stained rims after using Hot Rims All Wheel cleaner

[Michael Stoops]

Re: stained rims after using Hot Rims All Wheel cleaner

polished aluminum with a clear coat
I left it on for bout 8 minutes.
There has to be some way for this to be removed.

Oh my. The instructions on the bottle state to let penetrate for 15 seconds and do not allow product to dry on wheel. The directions also recommend agitating with a brush to remove heavy buildup. Now, there is a little wiggle room in that 15 seconds - consider that spraying it on, allowing it to dwell a bit and then agitating and you'll have product sitting on the wheel for more than just 15 seconds. But 8 minutes of just sitting there is just a bad idea.

OK, so now you've got what you've got, so let's see if we can find a way to correct this. It is quite possible that the etching is very deep so it may not all come out, just be aware of that. Aris mentioned using acetone on his wheels, but that was for yellow staining and you've got a different issue here. We do NOT recommend the use of acetone to correct your issue. Ultimate Compound would be our first choice here, applied with a foam wax applicator and NOT terry cloth or microfiber. Those materials, especially the terry cloth, can be quite aggressive and can easily go all the way through the coating no matter what liquid you use on them. Start off easy and work up, but never apply heavy force in a small area using just your fingertips as this will concentrate all of your energy into a small area and increases the risk of going through the clear. Proceed slowly.

[dinosaur1]

The stains are in little spots. It's doesn't cover the entire rim. Does that change anything?

Also is there anything "lighter" and less aggressive I can try as a start vs going with something that can take off the clear coat?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: stained rims after using Hot Rims All Wheel cleaner

For a less aggressive product you could start as mild as a cleaner wax. But in all honesty, you could still go through the finish if you applied it with a terry cloth towel and really scrubbed. It's the applicator and the power behind it that will cause the real damage, not necessarily the product you're using. We say this to make a point - regardless of the product being used and how safe it is, how you use it can change things dramatically. Hopefully you've learned that lesson already with the way you used the All Wheel Cleaner. We don't say this to bust your chops, but we've seen too many cases of people just going about things all wrong and getting themselves into trouble.

That said, we seriously doubt that a cleaner wax, or even SwirlX, will do the job here. And we really don't want you to go out and buy several products in hopes of finally finding one that will work. Our goal here is to help you fix the problem at hand, not just sell you a bunch of product in an attempt to do that. Now, if you have a cleaner wax or SwirlX on hand already, then by all means give them a try. With the proper applicator pad, and again we highly recommend a soft foam wax applicator pad and not terry cloth or microfiber, you won't scratch the paint with either product and as long as you don't scrub vigorously in a small area for long periods of time you'll be fine. But if you have nothing like those products, we'd recommend just going straight to Ultimate Compound and starting easy with it. Just because it's more aggressive doesn't mean it will scratch the surface if used lightly. Quite the contrary. Start light, and work up as needed. But never scrub vigorously in a small area for long periods of time with any product!

[Murr1525]

Re: stained rims after using Hot Rims All Wheel cleaner

The nice thing with UC is you can just wipe it around for real mild cleaning, or work it in more for medium cleaning ability, or a lot for stronger cleaning.

[dinosaur1]

Great info. I'll give it a shot

[dinosaur1]

Now that I have the UC I can try it on my wife's rims.

[dinosaur1]

Michael,

I did what you have outlined here, but the rims still look the same. What do you think?

[dinosaur1]

Michael, can you still help out?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: stained rims after using Hot Rims All Wheel cleaner

Sorry for the delay there, we had a major day long project yesterday that pulled me away from the forum. Tell us a bit about how you used the Ultimate Compound on these wheels - type of applicator, how aggressively you worked it, etc. You will need some elbow grease here to have any hope of fixing this, so if you basically wiped it on like a wax and then wiped it off, you wouldn't accomplish anything by doing so.

Unfortunately, we keep thinking back to that very extended dwell time you allowed, and the fact that this might have caused irreparable damage to the wheels. But let's sort out that UC application process first.

[dinosaur1]

I used Meguiar's foam pads very aggressively on 1 rim, but it simply will not do anything.....trust me.

[dinosaur1]

I'll wait to hear from you. Thx for your help.

[Bjkearns]

Re: stained rims after using Hot Rims All Wheel cleaner

Im thinking you should to go start shopping powder coating/paint shops or other wheel options...

[Michael Stoops]

Re: stained rims after using Hot Rims All Wheel cleaner

As much as we hate to say it, it really does sound like you've done some permanent damage to the wheels by allowing the product to sit for such an extended period of time. You stated several minutes when the instructions call for 15 seconds.

Reading back over this entire thread you've also stated

The stains are in little spots. It's doesn't cover the entire rim. Does that change anything?

This sounds strange for damage caused by the product, no matter how incorrectly the product was used. If the product were to damage the wheel we could expect to see very large areas impacted, and/or for there to be long streaks of damage to the surface. Little spots just doesn't sound like a normal damage pattern when you think about how the product is applied, how it lays on the surface, etc. Another possibility is something that Jossy92 brought up when he said

Also (based on my own mistakes), what products did you use in the past?
I learned that Megs products can make a neglected surface look its age because all the surface contaminants are removed.

BM (Before Megs): After washing, I used to religiously "wax" tree mist and bonded bird dropping residue (an excellent filler) into my paint, then carefully do the same with residual brake dust on my wheels. I had washed the car and............clay? What's clay?

Then, after 3 or 4 details, my car started to look like Keith Richards.

We've actually seen this type of situation with everything from paint to leather to plastic headlights.

We aren't trying to dodge the issue here, trust us, but something just seems a bit odd here.

[Abri]

Re: stained rims after using Hot Rims All Wheel cleaner

Yep, from my own experience in letting the Bug and Tar remover dry I just have to clean it off bit by bit as and when I wash. Now I make sure and follow the instructions carefully, haven't had a problem since

[juliom2]

Re: stained rims after using Hot Rims All Wheel cleaner

Stains like that are a sad story. Strong stains, deep into the surface. Durning complete paint process there's a final step known as
the curing process. In the step solvents that make able the clear coat to be sprayed evaporate from the surface into the air.
The surface remaining is irregular and there's a chance that small channels from the curing process exist.
In your case, due to extended exposition to chemical reaction of the cleaner they were filled with contaminants ......
How much of a possibility for these to be removed?
If there's enough material you can try to sand it down Very Very carefully with fine grade like 2500 or 3000 grit.
You might remove effectively the stained area
Keep in mind damage could be irreversible to the spot.....