[rodent]

I let me wheels go for a good cleaning for a good 6 months. They were totally black and looked horrible with brake dust.

At the same time, I was going to rotate my tires so I took all 4 wheels off to clean them. This allowed me to get to the back side of the rims too plus the chrome lug nuts.

At first I tried A2Z wheel cleaner from Eagle One.
http://www.eagleone.com/_products/0,1020626.asp
It sucked! Didn't really get any of the brake dust off even with scrubbing.

Then I tried other chemicals like simple green, WD-40, goo-gone, Castrol Super Clean, clay bar, and nothing seamed to get the brake dust dots off that easy and I didn't want to spend all day and night getting these wheel cleaned. I was getting desperate so I tried some brake cleaner on a small area on the back side of the wheel. Even the brake cleaner was having problems get the brake dust off. But to my surprise the brake cleaner didn't affect the wheels finish at all.

Went back in the garage and I found a bottle of Eagle One mag cleaner:

http://www.eagleone.com/_products/0,1010626.asp

It states it shouldn't be used for painted wheels but I thought I'd try a small area first on the back side of the wheel. I was able to spray it, wait 30 seconds scrub a little and hose the brake dust off. It worked great and no problems with the wheels finish. I then used it on the front of the wheel. Some areas required some scrubbing like the corners of the spokes and I used an old toothbrush for those areas. A couple wheels took two applications but this stuff works without damaging the BBS finish. One wheel, I left the stuff on for a couple minutes and the finish is fine. I don't know how BBS coats their wheels but it seams to stand up to any chemical (including brake cleaner).

On the back side of the wheel, there was some excess rubberized undcoating that my dealer applied to the before I bought the car along with some tar. This wasn't coming off with the mag cleaner but the brake cleaner made an easy job for that.

Now my wheels look brand new once again and even the back sides are clean.

I followed up with some Rain X wheel protectant. I don't know if this stuff works but its suppose to help with brake dust. We will see.

As for the lug nuts I started to scrub each one at first and it was taking forever. I decided to use the mag cleaner for these too. I found a large plastic cup, dropped the lugs in the cup and sprayed some mag cleaner in the cup just enough to cover the lugs. I then stirred the cup for about a minute or two. Dump them out, hosed them off and they look new once again.

I still need to test the mag cleaner on the Brembos but I'd suggest the mag cleaner if you're planning on take off your wheels to clean them. The stuff is only 5 bucks a bottle.

[whiplash306]

Be VERY careful with brake cleaners...they will strip the paint off just about anything. You may not notice it initially, but with continued use for even a short period of time, you will begin to notice areas that look like they are fading due to the lack of clear coat. Trust me, I've learned this from experience on other cars. The same holds true, but to a somewhat lesser extent with those wheel cleaners that suggest you not use them on painted wheels. It would take slightly longer for them to eat through the clear on your wheels, but again, with time, it will happen....this is all FYI. Take it as you will!

[rodent]

Originally Posted by whiplash306

Be VERY careful with brake cleaners...they will strip the paint off just about anything. You may not notice it initially, but with continued use for even a short period of time, you will begin to notice areas that look like they are fading due to the lack of clear coat. Trust me, I've learned this from experience on other cars. The same holds true, but to a somewhat lesser extent with those wheel cleaners that suggest you not use them on painted wheels. It would take slightly longer for them to eat through the clear on your wheels, but again, with time, it will happen....this is all FYI. Take it as you will!

Good point. I wasn't seeing any gold wheel paint coming off on the rag but better be safe than sorry. I wasn't trying to suggest using brake cleaner on the wheels, just that I tried it and it didn't seam to work for the brake dust. Works well for removing tar/undercoating but I'd suggest something different for that just to be safe.

[Plasteredcat]

I have always used simple green and my handy electric power washer to clean my rims when the get nasty. The back sides really get black .

[MKIVSupra]

Originally Posted by rodent

I wasn't seeing any gold wheel paint coming off on the rag but better be safe than sorry.

That is probably because you were wiping off the clear coat and not the paint yet.

[Datadatum]

Brake cleaner is kick-ass solvent. I used it on my wheels to remove the undercarraige protectant overspray. Nasty crap. Can't believe they were so careless at the factory. Then followed up with a coat of NXT.

I find that A2Z works if you use it once a week. If you wait too long, time for the rag...

[Peleg]

I think P21S is the best for our wheels. It's water based and will not damage the wheels. Along with special OXO brushes that don't scatch the wheels, my wheels look like the day I got the car. About $15/bottle, you can mix 2 tea spoons of that stuff in another spray bottle with some water. Woth the money if you want to keep the wheels in prestine condition.

[rodent]

Well, I found that the Rain-X wheel protectant is the worst thing you can put on your wheels. Seams like its petroleum based and it attracts more brake dust than without it. That stuff is going in the garbage.

I'd really like to test the P21S but I read few bad comments on it under the sticky post:

I purchased the P21S wheel cleaner last week and gave it a try this weekend and I honestly wasn't that impressed. The stuff didn't seem to work any better than some of the better of the off the shelf less expensive wheel cleaners I have tried. I without a doubt wouldn't say that stuff sucked but I just didn't see any reason to justify the price.
and
I used P21S for a while and could not justify the price going forward for the cleaning it did. It works well on clean wheels but does not do that well on dirty wheels. When my car was new it was great for the first three weeks.
and
after reading about p21s, i ordered one, to give it a try.
and it works. it works pretty good.
just before my p21s was empty, i got a botlle of meguiars at the local walmart, and do a comparison between the two.
wheels were pretty dirty, and the meguiars wheel cleaner just worked better. it's also more foamy, so it sticks to the wheel longer.

It would be nice to see a real test of all wheel cleaners and how they perform.

[Peleg]

Here's what I use to clean my wheels:

A. PS21 cleaner, I mix 2 table spoons with water in a seperate spray bottle.

B. High pressure water sprayer set for wide spray.

C. OXO brushes which are teflon coated.



First of all, I start with the sprayer and that takes off about 80 % of the dirt, brembo dust, etc. Now, if you don't clean your wheels often, it will be harder to get this stuff of, so don't leave your wheels totally "black" for 5 months.

Next, I give each wheels a good spray with the PS21 and let it sit for a while while I clean the rest of the car.

When it's time to wash the car, I use the high pressure water sprayer. I then use the brushes to get any remaining dirt off the wheels and then go over the wheel with the sprayer again. Wheels look like new.

[rodent]

Sounds like if you clean your wheels on regular basis then the A2Z and PS21 cleaner works.

But for seriously dirty wheels, that haven't been cleaned in months, I'd suggest the Mag cleaner since its a stronger chemical but still safe on BBS wheels.