# Best way to remove this brake dust



## dsme94 (Nov 17, 2012)

Hi,

I've been using Bilberry from ValetPro and it's always seemed to work okay. It is however not working for the wheels on my integra, they haven't been sealed .

Here it is here:









Looking for a product that I can buy preferably from Halfords so I can get it today to remove the brake dust relatively easy. Using bilberry I need to scrub for ages to try and get it clean and even then the brake dust is still there.

Any help much appreciated.


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

Wonder wheels or Autoglym clean wheels 

Acidic content in both which might help with your wheels


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## Rascal_69 (Sep 20, 2009)

You want a fallout remover. 

Might take a few hits with scrubbing. 

Some tar remover. 

And clay.


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## suspal (Dec 29, 2011)

Wonder wheels If you going to Halfords,see If you can get It cheaper at Tesco or Asda first :thumb:


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## dsme94 (Nov 17, 2012)

suspal said:


> Wonder wheels If you going to Halfords,see If you can get It cheaper at Tesco or Asda first :thumb:


Wonder Wheels Universal wheel cleaner: £6.99 in Halfords and £2 in Asda lmao.


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

dsme94 said:


> Wonder Wheels Universal wheel cleaner: £6.99 in Halfords and £2 in Asda lmao.


The problem with the universal one is it's safe for diamond cut wheels & that so it's pants at removing stuff like that


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## suspal (Dec 29, 2011)

This one :


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## dooka (Aug 1, 2006)

Or something like IronX paste, but I have a feeling that if you do manage to remove fully, you are going to have some pitting. A refurb may be an easier choice ..


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## Rabidracoon28 (May 31, 2012)

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...&productId=794537&categoryId=255235&langId=-1

This (Wonder Wheels Hot Wheels) from Halfords if it has to be from there or £4 for the same bottle in Morrisons


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

*Wonder wheels standard the acid one to get on top fast and available from halfords. £7.99 for 500ml.*


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

*Ok Folks... Old Post But

Wheels...​









Some have some peeled paint from the spoke backs so please focus more on the dish of the rim for cleaning purposes please in your viewing of the pics...

So Typical of the wheel grime in this one...










So we know there are a lot of good products for wheel cleaning as in the face of the alloy and a suitably sealed wheel can be cleaned with just a shampoo solution all dependent on contamination.... Yadda... Yadda....

But Wheel backs can be neglected for decades and are more likely to have loads of contamination from brake dust etc..

So lets get rolling.... All wheels were sprayed or spread with the wheel cleaner agitated with an Envy type brush and rinsed only with the mains pressure through the garden hose....

So a pair done...

The Right hand one with Very Cherry non Acid Wheel Cleaner... @ 1 to 10 product to water.

Left Wheel with Surfex HD @ 1 to 10 Product to water...










Again focus on the Dish Here not the Centres please...

Ok lets try one of these wheels 50/50 ... so starting wheel...










Now G101 left hand and Surfex HD Right Hand Both @ 1 to 10 Mix...










In this instance the G101 Cleaned a little better although the Surfex i find Superb as a De Greaser...

Now Some Mer Alloy Wheel Cleaner on Minging Wheel...

So Before application...










After Application and Rinse Off...










Remember the 50/50 wheel???










So this time some Maxolen Fallout Remover... So after Rinsing.....










Now somethings here i would not normally use as a wheel cleaner in the same respect i would not imagine using the Maxolen however majority of the wheel contamination will be Fallout from the brake pads... Could these 2 products possibly do the trick....

So Iron Cleanse V Iron-X again....:lol:

These again applied to partially cleaned wheels i only have so many wheels here to test on....:lol:










These were dispensed from there respective bottles and what i feared did happen as the Iron Cleanse is from a sample bottle with pants atomiser type pump the density of the liquid and delivery system hampers its ability...










You may not tell in the pic but after rinsing seamed to remove slightly less with the iron Cleanse, suspected as much at the application stage only due to how it was been laid down.

So test on another this time both the Iron Cleanse and the Iron-X dispensed from the same type of head as is on the Iron-X Bottle much better delivery and spread from the Iron Cleanse... in both the tests of the Iron Cleanse and Iron-X they had been left for between 3 and 5 minutes... as from other tests i have done the run is slower on the Iron Cleanse and so Clings longer...

So Sprayed on...










Agitated and rinsed off again always done with just cold mains pressure through the garden hose...










Now how about trying some Autosmart Tardis???? HHHmmmm

Well lets see....

Tardis test wheel Minging...










Applied and agitated and rinsed off...Yes recycling bin contents come in handy....:lol:










Now what shall we have a bash with now..??? I Know....

I Know Bilberry @ 1 to 10 Ratio....

So Minging Wheels... (not the Detailing World Member)...:lol:










Applied Agitated and Hose rinsed...










Now an old Boy Product Now....

Wonder Wheels... The original version not the Wonder wheels U... the original version is not recommended for damaged or polished alloy..

So onto what bilberry had left i think...










Agitated and rinsed...










HHHHMMMM im liking that result....

Lets try again...










Agitated and rinsed once more...










Right i am liking the speed of removal of contamination with that, it may be acid but gets the job done fast then just keep ontop of the wheels....
So off to do all the wheels with it....

I know they need some more cleaning but...










So from...










To This... at the point that time and light issues stopped play...










Faced with the same condition wheels again i know what ill reach for... that is until i can find something just as good or better....

Thank you all as ever for viewing...:wave:*


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## AndyA4TDI (May 7, 2012)

Brilliant post mate.


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## suspal (Dec 29, 2011)

Now we'll await the fall out test :thumb:


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## dsme94 (Nov 17, 2012)

dooka said:


> Or something like IronX paste, but I have a feeling that if you do manage to remove fully, you are going to have some pitting. A refurb may be an easier choice ..


I bought them just after they had been refurbed and stupidly didn't seal them .

The £2 stuff from Asda was ****e , only £2 though so not complaining.

Before:


















After:


















Car got washed too:









So it's the Wonder Wheels hot wheel cleaner i need?

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_794537_langId_-1_categoryId_255235


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## suspal (Dec 29, 2011)

Where abouts are you buddy if you local to me you can pop down :thumb:


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## dsme94 (Nov 17, 2012)

suspal said:


> Where abouts are you buddy if you local to me you can pop down :thumb:


Central Scotland


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## suspal (Dec 29, 2011)

Sorry buddy I'm In coventry like dooka says iron x paste will do the trick just brush it on and leave for 5-6 minutes :thumb:


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## Sh1ner (May 19, 2012)

Wonder wheels is excellent stuff. It is better than watery varieties as being thick and gloopy so it stays wet but like any acid cleaner it need to be used with care. Don't breathe the vapours, wear eye protection etc.
Spray it on and leave for a bit to soak. Agitate with a brush and spray a little more to keep it wet, leave again and then agitate again and perhaps once more. Never let it dry out.
If you do not see the the wheel surface through the chemical and dirt when you brush it then you will need to spray a little more on and wait some more. There is no point in rinsing unless the dirt is completely loosened and ready to come off. There is no point in rushing.
It will strip off any existing protection and leave it ready to collect more dirt so it is really important to rinse away any remaining chemical completely and then dry and protect the rims.
Once properly cleaned and protected I find much less aggressive chemicals, like shampoos and are all that is needed to keep them clean.


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## Rabidracoon28 (May 31, 2012)

Tried HotWheels out on a hire car before it touched my own car:


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

The wonder wheels acid is easy to get hold of but if you wish the iron-x paste is made for tough spots as its really thick but only a very little bottle as its made for stubborn spot removal.

To get more bite from any that you use you can cut down the bristles on a detailing brush to make them stiffer or get some cheap stiff tooth brushes.


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## norfolk_msd (Nov 18, 2013)

dsme94 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I've been using Bilberry from ValetPro and it's always seemed to work okay. It is however not working for the wheels on my integra, they haven't been sealed .
> 
> ...


I had this on my old integra dc2 when I got it. What brake pads are you using? When I changed to ferodo ds2500 this wasn't such an issue. Will need some fallout remover for that though


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## dsme94 (Nov 17, 2012)

norfolk_msd said:


> I had this on my old integra dc2 when I got it. What brake pads are you using? When I changed to ferodo ds2500 this wasn't such an issue. Will need some fallout remover for that though


No idea which brake pads are on it, I've not had to remove the callipers yet and the pads have plenty of life left on them. I imagine they are OEM or OEM replacements - I don't have this issue with the rear alloys.. This could be a different kind of pad but they have smaller brakes? I've been planning a brake upgrade on the car but I've no idea if i want to keep it or sell it . I've heard lots of good stuff about Ferodo ds2500 and Carbone Lorraine pads but heard both were pretty bad for brake dust?


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

My friend had a Teg with the same type of alloys. His were in need of a refurb as they were slightly dull white. Basically the brake dust had eaten into the clear coat/paint what ever finish is on the alloys. 

I gave it about 2 goings over with wheel cleaner (bilberry - which is what I was using at the time and is rubbish for heavy muck on wheels and better suited for maintenance imo and 3 hits of korrosol fallout remover but in the end had to resort to acid.


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## norfolk_msd (Nov 18, 2013)

dsme94 said:


> No idea which brake pads are on it, I've not had to remove the callipers yet and the pads have plenty of life left on them. I imagine they are OEM or OEM replacements - I don't have this issue with the rear alloys.. This could be a different kind of pad but they have smaller brakes? I've been planning a brake upgrade on the car but I've no idea if i want to keep it or sell it . I've heard lots of good stuff about Ferodo ds2500 and Carbone Lorraine pads but heard both were pretty bad for brake dust?


Mine had oem pads in when I purchased it, the rears don't do much work therefore not getting as hot as the fronts. I changed the brakes and suspension pretty much straight away, although they handle well standard this transformed the car. Went for ds2500 front and rear (camskill were cheapest) braided lines, new motul fluid and Meister R coilovers, these were by far the best upgrades I done it's shocking how much these changed the car. I found the ferodo pads were ok for dust (did have my wheels powder coated to black though) just avoid ebc pads the dust is terrible! Now changing them on my caddy after 1000 miles as hard to keep on top of!


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## dave7368 (Feb 11, 2010)

i have DS2500 pads on my DC5, and i have found the dust is less than from OEM pads, the wheels were refurbed in bright orange, sealed with 1 coat of wax and 3 coats of poorboys wheel sealant, just a quick going over with wash mitt and rinse still looking like new after nearly a year now...


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

Use something acid based neat....ideally something like AutoSmart Smart Wheels...dont dilute it either.

You might need to hit it a couple of times but it will come off

I will find you some before and after photos of my old 200k mile 405 wheels were black and solid with brake dust like this...


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

Here you go the photos of my 200k mile 405 MI16....god knows when these were last properly cleaned

Before:









After:









All that was used was AutoSmart Ali-Shine (not diluted...and don't think i have ever bothered to dilute wheel cleaners) a variety of brushes (stiff and flexible) and some elbow grease...if i recall it took 2 hits to get it to the after photos condition.


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