Wheel cleaner

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Does anyone use a wheel cleaner that actually dissolves brake dust and cleans well? Everything I have found has left me disappointed as I might as well just use the car wash soap and wheel brush as I would get the same results.
 
Does anyone use a wheel cleaner that actually dissolves brake dust and cleans well? Everything I have found has left me disappointed as I might as well just use the car wash soap and wheel brush as I would get the same results.
 
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Meguiar's Wheel Brightener.


Ditto on the Meguiar's. It is an acid based cleaner, so you have to be careful. Don't let the subtle grape scent fool you, it will knock you down. That said it cleans really well and at a 4:1 ratio is cost effective. Heavily soiled wheels will still require agitation, but light duty spray on and hit it with the power washer. Once you get the wheels clean if you keep up cleanings you can use a normal degreaser.
 
Meguiars Super Degreaser if you need a lot and want more pro product. Superclean, and Meguiar's Ultimate Wheel Cleaner (which is made to remove ferrous metals and works great on paint to remove them as well)
 
Surf City Code Red at NAPA. It’s one of those color changing ones as a chemical reaction takes place. I mostly just use a brush and soap though.
 
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Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Sonax Full Effect.

Meguiar's Wheel Brightener.


+1 on the Sonax. It's not cheap though. I bought a 5 liter jugs at the Toronto auto show and split it into 4 with 3 co-workers (was $100 cdn for 5 liters) you get less for $22 from Amazon.
 
I used to be a simple green user for years. It seems to have lost its bite as of late. Switched to Meguiars all wheel cleaner $4 from Walmart and it does what simple green used to do. Spray it on, foam turns muddy looking shortly after. Slight brushing and my white letters are white again.

No complaints.
 
Not sure what brake pads people use, but Ive sort of resolved to not buy wheel cleaner again.

For everything from high bite-high dust euro pads to the cleanest ceramics, the residues generally come right off. On the euro pads, the dust cleans off super-easy, but there can be some small bits of black dirt embedded. Ive not found any cleaner to be particularly effective.

Ive run the color changing stuff, and it too doesn't do much. It will change color near the caliper, as will overspray on the disc, but the dust on the wheel? Not much of anything.

Ive taken to using wheel woolies, which work great most of the time, and I use soap from the bucket. I rinse my tools constantly, so the soap bucket stays clean and grit free.

Sometimes Ive used meguiars wash and wax (waterless wash, it's a white translucent product) on the wheels, as I figure the waterless wash (though I'm not using it that way) helps lift and lubricate particles, and the wax helps protect/seal the surface. If Im going to spray the car with HydrO2, then the wheels just get soapy water from the bucket, but get that treatment along with the rest of the car.
 
I use Griot's Wheel Cleaner or Simple Green. Other wheel cleaners can will do a number on OEM wheel clearcoats or wheel cover finishes, they're too acidic.
 
I just use a separate bucket of Meguiar's wash n wax and a Daytona speed brush to get between the spokes and into the barrels, then use a bug sponge (whatever they're called) for the faces and little areas. I haven't used a dedicated wheel cleaner in probably 10 years.
 
Originally Posted By: Delta
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Meguiar's Wheel Brightener.


Ditto on the Meguiar's. It is an acid based cleaner, so you have to be careful. Don't let the subtle grape scent fool you, it will knock you down. That said it cleans really well and at a 4:1 ratio is cost effective. Heavily soiled wheels will still require agitation, but light duty spray on and hit it with the power washer. Once you get the wheels clean if you keep up cleanings you can use a normal degreaser.


I use Wheel Brightener full strength, and it is still a bit on the weak side IMO.

For lightly soiled wheels, I prefer Meguiars D143.
 
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