# Stubborn ‘specks’ on Alloy Wheels



## snapsnap (Jul 18, 2008)

Thought I would give my alloys a good clean & seal. Whiped 'em off and washed 'em down.

Noticed on the inside of the rim, directly underneath the calliper/disc that there thousands of little black specs, that simply will not remove. Ive tried..


Clay
Bilberry
AG tar & Glue Remover 
AG Acid Wheel cleaner
Petrol
GT85 (similar to WD40)

Didn't even touch them. I have owned the car from 12k (25k now) and the previous owner was not a through wheel cleaner! This leads me to believe that this is some form of 'etching' damage caused by brake dust (its only on the inside of the rim).

Anyone know if this can actually happen?
Can be removed?


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## nicks16v (Jan 7, 2009)

If its pitting, which it probably is, then I dont think you will be able to remove it without a refurb, especially bearing in mind what you have tried on it so far.


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## banksy (Jun 13, 2009)

i have similar on my wheels - a real pain. i've tried similar to you to no gain. I think getting the wheels refurbed is a bit extreme on a car with only 25k on it to be honest. it depends if you want to spend that kind of money. does the etching break the surface or is it _on_ the surface of the paint? (if you know what i mean?)


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## BRUN (May 13, 2006)

which clay have you used ?


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## snapsnap (Jul 18, 2008)

Cheers gents

25k for a wheel refurb was, I thought a bit excessive myslef too. The spots, oddly seem to be on the wheel, and not etched in it.

The clay was the megs 'quick clay' stuff - I did think about something more agressive, but then if acid or tar & glue would not remove it, felt it was money down the pan.


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## banksy (Jun 13, 2009)

i'll probably get howls of derision for this, but i tried the NON STICK kitchen or bathroom pads, with the white scourer, not the green scourer and it took some of the black bits off. not perfect but much better. don't rub too hard and change direction as you rub with a strongish shampoo dilution. it didn't seem to damage the paint on the wheel and if there is a liitle bit of scratch you could take that out with srp. at least that's what i found. mind you, my wheels are 10 year old bmw alloys, not newish ones like yours. don't try if you think this is a bit extreme. no more extreme than the acid in wheel cleaners though, surely. i thought of trying the restore wheel cleaner by bromoco, but was put off by the high (in my opinion) p&p. still cheaper than a refurb though i suppose. and it does seem like good stuff.


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## ayrshireteggy (Dec 13, 2006)

snapsnap said:


> Cheers gents
> 
> The clay was the megs 'quick clay' stuff - I did think about something more agressive, but then if acid or tar & glue would not remove it, felt it was money down the pan.


There is a reasonable chance that a more aggressive clay WILL remove these marks. I had a similar experience to yours and an aggressive clay did the job. It took a while but I eventually got there. :thumb:

You can see the pics at the beginning of my write-up:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=71389


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## Star2 (Aug 20, 2008)

Or alternatively wet and dry as per my post here

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=1595755#post1595755


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## tubbs (Jun 16, 2009)

banksy said:


> i'll probably get howls of derision for this, but i tried the NON STICK kitchen or bathroom pads, with the white scourer, not the green scourer


i used these for 2 years on my new civic alloys an never any damage, though new ones 3 coat sealed so brush is doing the job at the mo.



nicks16v said:


> If its pitting, which it probably is, then I dont think you will be able to remove it without a refurb, especially bearing in mind what you have tried on it so far.


what exactly is pitting, i ask as i was cleaning the wheels offa the car, brand new, and on the inside were what i thought were really stubborn spots, after some really hard cleaning couldn't shift em so left them, only to find after drying and inspecting they are like tiny little holes lol. on the inside though so not a problem, perhaps just that way cos the insides are not finsihed like outsides?


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## Guest (Jul 14, 2009)

As ayrshireteggy (i copied and pasted that) said, a more aggressive clay may just fix this. BH regular is a good one.

I thought my wheels were pitted... turned out it was just brake dust fallout.

Also try reducing the amount of lube you are using, or even just a little bit of water, with the clay to encourage it to drag a bit more and help pull the brake dust off, assuming it is brake dust, you want the maximum amount of grabbing possible to pull the brake dust off the wheel.

Best way to determine if you are going to have any success is just focus on a single spec of this and see if it evenaully comes off, if it does, you know it isnt pitting.


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## Crazy American (May 9, 2009)

Soak the wheel in a Solvent such as Tardis, just apply heavy amounts, or Spray on wheel and let soak for 30 minutes. It should wipe right off after using this method.


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