Need some help with this one!

[Geebee]

I'm detailing a friends Ram pickup and the rims were absolutely terrible! The problem I'm having is that there seems to be tar or tar and gravel mix stuck to the inside of the rims. OK. I've tried all the solutions I know of and I still can't get this mess off of all 4 rims. Anybody know of any tricks.

 

See the attachments.

 

Thanks

 

[BluedogGMC]

Did you try something that's a petroleum base like a little gasoline? If it is dried tar that might loosen it up.

[shane@detailedreflections]

You can find tar removing products from other vendors if wheel cleaner didn't do anything. I won't name companies out of respect for the rules.

 

That's probably your best bet for the least amount of work.

[Nathan]

Maybe try scraping it off with a plastic putty knife?

[Geebee]

Thanks guys!  I'll try a stronger petroleum based product and a plastic putty knife. 

[Wy_detailing]

Keep us updated on this please! I have a set of wheels that has the same problem and haven't been able to find a solution yet

[Geebee]

Keep us updated on this please! I have a set of wheels that has the same problem and haven't been able to find a solution yet

Will do Wyatt. 

[ocdrifter]

Gary get your self The Terminator works great, I also use a white long plastic gasket push stick, maybe you can buy one at your local tint store they only cost a buck or two, I use it to pop off most of the tar off the rim and the use the cleaner to get the residue off.

 

The pic is what a push stick looks like don't pay attention to the writing on it they are all the same.

 

If you don't have access to one I can mail you one.

[Geebee]

Thanks Joe...I'll look for it.

[Dan@Adams]

I've run into this problem when I bought some used Z06 wheels for my little project truck. The rear wheels are 12" wide and had a lot of tar and rubber (I'm presuming from burnouts from the previous owner!) stuck on the barrel pretty good. The first thing I did was clean the wheels as much as possible with our Wheel Cleaner, full strength. This removed all of the brake dust and dirt, but the tar and small rocks remained stuck inside of the barrel for the most part. For those, I used my fingers and an old stained Edgeless Utility Towel to pull the small rocks off as carefully as I could. Then I used a little bit of kerosene on the towel with a lot of elbow grease to wipe away the remaining residue, tar residue.

 

I then rinsed thoroughly and used some Revive Hand Polish to give the inside of the wheels a little bit of shine again, since they are painted and clear coated. I finished up by putting on a layer of Paint Sealant for some protection. This was all done over 2 years ago, so sadly I don't have any pictures of the process.

 

I should add that I also did this with the wheels removed from the truck. After cleaning with Wheel Cleaner and drying them, I let them sit out in the hot sun for a few hours to let the tar warm up a bit. That seems to make it wipe off more easily for me.

[Geebee]

Well guys, here's what worked. I took a towel and a flat screwdriver (small) and while having the towel under the screwdriver, lightly tapped on the gravel/tar spot and wha-la.  Popped right off.  For all of the smaller spots, I used a plastic putty knife and got all those off too. Now to get the smudge spots off the rim, I'm thinking of a degreaser or All Purpose cleaner on the inside of the rims.

 

Thanks for all your suggestions!

[BrianT]

That's looks odd. I used my finger nail, but mine were just single pebbles.