Materials to Maintain Your ZHP IIIII Hand Protection IIIII Tools to Maintain Your ZHP
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Maine-Vacationland
    Posts
    1,961

    Wheel Cleaning HELP!!

    Whats up everyone

    So as some of you know, my sister has a 2009 328i xDrive. The car has 46k miles on it and is a very very clean car. When she purchased it, 3 of the 4 wheels had a lot of corrosion on the inner rim. The car sits on 17" Style 157 wheels.

    Pic of similar wheels (not our wheels or pic)




    The corrosion is only on the inside lip, behind the spokes, along where the air valve stem is. It goes around the whole rim on 3 rims. The 4th wheel appears to have been newer and that is also starting to do the same. I don't know if contaminated water/brake dust sat there for a while when the previous owed had it or what. And I find it weird because the rest of the car is SPOTLESS! not a scratch, ding or even a spec of dirt.


    I have tried wheel cleaners and scrubbing by hand, but nothing really gets rid of it, and it is rough textured. The rest of the wheels, both face and inside are perfect. Sorry I don't have a pic to show you guys, I will post one tomorrow.

    You can kind of see the wheels on this pic, the inner lip is dark and corroded.



    In this pic, the rear wheel is the wheel that is the cleanest of all


    I have dealt with a lot of damaged and dirty wheels, but never anything like this, especially on such a new vehicle. Anybody have any idea what I can clean this with without damaging the wheel????

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    32.8 N, 117.3 W
    Posts
    7,640
    I would try Sonax and a pressure washer first, then if you can't get that to work you need to go hardcore.

    Dremel, Bondo, Wurth Silver Wheel and Clear Coat...

    EDIT: The real BMW touch up paint is Reflex Silver Metallic #144, comes packaged like this


    BavAuto has it for $31, listed as 51910000000. I've also seen it as 51910427864 but neither come up on RealOEM
    Last edited by Hermes; 10-19-2011 at 11:50 PM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Maine-Vacationland
    Posts
    1,961
    Thanks for the help. Can Sonax be picked up at an auto parts store??

    Anybody else??

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    32.8 N, 117.3 W
    Posts
    7,640
    Look at the sponsors/affiliates at the top of the page. You probably won't find it locally

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    West Palm
    Posts
    428
    i would try to wax the area if nothing happens at least it will create a small film to help stop the progression of the corrosion till you find something that may work, idk how bad it is but you may have to sand it down, mold and re-paint before they lose any integrity

    here is what hermes i think is talking about
    http://www.sonax.com/Car-Care/Produc...es-Rims-Rubber
    THE ANGRY TOMATO

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Berkeley
    Posts
    573
    +1 on sonax like jp said but i'd stay away from pressure washers, might take off clear coat / finish. after sonax, if you put a little elbow grease into it, wheel should be sparkling clean anyways.
    It's finally time to settle down,
    my name is Nelson.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Seacoast, NH
    Posts
    832
    P21s GEL wheel cleaner. You know where to pick that up.
    "The server is too busy at the moment. Please try again later."


    2009 Horizon Blue Mini R56 Cooper S 6spd
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  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Cleveland/Dayton
    Posts
    2,620
    Seems like you need to wetsand and polish if you can't remove it already


    Project STX: TCKline Racing l APEX l Vorshlag l Eibach l Hawk l Schroth l BMW Performance

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Maine-Vacationland
    Posts
    1,961
    Okay, here are the actual wheels







    I should just buy her a set of 197s and be done with it


  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    NJ
    Posts
    534
    you may need to clay and polish those out, if that's been there for awhile you may want to consider refinishing them if the sonax, claying, polishing does not work.

    video on Sonax Full Effect (this is straight pressure washer, but brushing is required for 100% clean wheels)


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