So I washed my car over the weekend and I was able to do a VERY good cleaning every bit of it except for the rims. For the most part the brake dust came on VERY easily by just using car wash soap and spraying it down with water and using a microfiber towel. When it came to the center, I tried to scrub it real hard w/ my fingers and a microfiber towel. The center was pretty sticky and it couldn't be removed. First of all I was wondering what all that stuff was, is it brake dust, is it grime or what? Secondly what product would you use to try to remove this? It's very sticky and hard to remove. I was told by someone to maybe use an All Purpose Cleaner called Simple Green. How else would you guys go about cleaning the centers of the rims? Here is a picture...



Thanks!

 

simple green, goo gone, or the one I use on stuff is called wholly cow and I think its their degreaser, might be called "ranch cleaner" and its meant for things like engines, leather, anything on a ranch. I use it because its pet safe so if it spills the dog can lick it and not die works pretty well

 

you can try something called bug and tar remover. it works pretty well when i used it and its also made by turtle wax so cant really go wrong. took off sap from trees and sticker goo in a couple seconds as i whipped it away. thats what i recommend.

 

simple green for sure

 

I forgot about the bug and tar remover, I used to use that on a lot of stuff. Spray it on and let it soak for a minute. :goes to remove sap from windshield:

 

but the thing is, is this stuff safe on stock gold sti rims?

 

be careful with of the items listed. they should all work, but if you rub to hard or use to much you may hurt the paint. Just be very patient with it and youll be fine. if you are worried, use some on the inside of the rim to see how it affects the paint first.

 

I had similar stuff on the center of my 07 wrx rims-more so around the lug nuts,but you may have gotten a lot of it off. Tried my best cleaners including some Motul stuff I used on bikes. Finally shot some brake cleaner on a paper towel and rubbed gently-it came off. Got bolder later and just shot some brake cleaner on it ,gently rubbed with soft towel and hosed it off with a garden hose-low pressure. Worked like a champ. No damage of any kind on stock painted rims. Of course, on my wrx,rims are Enkei's so be careful on BBS's at first, like I did.

 

Goo gone wont hurt it.

Mine came brand new with all kind of black gunk in that area that I had a lot of trouble getting out