Are anyone else's Gunmetal 20" wheels developing black marks all around the outer edge and inner spokes? Its not break dust and is NOT easily removed with polish. I do use tire dressing quite often, and 50% of the time I spray it on via an aerosol can...

Any suggestions?

 

I use mothers all wheel and tire cleaner. get wheel wet. spray on. wait 10 sec. scrub rubber with brush. use rag on wheel.. all good. I have platinum 20's. I will tell you as much as it has been raining here. and then waiting between washes. the wheels do get some very hard to remove brake dust stains. the longer that stuff sits on there, the more it etches itself into the 'chrome'. the factory rims are not all that great quality. like the chrome bumpers. ect ect.

 

Never had that issue. Every time I see it on other vehicles, it's brake dust sticking to tire dressing overspray. If it sits on the wheel for too long, it can be a pain to remove. This is why after I apply tire dressing, I wipe the wheels with a clean cloth.

The only thing I ever use to clean my wheels is soap and water with a wash mit as I'm washing the truck.

 

I always clean my rims with the right cleaners, its just that sometimes I get lazy and spray the tire shine on instead of applying it on with a applicator...

 

I use regular Armor All tire foam and have no issue. I had previously used the lotion-style products with an applicator and found that they caused build-up on the tires unless you scrubbed them between applications.

Wheel cleaner can be useful for heavy brake dust build-up on vehicles with semi-metalic or organic brake pads. With ceramic pads, you shouldn't need anything more than car wash soap and water. Even after a few months, what little brake dust that is on the wheels rubs off like butter.

Since you use wheel cleaners, consider applying a coat of wax to the wheels and stop using wheel cleaner. I've never had to do that, but just a thought. Wheel cleaners can be quite harsh.

I do now recall one instance where I had an issue with brake dust spots that were very difficult to clean. It was on a set of wheels I spray-painted many years ago with Dupli-Color wheel paint. I assume your wheels have their original finish, which would make this not applicable.

To each, their own. But it's worth modifying your wheel cleaning method to see if the issue is resolved.

 

Thanks for the info, I have used the same methods on all the vehicles I have owned, just these 20's seem to be a little more work...

 

its whatever tire dressing your using thats causing the spots. remove with IPA or a QD, to avoid, Do your tires before you wash/wax your rims.