jk335

Hi All,

I am usually excellent about brake dust, but a week snuck up on me and now its baked in. What should i use to clean it? A friend suggested cleaner wax. Will this work? a regular wax did not...

camhabib

Whenever I wash my car, I usually start by spraying on a little P21s gel wheel cleaner and letting it sit for a while before going at it with a sponge. I've had some pretty heavy dust before and it came right off after a bit of elbow grease.

Edgy01

Wheel cleaners are excellent for this, followed by wax. BUT, it will take a lot of elbow grease to catch up on that stuff. (Hence the reason we shouldn't let it get that far).

reynwerkes

A week of brake dust deposits shouldn't be too bad.
The previous suggestion of P21S gel is a good one. In fact, I usually spray once, let sit, then spray again, let sit, then work off. Remember to use the gel and not the regular watery P21S.
I hate brake dust knowing that it'll deposit itself onto areas where I won't be able to get to unless I remove the wheel. I just change all the pads to some low dust pads. Maybe won't stop as good as Pagid's but I don't track the car so no worries.
Akebono or PBR are what I usually use. So much easier on the wheels and elbow!

jugger911

Works everytime for baked on dust and grime. Can buy it about anywhere, or similar wadding products.

No HTwo O

Put RejeX wax on your wheels, and you'll never need wheel cleaner again. Just warm soapy water.

alexb76

Agreed. I actually never had any issues removing brake dust after a week. Even after a month, it comes off with some wheel cleaner, elbow grease.

BTW, how's the P21S gel different than regular one? Just stronger? I haven't used the gel, so curious. Wish it was a bit cheaper, I once went through one spray in one wash of a super dirty set of wheels!

nyca

The gel "clings" better. I only use the gel now, it makes no sense to use the liquid one which simply washes down the side of the wheel faster, given that the gel is available.

swajames

I can understand Nevr-Dull working well on brake dust, but isn't it likely to damage the clearcoat on the wheel?

camhabib

The gel I believe is both more concentrated and just thicker. It allows the solution to stay on the wheels instead of just running off like a liquid. It still runs, but not nearly as much as the regular cleaner.

ADias

I use the Porsche wheel cleaner. It works great. It looks like P21S gel. It costs about the same or even a bit less form Sunset Imports.

Frank A.

I use Simple Green in a spray bottle. Spray a little on, wait a minute or two and then a little gentle scrubbing with a long handled brush dipped in warm water gets it all off. Rinse with the hose and you are done. Economical ($10 a gallon at Home Depot) easy and safe. Couldn't be better

I also put Rejex on my wheels and that may be making it easier too. Good luck!

Regards,
Frank A.

HotLap

swajames, ditto...I do use the Eagle One wadding on bare metals (exhaust tips, etc.) but didn't want to take it to clear coated metals...might be a bit harsh? Your tag line sounds familiar - were you over at the E60 or M3Post forums?

reynwerkes

+1!!!

NA011

"Aluminum - Is it safe to use Simple Green® on aluminum? Contact times for unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes."

http://www.simplegreen.com/solutions..._backup=danger

One good test is to try your favorite cleaning product on a sheet of aluminum foil. Leave it on there for 10-20 mins. Some of them will surprise you. Whatever you use rinse with plenty of water. Because some of the cleaner solution can get on unprotected metal parts.