I got caked on brake dust on my GTA 16" rims that just won't come off. Is there a cleaning chemical I can get that will break this stuff down so a simple spray can blow it all away?

 

Have you tried those Mr.Clean Magic Erasers? I hear they're pretty good for wheels.

 

you serious...ok I am gonna go to wally world and see if they have any and give that a go. I tried Degreaser, Maguire rim cleaner, Some foaming crap dad brought home from work. I will give this magic eraser a try.

 

Let me know if that works. I have some brake dust around the inner edges of mine. But i can get most of it off with those blue brillo pads that already have the cleaning stuff in it.

 

there really isn't anything 'easy' to use that will 'blow it away'. unfortunatly elbow grease is the only thing that works to take it off. if there is something easier, please let me know!

the magic erasers do work. I use metal polish and get in there really good with a small cloth/rag. Not only does it get the brake dust off, it polishes the rim at the same time. Usually takes 1+ hour per rim to get'er done.

 

ive always had luck with power washers and a strong chemical, just be careful if you have clearcoat.

 

the mr. clean magic erasers worked pretty well on my wheels which were also caked with brake dust. Didnt get it all off, but thats mainly because theres some crevices in my wheels that are hard to get too. Cant hurt though..since its only like $3 for a pack of em.

 

Magic erasers do good but will not get the really hard stuff. You need to brush the hell out of them with a strong wheel cleaner and eventually it will come off. I have white RS wheels which get brake dust on them about 3 days after washing the car. I know all the tricks to keep wheels clean. And like mentioned before, nothing but elbow grease (Alot of it too) will take that stuff off. Nothing will make it come off easy unless you use some sort of industrial degreaser in which you may not get to keep your clearcoat/paint on your wheels.

 

one good trick is to wax the heck out of your wheels when they're clean. then as the brake dust cakes on you can scrub it off, including the wax. then rewax.

 

try the magic eraser, then take a powerball to it.

 

Eagle One....ALL WHEEL & TIRE cleaner works really good on my GTA wheels.

 

Go to the parts store and buy a set of Wagner Thermo-Quiet brake pads, then never worry about noise or brake dust again. Best brake pads for the money.

 

I got the same problem. Are your wheels as bad as mine are? I think I have tried every thing. I even took mine to a car wash in the bed of my truck and used the high power washer to try to get them clean and well all i got to say are the pictures where taken after i went to the car wash


this wheel i used the mr. clean magic erasers and real HOT water and befor that i used a sponge and real hot soapy water

what should i try next?

 

409 degreaser and elbow grease it works .............

My driver has a Ford dulley, he had the tires changed in the rear and the shop reversed the outside wheel to the inside and the inside to the out.
Point being the now new outside wheel had 120000 miles of road grime and dirt on them and it looked ugly.
We used 1/2 gallon diluted 70% and scrubed the **** out of those wheels, they look brand new.

 

Try Pace American - Black Streak Remover for Wheels and Tires... Now i cant say its safe for all wheels but worked great on unclearcoated aluminum and painted wheels... it also cleans the tires to like brand new.... It might not be safe for the white lettering either... it might take it off haha... its super super strong stuff, oh and if you get some to use (its hard to get stuff sometimes) DONT GET IT ON YOUR HANDS!!!! it will burn your hands if you leave it on so if you do, wash em quick .... thats my 2 cents for that.. otherwise i just use meguiars all wheel cleaner and a stiff wheel brush that really scrubs but never scratches..... I never let my brake dust build and really have never had a problem with lots of brake dust. soo yeah....


EDIT: Forgot to add, if you just want to clean in inside of the wheels like the pics in 91rsowner4life's post then the Pace stuff will clean that up goooooood or at least it should haha! When i get a chance to clean the inside of my wheels again with some i'll take some pics.

 

When I still had stock clear coated wheels, the insides were horrible. I used 409, and a strong bristled brush to scrub the loose stuff, then gasoline on a soft terry cloth towel. Used window cleaner shortly after that. It did not fade, or dull the clear coat at all. Try it on a small spot on the back - if no problems try more.

 

I love that STUFF... it works bad a$$
And I use the MAG Cleaner from eagle on my TPI unit, makes it almost white like new

 

If your cleaning the inside of the wheels just wetsand them with some rougher grit sandpaper. There is a cast inside the wheel so you cant see scratch marks from the sandpaper anyways. If you have some of those black boogers that get on there just chip them off with a screwdriver. I cleaned BLACK wheels up in like 20 min, pretty easy. Wheel cleaner isnt going to do anything for it!

 

I think a wire wheel would do wonders for the inside of the rim if it is caked on.

 

ok thanks for the help

 

I used some crappy turtle wax rubbing compound and it took off the stuff that the normal wheel cleaners would leave behind. It was on a clear coated painted rim and did not do any damage.

 

I just cleaned up a set of 17" chrome cobra wheels that I sold.

You won't believe what I used.........................................a brillo pad !!!

They were in very good condition except a little cloudy.
These wheels have never seen a chemical cleaner from day one and i'm positive that's the cause of the cloudy look, nothing to break up the grime.
So I said what the hay!?! Try the brillo pad, I used it on my bike as a kid to clean the chrome so why not try it on these cloudy wheels and it worked with no problems at all.
Keep in mind water is your friend when it comes to chrome and a brillo pad, plus a good eye...........

 

When I was detaling cars (normal, daily driven cars) we had some acid that we used to clean rims. Acid & Red Hot (degreaser) was like the most potent mix ever to exist. With that combo, I never had to scrub. Wire wheel hub caps on Cadillacs, mesh wheels on Lincolns, or GTAs would all come out spotless.
The acid was supposed to be used only on chrome rims, (cause it will eat away aluminum or paint) and Red Hot was supposed to be used only on aluminum. But we used that mix on all rims. The only problem is that here in California both products are illegal. If you live outside of CA, then do a search for "Red Hot". I'll see if I can find the company that makes it. That company makes the acid too. One word of warning: if you get it on your paint, wash it off quick!!
As for a set of Z28 rims that I have on my Nova, I used the Aircraft paint remover to get all of the paint off, (some idiot had four different colored painted rims & spray painted them all to match!) then I used some metal prep, or phosphate (sp?) and a red Scotch Brite pad. I went a little crazy, and got the inside just as clean as the outside. But they looked great. Now I just need to repaint them, or polish them because the bare cast aluminum will attract crap like a sponge.