[roundle]

Originally Posted by byoung8

seems like so much work for such a little "problem". lots of advice. I'm going to stop by the local auto shop on the way home from work and see what they have. I wonder if they'll have any "gauranteed to work or your money back policy". Sounds like the heavy duty stuff will work, but gonna need heavy duty protection to clean (if you need gloves, then goggles and mask won't be a bad idea if acid is involved)

For your car, a lot of work indeed. You appear to have a lot of miles on these rims. Keep in mind that they have been exposed to some nasty stuff (brake dust, tar, etc). In addition to regular "washing", you need to polish the surface (hence my Klasse AIO suggestion). Once polished (every 6 months), washing will be a hell of a lot easier.

[Bobble]

Looks like baked on brake dust and residue. OTC cleaners may not help at all. I use P21S to clean really bad rims. I would strongly suggest you remove the rim when cleaning the first time. I'd order some P21S or Sonax, use that then clay any raised imperfections baked on and then make sure you seal them using a wheel sealant or at least a paint sealant. Once thats all done, cleaned and sealed they should stay pretty clean but BMW rims are never dust free. It's a battle but you certainly can get the advantage.

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by fisherbln

Really? I've removed very similar looking imperfections from multiple OEM BMW wheels with just a claybar and QUITE A BIT of time.

Fixed
I was ready to have mine refinished, but then spent a Thanksgiving weekend with the wheels off. Finished with Poor Boy's Wheel Wax. Now I wheel-off clean them every T-day weekend, but it only takes about an hour per wheel. In between they clean up real good with normal washing. A wheel wax of some sort is key to keeping them relatively clean.

[fisherbln]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

Fixed
I was ready to have mine refinished, but then spent a Thanksgiving weekend with the wheels off. Finished with Poor Boy's Wheel Wax. Now I wheel-off clean them every T-day weekend, but it only takes about an hour per wheel. In between they clean up real good with normal washing. A wheel wax of some sort is key to keeping them relatively clean.

Agreed. I definitely was trying to convey that it isn't quick. That's the price you pay for neglecting your wheels and letting brake dust sit on them too long.

[SpecC]

I highly recommend Rejex.

[byoung8]

Originally Posted by fisherbln

Agreed. I definitely was trying to convey that it isn't quick. That's the price you pay for neglecting your wheels and letting brake dust sit on them too long.

Darn, they looked good when I bought it a month ago...I figured the car was neglected...a few good scratches, but I think I got a deal for the engine and interior..exterior has a few scratches w/ 45k miles

EDIT:
Got around to polishing the wheels. Well it was definitely caked with dirt, dust, etc.




the convex rim makes a shadow that looks like dirt or smudge marks

[pjm]

Good start, but the barrel of the wheel is still filthy. Remove the wheels and do the job right!

[Express]

what did you do to polish?

[byoung8]

Originally Posted by pjm

Good start, but the barrel of the wheel is still filthy. Remove the wheels and do the job right!

The "barrel"? The flat part behind the face of the rim or where the lugs are? Either way I'm not that anal and keeping that clean all the time would be more time than I can put in. I have 4 loves that I need to split my time with and work and sleep.

I used blue magic surface polisher good for all metals from Kragens/Oreilys. I was real worried it may be too strong and ruin the wheels so I started in a small corner and it looked good so I did the entire tire.

[pjm]

If you don't want to remove the wheels, this brush.... http://www.detailersdomain.com/uberspokebrush.aspx
....works great at scrubbing the inner rim (barrel) of the wheel. You'll be able to reach all the way to the back of the rims. The bristles are stiff enough to handle the caked on stuff. Use with Sonax or P21S gel.

[aah78]

Autozone Brake Cleaner - That works pretty well too if your wheels are really caked black with brake dust and muck, like mine were.

Ofcourse, the P21 cleaners are very good!

Btw, I had my wheels cleaned from a detailing shop ->The Detail Man.

They did a very good job!

Later on I just waxed them using Wheel Wax and some spray on Armor All for wheels.

[san6279]

Originally Posted by mattsten

That rim in the pictures has been refinished. That is why the texture is so rough in the crevices. That combined with the corrosiveness of brake dust will create a surface that is very pitted and hard to clean. You can try all of the above methods but you really need to get the wheel refinished by someone who uses a base/clear/buff method if you want it to consistently clean up as you desire. Even better would be to get them powdercoated, but that would require demounting the the tires.

I had the exact same issue as the OP. Bought a CPO '07 with 162's last August. Although my wheels were not as "dirty", there was definitely a difference in the surface between the face (smoother) and in between the spokes (rougher, matte finish). I also had problems getting them clean due to the rough surface.

