"Stained" Wheels
 

So, on all four of my wheels, I have "stains": They (the stains) look like dirt or grime, except they do not come off. It seems as though they are "embedded" in the wheels. I have tried washing them with regular (zaino) car wash and a scrubber (the green plastic one -- I don't want to scratch the rims); I took it to the local car wash and use that pressure-washer thingy; I had some "wheel wash" cleaner that I tried. Nothing has worked. It does not appear to be "surface dirt," but rather... IN the body of the rim.

Back in June or July, when I had the X in for service, I had them repair some curb rash that I had in all four wheels. My understanding is that they fill any gaps with melted allloy ( :dunno: ), file it, and mold it into the wheel... (or something like that... paging Rob_?). My questions:

- Could that repair be what is getting "stained"?
- Is there a way to get this crap off? If so, how? Any suggestions?
- Why didn't the Paige twins (Allison and Andrea) ever give me the time of day when I was in high school?
- When will my suffering over the New York Jets end?

I only ask that you answer 50% of the questions posted above, please. :D

Juan

which 50% :rofl: :bustingup

Under the clear coat...
 

It seams that something got underneath the finish and then oxidized...that happend on my Lexus on the alloys....then is spreads like a disease...sux!

Were you able to fix the problem? what did you end up doing? It really does suck... I had the rims repaired, and they looked so beautiful. Now, even after I wash them and scrub them, they still don't look 100% "clean." :(

Juan

Sounds like oxidation to me..........if the brake dust stays on too long, I think it does that. I have a few small spots on mine in the grooves where the previous owner left it on too long I think..........it's not too bad, but I don't like it being there......just can't get that stuff off. All the more reason to order my Style 87's next month, I guess...........

you try claying it? ;)

You know what? I did not. I still have some clay left, too! :thumbup:

thanks!

Juan

I'll answer all questions for you as I'm the all-knowing (of nothing) :D
-Possibly, but sounds more like an excuse (I mean reason) to get a new set of 20's.
-Easy way to remove crap: take wheel off of X5 and replace with new, larger diameter wheel.
-They were stuck up. They live in a trailer with 6 kids each. Be glad they avoided you. (j/k)
-When you start following a real team like the BEARS!!!!!!

:bustingup :bustingup

If the wheel solutions do not work for you, try the clay. I think my idea is a more permanent solution.

Normal procedure when repairing wheels, would be to aluminium weld to fill the missing bits ,file and sand it down,apply aluminium primer(yellow stuff), paint and finally two coats of varnish.If the guys that done your wheels did not apply Aluminium primer,your stains could be a late reaction to the lack of it!Also,if the varnish they used is of poor quality,you would also get sort of yellow stains after a while!
Hopefully ,the stains within the wheel surface, could just be on the surface of the top varnish coat!You can easily test this by using a 1500/2000 grade Wet Sand paper(use with plenty of water)and see if the stain comes off.The surface will be dull,but dont worry because you can easily polish it off later(I have used this method successfully even to highly polish dull and scratched BMW plastic headlights)!To take out the dullness on your wheel surface you need to use something like "T cut" colour restorer (been using it for over 20 years...great stuff in the UK!)which we use to take out surface scratches and then you can "zaino" polish it to give it the wet look!

It could also be some type of industrial fall off but then you would also have it on the rest of the car!!

Brake dust/Wheel dirt
 

Sounds like repolymerized brake dust to me. What happens is that as brake dust settles on the wheels, and the wheels get hot from fast driving and/or hard braking, the glues in the dust (brake pad material is held together with special glues that are affected by heat) begin to remelt, and the dust collects in little, pinpoint size globules. Then the glue in the dust just sticks the tiny globules to the wheels.

The globules are very hard and very difficult to remove. The best remedy is to keep the wheels clean and well waxed so that the stuff doesn't stick. But if you have it, one thing I've used with some success is Oil Flo Safety Solvent & Degreaser. It's very agressive, cuts EVERYTHING (not the wheel paint, tho. And I make sure to keep it off the body paint, too.) from wax to road tar to bugs to contact glues, and WILL cut wheel weight glues if you're not careful to protect them.

Try a little on a rag wrapped around your finger and rub the spots hard. It may take patience, but the Oil Flow should work. For really stubborn spots, I've used a popsicle stick inside the rag, the whole thing wet with Oil Flow, and sometimes the stick itself. But you must be careful not to scratch the wheel with the stick.

I had this problem with a set of used wheels purchased unseen off of a 4.4 - from the guy's hard driving and careless wheel cleaning. After some time with the Oil Flow, the wheels came clean. Now, they are WELL WAXED, and I clean them regularly.

Oil Flo is available from Car Care Specialties for about $13 for a 16 oz. bottle. Order line is 877-796-8300.

Good luck!