How to remove old stick on weight adhesive

[Philip Fisher]

Both my sets of alloy wheels have old black foam adhesive stuck on them from old sets of weights. Any idea how to remove?

I have seen a rubber flap wheel being used on wheeler dealers to remove decals without damaging the paint, but these wheels seem very difficult to source and very expensive. Is there a cheaper or better way? Or is the flap wheel the best way?

Thanks

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Philip Fisher

Both my sets of alloy wheels have old black foam adhesive stuck on them from old sets of weights. Any idea how to remove?

I have seen a rubber flap wheel being used on wheeler dealers to remove decals without damaging the paint, but these wheels seem very difficult to source and very expensive. Is there a cheaper or better way? Or is the flap wheel the best way?

Thanks

you can get an adhesive dissolve aerosol in Halfords 👍

[Zebster]

On both my Ixion 2 and Ixion 3 wheels I removed this residue using a plastic kitchen sponge/scourer soaked in petrol. Took a while and a bit of effort to get the glue to soften but it did a good job.

[Mad Malc]

I have found that furniture polish that comes in an aerosol can is very good. It takes a few goes to get it all off.

[Laird Scooby]

Petrol, brake/carb cleaner and acetone (wifes nail varnish remover) and if yo feel brave, cellulose thinners will all dissolve and remove the glue.

First i'd try rubbing/rolling it with your thumb or finger, often you can create a ball/roll of it and just roll the majority of it off then use the solvent to remove last traces.

[Director76]

Autosmart Tardis - great tar and glue dissolver, cheap from your local Autosmart rep. Their G101 is a wonder product too that gets used for everything in our house except cleaning teeth and showering!

[Polestar Pete]

Tar remover should be a good bet. A heat gun or hair dryer would probably help to loosen the glue. There’s plenty of YouTube videos on how to debadge cars, the process will be largely similar.

[Whiterdesign]

WD 40, let it soak.

[Haldex]

Yup, WD40 does magic, been using it for years for getting adhesive foam and hardened tar off my wheels. Soak it well, let it sit for 15-20 min and scrub it off with a plastic scraper, or a fingernail 🙂

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Haldex

Yup, WD40 does magic, been using it for years for getting adhesive foam and hardened tar off my wheels. Soak it well, let it sit for 15-20 min and scrub it off with a plastic scraper, or a fingernail 🙂

You'll almost certainly find if you look on a WD40 can it says it is a "petroleum distillate". I mentioned petrol above as an alternative, as WD40 is about £5/400ml can which equates to £12.50/L, petrol is a much cheaper option being about 1/10 of that!