rim issues (pics)

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dynamite196

New member
Here is what I'm looking at, about 2+ years of neglect have lead to some serious baked on brake dust. After searching it seems like I need an acid cleaner (i also read about using oven cleaner?). My problem with oven cleaner is I think it'll damage the clear coat, or am I wrong? Also, I'm facing a similar problem on my parents' other vehicle however those rims are porous aluminum however they aren't as neglected. This board has taught me a lot, hopefully you guys can help me out.



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Those are pretty bad - even with the dust removed, the scratching in the clearcoat is significant. I don't know your proficiency level, but I would personally clean the wheels with Meguiar's Wheel Brightener diluted 2:1 and polish them with a PC and 4" pads. I would start with a super-heavy cut product like Hi-Temp Extreme Cut on a yellow or orange pad, and step down to Optimum Polish or Menzerna FP on a green or white pad.



On the porous aluminum rims, I would use Wheel Brightener diluted 3 or 4 to 1, which will remove all the dust but dull the wheels. I would follow with a PC and a 4" orange pad and Mother's Aluminum Polish. You can use a 4" white pad with Meguiar's NXT all metal polysh or English Custom Polish to improve the gloss.
 
Your problem look similar to my old one. I bought a set of rims from a 1991 Honda Accord EX, which were/are in pretty bad condition. I don't know how much it will help you though, because I wasn't worried about stripping/damaging the clearcoat as I'm planning on stripping it later anyway. Anyway, here's my process, hope it helps



1- Washed with Dawn and a scrubbing brush to get off as much surface grime as I could

2- Megs Hot Rims, let it sit for a little while, rinsed thoroughly

3- Turtle Wax Bug and Tar remover, I let it dwel for a long time. I only used this stuff because I had it laying around and it wasn't getting used. I put it in an old empty bottle of EO AWATC to apply it evenly(worked well to get thin, even coats)

4- EO AWATC + toothbrush to get into nooks and crannys, and remove huge chunks stuck on the inner rim.

5- Megs Hot Rims + toothbrush on corners, stubborn areas, etc.

5- EO AWATC + 0000 steel wool, worked pretty well for those tough to reach areas, probably could have used an even tougher grade as this didn't remove everything.



I noticed a dramatic improvement, especially on the inner side of the rim. This did not make it 100% better by any stretch however.



It's important to note that these rims cost $50 and that I was not worried about harming the clearcoat because I was planning on stripping it anyway I'm not saying to go do this on a set of $4,000 dubs or anything, or that it is safe to do.



Here are some before/afters



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Again, not 100%, but it's a start. Good luck:xyzthumbs
 
Is that a 5 spoke aluminum wheel off a F150?



I say if you're really wanting to get it looking great again, give it some serious wheel cleaner and strip off the clearcoat. I've seen it done before and the afters had an insane shine, although they will require much more maintenance. A Mother's powerball or Flitz ball would come in handy if you decided to polish them.
 
nope they're off a subaru outback that my mom owns. If it was my car they wouldnt be that bad in the first place but if they were in this condition then i'd strip them down and clear coat them. Would oven cleaner damage the CC?
 
I have used 0000 steel wool on the porous parts of my old car's wheels before when they got bad with no real harm done. I would not use it on any of the clear coated parts.



By the way, 93AccordLXwhite, as someone who owns those very wheels and cleans them regularly, I feel your pain. The designer that thought those up should have to come clean every single one. The slots are just barely big enough to get a thumb into.
 
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