Been meaning to do a good job on wheel cleaning for a while now. I do a decent job each time I wash the car, but wanted to do more of a ‘deep clean,’ to include cleaning up the inner barrels of the wheels as well. So last fall I got some Griot’s Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner and, since the weather went bad on me before I got a chance to try it out, I stored it and waited for spring. Finally, a couple days ago, got around to tackling the project. The stuff worked well, getting the face of the wheels super clean and doing a pretty decent job (90%) on the barrels—I wasn’t expecting miracles on that part so I was happy with what I got.
What I hadn’t planned was this: My brake calipers had gotten really nasty over the years, and while I’ve done brake work plenty of times I hadn’t even attempted to improve their looks. I had taken the wheels off to be able to do the thorough cleaning so, as I wrapped up, I took a microfiber towel that was still damp with wheel cleaner and wiped them down. I was encouraged by how much stuff came off, so I dove into it, spraying them down with the wheel cleaner, letting it set a few minutes, agitating (wheel brush, MF towel, toothbrush), rinsing, repeating. I have no idea if it’ll hold up, but I threw some sealant on them and buffed as a last step.
I was pretty amazed with the results. I had read a few threads on repainting calipers, thinking that was the only technique that would be successful in improving their looks. As it is, while they’re certainly not “like new,” they are enough improved that I’m going to defer on repainting indefinitely. We’ll see what they look like in a few weeks/months…
BEFORE:
AFTER:
(Different corner, with wheel)
