Question for Style 5 rim owners

[Steven G]

Hi,
I just picked up a '98 528i 5 spd with sport pkg (Aspen Silver with under 90k miles) for my wife to replace her '95 cabrio. The car came with style 5 rims - can anyone tell me which are trustworthy products to clean and polish them with?
Thanks.
Steven G.

[shanek]

I use Autosol paste on my rims. Any of the spray on cleaners seem to just make a mess. The Autosol is amazing. It worked on my stock basketweaves as well, which were in really bad shape because they are my winters. I picked it up at a local parts store.

[Steven G]

Thanks for your response Shane. Looks like I could use Autosol on my '95's basketweaves as well. I see you are located in BC, I'm in Southern Alberta. Thanks again neighbour!
Steven G.
'95 525iA
'98 528i 5 spd

[CharlesAFerg]

My style-5s are clearcoated... Hmmm, I should have them refinished somehow...

[Paul in NZ]

i would try a good old fashioned clean first,with a "wheel cleaner"Follow the instructions and it wil remove all the old brake dust.Then you can see what you are up against.If they havent been looked after the clearcoat will have gone in places and you will have some corrosion,which will require refinishing and re coaing to keep it nice.If you have some minor corrsion the autosol will clean that up but you will have to keep at it.

[Denton]

I'm about to buy these wheels:
http://picasaweb.google.com/e9nine/Whizzles/photo#5023438541115954018

Think that Autosol product will help the Style 5s out a bit?

[MTechnik540i]

My style-5s are clearcoated... Hmmm, I should have them refinished somehow...

I wouldn't bother having them Re-Cleared. Clearcoating bare metal isn't an easy task, usually leads to issues. Just strip the clear down and polish them with metal polish weekly.

[Robert K]

Just kidding...but then again not. I've had style 5's for years now and to be frank, they're a labor of love. I would not suggest using any of the spray-on wheel cleaners. I believe the majority of them are acidic. Just read the labels. Almost all of them tell you not to leave it on very long at all. I never wanted to take the chance, so I never used any of the spray-on type products.

About once a year, I take them off and scrub them down good. I typically use some type of dishwashing liquid with a brush, toothbrush and sponges. Once I get them as clean as I can, if I'm up to it, I wax them. A good coat of wax not only helps maintain the factory finish, but it also makes subsequent cleanings much easier as well. For washing, either some type of wheel brush or a wash mit will allow you to get in between all the spokes. Don't forget to dry them as well so you don't leave hard water spots.

Grace and peace,

Robert K
1991 535i

[Paul in NZ]

of course the wheel washes are acidic,...how else would they get stuff off that normal scrubbing wont?I got a set of deep dish BBS wheels they were clean on the "fronts" but the inside of the "backs" were black.Scrubbing didnt do a thing.Many many applications of wheel cleaner,following the instructions to the letter got them almost as good as new....If you have serious deposits of brake dust ,wheel cleaner is the only way to get rid of it,short of more agressive physical action(bead blasting or something).I wont make a habit of using wheel cleaner though because i dont want to spray it over the brakes etc when the wheels are actually mounted on the car.

[MTechnik540i]

Just kidding...but then again not. I've had style 5's for years now and to be frank, they're a labor of love. I would not suggest using any of the spray-on wheel cleaners. I believe the majority of them are acidic. Just read the labels. Almost all of them tell you not to leave it on very long at all. I never wanted to take the chance, so I never used any of the spray-on type products.

About once a year, I take them off and scrub them down good. I typically use some type of dishwashing liquid with a brush, toothbrush and sponges. Once I get them as clean as I can, if I'm up to it, I wax them. A good coat of wax not only helps maintain the factory finish, but it also makes subsequent cleanings much easier as well. For washing, either some type of wheel brush or a wash mit will allow you to get in between all the spokes. Don't forget to dry them as well so you don't leave hard water spots.

Grace and peace,

Robert K
1991 535i

This is good advice, I know folks that don't even use soap when they clean their wheels! That may be a little excessive, but using these 'mild cleaners' aren't always friendly to bare metal surfaces on wheels, especially if they're left on too long.

AFA polishing/waxing...I typically do this same deal to wheels Bi or Tri-Monthly.