplessHO
Well-known member
what do you use to clean off the brake dust/iron on the insides
face of wheel is fine its the backsides that need a good cleaning.
face of wheel is fine its the backsides that need a good cleaning.
cleaning aluminum wheels
- Thread starter toplessHO
- Start date
29Sedanman
Well-known member
Eagle one wheel cleaner and a little elbow grease. Spray the cleaner on and allow it to sit and then wash it off. What ever is left you might have to get after it with a rag and some more cleaner. Keep the front of the wheel rinsed off to keep the cleaner from etching the aluminum.
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
IMHO, at least once a year, you need to REMOVE the wheels from the vehicle and clean the back side.
I would like to try a Mother's Power Ball.
I would like to try a Mother's Power Ball.
I just did a chrome wheel with CLR
worked real good but wouldnt want to try it on a clear coated one or a bare aluminum one.
Ive already tried Mothers wheel cleaner as well as the Eagle.
The Never Dull wadding seems to work pretty good but is slow and tedious.
Im thinking of trying citrus hand cleaner with pumice on a nasty one. Note: it will scratch
so for bare aluminum inside the barrel only.
worked real good but wouldnt want to try it on a clear coated one or a bare aluminum one.
Ive already tried Mothers wheel cleaner as well as the Eagle.
The Never Dull wadding seems to work pretty good but is slow and tedious.
Im thinking of trying citrus hand cleaner with pumice on a nasty one. Note: it will scratch
so for bare aluminum inside the barrel only.
ratdoggy
Well-known member
I just got this stuff and it works great
http://www.meguiars.com/en/automotive/products/g9524-hot-rims-all-wheel-tire-cleaner/
http://www.meguiars.com/en/automotive/products/g9524-hot-rims-all-wheel-tire-cleaner/
tstaude
Well-known member
I bought some of the blue wheel cleaner from chemicalguys.com and I can's say enough for how powerful it is. We dilute 50/50 and use a nylon bristle brush.
Their speedwipe, leather cleaner, and innerclean is awesome as well
Their speedwipe, leather cleaner, and innerclean is awesome as well
Depends on the wheel, but non of them clean up well with any product other than chrome.
Some are bare machined aluminum as on our last Accord. Those aren't cleaning up no matter what you use.
Some will have clear coat as my Frontier. Just don't use anything stronger than you would on the car finish. CLR is, I think, dilute muratic acid, used to clean mortar from bricks.
Chrome, clean with soap and solvent, then polish.
Some are bare machined aluminum as on our last Accord. Those aren't cleaning up no matter what you use.
Some will have clear coat as my Frontier. Just don't use anything stronger than you would on the car finish. CLR is, I think, dilute muratic acid, used to clean mortar from bricks.
Chrome, clean with soap and solvent, then polish.
angrystroker
Banned
If you remove the wheels you can get both sides. Head down to the car wash and pressure wash the wheels first, then Simple green with a wheel brush. If they are raw alum. no clear coat wheels Metal All hands down the easiest and best alum polish out there.
Svende
Member
Bilt Hamber Autowheels, it's a cleaner and fallout remover in one. If you don't want to remove the wheels to give them a clean in behind the spokes and walls then I highly recommend a set of Wheel Woolies. Great for getting right in and soft enough that they don't scratch (make sure you rinse out the Wheel Woolie thoroughly as even a small piece of grit with seriously scratch a polished surface).
used purple power /scrub brush on inside of one chrome one
hit it with pressure washer and it still needed a second scrubdown
tried pressure washing it first and NOTHING came off.
The purple power works but it must stay wet until pressure washed off
and still didnt work as good as the CLR that was rubbed on with an old sock.
Will try a bare aluminum one tomorrow with the hand cleaner
hit it with pressure washer and it still needed a second scrubdown
tried pressure washing it first and NOTHING came off.
The purple power works but it must stay wet until pressure washed off
and still didnt work as good as the CLR that was rubbed on with an old sock.
Will try a bare aluminum one tomorrow with the hand cleaner
I have uncoated mickey thompson aluminum wheels on my truck. The only way to clean them totally is to spray an aluminum cleaner that etches the metal on. This creates white spots, but will remove the brake dust pretty much. Then you gotta take some steel wool and use somthing like meguiers or mothers metal polish and go to town. Then you can use a mothers powerball. It takes a good few hours and they just get dirty all over again. Next setof wheels I buy Im powdercoating gun metal or something.
rburke65
Well-known member
I just did one wheel last week. First time I have hd the wheel off the axle in .....8 years. OMG.... The dust. LPS grease dissolver and a Scotch brite pAd....sure looks better!
I have 3 types Im cleaning
Chrome( I think I got that covered with purple power and clr)
clear coated(this is the problem child,too sensitive for CLR or full strength PP)
bare aluminum(Im trying the citrus hand cleaner with pumice on the back side
which is the only place the brake dust is a problem)
I have a set of American Racing wheels on my pickup that were beyond bad. Several years of brake dust and dirt from gravel roads, without ever being cleaned. I had tried a couple commercial cleaners without much luck.
What did end up working was this acid-based cleaner.. Pretty nasty stuff but it did a great job. A local tire shop recommended it to me, a quart did the outside of all 4 wheels with some left over.
