[culpability]

Hey all. My 440i has the black 400M wheels on it. They are about 3 years old.

I have really, really struggled to get these things cleaned up properly. I've owned chrome and black chrome wheels before and really didn't have any trouble at all getting them cleaned up, just occasional brake dust build up.

These things though.. they always look kind of dingy. I've tried the Griot's heavy duty wheel cleaner several times, but the end result is always some kinda smudgy not very clean wheels with almost no shine at all. Even wiping them down with a microfiber cloth doesn't really leave any shine or sheen on the wheel at all.

Any tips or recommended products? At this point I'm half tempted to try some tire dressing on them or something...

[alohasurftoad]

did you paint the wheels yourself? i treat wheels as a painted surface, most wheels nowadays have a clearcoat although yours is likely single stage black.

imo, it seems like you need to polish them, a paint polish with a light abrasive, and then a coating or a good sealant. this will reduce the brake dust from sticking.

to maintain them, i just use car wash soap and usually apply a sealant. Sonax has good wheel cleaning products, if you're the chemical type.

[Desertnate]

What exactly is your care process?

What are you washing them with, i.e. brush, wash mitt, etc?

Are you actually using a brush or mitt along with the wheel cleaner or or you just spraying it on and then rinsing it off?

How often do you clean them?

I use the regular green Griots wheel cleaner and never had any issues getting my wheels clean even when they are at their absolute worst. I rinse the wheel with the hose, spray on the wheel cleaner. From there I use a Speedmaster brush for the barrels and a soft generic wheel brush for the faces. They come out shiny and clean each time with no scratches.

Satin wheels won't be shiny because they are, well, satin. However, they should be clean and not dingy looking. Not sure why you're having issues with that given the product your using.

If painted wheels are looking dull and hazy in addition to being dingy that may indicate they are being scratched in the washing/drying step. At that point they'll need to be polished out of you want to make them shiny again; as long as they aren't the satin wheels.