I have brake dust residue on my wheels. Have tried multiple products from the local stores and also scrubbed with a toilet brush....some comes off but I cannot get the wheels clean.....any suggestions?

 

Scrub!

 

Meguiar's purple rim cleaner does a good job of cutting through baked on brake dust. Then buy some cheap Dupont compound and scrub. Finish off with a couple coats of wax to make them easier to clean the next time.

 

Oven cleaner. Don't let it sit too long!

Bob

 

Mr. Clean eraser! Trust me. It will take off anything thats caked on there. Even if it baked in the sun for 100 years.

 

I've used simple green to great success in the past. And like they said above, wax them afterward to make it easier later on.

 

All the input from everyone was great, have used them all in the past but it seems yours has caked brake metals that have probly gotten rusty. If this is the case the other pruducts dont work and probly schred the eraser. I have owned my detail business over 20 years and know of a product that will not fail. If the other stuff dont cut it email me @LT565656@hotmail.com and I can direct you. Would just post it but this stuff is VERY caustic and I dont want it just being used by anyone without being aware of how to currectly use it.

 

I was going to ask about this. I owned my 00 A6 for like a week. After a day or so of driving it I noticed the front wheels were getting very dirty very quickly. Black residue... is this common/normal? Never owned and all wheel drive before and I've never had a car who's wheels got so grimmy so quickly.

 

I have good result of wheel/tire cleaning by using the one in photo, garden hose w/ brush in pic.

 

Dirty front rims have nothing to do with quattro and everything to do with brake pad composition. The front brakes also perform most of the stopping due to the car weight transferring forward during braking, so they tend to be larger and wear faster = more dust than the rears. Look at most Mercedes, BMWs, Audis and you will see this. Best solution is to switch to a low-dust pad (not necessarily ceramic) and then wash/wax the rim thoroughly. You will still get some dust but it will be significantly reduced and easier to wash off.