Hi

How do all you vRS owners keep you standard alloys clean. I use alloy wheel cleaner foam which does remove some brake dust but there is alot of ground in black mess in the corners of the wheels, doesn't easily come off with a brush. Any tips?

Also why do the rear wheels always have more brake dust on them than the front, never seen this on another car:(

That is odd. I've always gotten more dust on the fronts than the rears. I assumed that was because of the bigger discs.

I use Muc-off, a brush and a hose to clean the wheels.

Muc-off is a pink liquid which is sold as a bicycle cleaner. I bought it to clean my mountain bike, but one day when I ran out of wheel cleaner I decided to give the Muc-off a try on my RS's wheels. Great job!

It cleans nicely and isn't harsh like an acid based cleaner.

The design of the wheels are just hard to clean though and will always require a fair amount of elbow grease :( .

I agree with Freakcrab, Muc-off is a great product. One of my first jobs when I get my vRS (currently on order) will be to give the wheels a coat of Turtle Wax Brake Dust Barrier. I have used this on my Motorbike and regular use prevents the dust sticking to the wheel. It then makes the job of cleaning much easier

I covered my new wheels with brake-dust barrier before they were mounted on the car. So far it's doing a good job, makes them stay clean longer and easier to clean.

Despite my obsession with cleaning and polishing, I don't actually enjoy it. :p

I find that the front wheels gather more brake dust, but the rear wheels seem to pick up a ot of spots of tar and stuff like that. To get them sparkling clean usually takes 10-15 minutes per wheel. I use a stiff wheel brush, and scrub them with water. Any stubborn marks and I just use that cheapo Turtle Wax wheel cleaner. It does take some elbow grease, but the wheels look great afterwards.

Had mine painted anthracite. Brake dust? What brake dust?

Jump in car, drive 5 miles, drop car at car valet, go for burger, collect car, drive with smug look, repeat 7 days later. Whats the big deal?

How do all you vRS owners keep you standard alloys clean?

My 4X4 turbo Estate is fitted with alloys too, but I guess vRS owners generate more brake dust along with other things too....

Yap, there's all that extra silverware to clean with RS ownership.

PS Wonder wheels and a wheel brush from Homebase car section(black bristle loop with red handle about 10" long). Have been using this combo for a year now with no probs, err even Jon (taviaRS) was so impressed with my wheels he suggested swopping them with his, in your dreams.

Thanks for the tips guys. I shall certainly go and get some turtle was brake dust barrier as I've not come across this before.

Our rims are the older 16" size. TBH they are the worst alloys I've come across in terms of the quality of the coating. The rears have quite a lot of ground in dust in the corners, despite my best efforts. Just needs a really good cleaning, like an hour per rim :eek: . Never had this problem on my micra or on any of the other cars my dad has had. I think the newer 17" RS rims have a better coating.

Neil RS

If you do use Wonder Wheels - which is a very good cleaner, especially for the very impressive-looking alloys on the 4X4 turbo Estate - don't leave the cleaner on for longer than recommended otherwise it may remove the wheels from the dirt.

Time to wax the dog........

For the fortunate RS owner this so called melting problem is nonexistent. I can see how this would concern the owner of a lesser car with inferior so called (only for show) alloys.

?And your point is??? :think: