So I bought some new wheels the bbs silvers. I cleaned up as best as i could and in the corner of every wheel is the baked on black brake dust. I have tried degreaser from the detail shop and a stiff brush no dice. I tried zep degreaser and 3 different stiffness of brillo pad. I tried both degreasers and pressure hose at the car was and still nasty in each corner remains. So help me out and tell me what gets this off?

So I bought some new wheels the bbs silvers. I cleaned up as best as i could and in the corner of every wheel is the baked on black brake dust. I have tried degreaser from the detail shop and a stiff brush no dice. I tried zep degreaser and 3 different stiffness of brillo pad. I tried both degreasers and pressure hose at the car was and still nasty in each corner remains. So help me out and tell me what gets this off?

Easy off oven cleaner worked great on some old BBS mesh wheels I had.

where can i get it?

Any grocery store, wal mart, etc. Its in the household cleaning aisle. Its a spray used in ovens before the self cleaning feature was common. I cant vouch for the paint on your wheels though, mine still had the factory paint on them and it didnt harm it, if someone rattlecanned them, it might pull off the paint.

Also, muriatic acid works awesome on brake dust. You can get it any hardware store or pool supply store. We used it, sparingly, on trade in cars being detailed for the lot. It will make any exposed metal look rusty, very quickly. So your brake rotors will scare you until you go for a drive and burn off the brown stuff.

so how bad is this acid? will it burn threw the wheels to or my skin?

I had some so bad, I had to use a dremmel and a soft stainless steel wire brush for it.. It just wouldn't come off with anything else I had in the garage..

You have to move around a lot doing this, so you don't burn anything, but after a little polish will fill in any roughness it may have produced..

Try some WD-40, let it soak for a bit on a test spot. This and some elbow grease might work!

Though acid/oven/brake cleaner works, its best to start with the less harmful stuff.

Make sure you wax your rims once you get that crap off!

Before trying oven cleaner, maybe try some actual Wheel/Rim Cleaner. Even the OTC stuff I would think is safer than the oven clean stuff and if it doesn't work it's only about $8 bucks a bottle.

Also you could order some P21S Wheel Gel Cleaner. You can let it sit for a couple hours even as its a gel and just stays there. Then scrub scrub scrub. Might take a couple times, but should work.

Any pics??

meguiars wheel acid and if that doesn't work, some concrete/brick cleaning acid. Both have bad fumes and are very bad for your skin and eyes. And it's not good for exposed metal either (rotor, calipers, exposed wheel where paint has chipped).

meguiars wheel acid (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiar-s-wheel-brightener.html)

concrete/brick cleaning acid example (http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200324811_200324811)

I've used other brands of concrete acid, but never the one linked above

And where I originally got the idea: here (http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1561211&highlight=wheel+acid)

I switched to Ceramic brake pads on my WRX Wagon and now there isn't any brake dust at all. Braking is super quiet too.

Westley's bleach white is all you need. Will not harnm the finish and with a tooth brush you can easily remove 99% of your spots. Done once a week, a quick spray and wipe and your done.

Westley's bleach white is all you need. Will not harnm the finish and with a tooth brush you can easily remove 99% of your spots. Done once a week, a quick spray and wipe and your done.

Where do i get?

any auto parts store, about $ 3.50 per bottle

every tried claybar? Save old claybars from detailing you car and use them on your wheels

^^ interesting ill have to try

meguiars wheel acid and if that doesn't work, some concrete/brick cleaning acid. Both have bad fumes and are very bad for your skin and eyes. And it's not good for exposed metal either (rotor, calipers, exposed wheel where paint has chipped).

meguiars wheel acid (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiar-s-wheel-brightener.html)

concrete/brick cleaning acid example (http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200324811_200324811)

I've used other brands of concrete acid, but never the one linked above

And where I originally got the idea: here (http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1561211&highlight=wheel+acid)


vouch for the concrete cleaner...home depot has it...but dilute it

prosoco 600 is the only thing that worked on my bbs's that I bought used and the guy i bought them from tracked his car and never cleaned them so it was bad. Nothing else would work. Search it on this forum. I got mine at a whiteCap store. it was about $30 bucks (1 gallon). but it worked.

