What is the best product for removing brake dust and road grim from polished aluminum rims I'm lazy and getting sick of using mothers aluminum polish it does a good job but I want something that does a good job quick so i can use the polish once a month or so.[IMG][/IMG]

 

No matter what product people say to use, all of them will eventually hurt the finish on your rims. The only thing I have ever used on any rim to clean them is just plain old soap and water. (NOT DISH WASHING LIQUID) it has some abrasive stuff in it, as do any other rim cleaning solution. Get ya a rim brush from Wal-Mart, a soft one, and use soap and water. The soap I use is just Armor All. Believe me, soap and water works best.

 

Got American Racing Bajas in polished aluminum. I use the same stuff I wash the truck with to wash the rims. Then I use the same stuff I wax the truck with to wax the rims. Polish goes on every few months after the cleaning and before the waxing to keep the shine up. They still look good but I'm getting tired of it. Just about every time I wash them there is pits or tiny rust dots that I have to use lots of elbow grease to get off. PArtly my fault because I only go at them every couple months when you need to do it at least every couple weeks to stay on top of them. Plus I got a little staining now because I got some tire shine on one. My next set of wheels will either be chromed or coated with something.

 

Ah, the joys of polished aluminum wheels. (One of the big reasons I went to chome by the way.) Getting back to your question though, I know exactly what you're talking about - and I never found a satisfactory solution. (No pun intended.) It seems that polished aluminum just sits there and begs for a reason to oxidize - and it doesn't need much of a reason. The only cure for oxidation is polish, and that's only temporary. There are however a few products out there that claim to extend the life of a polished aluminum surface. Zoops make one, but I haven't tried it.

As for cleaning the brake dust and other stuff off of your wheels before you polish, I haven't found any decent wheel cleaners that didn't start to attack the surface - and start the wonderful oxidation process again. If you look carefully at the directions on some products, you'll even find some that tell you NOT to use them on uncoated / polished aluminum due to the damage they will cause. This is why factory polished aluminum wheels are clear coated. Hope that helps at least a bit.

 

Try a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser with a quality carwash soap and water. Works wonders. Just did my wheels today. It does a pretty good job on the interior too.

http://www.homemadesimple.com/sites/...s/eraser.shtml

 

Dont bother waxing the rims imho. Just clean them with soap and water, and scrub them with a mildly soft brush. (as another poster suggested)

 

Just a couple of more thoughts here. First, be careful with the Mr. Claen Magic Eraser. More than a few members have "erased" a bit more than they bargained for with that bad boy. if you're going to try it, you might want to try it someplace less visible first.

As to "wax" for wheels, I do think it helps even on polished / uncoated aluminum like you have. It's at least one more layer of protection than nothing. That said, I'd recommend a synthetic (NXT, Zaino, Mother's Synwax, etc.) because they tend to hold up better in the high temperature environment your wheels live in.

 

A local marine electronics delaer uses REJEX ( http://corrosionxproducts.com/rejexpage.htm ) on his wheels and swearsa that it makes wheels "reject" the brake dust.

I use the stuff on a lot of aluminum and electrical connections on my boat and trailer and it's magic. Havn't tried the REJEX on the wheels yet. Anybody else heard about this stuff?

 

That's very true, I should have pointed out that they will "erase" unprotected paint if you overdo it with repetition or pressure. Still a great product when used with care.

 

Granted I have chrome rims, but I have found that the DUPONT wheel and tire cleaner with TEFLON works wonders for me. You might try it out. Also, I don't know much about the effects of this stuff, but a product called Never Dull is a powerful cleaner. It's a sort of cotton-type substance soaked in a solvent that cleans deep down, but I have never tried it on rims. If your have a clearcoat, though, I know that it will take the clearcoat right off. (seen that done to multiple types of metals.) Use caution and try researching these 2 products.

 

Simple Green

 

My wheels are black powdercoated. I wash 'em with the same stuff I do the body. I use a fairly soft wheel brush and then a 3-1/2" paint brush to get between the lugs and center cap and rinse and dry with a guality microfiber WW. About every other month or so, I polish with a cleaner and coat it with a wheel sealer. Seems to help not getting brake dust and road grime really stuck onto the surface. Most of the time I can just rinse off the wheels unless they get really grungy after a hunting trip, but since I wash the truck at least weekly, it's not a problem.