Stubborn brake dust on alloys

UnknownSpecies

Hello, just looking for some help with cleaning my alloys. 3 of my 4 alloys were no problem to clean, but one of them has a thick layer of brake dust caked on that I can't scrub off.

I used some cheapo alloy cleaner, which worked for the first 3. For the stubborn one, I tried some petrol and a nail brush and it just won't budge. Also, I know petrol might not be the best for the wheel but I'll more than likely be getting a refurb in the next year, so I'm not too concerned.

Any advice appreciated!

Special Circumstances

Wonder wheels always works for me, handy if you are close to a Halfords.
http://www.halfords.com/motoring-travel/cleaning-body-repair/detailing-products/wonder-wheels-1-litre

Bilt Hamber is the enthusiast/pro choice round here I believe.

biko

I had a similar issue and eventually got oven cleaner.
Spray it on and leave for 10 mins or so. Scrub and rinse thoroughly.

If you're worried about the tyre rubber, get a tissue and wipe overspray off them.

UnknownSpecies

Special Circumstances wrote: »

Wonder wheels always works for me, handy if you are close to a Halfords.
http://www.halfords.com/motoring-travel/cleaning-body-repair/detailing-products/wonder-wheels-1-litre

Bilt Hamber is the enthusiast/pro choice round here I believe.

Cheers for that. Might be in Halfords tonight so I'll take a look. Would your wheels be black with the dust? I've shocked at how stuck on the stuff is. Only on one wheel too, makes no sense!

biko wrote: »

I had a similar issue and eventually got oven cleaner.
Spray it on and leave for 10 mins or so. Scrub and rinse thoroughly.

If you're worried about the tyre rubber, get a tissue and wipe overspray off them.

Oven cleaner, that's worth a go for sure. Not overly concerned about the tyres either. New set being put on next week hopefully.

dorgasm

dorgasm wrote: »

I've shocked at how stuck on the stuff is. Only on one wheel too, makes no sense!

Might be no harm jacking the car up and testing how freely that wheel spins, handbrake off and out of gear (nb - on flat surface with other wheels chocked), caliper might be sticking on that wheel or something..

UnknownSpecies

Deleted User wrote: »

Might be no harm jacking the car up and testing how freely that wheel spins, handbrake off and out of gear (nb - on flat surface with other wheels chocked), caliper might be sticking on that wheel or something..

I had the front pads, discs and lines done not so long ago so I'd hope my mechanic would have noticed if the caliper was sticking. I'm going to take off the wheel anyway for cleaning so will check regardless, cheers!

MetzgerMeister

What you're experiencing is brake dust that has bonded to the paintwork on your alloy. What you need is an Iron cleansing product of some sort. Try Bilt Hamber Korrosol or OAC Iron Cleanse. They both stink but are excellent at their job. If these products remove some but not all of the brake dust, you could then try claying the surface.

Often times not even an iron cleanser will work as the brake dust often becomes part of the paint but it's rare. The only option here is to have the alloy refurbished.

IIRC, you drive a BMW E46. I had one years ago and the front driver's side caliper started seizing. That wheel had a huge amount of brake dust (not embedded as I wax my alloys) and the alloy was absolutely roasting compared to the others on the car.

grimmys

dorgasm wrote:

Cheers for that. Might be in Halfords tonight so I'll take a look. Would your wheels be black with the dust? I've shocked at how stuck on the stuff is. Only on one wheel too, makes no sense!

Sounds like One of your brake callapers could be stuck there is always a small bit of friction that's y you have a layer of dust on wheel

UnknownSpecies

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

What you're experiencing is brake dust that has bonded to the paintwork on your alloy. What you need is an Iron cleansing product of some sort. Try Bilt Hamber Korrosol or OAC Iron Cleanse. They both stink but are excellent at their job. If these products remove some but not all of the brake dust, you could then try claying the surface.

Often times not even an iron cleanser will work as the brake dust often becomes part of the paint but it's rare. The only option here is to have the alloy refurbished.

IIRC, you drive a BMW E46. I had one years ago and the front driver's side caliper started seizing. That wheel had a huge amount of brake dust (not embedded as I wax my alloys) and the alloy was absolutely roasting compared to the others on the car.

You just described my car pretty much. Drivers side, dust absolutely baked on and roasting hot. Will definitely be checking for a seized caliper now. Is the Bilt Hamber stuff easy to get in Ireland? Might have to make use of my Amazon Prime trial if not

MetzgerMeister

dorgasm wrote: »

You just described my car pretty much. Drivers side, dust absolutely baked on and roasting hot. Will definitely be checking for a seized caliper now. Is the Bilt Hamber stuff easy to get in Ireland? Might have to make use of my Amazon Prime trial if not

Detailing Shed stock lots of Bilt Hamber including AutoWheel (excellent wheel cleaner with light iron-cleansing ability) and Korrosol.

You will need to either get the caliper rebuilt or just replace it. I don't think they're too expensive.

dorgasm

dorgasm wrote: »

Will definitely be checking for a seized caliper now.

It won't be seized or you'd notice it as it would cause a lot of heat with the friction & you'd be getting burning smell off that wheel, could be just catching at times or not fully disengaging due to dirt/rust..

Hal1

Whatever you decide to use make sure to agitate it with a small brush. A repeat application may be needed to fully desolve the brake dust.

Curran

A fallout remover is what you require, and hopefully the wheel isnt beyond saving. Worth picking up a bottle and treating all 4 wheels as the others will have iron contaminat ion to a lesser degree. Everyone should do their wheels every few months. Doing them makes a noticeable difference to the brightness of the wheel once it's been done...even on a wheel that looks spotless.

CarPro - IronX
Bilt Hamber - Korrosol
Dodo Juice - Ferrous Deuller
50Cal - DeCon
Wolf's -Deironizer
Valet Pro - Dragon's Breath
Autobrite - Purple Rain
Auto Finesse - Iron Out

Are all examples of products that you would need. Spray on clear, let dwell, will turn from a clear liquid to purple on contact with iron contamination, agitate after a few mins, rinse...and repeat if necessary.

MetzgerMeister

I do think everyone should be using AutoWheel once there's a full decontamination and protection job done on their wheels. It keeps the whole contamination at bay and it will more than likely be non-existent if used weekly.

UnknownSpecies

So I jacked up the car last night to clean the wheel. Everything spins freely, so no seizure at the moment anyway. Pics below show how far 3 applications of oven cleaner and almost an hour of scrubbing got me. I'm going to buy one of the cleaners recommended above to try get the last bits out, but at least my wheel doesn't look black anymore.

Pics

bazz26

I use Iron X and find it does a very good job. Strong smell from it though.

Curran

That's quite heavy contamination. You will see improvement, but you might still be left with dark areas in the corner of the spokes.

I had a very slight intermittent sticking caliper on my E46 - do you ever suffer slight steering wheel vibration? It might only happens for a few seconds between applying the brakes once and next time you apply them, the sticking may release.

UnknownSpecies

Curran wrote: »

That's quite heavy contamination. You will see improvement, but you might still be left with dark areas in the corner of the spokes.

I had a very slight intermittent sticking caliper on my E46 - do you ever suffer slight steering wheel vibration? It might only happens for a few seconds between applying the brakes once and next time you apply them, the sticking may release.

I've never noticed anything like that. The only time I noticed anything off was before I had the front pad, discs, lines and fluid done. Since then, it's been smooth sailing. My alloy hasn't been this clean in a while, so I'll monitor how dirty it gets from now on.

Foxhole Norman

I had something similar on my E39's wheels, since I've used Korrosol on it a few times its all gone now, Korrosol is one hell of drug :pac: