Wheel Rust

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Crosby87

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I have VW Passat that has wheels that have been neglected for a while. Is there anything that will remove this? I have tried Simple Green Auto mixed 50/50. That got rid of a lot of dirt, but there still appears to be rust stains. Are these permanent or is there anything that will fix something like this? i've read about Sonax, but haven't bought it yet. Will this work on rust stains?

Thanks!
 
Are they corroding ??? Perhaps something like CLR "might" be tested quite carefully (ie. tread lightly). If cleaned off are you going to protect it (new clearcoat, wheel sealant) often to keep from coming back ???
 
if it's not in a conspicuous place, just sand it off

I doubt you want to get into the whole sandblasting, and powdercoat thing unless they are nice rims that have seen better days. I plan to sand down some rusted spots on my winter rims, prime, and touchup once they come off the car in the spring...
 
killrwheels@autogeek said:
Are they corroding ??? Perhaps something like CLR "might" be tested quite carefully (ie. tread lightly). If cleaned off are you going to protect it (new clearcoat, wheel sealant) often to keep from coming back ???
Click to expand...

I was thinking about CLR. They are just the stock rims, so they aren't chrome or anything special. If I can get the rust off, how would I protect them...wheel wax or a product like that?

What do I have to watch for with the CLR?
 
Are they steel wheels with hub caps, or alloy wheels with rust-looking spots on them?

Can you post a pic of one of the rims showing the rust spots?
 
Crosby87 said:
I was thinking about CLR. They are just the stock rims, so they aren't chrome or anything special. If I can get the rust off, how would I protect them...wheel wax or a product like that?

What do I have to watch for with the CLR?
Click to expand...

it could possibly damage the clearcoat. I would tread quite carefully. As for protection with any wax or sealant you would need to reapply often. Best choice would be to have the professionally recoated.

Is it limited to one wheel or all ??? If one, perhaps a replacement on Ebay or local U-Pull-It lot would be a better option.
 
Thanks for all the advice. Here are some pics of the wheels if that helps with any more suggestions!

IMG_5271_1.jpg
 
It's obvious the rims aren't rusting because they're alloy. And, clear coated.

What you're seeing is embedded brake dust. Use a quality clear coat safe cleaner, and a scrub brush on the build-up.

A tool like our Mothers PowerCone and a polish (I'd suggest a plastic polish since it's a plasticized urethane) would help remove the remainder and shine the rims up..
 
I've always wondered if spraying wax on the wheels is a good idea. Would the stray wax that gets on the rotors affect the brakes the first few times you use them or is it a non-issue?

I can see it now, nicely detailed ride goes right into traffic cause the brakes don't stop the car fast enough and it gets plowed...

and that is not rust, just really neglected rims that have caked on brake dust. Some Amazing Roll Off left to sit for 5 minutes and some agitation should take care of it. I can only imagine what the barrels must look like...
 
embolism said:
I've always wondered if spraying wax on the wheels is a good idea. Would the stray wax that gets on the rotors affect the brakes the first few times you use them or is it a non-issue?

I can see it now, nicely detailed ride goes right into traffic cause the brakes don't stop the car fast enough and it gets plowed...

and that is not rust, just really neglected rims that have caked on brake dust. Some Amazing Roll Off left to sit for 5 minutes and some agitation should take care of it. I can only imagine what the barrels must look like...
Click to expand...

Yeah, the barrels are pretty filthy. I have owned the car for about 5 years and have always used the touchless, automatic car washes. I've finally learned the importance of hand-washing. Unfortunately the Passats seem to be terrible with brake dust, so now I am paying for it. I assume to get the barrels clean you have to take the entire wheel off?
 
Crosby87 said:
Yeah, the barrels are pretty filthy. I have owned the car for about 5 years and have always used the touchless, automatic car washes. I've finally learned the importance of hand-washing. Unfortunately the Passats seem to be terrible with brake dust, so now I am paying for it. I assume to get the barrels clean you have to take the entire wheel off?
Click to expand...

You assume correctly. You will probably save time cleaning them off the car anyway.
 
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