Dirty Wheels

J08M3 · 06-01-2008, 06:06 PM

So is it just me or are these 19" wheels impossible to keep clean? I clean them and after just one short ride they are covered in brake dust, I've never had wheels that are so tough to keep clean before. They sure look good when they are clean though.

consolidated · 06-01-2008, 06:27 PM

at least you can just wipe off the face of the wheel and have it look clean, one of the benefits of a machined face and rest painted gray. but it also looks a bit chinzy to me.

Davinhci · 06-01-2008, 08:11 PM

The 18's look good clean or dirty

AMPowerJ · 06-01-2008, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davinhci

The 18's look good clean or dirty

That's because they look dirty all the time.

yahtzee · 06-01-2008, 09:49 PM

Funny you should mention this...I was just thinking today how much less brake dust appears on my 19's vs. my 18's on my 2008 535i. That thing was atrocious to keep clean. The M wheels seem to give off ten times less in brake dust.

monsta · 06-01-2008, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yahtzee

Funny you should mention this...I was just thinking today how much less brake dust appears on my 19's vs. my 18's on my 2008 535i. That thing was atrocious to keep clean. The M wheels seem to give off ten times less in brake dust.

ditto on that, seems like my OLD E46 after 1 day of driving it after a wash the were completely black, these 19's have been lasting a very long time clean, it helps though that I wash at minimum once a week, I think 5 days is the longest my car has gone w/ out a wash...it helps that I got 6mt and I engine brake a lot

MDCTFTW · 06-02-2008, 02:03 AM

Mine have been clean for a couple weeks. Then again you never really know how dirty they are until you clean them.

batchelorc · 06-02-2008, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AMPowerJ

That's because they look dirty all the time.

JeffB3 · 06-03-2008, 10:02 PM

And it doesn't help that the OEM 19s are probably the hardest wheel to clean that I've ever owned. That is of course if you want to get every sq in of the wheel, including the hard to reach places. Being a perfectionist, I find that I can't just give them a quick wipe down. Once I start, I make sure I don't miss a spot.

BCMPOWER · 06-03-2008, 10:42 PM

Same here, especially the back of the spokes! I have a wheel brush but still can't get into all of the nooks.

Rick · 06-03-2008, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davinhci

The 18's look good clean or dirty

yeah, but they are way harder to clean than the 19s, that's for sure.

Davinhci · 06-04-2008, 01:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rickc

yeah, but they are way harder to clean than the 19s, that's for sure.

Never cleaned the 19's but the 18's were not so bad. Maybe b/c I clean them once a week to make sure there's no build up.

GT3 Tim · 06-04-2008, 04:39 PM

Your best option is to change brake pads. Nothing will keep dust off the wheels....the key is to minimize the dust in the first place.

On other cars I have tried several pads for different uses. I found EBC pads to be fairly low on dust and still be a pad that can withstand some heat. However, it is sort of trial and error...being as the car is a new model and I have no idea about fitments from pad brands, I have no idea what is out there yet. Start shopping around and see if you can find one. Stock pads are typically REALLY dusty for some reason. Good luck, and let us know if you find something.

Patricius · 06-04-2008, 05:20 PM

Wheel Wax can also help a bit. Easy to apply, makes a difference.

J08M3 · 06-04-2008, 05:29 PM

The 19"s are not too hard to clean if you don't let them get to dirty. You just always have to clean them though to keep them looking good. This seems to be BMWs in general, they seem to get dirty quite quickly.

mtc330 · 06-07-2008, 08:48 AM

hey, for what it's worth, i tried Maguires (sp?) wheel cleaner spray and it is remarkably efficient. takes about 5 minutes on my 162's and the dust just flows off.

michael

sayemthree · 06-07-2008, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davinhci

The 18's look good clean or dirty

+1

the 18's look dirty, good or clean!

