Embedded brake dust on wheels

I need some advice and help on removing embedded brake dust from the inside corners of my wheels. I normally use Sonax FA but its not doing the job. I've also tried Eagle One A2Z with no luck. Clay didnt even phase it. I read through the sticky but would like to know what you guys recommend I try next.

Thanks in advance.

 

I would try a product like ironx, ironcut, or wolf's decon gel...they're really all the same type of product and they will help break down the iron particles. Also meguiar's wheel brightener or other light acids but I would try to the other products I mentioned first.

 

Sadly, at some point or another all hope will be lost.

 

Yup. When all else fails....it's time to get them refinished.

 

Let ironx soak after Meg's wheel brightener then try to clay again. It may take some time and multiple soaks but it's worth a shot.

 

Ditto on the IronX and Megs WB combo

 

Megs WB has always been very reliable when it comes to really stubborn brake dust

 

I am floored that Sonax can't handle the tough stuff that has basically coverted from brake dust into something unreactive.

/sarcasm.


Really though Jumbo, give an aggressive clay a shot, or just clay in general or you may resort to abrasive methods and sore fingers(manual compounding) to get the black crusty stuff off. Once the metallic particle reacts under weathering its just not reactive to any acids or even thiols.

It can be done, but lots of elbow grease(and finger grease).

 

Thanks for all the advice, very much appreciated. I did try Clay magic "red" clay, which is their medium clay, but no luck. I will grab a bottle of Iron X and see if that works. The areas arent huge, but they are enough to bug me.

 

you could also try some 000 steel wool, but you will need to do some major polishing afterwards

 

Just to add an update to this. I finally got all the embedded crap off of the wheels tonight. Since a couple people said Iron-X, I had something very similar lying around and thought it was worth a shot. Lesco makes a product called Rust Eraser that I've used to clean the rust off of the house from the irrigation system, which uses well water. I sprayed a little bit on a small area and let it sit for a minute. Went over it with a small scrubber and it came right out. Rust Eraser cleans rust and iron deposits off of stucco or concrete, toilets and sinks with literally no scrubbing, it's a pretty cool cleaner. I imagine Iron-X has the same affect. Lesco is a commercial landscape supply store, and Rust Eraser is cheap, only $15 for a gallon, and I mix it very light, about 1:50. No damage to the wheels at all and they look perfect again, thanks again for the help.

 

I think you just put Iron X out of business....lol

 

Hmm Did u ever do that before? Could you do some pics using that on a car?

 

Do you have a link to where to purchase? One site listed it at 28 bucks a gallon.

 

Yesterday was the first time I used it on a car, but I have been using it for years on my house and down spouts to clean off the rust stains. Like I mentioned before, I mix it 1:50 in a spray bottle, and it only takes a tiny amount to clean the house, so I just sprayed a little on the wheels and let it sit for about a minute. It pretty much started cutting through the embedded brake dust in a matter of seconds without any agitation. After a minute or so I just went over the wheel with a small bug scrubber and it all came right off. I followed that with Sonax FE to get it nice and clean. Then I polished the wheels this morning with 1Z PP and sealed it with #845 and they look as nice as the day I bought the truck.

I got curious to see what it would do on paint so I tried a small hidden area down low by the exhaust. I've never used Iron Cut, but I've seen the photos on here and it looks to have done pretty much the same thing with the iron deposits kind of running down the paint.

I buy Rust Eraser at the local John Deere Landscapes supply (formerly Lesco) in town. All Lesco's were bought out by JDL, but JDL still stocks all of Lesco products. I'd do a search for a JDL in your area, they are usually off the beaten path in an industrial complex. I paid $15 for this bottle.

Hope that helps

 

interesting!

 

damn that's good to know. To bad we don't have a JDL near here. I wonder if like Lowes or Home Depot would have something similar.

 

The Home Depot by my house carries some Lesco fertilizers and other pesticides, but I've never seen Rust Eraser there.

 

Is there a chance you might tell us what the bottle has listed for the contents of this Rust-E-Raser ? I would like to compare it to what is in Iron-X. Your find is a hell of a lot cheaper. Thanks for your posting this.

 

Youre welcome. I would love to, but there is no label of ingredients on the back, it just states directions for use for different applications and mixture rates. As a side note, it is completely clear and has absolutely no odor.