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      12-08-2011, 10:45 PM   #1
p66
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baked on brake dust - help

Track event last weekend. Two full days. Rained both days. Hawk DTC-70 pads. Stock wheels and tires. Was traveling this week and couldn't wash my filthy car until today. Brake dust appears to be baked on. It must have been a combination of DTC-70 brake dust that was wet when it hit the wheels, combined with some heat and sitting for 5 days. Whatever the reason, this stuff won't come off. I'm afraid to try anything abrasive. Standard wheel cleaner has no affect. If I scrub one spot for a few minutes with a wash mit and soap I can make some progress. And I can scratch it off with my finger nail, so I know if can be removed.

Any ideas what works good on baked on brake dust?
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      12-09-2011, 07:33 AM   #2
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If Sonax and P21S doesn't work, try clay bar, but I doubt it will work.

I had a set of wheels that had baked brake dust and was about to send them to repaint because nothing would work.

I decided to use oven cleaner right before sending them to painting, because I had nothing to loose.

I sprayed the wheel and let it sit for 2 min and the brake dust just lifted off. Wheels are now like new and no damage was done to the wheels.

Results may vary, but I know that VW wheels did stand up to the oven cleaner. Do not put oven cleaner on the tires though.

Use at your own risk because it may very well damage your wheel finish.



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      12-09-2011, 08:43 AM   #3
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I might have to try that. My brake dust is about 50x what is shown in your first picture. Right about now I would be thrilled to have the same results as the first picture.

I think part of my problem is the brade dust compound (from track pads). I may try heating it up with my heat gun. That might soften it.
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      12-09-2011, 01:59 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by p66 View Post
I might have to try that. My brake dust is about 50x what is shown in your first picture. Right about now I would be thrilled to have the same results as the first picture.

I think part of my problem is the brade dust compound (from track pads). I may try heating it up with my heat gun. That might soften it.

I know exactly what you are talking about....A literal line of caked rusted metal particles around the wheel. It's horrible. I worked for over 2 hours to clean up a set of wheels and got them looking a little better than the first picture and I was ecstatic with that... especially since they weren't my wheels. You will definitely have to use something abrasive if you do it by hand. Sounds like it's going to be elbow grease or easy off..
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      12-09-2011, 04:17 PM   #5
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Thanks for the suggestions.
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      12-10-2011, 07:09 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by p66 View Post
I might have to try that. My brake dust is about 50x what is shown in your first picture. Right about now I would be thrilled to have the same results as the first picture.

I think part of my problem is the brade dust compound (from track pads). I may try heating it up with my heat gun. That might soften it.
What is shown in the first picture is after trying everything (sonax, blue claybar, compound, gas.

The brake dust left was etched into the clear.
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      12-10-2011, 12:46 PM   #7
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Here is what I'm dealing with - see pic.



So far I've tried:

Greased Lightning degreaser
Griotts heavy duty wheel cleaner
Bug and tar remover
LCR rust remover
Vinegar
Gasoline
Oven cleaner - let it set for 30 minutes

Nothing is very effective. I suspect I could get it all clean with hours and hours of scrubbing, then be left with a damaged finish. The pic is one small section of one wheel. Even the lug holes are caked with this junk. Granted the rears are in good shape, but both fronts are trashed. I think I'm going to surrender and get my wheels refinsihed.

New question - what finish would resist baked on brake dust better, painted or powder coated?
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      12-24-2012, 03:04 AM   #8
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Prosoco 600 cleaner
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      12-24-2012, 12:14 PM   #9
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I think you're screwed. I'd just have them powder coated and be done with it.
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      01-05-2013, 04:25 PM   #10
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I actually went and bought some sonax wheel cleaner and damn does it work! My friend saw me using it and he had caked on break dust from three years! All i did was use a paint brush and spray a little and rub the paint brush over it. Spray wait and brush ,spray wait n brush it took me 5 times cause he has these shut 20 mulitspoke magz! It all came off!
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      01-29-2013, 11:54 AM   #11
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Try Mr. Clean magic eraser.
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      01-29-2013, 03:46 PM   #12
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While this is a pretty old blog, i will say that I ry to make sure that i keep the wheels waxed. Usually when i do dust runs with water. However, a synthetic scuff padd will get is off without too much damage. very light pressure is needed. Then you will have to polish and then wax the wheels to removed the fine scratches that the scuff pad leaves. i usually let the scuff pad fall under its own weight then rub back and forth. You can scratch the rims that way if you arent careful.
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      01-31-2013, 02:44 PM   #13
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Where can I get this stuff you speak of sir! ;-P I've taken the "fuk it" approach prior to reading this post, but now I see there is a glimmer of hope!
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      01-31-2013, 02:55 PM   #14
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I caved and had mine repainted. And now I wax the sh_t out of them every other washing, and/or before every track event. So far so good.
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      03-12-2013, 12:46 AM   #15
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Guys, don't use oven cleaner on your rims... Aluminum is an alloy, and the oven cleaner chemicals actually change the composition of the metal, just as muriatic acid affects aluminum. End result is black discoloring that cannot be removed unless possibly refinished... If the damage caused is light. Just an FYI
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      03-20-2013, 11:07 PM   #16
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Track pads are metallic, and will actually send small bits that burn into your wheels. It's one reason track rats have dedicated track wheels and tire sets.

