Rim contaminants

[jrsb1418]

OK, my im detailing my MIL (Mother in Law)'s Mini. The rims are brake dust black, I clean them off and leftover were little black contaminant spots. So i break out the scrubber and go at it.. nothing. So i then think, hmm maybe i'll try some 105 on a foam hand pad and they barely move. I reach for my clay and go at it and nothing.

I'm pretty sure they're pained type rims.. what would be the best course of action on rims like that?? I want to strip them down and seal it.


Thanks

[Bjkearns]

Re: Rim contaminants

I would suggest looking into claying the wheels or do a real nice cleaning with a good wheel cleaner first

something like a Sonax wheel cleaner or even Meguiar's Wheel Brightener and then look into a product called Iron X

I have not tried that particular product but all I hear are good things about Iron X

[minorthreat98]

Re: Rim contaminants

i came here for a similar question today. similar deal. bmw stock painted rims. went too long between washes (life). Hot wheels took off most the grime. then washed thoroughly with a wheel brush. what was left was embeded black particles. i can run my finger across and feel noticeable texture. whipped out the clay and went to town. after about 5-10 minutes of focusing on one spot the particles were slightly diminished but still very noticable. i'm trying to figure out if there is a better way going about this then spending what will probably be several hours scrubbing with the clay.

i will look into Iron X but any other friendly advice would be appreciated.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Rim contaminants

Our Wheel Brightener would do wonders on those stock wheels, but we kind of hate to steer you into a full gallon of product if you won't be using it regularly. It's fine on factory wheels as long as you follow the dilution ratio and don't let it dry on the wheels. On the factory silver wheels on my Crossfire, especially when I had the stock Mercedes issue brake pads/massive black dust generators I used WB every so often to get the barrels of the wheels clean (I stayed on the face of the wheels often enough that brake dust was never allowed to build up). I've even used it on the aftermarket painted wheels on my daily driver, without issue.

Still, if the brake dust has really become embedded, you're going to need a potent cleaner and still some agitation to remove it, maybe even a few applications.

[JWMotorCars]

Autodetailingsolutions.net has a sample size, 32oz, of WB. Pretty reasonable price also. Btw, WB is an amazing product when used as directed.

[minorthreat98]

Re: Rim contaminants

Ok. so i am really stumped now. bought the 32oz wheel brightener (and diluted it 4-1) and it was killer on getting the break dust off. did a couple applications, agitating with a wheel brush, letting the wheels dry after each water rinse before the next application. I sill seem to be left with the embeded particles as well as there are areas of the rim that are rough to the touch. it seems like there is a layer of something that has adhered to the rim and dirt etc has become embeded in it. i tried again with the clay bar on the rough areas and was able to get it smooth to the touch but there is still SOME discoloration on that area. i will try to get some pics or video.

[minorthreat98]

Re: Rim contaminants

here's some video as well to illustrate the issue

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Rim contaminants

So it sounds like you've made some good progress but the wheels still aren't quite perfect. Looking at the video (she's got BMW wheels on the MINI??) there seems to be a few things going on. All that discoloration around the edge of the wheel could well be due to the clear being compromised and contaminants leeching under from the edges. Also, there comes a time when a surface has been so neglected and things have degraded it so badly that you can't just clean it and make it look like new again; sometimes things need to be completely refinished. It can be difficult to tell just from pictures, or a video, but between that and your description it sounds like these might be far enough gone that nothing from a bottle alone is going to make them look completely new again. Brake dust, especially when allowed to sit for extended periods of time and continue to accumulate, can be very damaging to a wheel's finish and it can do damage that can't really be undone. You might want to give them another go with the M105 now that you've gotten the bulk of the contaminants off the surface.