Rim cleaning

It had been a while since I gave my car a good hand wash and waxing. I'm having a terrible time getting the rims on my 2005 500 Limited clean. There is a tremendous anmount of brake dust and grime buildup. I've tried several available cleaners, and while they are significantly cleaner, there is still a film of grime I cannot seem to get off. Anyone have any suggestions????

This is going to take some serious work, but paint cleaning clay will work wonders on brake dust. The caveat is that this is going to take some serious elbow grease.

Meguiar's, Mothers, and Zaino's paint cleaning clay are all good, but one way you can hold down the costs is to get an empty 16 to 32 ounce spray bottle and make a solution out of one to two teaspoons of car wash soap and the rest of the bottle filled with water. Make sure the wheels are cold -don't do this right after driving your car. Be prepared to take at least an hour doing this, and maybe about two hours. Take several breaks. Then wash the car afterward.

After you dry the car, you may want to use a good paint sealant on the wheels - another hour worth of work.

If you're really serious about this, I'd take the wheels off one at a time and put them on something at work-level (and laid horizontal) to spray the soap-mix on, let it sit, and then be able to either brush or clay the surfaces. I'tll be easier on the back and you'll get the nooks and crannies clean for sure - and allow you to get a good wax coat on the wheels when you're done so you don't have to do it again.

Just be glad you don't have the Montego Premier 18" wheels (as Len has in his avitar) - these buggers that are on our Montegos are a HUGE PITA to get into the individual spokes on...

andy

Agreed 100%. On everything. And you will still need to take breaks doing this - it's murder on your hands either way.

One thing - waxing the wheels helps keep them clean in the long run, but it doesn't last because of the heat generated by braking. If you REALLY want to keep your wheels clean, plan on waxing them at least every other bloody month.

Its also worth mentioning to swap the stock pads with ceramics. I have about a 2k miles on a set of ATE ceramics (ordered from Tirerack), and the dust wipes off much easier.

What's your opinion on the ceramic pads Tomcat? Do they stop as well or better than the oem's? Advantages/disadvantages? Seems like it would be a great idea from the dust standpoint! Thanks.
Jeff

They have been great so far (no noise, low dust, stopping power might be a little better). My rotors were warped from the stock pads and I am curious to see if the new ones will last longer with the ceramics. The real answer will come 40-50K from now, but the brake dust alone, IMO, made them a good investment.

Hello. I have a Montego with the Premier 18" wheels. Major rear brake dust problem since new. Just recently replaced rears (2nd time) with ceramic pads and new rotors. I purchased a power scrubber at walmart (very similar to a powered toothbrush) with a decent scrubber head on it. This works great compared to manually scrubbing all those spokes! Just use a decent wheel cleaner and let the scrubber do the work.