Clean E1s

[greasemonkey1489]

I'm looking to lower my car and put 17s on but for now, I love the lowered on stockers look... But my E1s need some good cleanin! I have tried wheel cleaner, but I am having a lot of trouble getting brake dust/grime stains out of the corners. Any suggestions? I am about to try carb cleaner/laquer thinner but I don't want to ruin the coating...

 

[bagged]

those will ruin the finish for sure

 

[BrApple]

http://www.contour.org/ceg-vb/showthread.php?t=2100

 

[greasemonkey1489]

Thanks BrApple however, the pics didn't work. I'll try that out since I have some lying around.

 

[over_30k]

This will clean that right up with no major rubbing. Just use your hands and rub it on the wheel till all crap is gone. Don't use rags, sponges or brushes just hands. You can wear nitrile gloves as well. Works like a charm and is mild not to damage the coating. Just wax them after. It works well on headlights as well

http://i42.tinypic.com/2mc6esh.jpg

 

[enduro]

ArmorAll wheel cleaner (orange bottle) worked good for me, I went from this

to this

I used a dish cleaning brush and a lot of elbow grease also.

 

[over_30k]

Try my method. No hard rubbing needed to achieve desired result... Hm... That sounded dirty.:crazy:

 

[greasemonkey1489]

Ha ha.. So that will clean headlights, huh??

 

[over_30k]

I still use sandpaper to start it off with rough stuff. If the lights are lightly hazed I go straight to GOJO. The key here is to use your hands and go gentle in circular motion. Then I use it before I finish it off with plastiX. Very nice results, even on the lights that paper alone does not do the job. You can see it in the picture attached, those were off my neighbours Taurus that I did for him.

 

[greasemonkey1489]

Went ahead and tried Bar Keepers Friend. I'm no bar keeper, but this just became my friend!!

Results:
(Sorry I have no "Before" but they were pretty badly stained. 11 yrs of brake dust and Illinois weather)

 

[mnewxcv]

I used water and a paper towel today, helped obviously but I will try the bar keeps friend stuff. Walmart here I come, and maybe I'll score some of the fog lamps I hear about.

 

[Big Jim]

If you have a clay bar hanging around, try it.

 

[greasemonkey1489]

I used water and a paper towel today, helped obviously but I will try the bar keeps friend stuff. Walmart here I come, and maybe I'll score some of the fog lamps I hear about.

Definitely try the bar keeper stuff. Its a powder, so I made a paste out of it to soak in the corners for about 2 minutes. Then rub and rinse (get your head out of the gutter!).

If you have a clay bar hanging around, try it.

For what? My paint look like crap?

 

[Big Jim]

Definitely try the bar keeper stuff. Its a powder, so I made a paste out of it to soak in the corners for about 2 minutes. Then rub and rinse (get your head out of the gutter!).



For what? My paint look like crap?

Your wheels are painted, and the paint as well as the process to apply it is very nearly the same as the paint on your sheet metal.

A clay bar does a good job of pulling off "rail dust" rust. It also works well on embedded iron particles from brake dust. Try it.

 

[greasemonkey1489]

Oh ok well when I can afford th 18 bucks ill try it ha ha. Unless I can just get a clay bar by itself?

 

[Big Jim]

A clay bar is a very useful item to keep in your detailing bag of trips. I'm not sure that I would buy one just for the wheels though. Buy it if you intend to use it on the car anyway.

 

[JCJetta]

Bumping a somewhat old thread - this stuff worked pretty darn well!