Removing Stubborn Brake Dust

Any suggestions for removing stubborn brake dust from a nice set of wheels? I traded a set of good snow tires for a set of wheels but two of them have pretty nasty brake dust stuck on them. I washed them with some car soap and a stiff brush but the large sections didn't seem to budge at all. I'd like to keep from sanding anything down because the finish on the rest of the wheel is still is fairly good shape.

Acceptable

Caked on dust after washing

go to advanpepzone and get some Eagle One wheel cleaner that says "Clearcoat Safe" on the label. Follow the directions. Profit.

While you're there, get a headlight polishing kit.

You MAY find that you'll have to repaint. It depends on the nature of the dust. If there's a high iron content in the dust (rotor material, usually) then it hits the wheel as iron, then rusts, and the rust pits the aluminum and there's not much you can do after that.

Don't be afraid of this possibility. The wheel paints on the market provide surprisingly good results. OEM-like, even, with minimal prep. (I prepped one set of wheels by hitting them with brake cleaner and rubbing them with a rag. No embedded dust, though, they were just a horrid color)

By all means try cleaning first, of course.

Do what I do and clean the spokes, and let the circumference of the wheel remain unevenly dirty. Blame the darkness on shadows.

Did anyone else see that and think "holy E36 M3 how old are those ecsta supra 712s"

I just used some Purple Power cleaner from Wal Mart and a sponge. I was also cleaning a Steel Wheel, so my advice might not help.

I'd stick with the Eagle One stuff, stronger cleaners will mess with the clearcoat.

Knurled wrote: You MAY find that you'll have to repaint. It depends on the nature of the dust. If there's a high iron content in the dust (rotor material, usually) then it hits the wheel as iron, then rusts, and the rust pits the aluminum and there's not much you can do after that. Don't be afraid of this possibility. The wheel paints on the market provide surprisingly good results. OEM-like, even, with minimal prep. (I prepped one set of wheels by hitting them with brake cleaner and rubbing them with a rag. No embedded dust, though, they were just a horrid color) By all means try cleaning first, of course.

Just went through this exercise.

Dupli-Color high performance wheel paint turned into fuzz on top of two different kinds of primer for me. Thumbs down. I had to strip back to metal and redo two wheels. The Rustoleum High Performance wheel paint worked much better for me, but it was really difficult to get even metal flake.

Maybe they're specially formulated for lack of appropriate prep?

If I had to do this over, I would have just bought another set of OEM rims and rattle-canned these bright orange for track wheels. It's a 4-6 hour job (over a couple days) to strip, sand, prime, sand and paint rims.

I agree that full strength purple power will probably take that stuff off. I'd put it on a rag so you don't spray it everywhere. Do small areas and rinse every 30 seconds or so.

Primer? What's that?

Easy Off oven cleaner in the yellow spray can. Wear gloves because it doesn't feel good. Spray on and let it work a bit before wiping it off, follow with a wash with soap.

I couldn't get brake dust and chunks off the wheels from my MINI for the life of me. I tried it on a recommendation and figured it was a last resort. Worked like a champ and the wheels looked new.

Try it on the inside of the barrel first and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Don't get it on your hootus or in your eye, you'll be sorry.

Try some of this stuff, you can get it at the dollar store. I once used it to clean 20 years of brake dust off a junkyard steelie, it just rinsed off after a half hour soak. I forget what it is exactly but recall it containing some sort of strong industrial degreaser, it will etch glass, doesn't seem to bother paint. This goes without saying, but don't get any harsh chemicals on the tires.

In the trucking industry the wheel cleaner of choice to remove brake gunk from aluminum wheels is as follows:

1 can penetrating oil + enough diesel fuel to fill a 1 quart spray bottle. Shake well.

Spray on and allow to sit for 10 minutes, then scrub with a soft bristle brush and then rinse. Repeat as needed.

I've seen that trick work on wheels that were absolutely black from years of exposure to brake dust and road grunge.

Before I learned it I had spent hours cleaning truck wheels, going so far as to sand the layer of crunge off and then polishing out the newly revealed metal surfaces. That or spending $25/wheel to get it done at a truck wash.

I bought some LTD "Turbine" wheels for my trailer, huge brake dust. I soaked it with the Eagle One Angry described and went at it with small screwdriver-like devices (it was 1/2" deep). Finished with Eagle One and several pre-owned tooth brushes.

I don't think there's an easy way.

Dan

De-Solv-It mechanic's solvent is paint-safe and takes it right off, just wad up some paper towels, put some on and use the rough side. I've used it on my 'rollas rims before. I'd wash them with soap and water immediately afterwards just to be safe, but that's because I don't really trust things that claim to be paint-safe but strip off super-stubborn dirt like it's no big deal.

Use a scotch brite pad as a scrubber. They work wonders. You probably won't notice the fine scratches or dulling, as wheels are usually low gloss.

Mr. Clean magic eraser may work...

If you have access to medical supplies, grab some Cavi-Wipes or Spray. Basically used for wiping down things around hospital labs, it cleans and kills bacteria, viruses, etc, etc, etc. That stuff can clean anything, but be careful because its a carcinogen!

I found that some brake pads contain some amount of iron/steel in them as well as the dust from the rotor due to wear. What I used to clean painted wheels of Phosphoric Acid. Available in a number of products at your local hardware/home improvement store. A common product taht contains it is "Lime Away". Also most but not all concrete cleaner/etching solution.

Mix it per the directions on the bottle and spray on. Scrub it a bit after it sits there for a few minutes. Then rinse off.

I have found that if I clean the wheels on my race car after each race the dust comes off easy. The longer it stays on the wheel the harder it is to remove. On a steet car it's way harder to get the wheels really clean.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: Try some of this stuff, you can get it at the dollar store. I once used it to clean 20 years of brake dust off a junkyard steelie, it just rinsed off after a half hour soak. I forget what it is exactly but recall it containing some sort of strong industrial degreaser, it will etch glass, doesn't seem to bother paint. This goes without saying, but don't get any harsh chemicals on the tires.

+1 I use gallon bottles of this stuff from the dollar store for poor mans parts cleaner on engine parts.

digdug18 wrote:

Kenny_McCormic wrote: Try some of this stuff, you can get it at the dollar store. I once used it to clean 20 years of brake dust off a junkyard steelie, it just rinsed off after a half hour soak. I forget what it is exactly but recall it containing some sort of strong industrial degreaser, it will etch glass, doesn't seem to bother paint. This goes without saying, but don't get any harsh chemicals on the tires.

+1 I use gallon bottles of this stuff from the dollar store for poor mans parts cleaner on engine parts.

I'll make note of that.

Shotgun? :)

I tried the Eagle One wheel cleaner that is good for clear coat and the brake dust laughed in its face. Hitting it with a scotchbrite pad and the cleaner didn't make much of a difference. It only started to come off when I scratched at the brake dust with an old credit card. I'll have to try one of the tougher options.

I've successfully used Comet (the powder cleaner). It's hard on the finish, but works great if you're careful.