I for one appriciate the heads up/complaint. Don't have an 8 yet (decided to hold until the '05 MS release) but these posts allow me to look ahead and avoid some of the problems experianced by others, and how to cope with problems as they arise. Experiance=What you needed to have about 3 seconds before you got it.
Thanks to all here for your whiny, lameass complaints. Keep up the good work!

You have got to be kidding! If you don't put forth the effort to TAKE CARE OF YOUR THINGS, then don't complain about them not looking nice. It is fairly common knowledge that brake dust will "eat" alloy wheels if not cleaned off REGULARLY.

I just have my different priorities....you know..I just don't sweat the little common sense stuff...many here do...too many. I don't respect those people.....

Naviles, I have had enough of you, I tried to remain respectful with you. Why is it necessary to say you "don't respect those people." You are are being a fucking prick and can fuck off. You could have said something on the order of, this problem is your fault and you will probably have to eat the cost of the fix and I would have more than respected that.
As far as Frankenguy goes, I can make a bunch of excuses (or give reasons--I don't drive the car-wife does, weather, no garage, whatever) about why I didn't clean the wheels enough. Yes I realize I probably should have, and yes, I know brake dust is corrossive. But, I have had many other cars whose aluminum rims were far, far, far more resistant to pitting. I didn't think it would be an issue because I have never had wheels pit on my watch and I only have ever washed wheels when washing the rest of the car.

Since the wheels are painted, waxing them really helps - keeps them protected and easy to clean with just a stream of water (instead of chemicals or soaps). I personally would rather they weren't painted- they chip and scratch rather easily... most of my previous cars had alloys that were naturally finished and clear coated, which held up well to brake dust, winter salt, etc.

I usually don't do this sort of thing, but NAVILESRX8 what was the above post supposed to add to the discussion? I mean there was no other result than upsetting someone unnecessarily, and you should probably apologize for having said it. Personally, I can see being upset if my wheels became pitted at around six months of ownership and not even ten thousand miles, and he posted to see if anyone else was having similar problems. That is what this forum is for, and now I am probably going to take more care of my wheels than I have in earlier cars. It was a good post.

I also have never seen alloy wheels pit so quickly on VW's, Mercedeses, Saabs, Nissan, Toyota . . . Seems weird to me too.

This forum was made for the sole purpose of complaining? This is news to me....ok...no prob....

No, it was meant to discuss the car including potential problems like pitted rims. However, how did your above comment further that discussion? That's what I am asking. It seemed like a legitimate question to me whether others had pitted rims or not.

It didn't...I know that....so I guess there isn't going to be an end to the complaining then?

ok....now I know....

I used my power to try to stop the complaing posts...but I failed. I will go now....:)

Actually...I was skimming through the most recent threads....seems like the complaining is dying down...that's cool.

I apologize for my initial rude response.

Haze, Senseny, and all....I'll try to be good...

Now that things have toned things down a bit, I apologize for dropping the F bomb on you Naviles. I appreciate the concilliatory tone, and its all good from hereinout from my point of view. Thanks Haze for your kind words and suggestions, I will definitely show you the issues the next time we are at a meet. Trust me guys, most of what you get from me will be positive.

You should apply the same philosophy to your complaining-about-others posts - it would be nice if we didn't have to hear them either. They serve no constructive purpose and just make you look like an ass.

I get very heavy dusting on my rims but have not noticed any pitting so far. I use castrol superclean to clean the dust off them, it works quite well.

Simon.

I will try.....:)

That's really stand up of you, and let's let this rest. I look forward to chatting with you in the future! :)

Senseny

You sure are good at complaining though......Washing your rims only 4 times over 7k miles is absolutely ridiculous. Sure doesn't sound like you take care of your cars.

It's common knowledge that the 8 gathers quite a bit of brake dust on the rims in a short period of time. YOu gotta clean them regulary, not ever 1k miles or so.

So, what is the best way to clean the rims? I tried the Armor All Wheel Cleaners and it kinda worked but it has to be done manually, meaning I gotta wipe off the grime and dust by hand. Are there any cleaners out there that are strong enough that just spraying on the rims and then rinsing it with a high-pressure hose would do the job?

If you keep them waxed, then yes- you don't need anything other than high pressure water... assuming you clean them regularly.

Shooter, I don't know about me not taking care of my cars. I take my 7 over an hour and a half away for its maintanance. I get oil changes quicker than is suggested. I upgrade parts when I can. I have 6 vehicles I take care of (including 2 work vans and a motorcycle). Those vehicles are not always the cleanest, but they all run well. The reason I didn't clean the rims obsessively is becuase this was never need on ANY other vehicle I have ever owned, not because I let things go to hell. I can tell you that this won't happen again, but my problem is it already did, and I hope this serves as a warning. I don't think most car owners clean their wheels more often then I do (maybe you guys are great at it, but the average owner doesn't). Also, do a search of my posts and see how much complaining I do. It is not much.

This board has so many assholes in it, just ignore them. I clean my car every week, but haven't paid my wheels that much attention. Thanks Senseny, now I know :D

What exactly is pitting, anyway?

Thats why a pic would be helpful. My initial thought when I hear the word pitting is the small whitish dots that occur on unprotected aluminum wheels. It is how aluminum corrodes, because it doesn't rust.

Since our wheels are painted and clearcoated, I'm wondering if what he is seeing is something I have noticed.
I have noticed tiny black dots that remain on the wheel surface after they are cleaned. This is not pitting as much as it is contaminates adhered to the surface. They will not come off with any tradtional cleaning.

Try this.....

Claybar. With your weels clean, rub a wad of detailers clay lubricated with soapy water over the affected area. If the stuff comes off......there you have it.

If what your seeing is actual pitting, the clearcoat will be damaged and it wont come off because it is damage to the painted surface...

Gyro, although it looks like it is pitted, I will try your solution late in the week or the weekend. It is dark, not white pits. I realize that pitted aluminum is whitish indentations, but I felt the remaining dust was there causing the discoloration. Perhaps it won't be so bad if your solution works. I am hoping so, and if so you will have my gratitude and if I ever get the chance to meet you, you will certainly not be buying drinks (alcoholic or otherwise). Thanks for the help.

Pitting
 

Senseny,
I detailed cars for about 10 years and the best way to get rid of that pitting is to use Turtle Wax Chrome polish. You can use a rag to apply it and use a clean rag to take it off. Since you live in Philadelphia, you could come by my house and I could show you how to remove it. I am located in Mt Laurel NJ. PM me if you are interested.

Re: Pitting
 

You do realize that the wheels are painted and clearcoated. The same care should be taken with them as the bodywork. If the wheels were bare aluminim alloy, then I would consider a metal polish.

My quess is that he does not even have pitting. Its probably deposits from the brake pad material (he did say it was black dots). I would try the clay first....then more invasive methods if that fails.

Re: RU Kidding, Pitted rims with less than 7K
 

You obviously had not owned a BMW. The break dust from the RX8 is nothing comapred to a BMW.

The softer break pads will give you better stopping power but will have more dust. It is just something you will have to live with with a nice sports car like the RX8.

Gyro,
I do realize that the rims are painted. After all, I do own the same car. I have done this with numerous other cars that have painted rims and it works 90% of the time. Sometimes the pitting is too severe and cannot be removed. I am assuming the pitting is not too bad considering the car is not that old. Also, I asked Senseny to come to my house so I could analyze the pitting and come up with the best way to correct the problem.