Since the weather in the DC area was in the 60's, i decided to wash my car. This is the first time in a while that I'm washing it and I found that I have spots of brake dust that I can't wash off. Does anyone know or use anything that will make my job of cleaning the wheels easier.

I haven't washed my car in about a month an a half.. that's why it's all stuck to the wheel....i think....

TIA

 

Any mild solvent will remove the brake dust. The wheels are coated so they will not be harmed. There are various products available at your auto store that you can spray on also.
After you clean them follow up with a coat of wax and this will be less of a problem in the future.

 

Spray simple green at full strength on the dusted wheel, and let it sit for about 5 minutes (while you spray the other wheels)...then wash off with a hose. If you need to get between the spokes, use a sponge.

 

this maybe a dumb question... but what is simple green? would this be at an auto store?

 

I believe it is a heavy duty hand cleaner and yes it is green.
You can find it almost anywhere.

 

Simple Green makes a wheel cleaning product: http://www.simplegreen.com/products/...tomotive2.html

Simple Green products are supposed to be friendly to the environment.

They make many products, even a golf club cleaner.

 

Fuzzo, I'm in Gaithersburg MD. and I was out cleaning my car too, along with a couple of my other fanatic neighbors. I use P21S which is a German product, and the only one supposedly guaranteed not to hurt any wheel finishes. A lot of the other cleaners are actually very harsh and can damage wheel coatings. I picked some up from my MB dealer, but then I found an online place which had a good price. Generally, it's not carried in normal stores, but the product is very well known. If you get some, get the extra-strength gel formula -- it is thicker and sticks on the wheels better -- you can safely leave it on for 15 minutes or more if necessary. Usually, it only takes a couple of minutes. Check out carcareonline.com. They shipped it to me along with some wax within a day or two. Actually, the price at MB wasn't too bad either (EuroMotorcars - Bethesda).

 

Rick, This worked PERFECTLY. Thanks!
I washed "Mr. Peanut" today after a three week layoff. The brake dust was horrible, and I anticipated lots of scrubbing. But, I followed your directions with the Simple Green and needed to do no scrubbing at all. The Simple Green even cut through some tar spots on the wheels, too.

Wal-Mart has Simple Green in spray bottles, and in bulk. I've refilled my (useless) Eagle One Brake Dust Cleaner spray bottle with the Simple Green, instead, so I'm ready to go.

Again, thanks, Rick.

Accord, note this is not a post about the Coupe.

 

I don't want to "bad-mouth" Simple Green, and if it's working good for you guys, great. As I mentioned before, cerain wheel cleaners contain strong (I think acidic) elements which over time can degrade the protective coating on wheels. MB recommends P21S, and it's approved for all wheel types. Maybe no damage will occur, just wanted to let you fellow "fanatics" know what I've read. I had a VW Passat before (w/ the normal German brake dust problem). They had a technical bulletin on how to clean the wheels without causing damage. While they didn't specify P21S, they had their own cleaner (not expensive) which was the approved cleaner. Peace.

 

I understand your cautions, MarkL, but Simple Green is completely bio-degradable (or so they say on the bottle). So, I can't see how it could contain any solvents that would dissolve the coatings on the wheels. That's why I tried Rick's suggestion.

I intend to Zaino the wheels in the Spring when it is warmer and I have the time.

 

Dudes.....
Simple Green is a basic all around cleaner. They do make a variety of products, all environmentally friendly, but the basic spray cleaner is nothing more than concentrated pine oil...

It's not caustic, it's not going to damage your wheels finish, and when diluted for car washing, it won't even strip your wax.






Disclaimers:
I do not work for Simple Green, and although I endorse their product, I do not seek or receive any royalty for my opinion....it's just good stuff!

Although I own a coupe, this post and the contents thereof are not exclusive to the coupe and are in no way intended to encompass only coupe owners that might read this thread. Mercedes Benz E, ML, G-Wagen, S and SLK/CLK class owners are welcome to use it too.

 

So this "Simple Green" won't work on A class cars???

 

A class cars are already "green".