6 months of brake dust on Teflon Coated Chrome rims... ???

[BigRed150]

  Time to put the guitar away and get back to my truck. I haven't cleaned my truck since Sept and my Teflon coated chrome rims are black with brake dust and covered in large psots of caked dust. Last year I had a ton of trouble getting the caked stuff cleaned off. Rims are pitted under the caked stuff and I expect the same this year.

  In reading up on products I did not see too much on teflon coated rims. What plan of attach should I have without resorting to 0000 steel wool?

Thanks


 

[Kitzy]

If they're teflon coated I don't think I would use steel wool or anything acidic.  Acid will probably etch the teflon coating.  I think I'd try something that you can let sit on the wheel for a little bit.  P21S wheel cleaner comes to mind.  I've recently tried Sonax Wheel Cleaner.  It's neat and seems to work pretty well but my wheels weren't bad enough to really get an idea of just how well it can work. 

[Obsessive Detail]

I like Optimum Power Clean on really bad wheels.  I think it works just as well as a dedicated wheel cleaner.

[Kitzy]

Wow.  How'd I miss that.  I've used Power Clean straight on my polished aluminum wheels with no ill affects.  It does a great job.  I knew I was overlooking something simple when I posted earlier but I couldn't put my finger on it.  That was it.  I feel better now.

[BigRed150]

 Thanks, I just ordered some with my wife's Paypal account 

[Mike2301]

 

[tdr6874]

i also think people hear the word acid and think this stuff will eat through paint/metal/teflon or what have you like its some stuff that would melt superman in a movie...yes its acid but anything under 7 is an acid....milk you get at the store is an acid...yes the stuff is stong but it is made and marketed to be sold for chrome/painted/cleared rims and does an excellent job in doing just that if it is used as directed....

things to avoid with an acid wheel cleaner is a warm or hot rim, allowing it to dry on a rim, or like mentioned an uncoated aluminum rim...i have yet to see ill effects with this stuff used on oem or aftermarket rims time after time when used as directed...its not hard to use, just do one wheel at a time before moving to the next and you can not go wrong....but the word acid scares people so much...they are fearing what they think they know...spray the stuff on the rim and agitate with a soft bristle brush it work time is about 1 min on the rims and use plenty of water to rinse...repeat if needed....i have yet to see a rim that needed a second app or a rim with any etching or staining problems when use as described

[Old Dogg™]

i also think people hear the word acid and think this stuff will eat through paint/metal/teflon or what have you like its some stuff that would melt superman in a movie...yes its acid but anything under 7 is an acid....milk you get at the store is an acid...yes the stuff is stong but it is made and marketed to be sold for chrome/painted/cleared rims and does an excellent job in doing just that if it is used as directed....

things to avoid with an acid wheel cleaner is a warm or hot rim, allowing it to dry on a rim, or like mentioned an uncoated aluminum rim...i have yet to see ill effects with this stuff used on oem or aftermarket rims time after time when used as directed...its not hard to use, just do one wheel at a time before moving to the next and you can not go wrong....but the word acid scares people so much...they are fearing what they think they know...spray the stuff on the rim and agitate with a soft bristle brush it work time is about 1 min on the rims and use plenty of water to rinse...repeat if needed....i have yet to see a rim that needed a second app or a rim with any etching or staining problems when use as described

If you are going to agitate soap on the wheel with a brush...unless it's been neglected why do you have to use strong cleaners?  
The word "acid" scares me because no matter how diluted the first word in the name is "acid" (yes I have seen milk etch metal).  Over a short time of detailing sometimes professionally, I have learned that the least aggressive method FIRST is the most prudent approach to most problems...especially when it's someone else's property.  Even worse is to daily look at a lesson learned the hard way on your own vehicle.
For a while I rarely kept vehicles more than 4 years or 50K and never saw the results of some of my bad habits but sure some of those bad habits are someone else's problem and I see the error of my ways after keeping a vehicle for 6 years and nearly 130K.  I watched simple green slowly eat away clearcoat on a set of factory wheels over time so I know good short term results can lead to long term problems.

The price of neglect and always having to use strong cleaners and brushes on a painted surface will have a high price whether it's body paint or painted/clearcoated wheels.
I would never brush or use harsh chemicals on any painted surface, unless I had to.
There are usually too many less aggressive ways.
  



  

[tdr6874]

the stuff is not simple green...it is a wheel cleaner and nothing more...it does one thing great and does it well and safe when used as directed...i does not try to be a degreaser, a plastic or vynl cleaner, and rubber cleaner....anything pretty much other than pure water is an acid or base...ok instead of calling an acid based wheel cleaner it will now be called "spoke and wheel" cleaner feel better now???


i wish i had before/after pics of the z06 rims i did about a year ago...the customer did not want me to use acid...the rims were aftermarket chrome on oem rims...after telling him that if i cuased any damage to the rim i would purchase new ones for him he finally agreed....when he picked it up, he swore i damaged the wheels and had to buy him a new set...the dust was caked on very bad and the wheels were were pretty ornate...they came back to better than ever with very minimal effort...absolutly no damage to the wheel

[Poorboy]

there are also different grades of Wheel Acids, some more harsh than others, some that you wouldn't want to breath or touch either.
The only part that i disagree with above is aftermarket wheels ... for those I would be very careful. Unfortunately they claim to be of the highest quality, but I have seen so many flawed clears and chrome plated wheel that have not withstood just normal care let alone acids..and it also might just be one wheel in a set ...don't ask me how I know this  

[Too Stroked]

there are also different grades of Wheel Acids, some more harsh than others, some that you wouldn't want to breath or touch either.
The only part that i disagree with above is aftermarket wheels ... for those I would be very careful. Unfortunately they claim to be of the highest quality, but I have seen so many flawed clears and chrome plated wheel that have no withstood just normal care let alone acids..and it also might just be one wheel in a set ...don't ask me how I know this 

I'll second that. I've never had a bad finish on a factory wheel. Aftermarket wheels are a whole different ball game. Some are awesome. (The chrome plating on the aftermarket wheels on my Scion is stellar.) Others are truly pitiful. (The chrome plating on the aftermarket wheels on my F-150 is terrible - and from a respected manufacturer!.)

[Old Dogg™]

Simple Green was just an example of a cleaner that was/is advertised as safe for all surfaces as a base cleaner.  I have personally stripped most of the clearcoat off a set of OEM wheels with it.  I diluted it, used it on cool wet wheels to mostly clean my tires.  I dont use caustic cleaners of any type for this reason unless I HAVE to.  

I cant tell you how many factory and aftermarket painted/powder coated wheels I see daily that are permanently damaged by harsh caustic cleaners that just needed regular soap and water.  Often the problems I see with baked on brake dust are on the weakest areas in the wheels finish.  This is why the dust stuck in those spots in the first place.
Fast and easy off often apply to the longevity of the finish as well as the cleaners.