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Gold Hills Posse 4×4 Club · Folsom, CA

Rims - cleaning

  1. buckallred Member Joined: October 2016
    #123 Apr 2016, 10:18 AM

    When I bought my Suburban (89 6.2 diesel), it had been neglected for some time. The previous owner had put these fairly fancy rims on it... then apparently never cleaned them. I just got around to trying to clean them with a spray bottle "wheel cleaner" product. While it helped, the results are not great. Not sure what the grey specks are..assume baked-on brake dust? Any advice or product recs would be appreciated.

    20160423_135445.jpg
    • 20160423_135445.jpg
    Buck & Katie
  2. BKGM Jeepers President Joined: June 2003
    #223 Apr 2016, 10:31 AM

    My guess is that the brake dust has etched into the aluminum and pitted it.

    You could powder coat the rims as an option, or maybe even spray paint them with a wheel paint.

    Kathleen and Brad
  3. kris_olof Trailmaster Joined: October 2015
    #325 Apr 2016, 6:20 AM

    Does the wheel cleaner remove the specs with enough scrubbing?  If yes then your brake dust idea is probably correct (brake dust baked into the clear coat).  Maybe try a truck wash since those guys use some crazy strong cleaners.

    If not then the specs are likely corrosion under the clear coat on the wheels.  Only fix is to sand the pits out then re-polish and seal the wheels.

  4. buckallred started this Member Joined: October 2016
    #425 Apr 2016, 8:32 AM

    I scrubbed it with a brush (a lot) . . . while a lot of crud came off, that pic is what was still there. I think it is pitted. I could not scrape any of the specks off with my fingernail.

    Prev owner drove the truck to Canada. . . I bet road salt is what did it. What a dumbass for buying fancy rims and trashing them . . .

    Buck & Katie

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