99% of Alloy wheels in common usage are painted and/or lacquered (aren't they?). I understand that the spray on Alloy Wheel Cleaner that you get at car washes and motor factors is a mild acid (plus detergent ?) I can't understand why one would use that on a painted/lacquered surface
The spray would have exactly the same effect on "fancy" steel wheels or on plastic wheel trims, when it comes to getting the baked-on brake dust out of difficult-to-reach corners. The material underneath the paint and lacquer is less relevant than the likelihood of having those corners and that baked-on brake dust.
I was the forecourt bitch/ car cleaner at a 2nd hand car dealers (porsche, mercs, bmw's etc). We used to always use the wheel acid. It is tough enough to clean the brake dust but not so harsh that it strips the laquer off.
1984 Voltswagen 25 Pop-Top (No idea what type!?) 1.9 W/C Petrol based in Guernsey, C.I.
Be careful with the cleaners that have hydroflouric acid. That stuff should not be allowed to come in contact with skin. Bad for the bones.
its for cleaning aluminium.
As stated , most 'mags' have a clear coat so truck wash or a strong detergent type of cleaner does the trick.
Truck wash is strong stuff and can etch some paints.
Best preventative measure from brake dust particles eating into your alloy wheels is a simple wipe off with water on a weekly basis if you can. The wheels on my Merc were awful when I bought it - had em refurbed and 4 years later they're still looking good - I am a bit of a clean freak though
The chap went through 3 grinding discs to get the corrosion out of the wheels:
ghost123uk wrote:Aye, that looks VERY clean and nice for 4 years on
...and only managed to scuff the n/s one very slightly
...car was sold 4 weeks ago with the funds helping to go towards the van (of course!) plus had to pay my folks back the remainder i borrowed for buying the elite engine!
My VW Carat wheels are generally in good nick, but one of them in particular has some odd "stain" marks appearing. Not bad, but it looks kinda like a slightly "milky", light grey / white'ish and patchy discolouration. Note, discolouration only, not corrosion or lacquer lifting, it's totally smooth. Normal cleaning with car shampoo doesn't seem to do owt to it. Not sure what it is. Might try and get it to show up in a pic !