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/d....oap?ck=Search_N0454_-1_-1&pt=N0454&ppt=C0209
Before:
After:
You basically just wet the wheel, spray it on, and scrub lightly. Then rinse it off.
I would only recommend it if the wheel is beyond normal cleaning.. That acid probably doesn't play nice with many finishes/coatings. In my case I couldn't make the wheels any worse.
What did end up working was this acid-based cleaner.. Pretty nasty stuff but it did a great job. A local tire shop recommended it to me, a quart did the outside of all 4 wheels with some left over.
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/d....oap?ck=Search_N0454_-1_-1&pt=N0454&ppt=C0209
Before:
After:
You basically just wet the wheel, spray it on, and scrub lightly. Then rinse it off.
I would only recommend it if the wheel is beyond normal cleaning.. That acid probably doesn't play nice with many finishes/coatings. In my case I couldn't make the wheels any worse.
ambenz
Well-known member
I use Croftgate Multiclean on my wheels.
Once there clean, using Quick n slick...it's so easy then to keep them clean.
It's all about the protection....make them so nothing, not even brake dust from the disks will stick to the mags.
Croftgate is real easy...why bust your tail scrubbing and polishing when you don't have to?
Once there clean, using Quick n slick...it's so easy then to keep them clean.
It's all about the protection....make them so nothing, not even brake dust from the disks will stick to the mags.
Croftgate is real easy...why bust your tail scrubbing and polishing when you don't have to?
lilcraigford
Well-known member
Look into a product called CarPro IronX. Its designed specifically for breaking down brake "contaminants" (such as those in the dust created by brake pads) without harming the material or finish of the wheel itself. I purchased some awhile ago to do an initial clean on my own wheels. There are a couple of IronX alternatives - Wolf Deironiser, Autobrite Purple Rain, Bilt Hamber Auto Wheels (mentioned above), etc - that all work the same way, but IronX is the only product I have experience with.
dadsEH
Well-known member
Oven cleaner is great on painted mags.
Some oven cleaner products will eat aluminum. I've used it for cleaning aluminum transfer off of two stroke cylinders before.
Simple Green and Purple Power are known to discolor aluminum too. Just keep it in mind.
I cleaned an aluminum boat with toilet bowl cleaner once. It worked better than any commercial wheel cleaner to remove the tarnish, then I washed it and waxed. Looked like new.
Simple Green and Purple Power are known to discolor aluminum too. Just keep it in mind.
I cleaned an aluminum boat with toilet bowl cleaner once. It worked better than any commercial wheel cleaner to remove the tarnish, then I washed it and waxed. Looked like new.
oldestof11
Well-known member
I used mothers aluminum polish, Eagle one cleaner, and polish again. Used a terry cloth towel to scrub by hand. Later this year in going to use an acid to clean up the fake beadlock bolt heads.
hilld
Well-known member
I agree Sonax is the bomb.
The stuff spays on green and will turn red after a few minutes.
The only difference is that I use wheel woolies for the barrels and spokes, I use a brush on the face of the wheel.
As somebody else mentioned that he recommends removing the wheels to clean the barrels, with the wheel woolies you can do that without removing the wheels and prevent brake dust buildup.
2 different size wheel woolies in the bucket.
Wheels all clean
Nigelharrow123
Member
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2015
- Messages
- 5
i'd recommend a good old fashioned sponge with some hot soapy water, works a treat! makes them shine like beauties
snyder
Well-known member
Does anyone else use cheap toilet bowel brushes from the dollar store?
Jeff Ivers
Well-known member
Whenever I remove my clear coated polished aluminum wheels, I give them a good cleaning with Acryli-Clean and then wax them.
cabin fever
Well-known member
The stuff ratdoggy linked in post # 5 works great. My buddy works for a chemical company, and had his lab test it, its a citrus based acid, so not as harmful.
we found out after leaving our boats in the water for a few nights, when we pulled them out we had a tan stained white scum line, that was a PITA to remove (even though the boat is waxed every month (yes every month) that water was just nasty. Anyway, this stuff took it off. I started using it on my wheels, and it works great!
we found out after leaving our boats in the water for a few nights, when we pulled them out we had a tan stained white scum line, that was a PITA to remove (even though the boat is waxed every month (yes every month) that water was just nasty. Anyway, this stuff took it off. I started using it on my wheels, and it works great!
Sorry to revive am old thread, but... I was looking for a good wheel cleaner. OMG you guys are so right Sonax Full Effect is so awesome!!! I followed it up with Gyeon Wet Coat, and they are the shiniest and cleanest I have ever been able to get them. Thanks guys!
GirlnAgarage
Well-known member
Yup - Sonax Full Effect is excellent. Wheels on the truck stay bright. I keep the big 5 liter container and refill into a smaller spray.
and the winner is:
came up with a witches brew of the CLR 50% water,and the Iron Out powder mixed in.
I use an old toothbrush to get in the recessed areas and let it soak a few minutes.
If I could find something else to mix in with it that would make it thicker and effervescent it would be perfect.
came up with a witches brew of the CLR 50% water,and the Iron Out powder mixed in.
I use an old toothbrush to get in the recessed areas and let it soak a few minutes.
If I could find something else to mix in with it that would make it thicker and effervescent it would be perfect.
