kino1161

I have a 2008 GTS and my wheels (GTS wheels) seem to be not as bright as they should be. When cleaned they still have kind of a "dingy" look to them. Not the bright silver that they should be. Does anyone have a good cleaner that I can use that will brighten up my wheels?

Andy E.

The trick with any painted wheel is to religiously remove brake dust in a timely fashion. Being corrosive, brake dust wreaks havoc on painted surfaces.

I apply car wax to my GTS rims every spring and they're still holding up fairly well; given the fact that they're pushing 9 years now. A respray will eventually be needed to bring back the original lustre.

95_993

The "dingy" yellowish look comes from embedded iron particles in the silver paint that have likely stained the paint with a light rusty color. You may want to clean with a good ph balanced wheel cleaner like Sonax full effect, followed my some light wet sanding with 5000 grit, polish with a medium polish (mothers power ball makes this easy) and then coat with a sealant.

Once this is done, clean the wheels with a good wheel cleaner that attacks the iron, etc like Sonax

kino1161

Thanks, all!

Petza914

Good advice here - Sonax is my go to also.

Once you've done all of that, after each washing, spray them with Armor All Brake Dust Repellant spray - they've change the name at least once - was called Outlast or Defender, or something - you'll know it when you find it. It's almost like a fog and will prevent the brake dust from bonding to the wheel finish. The dust will still settle onto the wheel but it won't bond and will be easier to remove. Unless applied too heavily, it's essentially clear (if too heavy, looks a bit milky).