08TT335i

Guys, I just purchased a 08 535i and it came from FL. The rims on this car is a pain to try to clean let alone stay clean. There looks like some rust spots on the inside of the rims. What can I clean this with and what tools and or brushes do you recommend using. I may take a picture and upload it later.

rctmthouse

Purple degreaser or Simple Green will clean up some mess; lots of elbow grease though. Read lots of good things about the PS21 wheel cleaner but doubt you can find it over the counter, at least for my area. If you have a power washer, remover the rims and start spraying until the dirt is loosen up. Not sure if it's rust or just baked brake dust you're seeing inside the rims.

There was a thread in the discussion forum on cleaning 5 year old rims. You might want to take a look at that.

GL

DetailersDomain

congrats! I would try some Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner.

08TT335i

I picked up some simplegreen and will try it full strength.

rctmthouse

Make sure you spray it off right away. Don't want to leave it to long it might damage the finish since you're using it at full strength. Also, someone else suggested CLR, the calcium rust remover solution you can find in the counter at most hardware store. Try that too if Simple Green doesn't do the job.

GL

chalankanoa

after you clean the wheels the best you can, use claybar and it will get most of the rest, it did wonders for my wheels

luigi524td

That "rust" isn't the wheel (because it's a light weight alloy that won't rust) it's rust stains that have transferred from the wheel hub/brake disc. Simple Green is a good general cleaner / degreaser but works best if diluted 50-50 for tough cleaning jobs. Let it soak for a few minutes and use a still bristle brush to attack the tough stuff.

I've actually used a cordless drill and chucked a kitchen dish brush (walmart special) to get into crevasses and reduce the elbow grease needed to clean my wheels! And I heartedly recommend Sonax or Eagle1 wheel cleaners - especially on the clear-coated outside wheel surfaces. Harsh detergents left on the wheel can leave stains behind!