Hi guys, when i clean my rims, i am only able to clean the outside and areas that i can reach. Just wondering whether there is any way to clean the inside other than jacking up the car and taking out the tyre.
Thanks

just to let you know brake dust is not bad for the rims so there is no point in cleaning rims except for looks. So know that that has been said no one looks on the inside of your rim.... so don't worry about it.
Peace
Leo

Hmm well i guess so. But dun the brake dust *bond* with your rims, making them impossible to clean after some time?

Nope, whenever i have to take off my tires to do brakes/suspension or jsut for fun i usually just clean the back of the rim as well. Just spray some brake dust cleaner on them.
Leo

Brake dust is horrible for your rims. It'll eat away at the metal.

Pitting them. Clean them well, and often, and even use wax or polish.

Jay
'95 M3

A good way to clean inside your rims is to buy a rim/detail brush.

Mine's too short to reach all the way to the inside, but I'm sure there's a longer on you could buy.

Jmiller i've never heard anything that says that brake dust is bad for the inside of your rims, where did you hear that?

Not only have I heard it, but I've experienced it myself. My ex-girlfriend bought a new 318is. And she never cleaned her rims (before she started dating me) the brake dust 'pitted' them. Granted it doesn't happen over night.

Brake dust will also ruin you paint's finish. It's like acid. That's why they say always clean your rims last/never use anythig you used to clean your brakes on you paint.

I use after market brake pads very helpful in minimizing dust.:atom

They have or can order you a refrigerator raditor coil cleaning brush. It has an 8" handle and 8" brush that is about 1.5" round, I snipped about 2 inches off the brush. It's perfect, I hated hitting my knuckles with a detailers brush and getting my hands dirty.

Always clean your rims and yes brake dust will eat into the paint and cause them to pit.

http://www.carcareonline.com/wheel_care.html

Originally posted by Jmiller
Not only have I heard it, but I've experienced it myself. My ex-girlfriend bought a new 318is. And she never cleaned her rims (before she started dating me) the brake dust 'pitted' them. Granted it doesn't happen over night.

Brake dust will also ruin you paint's finish. It's like acid. That's why they say always clean your rims last/never use anythig you used to clean your brakes on you paint.

I use after market brake pads very helpful in minimizing dust.:atom

POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR. I use the same mitt i clean my rims with for my paint, so far so good but just to be safe i'm taking your advice, no more of that.
Thanks man
Leo

i think it can be worse on certain wheels, i've also heard its bad period, but i have aftermarket wheels and the outer rim is polished, no clear coat so those are even more likely to pit if i leave brake dust on.

i think if you have clear coat your wheels can probably go a little longer between cleanings...but still baaaad stuff

jeff

To clean them you can just get a long detailing brush of some sort, its a pain in the ass, but its about all you can do.

To make it a bit easier, get some of the engine spray paint and paint the whole inside dish, just cut out a piece of cardboard to fit snugly down in there to prevent overspray. it'll only take about 10-15 mins per wheel. If you use matte black paint its hardly noticeable. When they are painted it will prevent them from pitting, and it will also make it a bit easier to just hose off.

Hope I helped:buttrock

Originally posted by ///Mthusiast
To clean them you can just get a long detailing brush of some sort, its a pain in the ass, but its about all you can do.

To make it a bit easier, get some of the engine spray paint and paint the whole inside dish, just cut out a piece of cardboard to fit snugly down in there to prevent overspray. it'll only take about 10-15 mins per wheel. If you use matte black paint its hardly noticeable. When they are painted it will prevent them from pitting, and it will also make it a bit easier to just hose off.

Hope I helped:buttrock

Just a heads up for anybody thinking about painting the inside of their wheels... be VERY careful and think about this before you do it. There are many things to consider before doing this, such as changing the weight of your wheels (not a lot but still), and along with changing the weight, the balance characteristics. Remember, wheel balance weights go on the outside AND inside of the wheel. Also, wheels can and will get very hot... hotter than some paints can handle. That could get messy. If you do decide to do it, listen to Mthusiast about using engine paint/brake caliper paint that can withstand the heat.

As for the rest of this thread, definitely use two sets of buckets, mitts, sponges etc. One for the body/paint of the car, and the second set for the wheels.

And brake dust will bond to the wheels, and will pit them. The amount of time depends on the type of finish on the wheels, the type of driving and the climate. I have a friend who neglected his wheels all summer long and when he finally went to clean them, he couldn't get the dust off. And he had polished/painted wheels. He learned the hard way...

My .02

hey thanks guys for the advice. i wash my car once a week and the brake dust comes off pretty easily with water from the hose and a soft scrub. Guess i will try to get the long brush thingy to try to clean the inside. Oh i polished my car today and waxed the rims too. I think with regular cleaning, you dun have to resort to any wheel cleaners etc. Heehee

:clap:

oh here's a picture of my nicely cleaned rim.

:12:

nebular18, very nice!
And the wheels are so clean they look brand new!

Nice job! Nothing quite like a nice clean BMW... :D

Yea, like to keep my baby nice and clean!

:clap:

VERY nice!

wourth has a nice rim paint that matches bmw and bbs color silver, if you wana spray your rims use this stuff

Where can I get this rim paint?

When I clean my rims I will use a soft toothbrush and soapy water for the outside. Lucky for me I can actually reach into my wheels so I spray my hand with soap and wipe all the brake dust off the inside. Then I was the outside to retain their shine and help repel brake dust.

i belive griot's or bav auto has it i saw it in one of there catalogs

hey when i was activating my car alarm at the bmw dealer, i saw a rim cleaning brush on display. 'OEM' from BMW, but it costs $45 canadian ( not including tax ). That's pure rip off man, but i wonder whether it works.

:95

I just take off one wheel on a rotation each time I clean my car every week. It only adds about ten minutes to the washing process, and unless you drive like 3000 miles a month, the wheels always stay clean - inside and out. :mdrbig

hey that's a pretty good idea!

Originally posted by rayster


Just a heads up for anybody thinking about painting the inside of their wheels... be VERY careful and think about this before you do it. There are many things to consider before doing this, such as changing the weight of your wheels (not a lot but still), and along with changing the weight, the balance characteristics. Remember, wheel balance weights go on the outside AND inside of the wheel.

Yep, I'd take this extremely good advice.
Even be careful of unbalancing when cleaning the inside of your wheels. I took my Peugeot for a spin on a dirt road in the forest once. I got back home, hosed the car down, washed it and cleaned the outside of the wheels. When I next drove it, I was getting horrible vibration on the rear tyres. I found out that when I hosed the car down, all the mud trapped on the inside of the rim found its way to the bottom and hardened, thus creating serious balance problems.

And clean them. I have mine off all the time because I am always screwing with the suspension...

Anyway. Take a nece heavy carnuba type wax and put a couple of coats on the inside of the rim. This will help keep them clean and make it easier to just hose off most of the dirt