With the factory polished wheels, what's the best cleaner for brake dust and whats the best wax (so cleaning brake dust is easier). I've never had polished wheels before and I heard it easy to mess them up if you use the wrongs stuff. Please experienced suggestions only. Thanks.
Factory polished wheels are clear coated and should be treated just like your paint. I keep Zaino Z2 Pro on mine and they clean right up with Soap (Z7) and water. If they have caked on breake dust I would remove it with a "One Time" application of wheel cleaner like PB S&R and then put a coat of Zaino on them and maintain with Z7 and water. If they are not that bad and just need a quick sprucing up I would use something like Fusion (ZPC) or another good mild paint cleanser and then maintain with a good sealant like mentioned above.
When it comes to painted wheels I feel an oz of prevention (a coat of Z2p) is worth a pound of cure (Acid based wheel cleaner) and you are better off maintaining and preventing brake dust from sticking rather than using harsh chemicals.
I'm with you on the prevention. When I first picked up a set of 2000 SS rims (painted 17") for my 98 Z28 I decided to try waxing them to see if it would help with the brake dust. Wow, what a difference. I was kicking myself for not trying this sooner. Every year when I would rotate and put the 17s on in the summer I would clean them and wax them, 2 coats of the armor all high gloss wax, and they would clean up all summer long with regular car wash. Now with the polished rims I'm heading into new territory. I probably won't get to it for a couple of weeks so there will be some brake dust to clean up, but I'll be pulling each rim off to wax em inside and out.
yup. Gotta get her up on jackstands and remove her shoes to do it right.
My wheel treatment (Z2Pro) was about 6 months ago, and I think it's finally gone. I'm getting lots of residual water spots and rust after washing the car, on the barrels of the wheels, that I didn't get all summer. Time to take off her shoes and give them a full sealant treatment again with Z2. Probably twice a year for me is enough.
Another product I like is DP wheel glaze. It's more like a cleaner wax (like Meguiar's #6), so removal takes more work than Zaino Z2, but the advantage would be if you have some small tar spots, of if you just want some gentle cleaning properties for wheels that have not previously been treated. The cleaners in DP wheel glaze will take off that haze and leave you with a nice sparkle.
If I use Z2 on the wheels, do I need to follow the same guidelines for using the ZFX as I would on the paint?
There are users who state they don't use ZFX and have good results. Personally I use it. Typically when I apply a coat to my paint I just add a little more to the bottle to make sure I have enough to give the rims a coat as well.
I've found a product that will clean your wheels nicely, and will remove baked brake dust easily. It's a water based product called Oil Eater it's safe on my Z06 wheels, and on Chrome wheels, I have tested it on Chrome, but I would not recommended on uncoated aluminum wheels, as it will dull the finish. I did a test on a piece of raw aluminum sheet metal.
I follow up with RejeX and cleaning the wheels once a week it's really easy. The more often you clean your wheels the better. Using a sealant will definitely make the job much easier.
Hope this helps.
Goose
What can I use as a safe cleaner? I'm guessing that Quicksilver is probably too harsh on aluminum wheels. What about Simple Green? Will that eat clear coat or wax?
Corvette Store
polished rims cleaner/wax
