But the wheels will be sparkily!

 

The intent of Wheelwax isn't to get rims clean but to protect them after they
are. Any type of acid will remove the clearcoat, may as well use a dremel tool.......haha How about Comet and a pan scrubber?

 

you need to research the product a little more... becasue you are incorrect.

 

I used the DuPont Teflon Wheel cleaner for the first time last week and it really does work well. Its not a true spray on, spray off deal as you should give them a quick scrub for best results. But it did a great job of emulsifying the dust and grime, and the wheels are definitely staying cleaner. Whatever is in there (Teflon) is stopping the dust from sticking.

 

take it to a good detailer and maybe end up spending as much as all these different products suggested will cost.

 

wow, HF to clean wheels? That is a new one. If you want a really strong wheel cleaner, try Meg's Wheel Brightener diluted to various ratios. It is used by alot of professional detailers on heavily caked wheels. Not sure if it will damage the finish though, its mainly used on normal OEM wheels with a tougher coating than the hypersilver finish on some of the oem wheels on the G.

 

First of all Hydrofluoric Acid can be used safely. It is one of the best if not the best to clean any residue on metals. Industries use it to remove oxide impurities from stainless steals, and many detailer use it. As with any chemical, if used properly, injury and death can be avoided. The link I provided was for 50% diluted ratio. It's not nearly as dangerous, but if you drop it on you skin, I assume it will eat through your bones, as listed in MSDS. The OP asked for a powerful product which is effective and safe on wheels, and I provided an answer.


P.S. If you are not smart enough to handle chemicals then stay away. Don't tell other people not use it because you don't have the intellect for it. If used safely it's just like any other chemical on the market.

 

As a fellow ChemE it amazes me that when you prove to people how dangerous this chemical is they take on a bravo attitude 'it won't hurt me I'm very careful'

Most of the larger automotive paint suppliers (PPG, DuPont and BASF) do not recommend this type of chemical to be used on their paints. Stating that the acid, even if thoroughly flushed with water had already compromised the clear coat and given time would also compromise the paint system, dependant on the environment the vehicle was subjected, to over a period of 2-3 years it was possible that the clear coat would occlude (cloud) indicative of clear coat failure as the acid breaks down the paints binder system.

It also has the unique ability to dissolve almost all inorganic oxides. In the human body, hydrofluoric acid reacts with calcium and damages nerves, bone, and several organs including the heart and kidneys. It has an NFPA health rating of 3; Short exposure could cause serious temporary or residual injury even though prompt medical attention was given This substance should be handled with extreme care, beyond that accorded to hydrochloric, sulphuric, or other mineral acids

Information resource - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrofluoric_acid
Material Data Sheet - MSDS - http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/H3880.htm

 

Wheels are coated with paint/powdercoat, not bare metal. No detailer in their right mind would use it on coated wheels, acid eats through paint. I am a ChemE as well, and I certainly know the dangers of HF. There are plenty of weaker acids used in the detailing industry to clean wheels that are much safer. No one would jump straight to 50% diluted HF on wheels. Your experience is with bare metals not in contact with things like paint and tires. that has no application here. Meg's Wheel Brightener is a prediluted acid wheel cleaner that is already very strong and harms alot of wheel surfaces. Detailers only use it on heavy duty factory wheel coatings, and even then minimal amounts are used. Telling someone to use HF at that dilution is grounds for negligence

 

Thanks for your replies. Here are some pics of the rim.

 

Try eagle one all wheel/tire cleaner. Its probably the safest OTC wheel cleaner out there, and I can confirm that its safe on the hyperfinish of those wheels, as I used it on my OEM 19's safely. Make sure you follow the directions closely and everything is cool to the touch and it doesn't sit for too long

 

My wife's wheels were way worse than these. I tried everything that I could find from searching the forum... except the things that I had to order - didn't feel like going that route. Nothing worked and I was thinking about just replacing the two front wheels.

I happened to be looking under our kitchen sink and found some red scrub pads specifically made for cleaning glass stovetops. It advertised, "guaranteed not to scratch." I was fed up and said, "what the heck," and took the pads and some Mothers Mag Wheel Polish and set to work. It still took a little elbow grease but it had the right amount of "abrasiveness" needed to cut through the extremely baked on dust. Upon inspection of the wheel, the clear coat was still shiny, smooth and had no scratches - to my surprise.

For the frustrated, I recommend heading over to a home improvement store and looking for these either by the cleaning supplies or by the glass stoves.

 

HF contact on skin is very painful. It leaches the calcium out of your bones and tissue. I've used this acid in a microfab lab in college and we had to have a short lecture on how dangerous this stuff is.

 

Your wheels look damage.

 

oh gawd... here we go again with the HF debate...

this thread is almost a year old and ended with moderate drama... why in the hell would it be given life again?...