Dont' wax wheels, use a product called REJEX or a Sealant such as Opti-seal. They are far more effective at keeping brake dust embedding vs std car wax. And get your wheels cleaned off as soon as you can after a track day, the longer you let the crud sit on the wheels the more it will etch in.
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      03-25-2013, 08:35 AM   #17
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I have the same problem.

The PO of my car had Hawk DTC-70's in front and DTC-60's in the rear.

The rims are toast. I was able to get some off using muriatic acid, but I'm repainting this spring.

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      03-25-2013, 10:20 AM   #18
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IronX

IronX attacks the ferrous metals and dissolves them, really cool technology.

http://www.autogeek.net/carpro-iron-x-cleaner.html

Used it on my wheels (and paint) and my dad's neglected wheels. Awesome stuff

Here is a review I did for my wheels. Let me know if you guys can see this:

http://ohiobimmers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7436
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      04-08-2013, 08:17 PM   #19
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Try Tarminex! that, along with Sonax Full Effect, took off my caked brake dust
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      04-13-2013, 02:00 PM   #20
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Just used some sonax to clean my wheels. I then apply twice a year Griots paint sealant. Shines and protects for months. The brake dust does not seem to adhere as quickly after I put on the paint sealant.
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      04-15-2013, 07:29 PM   #21
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Quote:
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Just used some sonax to clean my wheels. I then apply twice a year Griots paint sealant. Shines and protects for months. The brake dust does not seem to adhere as quickly after I put on the paint sealant.
I used Swissvax cleaner fluid regular on my wheels and then applied a coat of Swissvax Autobahn Wax.. My brake dust literally wipes off clean.. even comes off with touchless car washes
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      05-09-2019, 12:38 PM   #22
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I am using Hawk DTC-60 pads on a dedicated track car. They produce a rock hard residue that seems particularly bad when the used in wet conditions. My wheel cleaner of choice is Sonax, which works well for normal brake dust deposits but doesn't touch the concrete like residue. It doesn't turn Sonax red so whatever the deposit is, it is not iron based.

I have called Hawk for removal advice and they did not have anything useful to offer.

Prevention is the best approach, and I have tried waxing, and Armor All Brake Dust Repellant. The latter works best of the two, but must be applied for each track day to work reliably under track conditions with these track pads.

I have just tried ceramic coating. Based on the hype, I tried it without any supplemental brake repellant treatment. One track day that started wet and ended dry resulted in the deposits that are in the pictures later in this post. They proved very resistant to removal by a combination of Sonax and scraping. I would call the ceramic coating by itself virtually useless against this type of brake dust deposit, especially in the long term.

The internet seems full of tales of woe on this issue, and a few recommendations. Oven cleaner and various acids show up with some regularity, as do abrasive methods but the concensus is not particularly favourable and the effects occasionally destructive. Ignoring the problem is occasionally recommended. So is refinishing the wheels.

One guy, a sales rep for the stuff, recommended Starbrite Non-skid Deck Cleaner, a boat cleaning product, and offered a few free bottles to interested parties. With considerable skepticism I decided to give it a try as I could get the stuff locally.

Damn, if it doesn't actually work. I wetted the deposits with the stuff and it started showing some effect after a dwell time of about 15 minutes with light deposits coming off in about that time. I aggitated the surface with a bristle brush about every 5-10 minutes. Heavier deposits took about an hour and then some scraping with a wooden popsicle stick. The soaking definitely seemed to make the heavier deposits more amenable to coming off with a light scraping by making them brittle and seemingly less adhered to the surface. I am not going to call this a magic bullet, but it is progress.

Supposedly it leaves a "non-slippery polymer barrier" behind. No idea if that is effective against brake dust and I am not going to wait to find out. I plan to treat the wheels with Brake Dust Repellant before my next track day.

http://www.starbrite.com/item/non-sk...aner-with-ptef

http://www.armorall.com/products/whe...dust-repellent

Here are some before, during and after images on my just ceramic coated but not dust repellant sprayed wheels after one wet then dry track day and after conventional Sonax cleaning and some unsuccessful dry scraping of the deposits:

Name:  After Sonax Cleaning.jpg
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Size:  213.0 KB

Soaking with Starbrite:

Name:  Soaking.jpg
Views: 1889
Size:  277.1 KB

Same area, 1 hour later after and some scraping with a wooden popsicle stick:

Name:  Done.jpg
Views: 2126
Size:  188.4 KB
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