I'm exhausted...but the half that I did does look amazing. I think I'll do the other half next week. When I'm done I'll have the cleanest pearl white paint on the PLANET!

I just cant seem to get the black baked on brake dust out of the corners of the wheels....I tried everything...hard bristle brush with simple green...It's hard to get to...and impossible to get off...can anyone suggest something?

 

I agree. Whatever these brakes are made of is hell on the wheels. I had to use a cleaner wax to remove stains due to brake dust. Then I used Zaino Z5 to wax the wheels. You can try a wheel cleaner for painted wheels. Eagle One makes a decent one and so does P21S.

 

Maguiar's Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner. Works really well on brake dust, safe for any wheel surface AND your paint. It worked for me on my alum. 8 spoke Konig(talk about tight corners).

Tooth brushes work for some tight corners. You also might look into gun cleaning brushes as some of them have small and/or angled brush heads.

The other thing I can recommend trying is a pressure washer (a good one, not that crap they have at the spray-n-wash).

 

I'd say the best way is to stay on top of your wheels. I keep a roll of shop towels in my car trunk at all times. I usually give my wheels a quick wipe down when I get get home at night. This keeps the dust from building up.

On the weekends I use M's Hot Rims cleaner while doing the ritual wash. keeps them pretty clean.

I just ordered my Zaino products and plan on throwing a ocat of polish on the wheels when I do the car.

 

I use the mothers clay bar and it makes the DG looks great. As far as brake dust i always use a good degreaser and a good brush.

 

How long do you guys leave the brake dust build up, I have gone as long as 3 weeks, with bad weather, and the wheels looked like they had been through a coal mine, never have I had any problems removing the mess, just took some extra time is all, and I just use a good car wash soap and water!

 

Well, the first thing to keep in mind is that the '03-'04 brakes apparently dusted like nothing before or since. I feel for you folks with these models. My '05 barely leaves a whisper of dust after a full week's driving. (For me that's not much, maybe 150 to 200 miles, but a lot of it is the stop-and-go city variety that's hard on brakes.) I literally have to run my finger over the wheel lip to check for dust.

I'm not a believer in wheel-cleaning chemicals or harsh brushes. I've don't use them. Instead, I take a spray bottle of tap water, dampen one wheel down, then use a terry cloth towel to wipe off the dust and polish the finish. Repeat three more times and I'm done. I've done this for nearly 20 years now on average of once a week and my wheels, barring the occasional stone chip, stay looking brand new.

I expect that if you wait several weeks/months/(years?) between wheel cleanings, the buildup might harden into a crusty mess that would require at a minimum some serious scrubbing. All bets are off then; there are other people who can advise you better on what to use in this situation.

 

Is it true that the later models do not have the same problems that I have with my 2003.5 Sedan? I mean the whels will stay clean for about two hours after washing. I'm going to Hawk ceramic pads, but I had never heard that the later models don't seem to have this problem.
Thanks

 

JKWright, I'd agree with you that water and a terry is sufficient most of the time. Most of the time, that's all I need as well. There have been several occassions where I needed something stronger though.

1) Car parked outside, brake dust on wheels...for 30 days, damp at night, sun during the day...baked the dust right on. Unfortunately I was unable to wash the car right before I left

2) Following a track day. The high brake temps, huge amount of dust, rain on the way home made for a tough cleaning scenario (you should have seen those brake pads, they were like compacted chalk, no bonding agents left at all)

3) Neglect...winter wheels, 45 days of straight rain, lots of stop and go traffic. By the time I got to cleaning, ugh!

 

anyone know if a change in pad materials is what took care of the dust buildup on the 05 model? Because if that's the case I'm tossing new pads on there tomorow

 

Like others, I try to keep up with my wheels by cleaning them with a soft cloth a few times a week. It only takes five minutes to wipe them clean. When I have clayed my other cars, it would take maybe 1/2 hr to one hour max and after it felt silky smooth.

 

Well, I don't let my car get filthy and the brake dust was killer. There wasn't a lot, but what was there seemed to bind to the wheels. I think the pads must be semi-metallics and the recent rain made the dust actually rust onto the wheels. I am just gonna be vigilent with them and clean them every few days. That, and I will definitely keep a few coats of Zaino on them.

 

[QUOTE=JKWright]Well, the first thing to keep in mind is that the '03-'04 brakes apparently dusted like nothing before or since. I feel for you folks with these models. My '05 barely leaves a whisper of dust after a full week's driving. (For me that's not much, maybe 150 to 200 miles, but a lot of it is the stop-and-go city variety that's hard on brakes.) I literally have to run my finger over the wheel lip to check for dust.[QUOTE]

Exactly. We definitely agree about the 05 brakes. No dusting at all, really. Very minor.

If you want to see dust, check the production on the front rotors of my 2500 diesel Dodge 4 X 4. That baby weighs about 7200 pounds and you'd think pigpen was walking by as I bring her to a stop.

Even so, I use the same method on all my vehicles - car was soap, dedicated wash mitt, and a small, soft make-up brush (from my wife's throw-aways) to get into the tight areas (lugs, etc).. No problems.

 

I have to agree. I do the same thing, just wipe down the rims really quick, and wash your car a min of 1 time per week.

 

Anyone tried Wheelwax?
It's supposed clean & polish?

LINKY