So, to my question. Do brand new 162's have this same issue, i.e. the difference in surface textures, or is this simply a case of brake dust over time deteriorating the clear coat/paint?

Appreciate any help on this. The answer may impact my buying decision, which is coming up here very quickly.

[byoung8]

That's exactly how it feels. After cleaning them I got some admiral wheel protectant and that gives a smoother surface to just wipe the wheels down every other day

[TiAg335i]

I'm kind of fed up with people recommending P21s left and right. It's a great, gentle and effective cleaner for wheels that are regularly cleaned - like weekly. On wheels that aren't cleaned weekely, I've used it, and P21s won't do a darn thing for that type of brake dust. The only thing this cleaner is good for is a FRESH DUSTING of brake dust. It won't remove the bake in/etched in stuff.

You need something way stronger, like Meg's Wheel Brightener or Sonax Full Effect. I have the same problem and I am going to try the Sonax today.

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by TiAg335i

I'm kind of fed up with people recommending P21s left and right. It's a great, gentle and effective cleaner for wheels that are regularly cleaned - like weekly. On wheels that aren't cleaned weekely, I've used it, and P21s won't do a darn thing for that type of brake dust. The only thing this cleaner is good for is a FRESH DUSTING of brake dust. It won't remove the bake in/etched in stuff.

You need something way stronger, like Meg's Wheel Brightener or Sonax Full Effect. I have the same problem and I am going to try the Sonax today.

Interesting comment. I use P21S only once every 4 to 6 weeks and reseal with PB wheel sealant at the same time. In between I use just the same wash solution, different bucket and media, and have no issues. Sonax is stronger but harder to get a hold of. The Megs stuff works great but really be careful as it will eat the clear coat right off is you let it dry or dwell too long.
Either way you'll need brushes etc. to agitate and clean if it's baked on for weeks on end with no cleaning.

[san6279]

Originally Posted by TiAg335i

I'm kind of fed up with people recommending P21s left and right. It's a great, gentle and effective cleaner for wheels that are regularly cleaned - like weekly. On wheels that aren't cleaned weekely, I've used it, and P21s won't do a darn thing for that type of brake dust. The only thing this cleaner is good for is a FRESH DUSTING of brake dust. It won't remove the bake in/etched in stuff.

You need something way stronger, like Meg's Wheel Brightener or Sonax Full Effect. I have the same problem and I am going to try the Sonax today.

Yep, I'm planning on puraching some Sonax in the very near future also.

My main question, however, is do the 162's come new with the rough surfaces between the spokes, or are my '07s just rough because they are 4 years old and brake dust has deteriorated the surface? I assem they come smooth when new, but just wanted to make sure.

[TiAg335i]

Originally Posted by san6279

Yep, I'm planning on puraching some Sonax in the very near future also.

My main question, however, is do the 162's come new with the rough surfaces between the spokes, or are my '07s just rough because they are 4 years old and brake dust has deteriorated the surface? I assem they come smooth when new, but just wanted to make sure.

New wheels have a glossy smooth finish, like your paint, when clean. What is probably the case with your wheels is that you either have baked on brake dust particles roughing up the surface, or maybe even overspray from a bad paint job.

[IancoleTX]

Sonax.

[san6279]

Originally Posted by TiAg335i

New wheels have a glossy smooth finish, like your paint, when clean. What is probably the case with your wheels is that you either have baked on brake dust particles roughing up the surface, or maybe even overspray from a bad paint job.

Thanks for the response. Figured that was the case, but didn't want to order new 162's (for summer setup) unless the new wheels had smooth finish. I think the finish, and it's right where the brake dust builds up, has just deteriorated over time. They still look very good...the finish is just rough.

Only wish they made 162's in a wider rear wheel....but that is a whole different conversation....for another forum.

Sonax is in my near future.

[Assmanof]

Sorry about the thread hijack but I was gonna post the same question but my wheels are in much worse shape. Damage is on the face of the rim so I don't know if trying something stronger will make it look worse. This wheel is the worst but they all need some work. The rest of the car is in great shape, its just the passenger wheels that look tore up. Any hope for these, or is it too far gone?

And to pre answer some questions, yes I just bought this car a couple weeks ago and it came like this. And this picture was AFTER I just cleaned them with regular cleaner. I have not tried anything stronger than some Simple Green yet because I don't want to make it look worse, although its pretty bad as is right now.

[Envious Eric]

time to polish those up! I have worked on so many BMWs where polishing was the only way to clean them up

[Assmanof]

So your saying there's a chance!