[Rampage9]

Review: CarPro Iron-X

Background
This is now the 2nd winter that I have had my car, and each spring I find that the rear bumper, and to a lesser extent the sides, of the car covered in small contamination spots that are in the clear coat, "Rail Dust" being the common term to describe it.

I don't know whether it is just from the brake dust or from the train tracks that I cross twice a day on my commute, but then with the combination of the salt and moisture of winter, it turns into small rust spots. I only get this during winter, and never see it during the summer.

My car is always protected with a couple layers of sealant prior to winter, but it didn't seem to provide a layer of protection against the contamination (water was still beading very nicely however, so it was still there).

Last year, the clay bar wouldn't even touch it (Riccardo Yellow), so this year I wanted to try a decontaminate remover.

Process
I started off by washing the car with a paint prep ratio of CG Wash and Gloss, as I was going to be completeing a full detail afterwards.

After the car was washed, and lightly dried, I began spraying the Iron-X on the vehicle, working in small areas at a time. Right away you can see it start working, in a similar fashion to Sonax Full Effect on wheels. I left it sit for 5 minutes and work away. Next I took my sponge and a bucket of fresh water, and washed away the Iron-X. After I made sure to fully rinse the surface with a hose, making sure that it was clean.

A note of caution, I used a mask and goggles while using Iron-X: This stuff smells awful! It has a really strong smell, that almost takes your breath away - Think skunk/sulfur/lime. Really nasty! And I cannot image getting this stuff blown in you face with the wind, so I put on a set of goggles

Results
As you can see, the car was pretty messy before, but this stuff worked amazingly!

I'm very happy with the results, and went on to apply it to the entire car, working in small areas at a time. Afterwards, I washed the car again just to make sure all of the Iron-X was removed from the surface, and continued with my detailing process. Clay bar'ing after this was incredibly easy as there is virtually nothing left on the surface.

I was very impressed with this, so I thought I would share my experience with the rest of the e90post community. There must be others with Alpine White or other light colours that live in the nothern regions and experience these painful spots.

[CanadianDriver]

never heard of this product before. thanks for sharing.

is there a warning on label of potential paint damage if misused (i.e. prolonged soak)

[yellowducky]

Thank you very much for your review. I just washed my car two days ago and found out the same problem on my AW E92. I will try it out for sure. Thanks again.

[Rampage9]

Originally Posted by CanadianDriver

never heard of this product before. thanks for sharing.

is there a warning on label of potential paint damage if misused (i.e. prolonged soak)

There is no warning regarding duration, but they do caution not to let it dry in the direct sun. The bottle indicates that it is supposed to be paint and wheels safe, ph neutral.

[CanadianDriver]

Originally Posted by Rampage9

There is no warning regarding duration, but they do caution not to let it dry in the direct sun. The bottle indicates that it is supposed to be paint and wheels safe, ph neutral.

that's great! i need to get me one of those. i assume it's effective on those brake pad residues/bumps as well (on rims)

edit: youtube's answer to my question
holy crap!... it's "bleeding"

[whoosh]

Wow - I saw an orange spot on my car after the last wash and figured it would be time for a clay bar soon. Thanks for the post on this stuff - looks like a great product.

[Detailed Image]

Awesome photos documenting this product and the white paint does a great job highlighting how effective this product is. I'm glad to hear the CarPro Iron X Iron Remover worked so well for you. It's quickly become one of those must have products for me whenever I'm doing a full detail.

Greg @ DI

[ericlol]

do you use pressure wash to rinse each small area after the chemical reaction?

do you use on the roof as well?

[Detailed Image]

A pressure washer is not necessary, just a typical hose will work fine.

Yes it can be used on the roof assuming it's like the rest of the vehicle and it's not a soft top.

Greg @ DI

[Rampage9]

Originally Posted by ericlol

do you use pressure wash to rinse each small area after the chemical reaction?

do you use on the roof as well?

Like Greg said, I just used the hose, and Yes I did the roof too (ended up doing the whole car).

[vapore0n]

*takes note, buy IronX for next detail*


I wish I had known about this product back when I had my white STI. I would take me 4 hrs to clay all the rail rust out of it

[Johndong888]

When I used Iron-x, i just put it in a spray bottle and sprayed it all over the car. It's pH neutral so I don't believe it could harm the paint. I just left it on for a bit (~10mins) then I hosed it down. I did this out of the sunlight of course. One thing though, it is really awful smelling lol

[vqdiablo]

going to order this thanks!

[TotalPower]

I had the same results on my car...really amazing stuff

[psnt1ol]

+10000000

Save me sooo much time. Works great on dirty wheels. I only wish I could buy this by the gallon.

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by psnt1ol

+10000000

Save me sooo much time. Works great on dirty wheels. I only wish I could buy this by the gallon.

Glad to hear CarPro Iron X been working so well for you guys. It's a pH neutral formula safe on the majority of wheel finishes and highly effective, it can literally save you hours of scrubbing.

Greg

[BigNate]

sorry to bump an old thread, but do you need to seal again after using ironx or can i use it and just rinse the car and go? any advise is appreciated thanks

[Rampage9]

Originally Posted by BigNate

sorry to bump an old thread, but do you need to seal again after using ironx or can i use it and just rinse the car and go? any advise is appreciated thanks

Yes, you will need to re-seal the paint afterwards; The Iron X will strip the existing sealant/wax off.

[BigNate]

thanks for the info! i may have to wait until the spring time then. Hopefully no additional harm will be done

[GOTMH8N]

Wow amazing stuff I need this!

[zelfiris]

thanks for the write up!

[overheadvalve]

Good to see this. I fight rail dust every year especially on my wife's pearl white Lexus GX 470. By the way, I was told this rail dust crap in the winter is caused by the actual steel blades of the snow plows leaving micro-metal bits behind as they plow. For some reason white, light colored cars are like glue to this crud. Probably all cars, you just can see it on the light ones.