<MISC> re: What kind of wheels/What kind of cleaner?

[Knute Ream <knute@xxxxxxxxx>]

Jerry Miller wrote:

>I'm looking to clean the wheels on my '88 325iC.  When I go to a parts store
>to choose a liquid to help in the process, I seem to need to know whether I
>have brushed, polished, anodized or forged aluminum.  What do I have?  
>Here are the characteristics:
>*	 triangular honeycomb pattern
>*	"BBS" label
>*	rough aluminum look 
>
>Once I know what kind of wheel, is there a brand better than another, or
>should I stop worrying and use Tide?

Regardless of what kind of wheels you have, I've never found anything that
works better than Simple Green.  Get the wheel wet, spray on the Simple
Green (let it marinate a minute or two, but not in direct sunlight if you
can avoid it; you don't want it to dry out) then use a soft brush, followed
by a thorough rinse.

To make it easier to clean your wheels in the future, get them really clean
(a couple of passes as above, plus use a pressure washer for the rinse if
you have access to one) and then apply a good wax.  The wax will not only
seal the outer layer against oxidation, but it also makes it tougher for
the brake dust particles to etch into the wheel.

As many have pointed out in the past, most wheels are painted, so you won't
be doing yourself any favors by using a truly caustic wheel cleaner or
abrasive brushes.

Good luck!

- -Knute

------------------------------