Cleaning my Alloy Wheels!!!

[Bobthebuilder58]

I have commenced the restoration work on my beloved W126 500 SEL! I intend to get at every single metal part on the car including all of the underside bits and pieces??? and try and remove any trace of the dreaded Rust Worm:x I know that this is a labour of love and will take me a long time but what the heck!!
I have removed the alloy wheels and they aren't in bad condition really apart from some nasty black brake dust or tar or something like gunge on them!!!!

I have tried Alloy Wheel cleaner,petrol,parrafin,diesel,white spirits,synthetic thinners,cellulose thinners,meths(TASTE'S GOOD)tar remover stuff!!,wd 40,jet wash,and even Barry Scott's......CILLIT BANG!!!
I must admit that the alloy wheel cleaner did get 90% of the crap off but i am left with a small amount of residue that won't come off I don't really want to get them shot blasted or something because as I say they are in pretty good original condition.
I have had a look at the some of the previous post's on the subject,but there doesn't appear to be anything definitive It can't be just me with this problem.

Bob.

 

[shirubaby]

if you had used cellulose thinners, haven't you removed the clear lacquer?

 

[carabind]

The residue will be brake dust /particles embedded in the laquer, very hard to shift, but have you tried T cut ? Anything more severe (like a bathroom scourer) may remove the residue but will dull the laquer - or even break through it. You can get them blasted and repainted for around £40-£50 per wheel. Will depend on how visible the residue is, I guess

 

[shirubaby]

or,

paint stripper to remove the clear lacquer and have them re-lacquered.

 

[television]

Once the surface has become porous little can be done, other than bead blasting (not sand/shot) or spraying with a wheel paint, once the skin on alli is broken it quickly oxodizes.

Malcolm

 

[Bobthebuilder58]

if you had used cellulose thinners, haven't you removed the clear lacquer?

Hi there shirubaby! thanks for yours and everybody else's quick replies!
I only tried a small amount of cellulose thinners on the inside of the rim but to no availThe outside face I have only used the dreaded alloy wheel cleaner!
There must be something that I can brush on and it desolves the residue
Bob.

 

[television]

Deisel is an effective cleaner.

Malcolm

 

[Bobthebuilder58]

Once the surface has become porous little can be done, other than bead blasting (not sand/shot) or spraying with a wheel paint, once the skin on Alloy is broken it quickly oxidizes.

Malcolm

Thank you Malcolm(AGAIN) for your reply!Even though the wheels are fourteen years old there doesn't seem to be any sign of oxidization?
It's just small patches of grunge?
Bob.

 

[television]

Thank you Malcolm(AGAIN) for your reply!Even though the wheels are fourteen years old there doesn't seem to be any sign of oxidization?
It's just small patches of grunge?
Bob.

Hi Bob, deisel brushed on penitrates, do not get it on your skin,as skin absorbs it.
I use it for many cleaning jobs, the other one is gunk applied when the wheel is dry.

What wheels do you have on the car Top Hat.

Malcolm

 

[Bobthebuilder58]

Err.........I'm going to sound stupid ere.....but whats a top hat???

Bob

 

[Bobthebuilder58]

Hi Bob, deisel brushed on penitrates, do not get it on your skin,as skin absorbs it.
I use it for many cleaning jobs, the other one is gunk applied when the wheel is dry.

What wheels do you have on the car Top Hat.

Malcolm

I have noticed that the lovely smelling and probably highly toxic GUNK is not as widely available as it used to be back in the 70's and 80s???

Bob.

 

[television]

I have noticed that the lovely smelling and probably highly toxic GUNK is not as widely available as it used to be back in the 70's and 80s???

Bob.

that's are hard one it still smells the same though, there are now other makes out there.

Malcolm

 

[shooter]

To remove the ingrained brake dust and dirt, you need to use clay bar and lubricant, Meguiars do a clay bar kit with the spray lubricant, and is available at most larger auto accessory shops and Halfords.

