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midlandtech
04-14-2013, 11:30 AM
As the popularity of Plasti Dip grows I figured this would be a good and short how too for its removal. I applied plasti dip late last summer for a track day and decided to leave it on through winter as protection for my wheels from salt sand and road grime. It was very effective in not letting anything harm the wheel but it was time for me to remove it. after several different approaches (and internet searches) I found that the best approach (for wheels at least) was to remove as much as possible via pealing it from the rim by hand. I did this and basically was left with the areas between the spokes on my 135's and the back of the wheel which proved difficult, time consuming and tedious to remove. enter good ole water displacement 40. Wd-40 will "melt" the plasti dip and allow you to use a pressure washer to remove what is left. So I took the wheels off the car and hauled them to a local car wash. I found that soaking the wheel in a very heavy application of wd-40 at letting them sit for about 5 minutes yielded the best results. The WD-40 did its job and the pressure washer made short work the rest. I spent a lot of time making sure that there was no residual wd-40 left on the wheels and then inspected them for any adverse effects to the clear coat or paint and there were none. Hope this helps someone who was in my shoes. I know it would have saved me a butt load of time if I would have just done it this way in the first place.

Steve

328ioc
04-14-2013, 02:08 PM
Great info.

Do you think a pressure washer is fully needed or will a garden hose with strong pressure work?

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midlandtech
04-14-2013, 02:10 PM
Great info.

Do you think a pressure washer is fully needed or will a garden hose with strong pressure work?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

Tried a garden hose and it wasn't very effective. The pressure washer helped a ton and really made short work of it.

ELCID86
04-14-2013, 05:00 PM
Good to know. Thanks. I sold my coupe with it on there. New owner wanted it--thankfully!

JupiterBMW
04-14-2013, 05:10 PM
I actually found out a few years ago that one of the best wheel cleaners was a penetrating oil called "Kroil". Its very expensive and hard to find, but I'm sure PB Blaster works just as well. The penetrating aspect of it helps to cut through oil and grease really well...

Good to know its effective with Plasti Dip as well... Nicely done! :thumbsup

Dave_B
04-18-2013, 06:04 AM
Awesome info to know on the WD. :thumbup:

328ioc
04-18-2013, 06:37 AM
Tried a garden hose and it wasn't very effective. The pressure washer helped a ton and really made short work of it.

Great thanks.

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Washburn
04-18-2013, 07:54 AM
One can buy a nozzle with trigger and different spray patterns that fit at end of a garden hose, and up close the 'jet' setting is pretty punchy I think...

I also have a set of style 264 wheels coming to me soon, and those were at some point plasti-dipped; the PO has already removed 90% of it with just hosing it off/pealing, but there maybe a bit left, he said...
so this thread is timely. Thanks for the WD 40 tip...
The style 264 is simple 5-spoke star pattern and should be loads easier to clean than the ZHP wheels....

I already have some Sonax for extra cleaning after I get any residue plasti dip off. One wheel has slight curb rash and I might get that one refreshed...hope it won't cost much

I MIGHT get the wheels today, and see how much cleaning there is to do...will update on my progress :)