21 years of MB brake dust - time to refurb!

[karburn]

I knew that the wheels on my ’87 560SL were not in very good condition when I bought the car last year. The car overall is in great shape, but it’s obvious that the previous owners were from the “wash it and put it away” school of car care. I made a valiant effort on the exteriors, using an assortment of products [P21S, Griot’s Garage, Meguiar’s] and brushes to try to clean those infernal 15-hole wheels to a presentable state; taking care not to use anything too harsh so as not to further damage the 21 year old finish. The goal was to make them somewhat presentable until I could get them refurbished by a local company. I finally bought an alternate set of wheels and tires and when I removed the originals it became obvious that anything short of a full re-furbish would be a waste of time. The pictures say it all – this is what happens when brake dust builds up. Out of sheer embarrassment I tried to clean up the back sides of the wheels before taking them to the refurbishing company, and not even a full-on, undiluted degreaser would make any headway. So, just to illustrate what 21 years of neglected Mercedes Benz brake dust looks like, I submit herewith:

Not too bad from the front

But turn them over – GAAK!!!

Even after the degreaser / scrubbing:

Sad

At least before mounting the new wheels I had the chance to clay them up like new and applied two coats of Poorboy’s sealant. Now I can wipe off the brake dust with some QD and a microfiber – which is a daily task when I drive the car. When the wheels are refurbished I may post up the results, but I just had to share what two decades of unattended brake dust looks like!

New wheels in place:

All photos were taken with an old Kodak digital – I wish I would have taken my Nikon out of the bag

Thanks – and don’t let brake dust get away from you!!

 

[ScottB]

thats a wheel to test Poorboys Spray/Rinse on ...

 

[supercharged]

If Poorboy's fail, try Megs wheel brightener, but be very careful.