i know alot of people are tired of shining their rim... as well as i am... but i picked up a little hint from one of my seargents from my job on using silicone brake fluid... we both grabbed some and used it on my rim... from dirty to clean and it lasted me for over a month till i noticed brake dust and other dirt as welll and iam a frequent driver... and it just wiped rite off... need your opinions if thisi s healthy for rims ... but it sure as hell keeps it clean

 

oh my god...

i had to read your posting about 30 times to see if I was reading this right. From what I know and hear, brake fluid eats at the paint and clear coat....when its on paint. I think it would do the same on your rims.

Am I correct?

Andy

 

but... its silicone brake fluid... im a mechanic for the military and this ****in brake fluid spills everywhere wen we're maintaining em... i have not seen any paint coming of body... let alone since i put em on my car rims... i noticed no paint difference on the rims

 

That's what I thought too!

 

one other thing i heard as well some of our car waxes have silicone in em as well or so i hear... maybe im wrong.. but i wood prefer to be corrected

 

silicone break fluid does not eat ****..unless u drown your tires in it so its gets evvverywhere then mayb somethin will happen..but other than that ure fine.

 

i need to try it, because although I love my rims, they are a ***** to keep clean.

 

Interesting... Might try it out.

Pedro

 

I use wheel acid from my supplier, I'm not sure if there are any places that sell a similar product. Undiluted, it's about the same acidity of battery acid though you always dilute it. It is simply the best product I've used to clean wheels and its definitely safe on all wheels (except BMW wheels, which are "softer" than other wheels) as long as you rinse it off and don't leave it on.

So, bottom line, there are plenty of very strong products out there that you can safely use on your wheels, so there is probably a good chance that the brake fluid is OK.

 

Why don't you just wax your rims? Any rims with a clearcoat (I think most alloy rims) will take wax just fine and then brake dust and grime is a cinch to wipe off. No soap or acid required if you wipe down regularly.

 

I don't wax my own because I have the 27 spoke Infiniti wheels which are a pain to clean, and if I waxed my customers' wheels (I own a detailing shop) I'd probably be the only detailer who did so and I would minimize productivity.

Even if I didn't have wheels that were tough to clean, I wouldn't use wax because it takes all of 30 seconds to spray the wheel down with wheel acid, go over it with a wet brush and rinse as opposed to taking the time to apply wax to each wheel and then spending at least the 30 seconds to wipe it down when it's dirty.

 

I didn't think about complex/elaborate wheel patterns. Good point. So this wheel acid is totally safe even on clearcoated rims? I'm a bit skeptical. And if that works I think trying cheap distilled vinegar is worth a try.

In my limited experience, it isn't necessary to wax wheels more than twice a year and it really takes very little time (I have simple 5 spoke Evos, the only hard thing is the little bolts) so I like it.

 

Wheel acid is 100% safe if you know how to use it. The only way it wouldn't be safe is if you don't cut it with water like you are supposed to (usually it comes uncut) or you leave it on the wheel for a prolonged period of time. The only wheel it isn't safe on is BMW wheels, because they're "softer" than other wheels.

That being said, I honestly don't know where you can buy wheel acid if you're not a detailer. So for the average consumer with simple wheel designs, waxing is probably a great option.

 

I have the titanium edition rims (not sure if they are exclusive to the TE). Anyway, I have mine off for the winter and am wondering if it is safe to clean them with a paint cleaner(the kind used to clean paint before waxing). After the paint cleaner, I planned to either wax them or put wheel polish on them.

I seem to remember hearing that these rims are sensitive to some forms of cleaners and wax.

Anybody know for sure?

 

Don't use any thing on the TE wheel because I seen many TE wheel paint pealing off. After they peal they you will have a black wheel.

 

Any acid based cleaner is going to eat away somewhat at the finish of any wheeel. I definately would never use brake cleaner to clean any painted part of my car. What are you guys doing with your wheels that gets them so dirty? Car soap is all you should really need unless you don't clean your wheels for years. Infinityshock, I am a detailer and I wax all my customers wheels. Takes less than 5 minutes and makes it easier for me to clean next time. 5 minutes is not going to cut into your profit margains.

 

I've researched the hell out of everything I use, and I'm sure the shops I've come across that use wheel acid have as well and it is not harmful in any way if its cut properly and not left on the wheel for a long time. As for waxing my customers' wheels, imagine waxing 12 to 16 wheels like mine (27 spoke alloys on Infiniti I30) a day, 5-6 days a week. Waxing is going to become a process that takes MUCH longer than 5 minutes, and will be inconsequential when acid takes off even the toughest of brake dust eliminating the need to make it easier for next time. Eliminate waxing all together and you've saved quite a bit of time and lost nothing crucial to the detail.

 

I've used wheel acid before, mostly on semi's though. If you use it on painted or clearcoated wheels it'll be fine, but using it on unclearcoated polished wheels will destroy the shine. It will turn them white, it etches the metal.

 

Give me a break. I just detailed a 98 I30 and I cleaned/sealed the rims in 15 minutes. Another five minutes to buff off the sealant.

Here's glimpse of them for you:



Those wheels are a pain in the ***, but they will stay clean much longer with a wax/sealant on them. I'm surprised you would use an acid on your wheels on a regular basis.

Your customers would notice that their wheels stay clean and would like that. Their car would have shinier wheels for a longer period of time, probably get noticed by more people, and might bring you more business.

 

Nice work, Paul!

They are indeed 27-spoke, but I'd forgotten how SIMPLE the design is—just plain bar shaped spokes. I would definitely only resort to something like wheel acid if I had exceptionally complex rims, which I wouldn't because they generally look bad.

Even with my dusty-@ss Porterfield pads, the brake dust wipes right off thanks to the coat of Meguiar's Gold Class.