[_TB_]

I have bought a set of second hand staggered 162's - but they are in a not so good condition. No big scratches or dents in the rim, but there is a lot of black "burnt" brake dust.

Now how do I remove it? I have tried with a fine polish and I have tried claying - but it just sticks.

Any tips?

[cpie168]

I would love to know too. Subscribed!

[UncleWede]

I thought my rims were toast and I was looking into getting them stripped and resprayed. But I decided to go with an off-the-car clay session. At first, I didn't have high hopes as there seemed to be pitting and bumps. But I also noticed that as I kept working the same area, I was noticing some improvement. I kept at it and got them back to pristine shape, at least in terms of brake dust. My shoulder probably hurt for a week, and my fingers wouldn't work to pick my nose, but my wheels were bright again.
Some have mentioned products like Iron-X, but I just stuck with the clay.

Once you get them clean, save yourself future pain/suffering and coat them with, at least, Poor Boys Wheel Wax. There are some more permanent solutions like an Opti-Coat, which may work for you if you haven't mounted the tires/rims on the car yet.

[ccraig13]

Have you tried SONAX full effects wheel cleaner?

[psnt1ol]

Carpro Trix or Iron X and Meguiar's D140 Wheel brightener are my go to products.

I did a set of old BMW rims back in June with fairly good results.

Here is the write up...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...ls-wheels.html

[apme123]

I would wash with wheel brightener, and I would buy an aggressive clay kit and clay the shit out of it. Followed by a mothers power ball on a drill with some compound.

[asus389]

I have had luck with removing the wheels and just cleaning with a lot of water and a microfibre cloth. If that doesn't work, you can try a wheel cleaner, but make sure its the correct kind for the wheel material. Also, I'd not spray the wheel cleaner on the wheels while they are on the car. I got some on my rotors once and I think (although I can't prove) that it caused corrosion that eventually led to uneven wear and pulsation in the pedal.

[Rival]

Originally Posted by ccraig13

Have you tried SONAX full effects wheel cleaner?

this is as good as it gets.

it has the iron remover in it. As for the tar remover.

all in 1 bottle. Bad side is you run threw sonax's bottles quickly so i add APC into them to make them last a bit longer.

but id let them soak for 10 min each. wash each wheel well and then re do it after you move the car like 10inches forward so the exact "dead" spots on the rim are now different.

[ccraig13]

Originally Posted by Rival

this is as good as it gets.

it has the iron remover in it. As for the tar remover.

all in 1 bottle. Bad side is you run threw sonax's bottles quickly so i add APC into them to make them last a bit longer.

but id let them soak for 10 min each. wash each wheel well and then re do it after you move the car like 10inches forward so the exact "dead" spots on the rim are now different.

Yes it does go quickly! I switched to Griot's version because it's a bit cheaper and you can by a large jug of it, but I think SONAX is superior and will be going back. Also, I didn't go through the big jug fast enough so it lost its potency and doesn't do anything now, so much for savings