Wheel cleaner ruined my wheel paint WTF
06-22-2011, 07:05 PM
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Wheel cleaner ruined my wheel paint WTF Last week I took off the wheels and cleaned the 57K mile worth of brake dust off of the inside barrels. After doing this the wheels looked amazing. So yesterday, in an attempt to keep them clean, I used this wheel cleaner that I have never used before and it ruined the paint on my wheels. There is the whitish color spot stain on the inside of the spokes that looks like it took the paint right off. The cleaner I used was a cleaner that they use on a day to day basis here at the Cadillac dealership I work at. They say that they have never seen this before. The cleaner is called First Place Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner and after looking into it a bit I realized that is has acid in it. I did a search online and noticed there was a few people that have had this some problem with there V wheels.
Has anybody on here ran into this same problem/issue.
Has anybody on here ran into this same problem/issue.
06-22-2011, 07:40 PM
#2
No, but I have accidentally touched the inside with a very powerful brake caliper cleaner that took some of the powdercoat off. I prefer the general-purpose (2 in 1) Eagle One wheel cleaner that cleans rubber and wheels, but the ArmorAll stuff is a good second (and they're both cheap).
06-22-2011, 07:54 PM
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You have to be careful with any of the tire/wheel claeners that have acid and have that aweful burning smell to it. Theres a reason it cuts through brake dust so easy! Never use that stuff a a dusty or barely dirty wheel, thats only for the heavy stuff. Use regular car soap or even an APC if its a little dirter than normal. the acidic stuff should only be used when everything else doesnt work. Start with mild cleaner and go heavier as needed.
06-22-2011, 07:57 PM
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Usually I use the Eagle One stuff. I figured I would use the stuff here at work and thats what I get I guess for just winging it. This is all I have been thinking about since yesterday. Anyways I called my powdercoater and he said he could redo all 4 wheels for $160. The car is platinum and now I am just wondering if I should do the factory bright silver finish, gunmetal/comp grey, black, or chrome. Probaly just going to do the original color, I just hope they match correctly.
06-22-2011, 09:12 PM
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"Pro" stuff can be crazy harsh for places that value quantity over quality. If you use it on a hot wheel or let it sit, it can ruin stuff...
The OEM finish is absurdly weak, too. Post a picture, though, maybe it can be fixed.
The OEM finish is absurdly weak, too. Post a picture, though, maybe it can be fixed.
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06-22-2011, 10:36 PM
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I will post pics tomorrow. It doesn't look like it is fixable without having the wheels redone. The paint looks incredibly thin were the damage happened. I think the combination of the outside heat(95 degrees), the heavy duty wheel cleaner, powerwasher, and the thin OE paint is what did. Just my luck for trying to keep it clean. Usually I am the one who let's the wheels get brown with brake dust and never even mess with my car at work. The bright aide is that hopefully they will look better, clean easier, and be more durable once they are powdercoated rather than painted. GM actually had a TSB on this wheel paint issue but car had to be within factory warranty.
06-22-2011, 11:47 PM
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06-24-2011, 11:15 AM
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Why worry about matching the factory color if you're painting all 4? From my understand, it's almost impossible to find common OTC touch-up paint matching the silver color the factory painted them. If I were to paint all 4 of mine, I'd try to find as close a match to the factory color as possible but is still fairly standard and is easy to find touch-up paint for in case of scratches or re-paint, etc.
06-24-2011, 01:21 PM
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Why worry about matching the factory color if you're painting all 4? From my understand, it's almost impossible to find common OTC touch-up paint matching the silver color the factory painted them. If I were to paint all 4 of mine, I'd try to find as close a match to the factory color as possible but is still fairly standard and is easy to find touch-up paint for in case of scratches or re-paint, etc.
06-24-2011, 06:20 PM
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Get a effective and safe cleaner, dont apply on wheels that are still hot from driving (same as washing a car in the sunlight) and dont let it sit.
OP: It sounds like that 57k miles worth of corroding brake dust caused just enough problems with the paint and allowed the cleaner to seep into places you didnt want it to.