Shouldn't take long with the clay bar, maybe an hour for all 4 wheels. After they are clean, if they don't need repainting (clay won't remove paint if used properly and don't rub hard on shape edges) use a proper wheel sealant/wax to protect them and reduce the amount of brake dust that sticks to the rims.

 

[Bobthebuilder58]

What the heck is a clay bar??

To remove the ingrained brake dust and dirt, you need to use clay bar and lubricant, Meguiars do a clay bar kit with the spray lubricant, and is available at most larger auto accessory shops and Halfords.

Shouldn't take long with the clay bar, maybe an hour for all 4 wheels. After they are clean, if they don't need repainting (clay won't remove paint if used properly and don't rub hard on shape edges) use a proper wheel sealant/wax to protect them and reduce the amount of brake dust that sticks to the rims.

Hi Shooter thanks for your advice!.I have to admit i have never heard of a clay bar (APART FROM WHEN I AM HAVING A PINT AT MY LOCAL PIGEON SHOOTING CLUB!!)

Bob..

 

[shooter]

LOL... Clay bar actually is exactly what it sounds like. Its a small bar of soft-ish clay that when softened in the hand is then lightly rubbed over the surface of the paint/wheels/glass.. AFTER the area to be clayed is sprayed with a lubrication fluid. Here is a link to the Meguiars website showing their clay kit

http://www.meguiars.co.uk/cgi-bin/catalog.pl?cat=ENT_SURFACE#2

If you want more detailed info on use and benefits then have a look at this link or send me a pm/email

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides_clean.html

 

[ivegotcclass]

There must be something that I can brush on and it desolves the residue

I've always used the product called "Wonder Wheels" and sometimes after a winter where the yellowing and gunge has built-up it may require two applications but it has never let me down on all my alloys over the years.

I get a trade sized container from the cash and carry and it lasts for ages. It is also not really expensive.

 

[Bobthebuilder58]

What a fantastic link!!!

LOL... Clay bar actually is exactly what it sounds like. Its a small bar of soft-ish clay that when softened in the hand is then lightly rubbed over the surface of the paint/wheels/glass.. AFTER the area to be clayed is sprayed with a lubrication fluid. Here is a link to the Meguiars website showing their clay kit

http://www.meguiars.co.uk/cgi-bin/catalog.pl?cat=ENT_SURFACE#2

If you want more detailed info on use and benefits then have a look at this link or send me a pm/email

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides_clean.html

Thanks for that i now know what a clay bar is I have looked at the link that you sent me and it is very informative in a common sense straightforward type of way
I will try the clay bar next week on my alloys,but as the link suggested it might not work to well on the fiddly bits

Regards Bob.

 

[Bobthebuilder58]

I've always used the product called "Wonder Wheels" and sometimes after a winter where the yellowing and gunge has built-up it may require two applications but it has never let me down on all my alloys over the years.

I get a trade sized container from the cash and carry and it lasts for ages. It is also not really expensive.

I have tried that stuff but it didn't take all the residue off:-( It has left ingrained spots from 2mm to 15mm which won't come off.If I worked "wonder wheels" into every tiny spot it would eventually come off but it could take me about 50 years to do it!!!!!!!!!

Thanks ......Bob.

 

[ivegotcclass]

If I worked "wonder wheels" into every tiny spot it would eventually come off but it could take me about 50 years to do it!!!!!!!!!

I had 'spots' on my wheels in the past which I expect is from break-dust being left on for a while then I leave the Wonder Wheels on for a little longer.

My old Honda's alloys were prone to this, maybe the alloy used was slightly obscure and I had to use Wonder Wheels twice or thrice a year to get them like showroom condition again.

Maybe it is not industrial enough for your needs but I've always had success with it.

 

[Bobthebuilder58]

I had 'spots' on my wheels in the past which I expect is from break-dust being left on for a while then I leave the Wonder Wheels on for a little longer.

My old Honda's alloys were prone to this, maybe the alloy used was slightly obscure and I had to use Wonder Wheels twice or thrice a year to get them like showroom condition again.

Maybe it is not industrial enough for your needs but I've always had success with it.

Thanks anyway!........I've just had a thought the beak on that toucan on your avatar might do it
Bob