I'll take some more pictures today. It looks like it ate into the wheel. We'll see if i can get the car into the back and put some lights on it (benifits of working at a photo lab).

 

By the way, DO NOT USE SIMPLY GREEN ON THE Z. Someone mentioned it above, so I had to say this. Simple Green simply eats aluminum. There is a reason that the Air Force has banned its use: airplanes are aluminum. The Z is full of it too (block, heads, rims, and hood). Even though a part might be painted, I still would not trust simple green anywhere near my car. If you need to wash your rims, simply use some mild soap and your hand. If you wash your rims often enough, your hand should be able to get everything off. Not to mention your own skin is soft (well, unless you....nevermind) and you can get your hand more places than a brush (did I just say that?). At any rate, it works for me.

 

I had Jay take a few pics of the wheels. Its hard to get in close to see the damage, but this will give you guys an idea.

http://350z.uberlame.com

*click for full size*

*click for full size*

Jay and I both stopped by the dealer, and they seem to be willing to do what ever it takes to make me happy. They really want to try fixing them, but if i dont like it, im really gonna push for new wheels... Ugh... this is such a pain the in the a**.

 

I've used simple green, water, and mothers polish on the polished aluminum wheels (no clearcoat) on my truck for about 2 years and nothing ever happened to them, but yes it does say it can speed up corrosion. I only use it when the dirt is caked and I rinse it with water as I'm scrubbing, I don't let the stuff dry on there. If you read below, it says as long as you wash it off quickly it won't hurt aluminum.

You have to use a harsher cleaner on caked up dirt or brake dust, what's a better option? I damn sure won't use wheel cleaner, that stuff is dangerous....


Aluminum - Is it safe to use Simple Green on aluminum?
Simple Green products have been successfully and safely used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: Aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green or Crystal Simple Green can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times of All Purpose Simple Green and Crystal Simple Green with unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green/Crystal Simple Green residues. Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation.

 

That sux dude!!!

 

why didnt it ruin the clearcoat on the spokes?

 

That's a damn good question? Are the spokes NOT clearcoated??

 

http://www.tkoorange.com/

This stuff is hands down THE BEST cleaner I have ever used. We use it for everything around the house, in the dishwasher, washing floors, windows, showers, toilets, carpets, laundry, fertilizing the lawn and plants.

I had brake dust stains on the front rims on my Grand Cherokee. Nothing I tried would take it off, they were stained a browny kind of colour. A professional detailer couldn't even get it off, and suggested I take the rims in to get fixed up.

I mixed up a strong batch of Orange TKO, sprayed it on the wheels, let sit for 5 minutes, brushed them using a wheel brush, and they came out clean as the day I picked it up at the dealer.

It sounds crazy, but this stuff is truely amazing, and smells great.

http://www.tkoorange.com/