Slik560
New member
I knew that the wheels on my ’87 560SL were not in very good condition when I bought the car last year. The car overall is in great shape, but it’s obvious that the previous owners were from the “wash it and put it away� school of car care. I made a valiant effort on the exteriors, using an assortment of products [P21S, Griot’s Garage, Meguiar’s] and brushes to try to clean those infernal 15-hole wheels to a presentable state; taking care not to use anything too harsh so as not to further damage the 21 year old finish. The goal was to make them somewhat presentable until I could get them refurbished by a local company. I finally bought an alternate set of wheels and tires and when I removed the originals it became obvious that anything short of a full re-furbish would be a waste of time. Out of sheer embarrassment I tried to clean up the back sides of the wheels before taking them to the refurbishing company, and not even a full-on, undiluted degreaser would make any headway. So, just to illustrate what 21 years of Mercedes Benz brake dust looks like, I submit herewith:
Not too bad from the front:
But turn them over – GAAK!!!
Even after the degreaser scrubbing:
Sad
At least before mounting the new wheels I had the chance to clay them up like new and applied two coats of Poorboy’s sealant. Now I can wipe off the brake dust with some QD and a microfiber – which is a daily task when I drive the car. When the wheels are refurbished I may post up the results, but I just had to share what two decades of unattended brake dust looks like!
New wheels in place:
All photos were taken with an old Kodak digital – I wish I would have taken my Nikon out of the bag!
Thanks – and don’t let brake dust get away from you!! :cooleek:
Not too bad from the front:
But turn them over – GAAK!!!
Even after the degreaser scrubbing:
Sad
At least before mounting the new wheels I had the chance to clay them up like new and applied two coats of Poorboy’s sealant. Now I can wipe off the brake dust with some QD and a microfiber – which is a daily task when I drive the car. When the wheels are refurbished I may post up the results, but I just had to share what two decades of unattended brake dust looks like!
New wheels in place:
All photos were taken with an old Kodak digital – I wish I would have taken my Nikon out of the bag!
Thanks – and don’t let brake dust get away from you!! :cooleek:
. If they made ceramic pads /rotors for this year and model, I'd switch. I don't believe anyone makes an aftermarket ceramic kit for the older SL's. When the refurbished 15-hole wheels go back on, I'm going to get some of those brake dust shields.