Caked up brake dust

[Beej]

Alright, so the STi dusts pretty badly with the stock brakes...and I have some lovely caked up stuff on the lip. How do I get this crap off (so I can sell a clean car) without messing up the paint? I've heard of the acid, and that it does damage, but I'd think that it would only really cause damage if it was used often.

ultimagtrlover?

[Feersty]

Some of those rim cleaners may work. I use window cleaner but I don't think mines ever gets as bad yours.

[Nis01]

You are probably going to need some sort of degreaser.. although I'd recommend a water or citrus based over any of the really acidic stuff. It may take a couple of cleans with a brush to agitate the dirt but eventually it will all come off. I know I've had it really bad before and it came off with some muscle. The product Im using right now is the Sonus wheel cleaner which I like but any automotive degreaser should work well when it is really caked on there. Also, waxing them well keeps them from getting caked on brake dust.

[ScottyB]

You are probably going to need some sort of degreaser.. although I'd recommend a water or citrus based over any of the really acidic stuff.

i use "Blast" by Greased Lightning, its a citrus degreaser i got at autozone. seems to do the job nicely, just have to let it sit a bit. i also wax my wheels once their clean, does a hell of a job of keeping the dust down and making cleanup so much easier.

[Beej]

Yeah regular wheel cleaners haven't done much for the bad stuff, but I haven't really worked them too hard. I'll give Simple Green a shot - it did wonders on my e30's engine bay.

[Evan]

castrol super clean is the best ive used. but thats not saying much.

naval jelly will take it off, but test on a inconspicuous spot for paint

[Maengelito]

Some of those rim cleaners may work. I use window cleaner but I don't think mines ever gets as bad yours.

why has no one commented on feersty using window cleaner?

i've tried all the major brands of wheel cleaner found at parts stores and nothing gets all of the STi dust off. i havent tried much else though

[HAULN-SS]

Use tire cleaner, Bleche-White will take it off, i'm quite sure. If that doesnt, use a really fine brillo pad

[Feersty]

Some of those rim cleaners may work. I use window cleaner but I don't think mines ever gets as bad yours.

why has no one commented on feersty using window cleaner?

Cause they know it works! :lol:

[Jeff]

I use "Enviro 33" degreaser at the garage. Its basically engine degreaser. A modern clearcoat wheel is no problem, but on older painted wheels (like on an eagle Talon :oops it will take the paint off. Mopar's wheel cleaner is made by mcguires and it works great. Its clear and smells rather strong. Mopar also has a product called "Super Kleen" it is petrolium based and works on tar, but not really on brake dust. If all else fails...steel wool works good if you are careful.

[WRXtranceformed]

Waxing your wheels was a good suggestion. It really helps prevent that pesky dust from building up.

[Mike]

Some of those rim cleaners may work. I use window cleaner but I don't think mines ever gets as bad yours.

why has no one commented on feersty using window cleaner?

Cause they know it works! :lol:

or cause i was out of the country...

[Maengelito]

i bought a bottle of the mother's wheel cleaner. i gotta admit that it works better than the eagle one wheel cleaner i used before. it still doesnt get ALL of the STi brake dust off, but it did a pretty good job of getting most of it off

[D_Eclipse9916]

blue corral wheel cleaner. Mothers, eagle one and meguiars ive never had good luck with in wheel cleaners.

[ultimagtrlover]

I used to use Eagle One A20 wheel cleaner. It is one of the strongest wheel cleaners on the market today. Problem is, it is so strong that I feel that it has made the clearcoat on my wheels fade. I now use S100 gel wheel cleaner (it's the same stuff as P21S wheel cleaner, just cheaper in price because the brand is marketed to a lower income bracket). It has a neutral ph balance which makes it safe to use on any wheel. You can get this stuff at a Harley-Davidson dealership in the detailing products section. But, I think the best technique you can use is a simply clay bar and lube, such as a ton of car wash soap w.water plus a clay bar made by Clay Magic. The mother's or meguire's clay bars are not aggressive enough and break-down easily. If nothing else works please let me know, maybe you can stop by JMU and I can take a look at the problem. My last-resort product would be mineral spirits, which can be found at a Home Depot. It has helped where washing, clay bars, and bug/tar removers can't cut it very easily. Soak the area with the mineral spirits for 10 minutes to try to loosen the gunk before attempting to remove. Lastly, next time anyone is in need of my help I ask that everyone please pm me because I am rarely on the site. Good luck and please let me know how everything goes.