JAJ · 06-08-2008, 01:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeffB

And it doesn't help that the OEM 19s are probably the hardest wheel to clean that I've ever owned. That is of course if you want to get every sq in of the wheel, including the hard to reach places. Being a perfectionist, I find that I can't just give them a quick wipe down. Once I start, I make sure I don't miss a spot.

Actually, it's a breeze if you take them off the car and clean them - it sounds like a lot of work, but if you have a garage jack, it's easy and you can clean them completely. I use a wet terrycloth towel to get in the narrow spoke gap and it cleans it right out.

Doing a good job with them on the car is a lot MORE work.

SS32 · 06-09-2008, 12:59 PM

Brake dust is just one more reason I want to powercoat mine black.

JeffB3 · 06-14-2008, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAJ

Actually, it's a breeze if you take them off the car and clean them - it sounds like a lot of work, but if you have a garage jack, it's easy and you can clean them completely. I use a wet terrycloth towel to get in the narrow spoke gap and it cleans it right out.

Doing a good job with them on the car is a lot MORE work.

Hmm, never thought of that, but I can imagine you're right. They would be much easier to clean when off the car.

I'm going to look around this site for recommendations on things I can do to a) keep them cleaner longer after a wash and b) a quicker solution to cleaning them on occasion other than the getting on the ground and cleaning every sq in. A perfect example is mtc330's suggestion of Maguire's wheel cleaner spray. Something like that is perfect, but before I give any a try, I want to make sure it isn't something somebody has had a bad experience with. Maguire's products are usually solid from what I know.

darkalley · 06-15-2008, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeffB

Hmm, never thought of that, but I can imagine you're right. They would be much easier to clean when off the car.

I'm going to look around this site for recommendations on things I can do to a) keep them cleaner longer after a wash and b) a quicker solution to cleaning them on occasion other than the getting on the ground and cleaning every sq in. A perfect example is mtc330's suggestion of Maguire's wheel cleaner spray. Something like that is perfect, but before I give any a try, I want to make sure it isn't something somebody has had a bad experience with. Maguire's products are usually solid from what I know.

p21s wheel cleaner is the safest cleaner out there. not sure about meguires but a lot of the store bough wheel cleaners are really acidic. I but my stuff from this guy, he sells a really large container of p21s.

http://www.carcareonline.com/

compared to my 05 comp package wheels i find these wheels stay a lot cleaner...

