To all those wheel detailers, i was wondering what can be used to take off baked on brake dust on waterspots. It seems like comes off whatever i use. The baked brake dust/waterspot combo feels rough when i go over it with my fingers and ever since i came back from my one month trip, i found residue from stagnant water which has green "algae like" lining and a rainbow haze. i am really worried because EVERYTHING that i have tried did not work. Is there any thing i can do?This is on all four wheels. Here are some pictures of what i mean.

 

Looks like someone already used a wheel cleaner on them and messed up the finish.

 

i only use car shampoo (Griot's Car Wash to be exact) on my wheels.

griots has a bbs certified wheel cleaner that i use on occasion on my
daily drivers.

 

1.Wash surface with car wash concentrate and water
2.Road dirt / tar / brake pad adhesive should be removed with a solvent type cleaner (Stoner’s Tarminator ™ ) and any bonded contaminants or over spray removed with Detailer's Clay, then clean surface with a chemical cleaner / polish (Klasse All-In-One) wash and dry wheel surface thoroughly.
3.Once the brake dust has been removed with a 100% acid-free wheel cleaner (P21S Wheel Cleaner; Gel for heavily stained or regular for light staining) apply a citrus based cleaner (P21S Total Auto Wash) to the surface, agitate with a boar’s hair wheel brush and rinse off, dry thoroughly and then apply a polymer sealant for protection, this will also make future cleaning easier. A polymer is recommended (Klasse All-In-One or Zoopseal) as it has a higher melting temperature (350oF) compared to Carnauba wax (180oF) a wheel surface will reach a temperature in excess of 120oF due to rotor friction and in excess of 195oF when parked in the sun.

TOGWT

 

wow thank you. TOGWT seems as if have a lot of knowledge looking from ur sig. thank you. now the question is. where do i get these materials?

 

no chemical cleaners on the Volks... you'll mess up the finish.

 

zackt69 then what do u reccomend i do?

 

I'm telling you, once the finish starts to rainbow, its gone. The only way to fix it is to strip it completely. Someone already used some type of wheel cleaner/degreaser on them and messed up the finish. The rainbow color is a telltale sign that its been damaged. Since its anodized, there is nothing you can do to polish the anodizing. A local guy when through the same thing with his detailer http://www.my350z.com/forum/showthread.php?t=282229 I saw them in person and they look exactly like yours. He had to strip them down and polish them by hand

 

the anodized finsih has been ruined. only way to fix is to remove the anodized clear coat. pretty common among volks.

 

man. this blows. any ideas on how much it would cost?

 

The 'chemical' cleaner I recommended (Klasse) is a paint cleaner not an acid, and trust me as a ChemE I do know the difference

 

hand soap and water. thats the best wheel cleaner in the world.

 

i have this same problem... but mine is much worse...
i love how people just "blow it off"
i think its INSANE that these wheels are so goddamn fragile... what is the point in "anodizing" if it just makes things much worse.....
why are we spending $2,000-$3,000 on wheels when they just get screwed up.

and btw, all i have used is soap and water too....
it's bull****.

so is there anything i can do??
and if this has to be stripped now.... can't i do that myself????
not to sound dumb.. but what is the material underneath? polished aluminum or chrome?

 

that guy in the 350z thread said he stripped his wheels with oven cleaner... then polished.. he said looks better than new....
think that's a bad idea???

 

spending the money to chrome the lips would be worth it imo. easy to upkeep and clean lookin as hell.