Caked on Brake dust removal tips?

[jlach993]

I had my rims powder coated about 3 years ago. I usually clean my rims roughly every 2-3 weeks. However, i got a bit lazy and didn’t tackle them in about 2 months or roughly 3k miles. Now upon cleaning, the corners/creases on the rims have caked on brake dust. Only 85% of the brake dust came off when cleaning. Its predominantly on the two front wheels. Any ideas on a product that i could spray on and dissolve it? I’m pretty wary of all the crap out there on the market. I’ve tried brake dust removal in the past with minimal results.

 

[DaytonaRS7]

iron-x, or any iron remover is a good start.

i recommend this one
https://www.amazon.com/Carpro-Iron-Remover-500-Sprayer/dp/B004UM6DLE

spray, let sit for a few minutes, use a wheel cleaner brush to agitate in the crevices. rinse. repeat if necessary.

 

[jlach993]

It received great reviews on Amazon...thanks for this!

iron-x, or any iron remover is a good start.

i recommend this one
https://www.amazon.com/Carpro-Iron-Remover-500-Sprayer/dp/B004UM6DLE

spray, let sit for a few minutes, use a wheel cleaner brush to agitate in the crevices. rinse. repeat if necessary.

 

[cperez]

When I bought my preowned '13, the 10-spoke wheels had similar deposits in the corners. All this time I thought it was damage to the paint itself. It has always bothered me even though it's hardly noticeable to the casual observer after the wheels are cleaned. I even thought about getting them all reconditioned for about $500.

I never realized it might just be removable metal deposits, or that there was even a safe way to remove such deposits. I'm ordering the hell out of this stuff, thanks @DaytonaRS7 !!

 

[DaytonaRS7]

glad i could help. im sure it will do what you need. its a VERY good wheel and paint cleaner.

i typically use it only once a year on my wheels, during the first spring cleaning.
I also wash my car weekly, thoroughly cleaning the wheels, so not much dust cakes on. if I washed my car less often, I would probably use this spray every other month. Im very OCD when it comes to car cleanliness.

i also use it on my paint once a year, before I refresh the ceramic coating (with Carpro Reload).

Be warned, it smells terrible. not like burning your nose kind of smell, but its very pungent. It has a strong, unique, smell that i cant even begin to describe. lol

 

[cperez]

spray, let sit for a few minutes, use a wheel cleaner brush to agitate in the crevices. rinse. repeat if necessary.

Can I safely use this without jacking up the Rover and removing the wheels first? I saw some comments about it stripping the rotors. I am a careful person

glad i could help. im sure it will do what you need. its a VERY good wheel and paint cleaner.

i typically use it only once a year on my wheels, during the first spring cleaning.
I also wash my car weekly, thoroughly cleaning the wheels, so not much dust cakes on. if I washed my car less often, I would probably use this spray every other month. Im very OCD when it comes to car cleanliness.

i also use it on my paint once a year, before I refresh the ceramic coating (with Carpro Reload).

Be warned, it smells terrible. not like burning your nose kind of smell, but its very pungent. It has a strong, unique, smell that i cant even begin to describe. lol

I'm pretty wound up about keeping a clean Rover myself. If I had been the original owner of my current LR4 I never would have let the wheels get into this shape. If this stuff removes even half of the deposits I will be a grateful man. I ordered it immediately.

Is it necessary or recommended to remove your wheels before using this? I saw some reports of rotor surfaces being affected by this product. I was planning to be careful and rinse quickly.

Speaking of ceramic coatings I also ordered the Turtle Wax Hybrid system of spray ceramic coating and wet wax. I wasn't ready to commit to the process of using the high-end ceramic product at this time. Maybe some day.

I read that it smelled like a demonic hair care product. Maybe there's an upside to having all these masks around after all. Thanks again for the reco.

 

[DaytonaRS7]

If you use it on hot wheels or let it bake/ dry in the sun, it will leave marks on the rotors. Only worry about this if you really care what your rotors look like. Dont worry at all if your concerned with brake performance. The staining will remain on the hat/hub portion, but it will burn off the disc immediately when driving.

It left marks on my RS7 rotor hats, which I'm not thrilled about, but those rotors are $700/each. Besides the visual nuisance, there is no adverse effects. It looks like dried hard water stains.

Only remove the wheel if you really want to clean the wheel barrel well. Besides that, unecessary.

I just used the spray on turle wax hybrid ceramic on the lr4. Seems to work well. Water beads up ice. We'll see how long it lasts.

I spent a 1.5 days on my other car prepping paint, polishing, and ceramic coating ( cquartz 2.0). One of the best things I've done. Paint is reflective as a mirror a year and a half later. Washes are a breeze and nothing really sticks to the paint. A light drag of the wash mist and it all comes off.

 

[cperez]

Thanks for the add'l info @DaytonaRS7. Looking forward to some driveway time after the stuff arrives. My plan is to do it in the morning before any driving and in the shade. It isn't hot yet here in DC.

 

[cperez]

I just used the spray on turle wax hybrid ceramic on the lr4. Seems to work well. Water beads up ice. We'll see how long it lasts.

This past weekend I washed, clayed, and applied the TW hybrid ceramic spray. Then after a couple of days (only 24 hours are required to cure but I got sidetracked) I applied a 2nd layer. This afternoon I will see how it beads up because I'll be using Iron-X on the rims and will be doing frequent rinses.

I can say that the gloss and hand feel of my 7+ yr old paint is like teflon butter. Very satisfying! I did notice some high spots when viewed from certain angles and buffing them down with a microfiber takes some work. I tried to be frugal with the product when spraying it on but maybe I still used too much. Or more likely it's just that Santorini Black is a difficult color for avoiding streaks. Believe the packaging and reviews: a little goes a long way. But overall I am very happy with the results and the application of the TW ceramic was the fastest step of the entire process.