text: Brake dust embedded into gunmetal 21 wheels
  BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Wash, Wax, Detailing and Cosmetic protection/repairs > Brake dust embedded into gunmetal 21 wheels
  Was driving for a week when the front brakepads were wearing out so alot of the overheated dust got on the front wheel (219m with the gunmetal color). Its embedded into the wheel. How can i remove it without damaging the paint?
  Sorry, title should be 219m style wheels and not 21' wheels lol
  You can try clay, ironx, and compound but after that your not going to get it out. I had the same problem and I had no idea how it happened because I keep my car clean as a whistle. My clear coat failed and by the sound of it, yours did too. Post pictures of it and I will tell you if it did.
  04-21-2013, 02:31 AM #3
  I thought I had this problem too, many times...
  However, to be honest, I have never seen it actually happen (brake dust embedded). Not that I detail a lot...
  I was cleaning my wheels last weekend, and what I did was:
  Clay - you'll need a whole bar or maybe even 2 to get all the brake dust out
  And then I waxed them...
  What I did notice is it also depends on what wheel cleaner you use. I have been using Wurth intensive wheel cleaner, which always seems to leave spots of brake dust, which one might think are embedded... however, then I spray with Sonax Xtreme, and even those stubborn dots disappear!
  04-22-2013, 04:14 PM #4
  Havent had time to check, so use clay and sonac extreme???
  If clay doesn't get it out, you are going to have to refinish them. Clay it for a good 20 minutes and if your not getting anywhere, your clear coat failed. Sonax will just remove caked on brake dust, not embedded brake dust.
  can you show me the photos of the wheels.
  04-28-2013, 06:17 AM #7
  To clean the wheels regularly, I can only recommend Sonax Xtreme wheel cleaner. Unfortunately, I bought 5L of the wurth cleaner to save some $$$, but it doesn't work as well... I have used the Wurth in the past, so I knew what I was in for, I figured I'd like to save some $$$ and it hasn't done any damage in the past...
  To get the brake dust out, I recommend you do:
  -take the rims off the car
  -wash the rims with Dawn/washing up liquid to get rid of wax (in case they were waxed) oil, grime, etc
  -after you do this wash, spray down with Sonax Xtreme wheel cleaner
  --let it sit for 10 minutes, rinse down
  -spray again with Sonax Xtreme wheel cleaner, take a brush and brush the cleaner all around the place to loosen any remaining dirt/dust
  -take a clay bar (I used some 4 year old Sonus clay I had laying around) (if I were to buy a wheel specific clay, I'd go for something heavy duty rather than "soft" or "medium clay"). Clay the wheels using clay + a mix of car shampoo + water in a spray bottle
  ---keep at it for long enough, though I could get in between the spokes pretty clean in like 10 minutes per wheel
  -then, if you wish, take some polish and try polishing the rest out - I only had some Sonax Polish and Wax II (light duty polish) laying around that I use on the car, so I used that... you can get something more heavy duty if you wish
  If this doesn't help you, then you're probably right and brake dust is probably embedded...
  11-17-2013, 11:52 AM #8
  Removing embedded brake dust with Mother's wheel polish
  I have a style 360 on my 128i that was a leased vehicle before. The previous owner must have not taken care of the wheels as I have significant built up brake dust.
  I have been using Mother's Mag & Alum Polish to clean them. It is slow going and I still have areas that are not down to the clear coat. I use Wheel Wax after cleaning.
  Does anyone have any other ideas? I have tried a mild Meguairs clay and the polish is still the best.