Cleaning BBS rims

The place to pick up tips on bringing that showroom shine back to your E30.

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chinchilla
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Post Fri Mar 09, 2007 9:16 am

What do member use and any special brushes! it so hard to clean bbs rims with all the cross spokes! all the dirt on my front wheels from the brakes go in to all the corners :cry:
Last edited by chinchilla on Fri Mar 09, 2007 12:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
GDBN
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Post Fri Mar 09, 2007 12:21 pm

Try coke and a bottle brush.

But no matter what .. they take time and effort to keep clean.

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cliffybabe
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Post Fri Mar 09, 2007 12:37 pm

onve u got them clean spray the nano tec polish on them give them about 7 coats of the gear and then just use ur sponge it works a treat
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caneswell
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Post Sun Mar 11, 2007 11:22 am

Is coke ok on 3 piece wheels? I've heard some stuff can disolve the silicone and make them leak.

And I know coke is rather good at disolving stuff, god knows what it does to your in when you drink it!
1an
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Post Sun Mar 11, 2007 9:31 pm

sorry to hi jack the thread, but thaught it was pointless making a new thread when it is linked in to your question.

ive got bbs wheels on my car, but when i was cleaning it today ( only picked up yesterday ) i noticed that the brake dust had basically pitted and stained the alloy, does anyone know of any products to make these wheels shine again or is it a refurb? ive tried wheel cleaner, even tried some cilit bang kitchen degreaser. any ideas would be much appreciated.

cheers ian
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PiperZero
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Post Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:06 am

Hello folks,
Wanted to chip in with regards to using Coke to remove icky stuff from metal...It doesn't work! I've tried putting small metal tools (screwdriver tips with surface rust) into a tupperware of Coke, and after some bubbling and 3 days later - no rust was removed.

Wanted to try using a Coke-soaked rag and scrape off rust on my bumper, but after that experiment, I have to consider other stuff...

Didn't notice if the Coke cleaned up the porcelain as I poured it down the toilet bowl... :D


piperzero
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Post Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:15 am

I use chemical guys premium blue wheel cleaner. diluted 4:1 for heavily soiled wheels and 10:1 for lightly soiled wheels.

I have read that it is non acidic so tends to be gentle on the wheels but does a great job at removing break dust and road film.

Spray on, agitate with a wheel brush (or 1" paintbrush with the bristles cut down, also wrap the metal band section with insulating tape so it doesn't scratch) leave for 2-3 minutes and rinse off. 8)
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bobafett
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Post Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:57 am

What about your man on the telly "cillit BANG !" will that work or knacker the wheels ?
What ?! Drive straight officer......It's an E30 !
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1an
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Post Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:51 pm

i tried some cillit bang on my wheels as i believe they are past repair, well the could be refurbed but not much point as the yare only 14" bbs. it didnt seem to budge the brake dust at all, i wouldnt bother really jsut use some proper wheel cleaner on there and clean the mregularly unlike what the guy before me didnt do. :x
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toby
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Post Mon Mar 19, 2007 1:39 pm

I use a selection of brushes I got from Halfords (and then saw them cheaper somewhere like GSF) including a long pointy brush which is good for the slots and a big fat one for surface and rim.

I hose the wheels, spray with diluted car shampoo in an old spray bottle and leave it for a bit.
Then hose off and use two buckets with brushes one with soap and one for rinsing brush after each scrubbing.
Left to dry, then I spray with alloy wheel protector spray to make them easier to clean next time.

Sometimes I just clean the wheels as they are a pain to clean if they get too bad so it's easier to wash often and the bodywork seems to gets less dirty in comparison.

A jet wash now and then makes life easy in prepearation (and gets the inside of the arches) and then to clean the wheels with a brush at home if you want, another day.
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c76jon
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Post Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:20 pm

if they are fecked and really could do with a refurb but you want to make the most of them then oven cleaner is good at removing b/dust from pitted wheels

jon
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nobbyw4
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Post Wed Mar 21, 2007 9:31 am

Fit Green Stuff brake pads... awesome stopping power and limited dust! I spray my BBSs with engine gunk and leave for a few minutes before using various special 'bog brush'-type brushes with washing-up liquid. Find this works a treat.
greentouring
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Post Sat Mar 24, 2007 4:13 pm

I have taken to using an old toothbrush to clean my BBS cross-spokes.....don't think there is an easy way other than to sit down with a beer, some good music, and scrub away at each wheel............. :?

Toby: really nice Touring there, mate...like your shade of green too.
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Post Sat Mar 24, 2007 4:19 pm

Greentouring has got it in 1. Only lots of time keeps the BBS's looking good. That baked on brake dust is uch harder and more resilient to any cleaner than the paint is, so go careful. If your BBS's are bright, take time to clean them.
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toby
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Post Sat Mar 24, 2007 4:52 pm

greentouring wrote:I have taken to using an old toothbrush to clean my BBS cross-spokes.....don't think there is an easy way other than to sit down with a beer, some good music, and scrub away at each wheel............. :?

Toby: really nice Touring there, mate...like your shade of green too.
Glad you like the touring.

As for cleaning the wheels I too used to use a toothbrush but it just isn't quite strong enough.

Get a big brush and a cone brush - it works much better and faster.



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http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... ryrn_33974#

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... ryrn_76803#

When the wheels are really dirty and you have to use a wheel cleaner spray then the very soft brush like a paint brush (comes with some wheel cleaner sprays) is very good. Avoid acid based wheel sprays I've been told by Lepsons.
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orangecurry
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Post Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:37 am

Wonder Wheels - you use very little so it lasts forever, and you get a special brush with it. It is acidic, but gentler than most cleaners, and actually works - YOU DON'T USE THIS TO CLEAN THE WHEELS EVERY WEEK.

But as the boys said, once they are clean, you have to keep them clean - old toothbrush is ok, but best if you clean then with an old non-abraisive kitchen (small) sponge every week.
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Post Sun Apr 01, 2007 11:57 am

Be careful of the Halfords wheel brush. The tip is molded plastic and over a period of time, dependent on how many times you clean your wheels will come off.

This will leave the metal area on the wheel brush exposed which will scratch your wheels!.
I posted you an eariler thread with regard to a Flash wheel brush, again sold at Halfords. Made of Sheepskin with no metal bits.