It is used as a brick cleaner iirc

ok so easy off oven clean kinda worked i used it twice in on spot and it got some of the dust but not all of it so i guess on to the next

You may never get ALL of it off. Some of it may be embeded into the paint on the wheel. Brake dust is extremely hot, obviously and can damage the paint finish on your wheel.

I keep a good coat of wax on my wheels to prevent a majority of the dust from harming the finish. Something to consider once you get them clean. Any paste wax will work but I use Wheel Wax.

Try mother's mag metal polish. It worked really well on my metal lip even took off some rust to shine back up! I think the bbs's are a painted alloy though so I dunno if it will work as well as it did on my wheels.

I used 0000 steel wool on my wheels...It is just aggressive enough to get off the spots and soft enough to not damage the clear coat.

Just be certain to apply a sealant to the wheels afterwords or you will be having to deal with the dust again.

I used 0000 steel wool on my wheels...It is just aggressive enough to get off the spots and soft enough to not damage the clear coat.

Just be certain to apply a sealant to the wheels afterwords or you will be having to deal with the dust again.


i have that at my house and will try that in the next few days very lightly to see if it does anything.

prosoco 600 is the only thing that worked on my bbs's that I bought used and the guy i bought them from tracked his car and never cleaned them so it was bad. Nothing else would work. Search it on this forum. I got mine at a whiteCap store. it was about $30 bucks (1 gallon). but it worked.

It is used as a brick cleaner iirc

this I promise it works

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=929586&highlight=prosoco

I've used oven cleaner and piping hot water with a hard bristle tooth brush many times on many different wheels. When I worked for a dealership when I was a kid - a woman gave me a $500 tip becuase she didn't have to buy new OEM wheels. ($600 a peice)

if you get desperate (i doubt it will work but worth a shot) try toothpaste. idk why but i have a good feeling about it

So I bought some new wheels the bbs silvers. I cleaned up as best as i could and in the corner of every wheel is the baked on black brake dust. I have tried degreaser from the detail shop and a stiff brush no dice. I tried zep degreaser and 3 different stiffness of brillo pad. I tried both degreasers and pressure hose at the car was and still nasty in each corner remains. So help me out and tell me what gets this off?

you need to find your yourself a good automatic car wash or a detail shop ran by an automatic car wash that uses an industrial cleaning acid during its prep wash...they will have diluted it a 50/50 with water, and it is your best and only bet of getting caked on brake dust off! everything else these guys have mentioned, including oven cleaner, does not work nearly as well! i believe the brand is called "acidx" and it will not do any harm to any wheels that are painted, cleared, or chromed...it if is raw metal it will tarnish it, and you would have to polish the wheels afterwards...if u can find an automatic carwash that uses acid, ask them if u can use the acid on your wheels, and use a medium stiffness brush to scrub the wheels with the acid on them...thats the absolute best way to clean your wheels!

Do yu have picture of the wheels and trouble spots?

Go back to the detail shop and ask for a wheel cleaner then a wheel acid. Or have them try to clean the wheels.

I would try the following:
1. Cleaning the wheels using wheel cleaner with stiff brush,
2. use a red clay bar,
3. compound, find the abrasivness level which works, with a buffer, dremel or by hand,
If by hand try using a applicator pad, fold towel, 0000 steel wool, or a lightly abrasive scotch pad,
Mild abrasive polish, use the same application methods as for the compound
Re-wash
seal with wax or sealnt of your choice.
Wash a on regular basis.

If you use an acid cleaner be sure to read and follow safety procedures, instructions and dilutions ratios. Also, rinse throughly and neutralize the surface when done cleaning.

Let us know what works.