06-01-2008, 06:06 PM	#1
J08M3 Major General 158 Rep 6,009 Posts Drives: 2011 M3 COUPE Join Date: May 2008 Location: NEW YORK iTrader: (8)	Dirty Wheels So is it just me or are these 19" wheels impossible to keep clean? I clean them and after just one short ride they are covered in brake dust, I've never had wheels that are so tough to keep clean before. They sure look good when they are clean though. __________________
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06-01-2008, 06:27 PM	#2
consolidated Lieutenant Colonel 139 Rep 1,868 Posts Drives: F80 M3 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Texas iTrader: (2) Garage List 2016 Porsche GT4 [0.00] 1999 Porsche Spec B ... [0.00] 2014 Ram 1500 Laram ... [0.00] 2007 Porsche GT3 RS [5.00] 2013 Tesla Model S 85 [0.00]	at least you can just wipe off the face of the wheel and have it look clean, one of the benefits of a machined face and rest painted gray. but it also looks a bit chinzy to me.
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06-01-2008, 08:11 PM	#3
Davinhci Colonel 28 Rep 2,485 Posts Drives: 08 M3 E92 & 08 E70 X5 4.8 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Austin, TX iTrader: (6) Garage List 2008 M3 [0.00]	The 18's look good clean or dirty __________________ 08 E92 AW M3 \| HRE P40 19" \| APE Air Filter \| BMW Performance Grills \| White Side Gills \| CF Mirror Covers \| BMW Performance Pedals \| F1 Pinnacle Tint \| V1 Hardwire \| Dinan Performance Software \| Gintani Exhaust \| H&R Sports Springs \| RPI Scoops \| BMW CF Spoiler \| Challenge Diffuser \| Lux H8 V3 \| LCI Tail Lights \|
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06-01-2008, 09:49 PM	#5
yahtzee El Capitan 30 Rep 663 Posts Drives: fast Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Virginia iTrader: (1)	Funny you should mention this...I was just thinking today how much less brake dust appears on my 19's vs. my 18's on my 2008 535i. That thing was atrocious to keep clean. The M wheels seem to give off ten times less in brake dust.
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06-02-2008, 02:03 AM	#7
MDCTFTW Lieutenant Colonel 64 Rep 1,972 Posts Drives: E92 DCT Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Norcal iTrader: (0)	Mine have been clean for a couple weeks. Then again you never really know how dirty they are until you clean them. __________________ MDCT ... so you can drive and eat a hamburger at the same time.
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06-03-2008, 10:02 PM	#9
JeffB3 New Member 0 Rep 13 Posts Drives: '08 M3 Coupe (White w/ DCT) Join Date: May 2008 Location: Michigan iTrader: (0)	And it doesn't help that the OEM 19s are probably the hardest wheel to clean that I've ever owned. That is of course if you want to get every sq in of the wheel, including the hard to reach places. Being a perfectionist, I find that I can't just give them a quick wipe down. Once I start, I make sure I don't miss a spot.
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06-03-2008, 10:42 PM	#10
BCMPOWER Captain 8 Rep 626 Posts Drives: 08 Silverstone II M3 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Silver Spring MD iTrader: (0)	Same here, especially the back of the spokes! I have a wheel brush but still can't get into all of the nooks. __________________
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06-04-2008, 04:39 PM	#13
GT3 Tim Moderator 50 Rep 1,907 Posts Drives: 2014 MB E63S Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Sacramento, CA iTrader: (0)	Your best option is to change brake pads. Nothing will keep dust off the wheels....the key is to minimize the dust in the first place. On other cars I have tried several pads for different uses. I found EBC pads to be fairly low on dust and still be a pad that can withstand some heat. However, it is sort of trial and error...being as the car is a new model and I have no idea about fitments from pad brands, I have no idea what is out there yet. Start shopping around and see if you can find one. Stock pads are typically REALLY dusty for some reason. Good luck, and let us know if you find something. __________________ Tim <--- apparently likes "3" cars 2014 MB E63S 2008 E90 M3 -- Selling 2004 GT3 -- Sold 1997 M3/4 -- Sold 1995 M3 -- Sold
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06-04-2008, 05:20 PM	#14
Patricius Lieutenant 8 Rep 532 Posts Drives: 04 325xi, 05 M3 cpe, 08 M3 cpe Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Philadelphia, PA iTrader: (0)	Wheel Wax can also help a bit. Easy to apply, makes a difference.
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06-04-2008, 05:29 PM	#15
J08M3 Major General 158 Rep 6,009 Posts Drives: 2011 M3 COUPE Join Date: May 2008 Location: NEW YORK iTrader: (8)	The 19"s are not too hard to clean if you don't let them get to dirty. You just always have to clean them though to keep them looking good. This seems to be BMWs in general, they seem to get dirty quite quickly. __________________
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06-07-2008, 08:48 AM	#16
mtc330 New Member 0 Rep 11 Posts Drives: 2006 330i Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Pensacola iTrader: (1)	wheel cleaner hey, for what it's worth, i tried Maguires (sp?) wheel cleaner spray and it is remarkably efficient. takes about 5 minutes on my 162's and the dust just flows off. michael
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06-09-2008, 12:59 PM	#19
SS32 Major 99 Rep 1,431 Posts Drives: 2008 M3 Join Date: May 2007 Location: Raleigh, NC iTrader: (0)	Brake dust is just one more reason I want to powercoat mine black. __________________ V1 DIY - Blinder M45 DIY - Exhaust Cutouts - Removed Clutch Pedal Spring DIY - Fiamm Air Horns
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