Alloy cleaning..

[b3nje]

road salt, brake dust and any other ingrimed dirt you can think of! Just used a bit of metal polish on them and its brings them up nicely but might take a while...any other ideas?

Then what to finish them off to protect and make them shine?

I was thinking of using a mild acid with a tooth brush..i kno it doesnt damage the alloys as we've used it for many a year now but i want them to shine like mad!!!

Thanks

 

[16v_jon]

polishing kit from thepolishingshop.co.uk £25 everything you need included mops etc then wax them

 

[b3nje]

meh, i wanted to do them tomorrow and get all the stuff from my local car shop!i'll have a look though

 

[Jay]

Megs hot rims, auto glym clean wheels (I water it down a bit) or auto glym engine and machine cleaner. Then maybe a bit of used clay to get any stubbon bits off.

 

[Rich]

Metal polish is the only way you will clean them up to shine. Some mops that will fit on a drill or such will be the best bet to speed things up.

 

[b3nje]

autosol good option then?

 

[Jay]

I've used autosol before it is a good product.

 

[Stev]

I've used autosol before it is a good product.

yeah i used that 2 its superb i like to clean my zorst with it !

 

[Rich]

Autosol/Autoglym metal polish both work as well, almost the same product as far as I can tell.

 

[kiza1986]

I use hot rims on my wheels (rubbed in with a wash mitt) and then dry them with a water magnet and a coat of AG super resin polish...gets them shiney but they never were as bad as yours lol..

Kiza

 

[Jay]

used megs nxt metal polish the other day also works really well.

 

[Rich]

The Megs NXT gives a great finish, but does not seem to have the 'bite' the Autoglym does

 

[Jay]

Haven't tried the auto glym yet....

 

[stevo172-RWD]

used autosol and auto glym both good! much better with dremmel polishing tool! i use it fof bear metal polishing!

 

[b3nje]

righty..i've got lots of pictures to post but i'll start anew thread in a tickle

what i bought;

Meg's Hot Rims
AG Engine cleaner..
AG superresin
2 x autosol
Brasso! (already had this in garage)

What i found worked will for getting the thick of it off was spraying the hot rims on first and srcubbing with a tooth brush then doing the same with the AG engine cleaner.

The lips of the rims cleaned up very well after a lot of elbow grease using brasso. Autosol did f**k all really and was a bit of a waste!

The inside of the rims is still pretty caked up, it doesnt seem to want to come off. i also tried with the pressure washer and using hot rims and the engine cleaner aswel but still no luck.

Any ideas of anything a bit stronger or something that will remove it from the inside of the rim...a technique or something not mentioned above?

 

[Clio 1.216v Dynamique]

Whack CAR PLAN wonder wheels on it, Mine were caked in Brake dust and that cuts through it like knife through butter

 

[b3nje]

bump...any other ideads!

 

[b3nje]

bump please!

 

[FiDoDiDo]

Have you not got enough to do there?

 

[b3nje]

i've used what ever one says and still no luck

EDIT: not tried wonder wheels yet! might have a look round work and have a read which is the strongest!

 

[FiDoDiDo]

Wonder Wheels is one of the strongest acid based ones I think I remember someone saying.

 

[b3nje]

hmmm may have to shell out some more moooooneeyyyy

 

[FiDoDiDo]

hmmm may have to shell out some more moooooneeyyyy

Didn't anyone say you have to empty your pockets before detailing your car?:clown:

 

[b3nje]

yes car...not 4 alloys so far spent £30

 

[b3nje]

:bump:

 

[R9DCG]

What you want to get to protect them is chemical guys rimawax,it will protect shine and preserve your wheels,even at hight temperatures,it even reduces the amount of brake dust that will gather on your wheels
Then the next time you go to clean your wheels the brake dust will be easy to take off

 

[Fred@BTM]

http://www.lap-tab.co.uk/wax.php

i can get this cheap if anyone's interested, its good too

 

[b3nje]

i want to get that s**t off!!!!

 

[_Kenny_]

I used Wonder Wheels on my alloys today, used the wee brush to lather it up and then hosed it off. Took a lot of the baked on brake dust off. I then used AG wheel cleaner. seems to have done a good job.

BTW if using Wonder Wheels, use gloves!

 

[Rich]

Meguiars All Purpose Cleaner did the trick on the M3 CSL Wheels for me at the weekend. Mixed up 1/10 iirc.

 

[_Kenny_]

Rich did you take the wheels off to get the inner part of the alloy clean? The inner part of my wheels still look slightly covered in brake dust, although it is a lot better than before

 

[kpowell911]

was just about to ask if the wheel came off for that!

What tyre dressing did you use?

 

[b3nje]

you diluted it?i just sprayed shite loads on and still did nothing! i need stronger!!!

 

[Rich]

Rich did you take the wheels off to get the inner part of the alloy clean? The inner part of my wheels still look slightly covered in brake dust, although it is a lot better than before

Nah did'nt fancy jacking it up and taking them off and risking the owners car.

Lots of APC, and Engine and Machine clener, and soapy water, a cut up sponge to fit inside, old wash mitt, and lots of various brushes to get right in there .... and sore fingers

 

[Rich]

was just about to ask if the wheel came off for that!

What tyre dressing did you use?

Tyres cleaned with Megs APC and Super Degreaser.

Dressed with AG Rubber Plus ( trade range product - cleans and dresses) allowed to dry and then a coat of AG Vinyl And Rubber care to add gloss.

 

[Brand86]

What I used at work on filthy wheels was:

truck wash - left on for 2 minutes then sprayed off using high pressure hose at high temp
wheel acid - various makes, but strong acids so cant leave on for longer than 2 minutes without risking alloy corrosion, especially on the nuts.
the trick I found was to use a bottle spray to apply the acid as it gets into all the hard to reach area, then using a stiff wheel brush to foam it up
repeat as necessary, then use a car shampoo on a sponge to ensure acid has been thoroughly removed (wouldn't use this on your car afterwards!)
Then a polish, something with a light cut in is good to remove any residual dust "spot" marks as I call them, then finish off with a good quality wax. Haven't used the Rim Wax yet but heard its good stuff.

To be honest the best solution is to prevent brake- dust build up in the first place! But I guess you knew that already, right!:rasp: