Cleaning inner wheel barrels

TLMitchell

TLMitchell

is dazed & confused
Posted here, there & everywhere....



What we have here are OEM coated, cast aluminum wheels from a 2004 GMC Sierra. They've seen 60k+ and 5 Ohio winters without ever getting a really thorough cleaning inside and out.



IMG_0455Medium.jpg




The outer wheels are in pretty decent shape with just a few defects in the coating where wheel weights have been attached. They clean up well and take a shine, they're rarely left very cruddy for long periods. The inner barrels are a different story though.



IMG_0449Medium.jpg




IMG_0459Medium.jpg




Believe me, the pics are AFTER cleaning attempts! They were pitch black before!



My primary goal is to clean these up as well as possible and apply sealant and do 'em once a year every Spring. The visible portions through the holes in the front detract a bit from the overall appearance.



In attempting to clean the inner barrel I first tried a generous dose of P21S Gel and let it dwell for an hour. The I then scrubbed the surface crud with a wheel brush getting close to the results shown. Thinking I needed something considerably stouter I applied Purple Power APC full strength and let it dwell taking care that I didn't get any of this nasty stuff on the front of the wheels. Not much improvement.



I then attempted a few other things in spots..... of everything I tried a Brillo pad produced the most favorable result with a TON of scrubbing. I also gave a PowerBall a whirl with Wenol red, Meg's Mag & Aluminum Polish and other lesser products with the best results appearing near the openings where exterior cleaning may have kept them from getting as bad as the rest of the barrel. At this rate using the products and methods I've attempted thus far I might get some decent results if I kept at it for a week or so........ per wheel, probably! There's gotta be a better way....



I'd appreciate any thoughts, comments or suggestions that might lead to some improvement. I don't expect perfection after 5 years of neglect but I'd like to improve the appearance, at least what's visible from the outside of the wheel.



Thanks in advance...... TL
 
I started the exact same project on my G35 last week. So far I've done one wheel. The car is three years old, and this is my first time venturing onto the backside of my rims.



I did a very similar process. I started with Eagle One All Wheel Cleaner, let it dwell, and scrubbed the heck out of it. I used Mother's Plastic Polish and a power ball on the front side of the wheels. Then added a coat of DP wheel glaze. I sealed the backside with Klasse SG.



Similar to the OP, I had lukewarm results. The wheels look ALOT better, but far far far from perfect.



The front's came out OK



P3310048.jpg




This is the best I could do with the back



P3310049.jpg




It almost feels like the black spots are actually pits in the metal. Is that possible? How in the world would you fix that?
 
TLMitchell said:
Coating appears to be only on the front.



Izzat an acid-based product?
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I don't think the coating is only on the front. The car mfrs. actually seem to be so cheap as to put less/different paint on the barrels as opposed to the front. And yes, Meg's WB is an HF acid wheel cleaner.



Less said:
It almost feels like the black spots are actually pits in the metal. Is that possible? How in the world would you fix that?
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Yes, they are pits, where the brake dust has etched into the paint or the metal. An acid wheel cleaner will dissolve the brake dust, but it will still leave the pits, which is of course really the problem when this happens. You can polish them to try and smooth it up a bit.



This really messes with your head. IME, the worst brake dust is the "break-in" dust which occurs in the first couple of hundred miles. There are good aftermarket brake pads which are virtually dustless, even during that break-in period. So what do you do, take your brand new car home, and change the brake pads? Even if you do that, the way cars are sold today, they usually have some miles on them even when they are "brand new". So it's possible that your wheels will already have these pits etched into them even if you do drive it right home and change the pads.
 
I bought some oem rims from someone that didn't really clean the back of the wheels and got the same problem. I've used wheel brightner a couple of times but some of the stuff remains.

HPIM1831.jpg


HPIM1832.jpg


and a diff wheel

HPIM1833.jpg
 
Arfax, nothing's gonna clean that up, those are corroded to heck. I don't think there's really any finish left on there to polish, but you might try metal polish and...well, at this point it might just be worth sanding them down and then doing a bright (metal) polish or repainting them. Accumulator always recommends sand and repaint rather than fiddling around with badly etched wheel backs.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Accumulator always recommends sand and repaint rather than fiddling around with badly etched wheel backs.
Click to expand...



Is there a DIY write-up on how to do this anywhere?
 
Less said:
Is there a DIY write-up on how to do this anywhere?
Click to expand...



I don't think so...I think Accumulator may have shared his technique but that would take quite a bit of searching...perhaps he'll drop by here...



I always wonder about having to tape up the spokes so that no overspray comes through to the front...while still being able to get all the spots painted that need to be. I guess it's just a lot of taping and razor trimming.
 
Less- Those don't look all that bad, while I'm *NOT* one for [fooling] around much with such stuff, I've cleaned up wheel backs that were a lot worse than that with decent, if not perfect results.



I start with an aggressive wheel cleaner and a mild Scotch-brite pad. Then the same wheel cleaner and aggressive clay. Yeah, the former does quickly dissolve the latter. If necessary, I'll even resort to a Dremel fitted with a bristle brush (not a brass or steel brush, just the black plastic bristle ones).



Then I use the most aggressive compound I have that'll work by hand/PC. By this point you have to watch that you don't completely compromise the often-thin oe paint (wheel backs/barrels don't seem to get much paint). Then a milder polish, then AIO, then sealant, then just live with them. And when you just *can't* live with them....



Setec Astronomy said:
... Accumulator always recommends sand and repaint rather than fiddling around with badly etched wheel backs.
Click to expand...



Is there a DIY write-up on how to do this anywhere?
Click to expand...



Noting that life is short and I'm very particular....my version of DIYing them is taking them off the vehicle and dropping them off at my painter's shop. The MPV's oe wheels are there right now (grr...stupid dealership guys precipitated this, but it's time to have the back sides reshot anyhow as I've worn through the oh-so-thin paint in a few places).



You *could* prep/paint them yourself if you really want to save money and spend time, but I'd still lean towards having them media-blasted for the initial prep.
 
What about trying an old pad and some compound like M105 or M205 or something similar?



May not remove it all, but could remove some. May not damage the clear coat either, if there is any back there.
 
A friend of mine has a 20 year old BMW e39 and I got the original rims clean with Megs wheel brightener and a brush, he used those rims on the winter wheels and they looked alot worse that that and I got them clean.. So try that..
 
I just went through this with my wheels a couple of months ago (http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/116833-how-clean-these-corroded-wheel-centers.html). What made a difference for me was WD-40 and #0000 steel wool. Spray the WD-40 liberally, scrubbing with just a little pressure (like aggressive claying). What the WD-40 doesn't get, brake cleaner may be able to cut. Get the CRC red-label Brakleen (not the 'CFC-free' green label, because it doesn't cut through the brake dust at all). Edit: get that brake cleaner off ASAP, preferably with car soap and water to counteract the brake cleaner. I went that far and just decided to live with the rest, though it was VASTLY improved. It cut most of the brake dust in the etchings (but you know that the etching is there to stay unless you wetsand and/or repaint). Seal with your product of choice (I used Liquid Glass since it was the best sealant available locally and I was short on time) and keep 'em clean from here on out!



Someone had suggested a Magic Eraser in my thread, but it never made a dent. I imagine from the way your wheels look that it won't work for you, either. You'll likely have better luck with an acid-based cleaner like Meguiar's Wheel Brightener. I may have tried that if I had the time to wait on mail-order.



Thanks to Setec Astronomy and Accumulator for helping me through my own sojurn of wheel nastiness!!
 
Had a similar problem with the wheels on my Marauder and ended up painting and clearcoating. Now they clean-up with just soap and water and look great.

Get rid of the lip style wheel weights, balance on the inside with adhesive weights.
 
dekeman said:
I just went through this with my wheels a couple of months ago (http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/116833-how-clean-these-corroded-wheel-centers.html). What made a difference for me was WD-40 and #0000 steel wool. Spray the WD-40 liberally, scrubbing with just a little pressure (like aggressive claying). What the WD-40 doesn't get, brake cleaner may be able to cut. Get the CRC red-label Brakleen (not the 'CFC-free' green label, because it doesn't cut through the brake dust at all). Edit: get that brake cleaner off ASAP, preferably with car soap and water to counteract the brake cleaner. I went that far and just decided to live with the rest, though it was VASTLY improved. It cut most of the brake dust in the etchings (but you know that the etching is there to stay unless you wetsand and/or repaint). Seal with your product of choice (I used Liquid Glass since it was the best sealant available locally and I was short on time) and keep 'em clean from here on out!



Someone had suggested a Magic Eraser in my thread, but it never made a dent. I imagine from the way your wheels look that it won't work for you, either. You'll likely have better luck with an acid-based cleaner like Meguiar's Wheel Brightener. I may have tried that if I had the time to wait on mail-order.



Thanks to Setec Astronomy and Accumulator for helping me through my own sojurn of wheel nastiness!!
Click to expand...



Actually Ive found the CRC Green Can to be the best out of any ive tried.
 
fallenauthority said:
Actually Ive found the CRC Green Can to be the best out of any ive tried.
Click to expand...



I used the green can stuff while doing a front brake job on my car, and it didn't cut the brake dust at all. It was heavy dust to be sure (being on the brakes!), but the red can stuff is way more effective at cleaning brakes. I have never tried the green stuff on wheels because of this reason. It may be that it works better on wheels than brakes, though! :nixweiss
 
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