Cleaning Brembo's?

[Phil K]

Hello!

Having washed the LCR a few times now I'm begining to get frustrated that I can't remove all the brake dust from my nice red brembo's...

So what do you guys reccomend? I don't want to go slapping wonder wheels all over them only to find the paint starts lifting etc...

 

[stpete]

wheels off, soft brush, good car shampoo?

 

[cupra r rob]

Best way is to take the wheels off, if im feeling lazy i feed a wet cloth behind the alloy spokes, hold it at the top and bottom of the caliper and do a kind of up and down movement (dirty minds aside). If that makes any sence.

 

[CupraDaft]

I use a toothbrush on my MK3 Ibiza Cupra...on the calipers that is!!

 

[Reg]

I'd stay away from Wonder Wheels, you are likely to dull the finish for a start. If you must use it, dilute it with water 10:1.

Otherwise a decent All Purpose Cleaner, suitably diluted (again, about 10:1 should be good), put it in a plant sprayer and give the calipers a good soaking. Leave it to dwell for a couple of minutes, agitate with a brush and then rinse off. Would be worth putting some wheel wax on them too (carefully of course!) to help make cleaning easier in future.

 

[Feel]

Virosol is pretty good, but you will still need a good helping of elbow grease.

There's nothing funnier than the first drive after a wash to spot the wheel spoke sized strip of muck you've missed, or the python-esque routine of rolling the car forwards and backwards "a bit" to get at it.

Treat them gently though, the laquer does come off.

 

[ElasticTangent]

Would be worth putting some wheel wax on them too (carefully of course!) to help make cleaning easier in future.

Wheel wax? I didn't know you could get such a thing? Could you recommend a decent brand to go for Reg?

 

[karlosR]

how about brake cleaner? that stuff evaporates afterwards too! i use car shampoo and a toothbrush if i can be bothered to take the wheels off. the rears are more of a pain because they turn a girly shade of pink!

 

[ibizacupra]

soapy water

 

[Ruddmeister]

Virosol is pretty good, but you will still need a good helping of elbow grease.

Agreed, by far the best stuff I have ever used

Virosol and a nylon wheel brush

Spary on diluted with a garden sprayer, leave for 10mins, brush and jet wash off.

Virosol unlike wonder wheels etc is not an Acid

http://www.olympiccleaning.com/

 

[J_Cupra210]

the rears are more of a pain because they turn a girly shade of pink!

anybody got any recommendations for getting these back to the correct colour without having to remove and re-spray them? possibly some sort of paint restorer? Also, I have lacquer lifting on the front Brembos. Is there any product I can use to seal/stop the effects before it gets any worse?

Thanks fro any assistance.

J

 

[Phil K]

Thanks for the tips fellas... will have to find a suitable weekend to get serious with it then

And yeah I have pink rears too and would like to find a solution as they don't match the front too well!

 

[karlosR]

whip the rear wheels off and give the calipers a once over with something like autoglym paint restorer. a bit of effort brings them up nice but it isn't a permanent solution. respray/powder coating is probably the only other permanent fix!

 

[Ruddmeister]

anybody got any recommendations for getting these back to the correct colour without having to remove and re-spray them? possibly some sort of paint restorer? Also, I have lacquer lifting on the front Brembos. Is there any product I can use to seal/stop the effects before it gets any worse?

Thanks fro any assistance.

J

try this...

jack up the car, remove the wheel, jet wash the caliper until it's free of debris, wait till it dries, remove all flakes/loose lacquer, mask the caliper with cardboard, spray entire caliper with new lacquer (repeat for several coats) and then do the other side.

Now your probably thinking it'll be a bodge or whatever but give it a go and see what you think I seriously could not tell where the lacquer had peeled in small patches before.

IMO it's worth a go as it won't take long, worst case it's only a bit of extra lacquer to strip when you get them resprayed etc.

 

[J_Cupra210]

Thanks karlosR & Ruddmeister, will be trying both methods some time soon.

I'll get back to you and let you know how I get on!

 

[Reg]

Phil, go to www.cleanandshiny.co.uk. Chemical Guys Wheel Guard is the one - its the nuts.

 

[Phil K]

Cheers for that Reg! Will order some at the end of the month