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Bar Keepers Friend ...

B

BrApple

No Life But CEG
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seems to be a great product to use to clean wheels with. This will cut through all of the dirt and it even removes rust ... my father cleaned three sets of stock 8 spoke SE wheels used for winter that where stained with brake dust ... they look new ... if you have been following my threads on the car getting painted one of those sets of wheels is on the car

on my wheels normally I wash them inside and out but having been in an apartment now I can only use a car wash and it doesn't clean wheels well ...

some before and after pics

before ...

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after ...

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hotdimmes said:
looks yummy. My wheels have all sorts of permanent stains on them. Maybe I need to give this a try.
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yeah our winter wheels had those nice goldish brake dust strains, this removed it and add a coat of wax and they look new again :drool:
 
Those wheels came out very nice.

I do like to caution people to always use an abrasive polish with care, so as to not wear through the factory coating. Bar Keepers Friend is more suited for bare metals, porcelain and the like.

A more appropriate product for your wheels would be one that is safe and tested for factory painted or clearcoated wheels. Oddly, despite its name, Mothers Plastic Polish not only polishes, but leaves a protective coating on factory finished wheels, and they recommend it for that purpose.
 
I would kill to have my factory wheels look nice like that again. Or find some slightly used fsvt 5spokes. My only problem with buying used wheels is that most people are not as anal retentive about cleaning the inside of the wheels as I am and it would drive me nuts.


Anyways, the wheels came out real nice.
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Alternate product...

Alternate product...

I've had good luck with DuPont Teflon tire cleaner - spray on, let stand a minute, then use stiff brush. Won't hurt tires like some cleaners. Does a pretty good job - might miss a spot here or there in tight angle locations, and there you might want to use Bar Keeper's Friend on a spot basis (I don't bother - I"m not that picky).

Supposedly the DuPont product leaves a coat of teflon to reduce additional buildup of dust - in lieu of wax - not clear to me if this is the case, or how well it works to reduce additional dust over time - I"ve found it is so easy to use (spray, let stand, and wipe), that I use it whenever I wash the car, so my wheels stay clean (enough for me, at least).
 
It's a powder cleanser that's designed for stainless steel, copper, and other hard surfaces -- surfaces that you'd find in a bar or a kitchen.

It's just that one needs to be careful when using abrasives that aren't intended for use on plasticized clearcoat.

I wash my wheels regularly with car wash, and when necessary I use a spray-on, hose-off cleaner on my wheels like the Mothers All Wheel or FX Wheel Cleaner. I'll hit them with a spray wax or plastic polish once in a while or when needed.

I do understand the logic behind using a product like Barkeepers Friend, but one needs to be careful if using any abrasive on a regular basis.
 
m4gician said:
what is Bar keepers friend exactly? A degreaser or household cleaner?
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It's like other powdered kitchen cleansers, but with a more gentle abrasive.

I'd be nervous about using it on the face of my wheels, but I don't think there is any clearcoat on the backside. I've tried other cleaners to no avail, so this might be worth it for that purpose.

I have used it on my headlights.
 
RogerB said:
It's like other powdered kitchen cleansers, but with a more gentle abrasive.

I'd be nervous about using it on the face of my wheels, but I don't think there is any clearcoat on the backside. I've tried other cleaners to no avail, so this might be worth it for that purpose.

I have used it on my headlights.
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well I will tell you my father first used it because it listed an automotive use on the container, I will read over it again tonight and post about it ...
 
Brian, where did you score this stuff? I remember when I first got my car and we tried that wheel cleaning acid and even that didn't get those stains out so I'm willing to try anything!
 
hotdimmes said:
Brian, where did you score this stuff? I remember when I first got my car and we tried that wheel cleaning acid and even that didn't get those stains out so I'm willing to try anything!
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walmart in the cleaning isle, or any groccery store should have it, I know Big Y does
 
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