Professional Brake Dust Removal and Wheel Restoration

Never apply chemicals to hot wheels. In 40°C+ Australian heat, brake components can retain heat for hours. Park the vehicle in a shaded, well-ventilated area. Use an infrared thermometer or a light spray of water to ensure the rotors and calipers are cool to the touch. Applying chemicals to a hot wheel causes rapid evaporation, leading to chemical etching and permanent staining of the alloy.

Before introducing water, use compressed air or a soft dry brush to remove loose red dust or sand. This prevents the formation of an abrasive 'mud' during the initial rinse. If you have been driving through coastal areas, do not skip this, as salt crystals can be highly abrasive if rubbed against the clear coat.

Prepare your wash bucket with a high-lubricity car shampoo (approx. 50ml per 10L of water). Organise your brushes from largest to smallest. If using a concentrated degreaser for the tyres, dilute it according to the manufacturer's 'heavy duty' specs for the first pass. Ensure you are wearing nitrile gloves and eye protection, as iron removers are highly acidic or chemically aggressive.

Rinse each wheel thoroughly, starting from the top and working down. Focus on the wheel barrels and behind the spokes where the heaviest concentration of brake dust resides. The goal here is to remove 80% of the loose topical contamination so the chemical cleaners can focus on the 20% that is bonded to the surface.

Apply your alkaline degreaser to the tyre sidewall first. Scrub with a stiff-bristled tyre brush until the foam turns from brown to white. This removes 'blooming' (antiozonants) and old dressings. Rinse thoroughly. Cleaning the tyre first prevents dirty runoff from contaminating your freshly cleaned wheel later.

Spray the iron fallout remover liberally over the entire wheel surface, including the barrel and calipers. Ensure total coverage. You should apply this to a dry or slightly damp wheel for maximum dwell time. Do not allow the product to dry; in summer, this may mean working on one wheel at a time rather than all four.

Allow the product to dwell for 3-5 minutes. You will observe a colour change (usually to deep purple or red) as the chemical reacts with the iron particles. This is the 'bleeding' effect. This chemical reaction liquefies the iron shards that have embedded themselves into the clear coat, making them safe to wash away without abrasive scrubbing.

Using your long-reach barrel brush, reach deep into the wheel to scrub the inner rim. Use a back-and-forth motion, rotating the brush to ensure you hit the back of the spokes. The barrel is often the most neglected area and holds the most corrosive material. Dip the brush frequently into your wash bucket to keep it lubricated.

Switch to a soft boar's hair brush for the wheel face. Pay specific attention to the lug nut holes and the area where the spoke meets the rim. These 'pockets' are where salt and brake dust collect, leading to the first signs of corrosion. Use light pressure; let the chemicals do the heavy lifting.

Rinse the wheel extremely thoroughly. Direct the water into the lug nut holes and behind the brake calipers to ensure no iron remover remains. Residual chemical left in these crevices can cause white spotting or 'chalking' once the wheel heats up during driving.

Run your hand (inside a plastic bag or glove) over the wheel surface. If it feels 'gritty' despite looking clean, use a clay bar with plenty of lubricant. This will pull out the remaining non-metallic contaminants like industrial fallout or stubborn tree sap that survived the chemical stage.

Perform a final wipe-down with your microfibre wash pad and shampoo to remove any loosened debris. Dry the wheel completely using a dedicated microfibre drying towel or a leaf blower. Drying is critical in Australia to prevent 'water spotting' caused by high mineral content in local water supplies evaporating in the sun.

Spray a 50% IPA solution onto a clean microfibre and wipe the entire wheel face and barrel. This removes any leftover surfactants or lubricants from the soaps, leaving a 'naked' surface. This step is essential if you plan to apply a sealant or ceramic coating, as it ensures maximum bonding.

Apply a high-heat resistant wheel sealant or ceramic spray. In the Australian climate, look for products with high UV inhibitors. Apply to the face and, if possible, the barrel. This creates a sacrificial barrier that prevents brake dust from bonding directly to the alloy in the future, making subsequent cleans 'contactless'.