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Is there anything that will help

Slim57

CEG'er
Joined
Jan 3, 2011
Messages
54
Location
Central TX
To remove this awful brown mixture of brake lining, road grease and grime that builds up on the inside of my wheels? I can scrub off the deposits that build in the spoke openings with pumice reinforced gojo mechanic's hand cleaner, that part of the wheel is coated with a metallic silver coating, however inside the wheel, viewed from the back side of the wheel, there is a stubborn brown coating that seems resistant to any cleaner. The wheel in this area is not coated with such a nice finish.

I have not tried oven cleaner, that may be my next resort.

Thanks in advance for suggestions.
 
Oven cleaner may attack the wheel coating, that is nasty stuff.

You might try deodorized Mineral Spirits (common paint thinner) from the hardware store. If you've ever bought a bottle of Bug and Tar remover from the auto store, you've paid too much for deodorized Mineral Spirits. Mineral Spirits won't harm the paint or wheel coatings, but it will remove wax, and I've used it to take off brake dust, grease and road grime. I try to clean wheels seasonally when I change from summer to winter wheels and tires, or when I rotate tires, and after cleaning, a coat of good automotive paste wax on the whole wheel makes the next time's cleaning a bit easier.

I have some 99 vintage SVTC E1 wheels that have seen 15 Colorado winters and most mistake then for new or re-coated; they're neither, they've just been kept clean and waxed regularly.
 
WD40 or most types of penetrating fluids will eat right through all that crap. Also works great to remove plastidip. Wash again with a degreaser and then rinse. Be careful on wheels with exposed aluminum as it may actually mar and stain it.
 
I'd agree on beening careful with some cleaners & staining the finish. I been happy with Simple Green & a toothbrush, Castrol Purple clean
or the walmart brand of purple cleaner, works awesome too, but don't leave it on there too long, it will stain the metal. I've also used the super fine steel wool on my Aluminum parts on my dirt bikes, which works awesome, get some a Home depot
 
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