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Safest wheel cleaner for chrome finish?
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03-17-2013, 03:52 PM | #1 | |
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Safest wheel cleaner for chrome finish?
Well I'm not sure its chrome or polished but I want to find the best and safest wheel cleaner for my new wheels. I used eagle1 no touch wheel cleaner and it worked great but now the price is raised for a bottle. I hear that sonax is amazing and so is iron x but I'm afraid that it'll be too abrasive for my wheels. They are axis rev wheels in gloss gold with a polished lip. I know they're cheap but I still don't want to dull the shine because I used the wrong wheel cleaner. Any suggestions?
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03-18-2013, 04:26 PM | #2 |
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Neither Sonax nor IronX are abrasive (I think you mean acidic or caustic); they aren't those, either. Sonax should cause no issues with any finish of wheel as long as the wheel is nice and cool. Apply liberally, and either pressure wash off or agitate then pressure wash. It's safe enough people let it dry on wheels all the time (not on purpose) and it just rinses off. IronX is basically the same thing, just a stronger formulation.
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03-18-2013, 07:30 PM | #3 | ||
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03-18-2013, 09:32 PM | #4 | |
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03-18-2013, 11:20 PM | #5 | ||
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03-19-2013, 12:23 AM | #6 | |
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Chrome wheels could stand some strong wheel cleaner (even acid base) but I would not use IronX on it since it might dull the finish. Chemical Guys Diablo and Amazing Roll-off are the products I use to get most wheels clean. When all else fails, I break out the Meg D140. All of these products could be dilute to suit your needs and quite economical in the long run. Un-coated Polish Aluminum is the most susceptible to dulling or staining by strong cleaning agents. Use a cleaner that is safe for all wheels (including un-coated metal). CG Diablo and Amazing Roll-off. I normally stay away from IronX for Polish Aluminum. Soap and water might not be enough to get everything off. All above mentioned products are not "magic in a bottle". It still requires work on your end with some good quality brushes and time. If you really want to do this right.... you should clean the wheels while they are off the car. You will have a lot more leverage when they are flat on the ground. You could also clay them with ease at this stage. Once they are clean, you should layer several coats of a high temp tolerant sealant or a coating such as Opti-coat on them. This will make them so much easier to clean next time around. Good luck.
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03-19-2013, 03:24 PM | #7 | ||
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I was thinking of using CG diablo to clean it since its a gel but I hear from everyone that its only for light to medium brake dust. But speaking of CG products, do you think I can use jetseal on the rims? Or do you think rim wax will be enough? A buddy of mine told me just to use warm water and dawn dish soap diluted to 1:20 ratio to clean my wheels. (1 part soap, 20 parts water) and it should do the trick. The only thing I absolutely hate doing is cleaning and waxing mesh wheels. Its extremely tedious and time consuming but that's my fault for getting these wheels lol. I was always told to set apart 1 full day to do a full detailing every month and I'm definitely going to start now since I have a fresh paint job and new rims. Thanks for the response!
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03-19-2013, 07:59 PM | #8 |
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Wait, what? I am so confused - you're avoiding Sonax and IronX now?
Sonax Full Effect and IronX use the exact same active ingredient as CG Diablo Wheel Gel. All three are perfectly save for uncoated aluminum. Amazing Roll Off is caustic; it can be safe on alum, but it would need to be removed almost immediately. If you want a list of the safest stuff to clean uncoated alum wheels I'd say, from safest to least, it'd be something like this: 1) Water (although even water can oxidize uncoated aluminum if you let it dry on the wheels) 2) Soap and water 3) Sonax Full Effect 4) IronX (never SFE or ironx will damage aluminum... think about it, both are 100% safe on all automotive surfaces, if they damaged alum they would damage trim, older bumpers, etc). 5) P21S wheel Gel 6) Autoglym All Wheel Cleaner 7) everything else (since almost everything else is caustic or acidic). On a separate note; waxing the wheels will do nothing. Carnuaba has a meting temp way below the temp a wheel will reach. Jetseal is a better option although I still wouldn't bother. Go with a wheel specific product, or even better, opti coat them. Opti Coat *will* stop alum from oxidizing. |
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03-19-2013, 08:33 PM | #9 | |
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Polish Aluminum and Anodized wheels are the ones you have to watch out for. You should call the manufacturer and ask..... Soap and water might work as a maintenance routine but you will need something stronger to get the baked on stuff off. A safe wheel cleaner like CG Diablo will only do so much. Most of the work will be done by hand with some good brushes like the Wheel Woolies and I say every 2 weeks instead of waiting for the full month. The longer that stuff stay on the wheels, the harder it is to clean. http://www.detailedimage.com/DI-Pack...iece-Kit-P651/ I would use a metal sealant (if your wheels are bare metal with no coating) instead of a sealant designed for paint. Collinite Metal Wax is what I use for bare metal. http://www.detailedimage.com/Collini...P662/16-oz-S1/ Since you have mesh wheels, another product you might consider is Permanon Platinum finish protection. This is a spray on/ rinse off sealant for all hard finishes. Permanon Platinum is resistant to temperatures up to 572 degrees farenheit so this should keep the brake dust at bay. It is pricey but the ease of application and the durability (when correctly applied) is well worth it. Once it is on, most if not all of the crud will just rinse off with a hose. Easy Cleaning. http://www.autogeek.net/permanon-platinum-coating1.html
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03-20-2013, 02:58 AM | #10 | |||
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03-20-2013, 07:20 AM | #11 |
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I've never seen Sonax/IronX dull a shiny wheel. I am not saying it can't happen, I've just never seen/heard it. You could always do a test spot if you do try Sonax.
CG Wheel Wax is about ~4 months I think, so ~3 times a year. |
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03-20-2013, 02:45 PM | #12 | |
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If I use a wheel cleaner, would it rip the wax off? (Specifically sonax)
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03-20-2013, 06:12 PM | #13 |
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As I mentioned earlier..... IronX could dull (not damage) a bare metal rim. I had the pleasure of this happening to me a while back. I was working on a vintage 911 that had polish Aluminum wheels. I had to spend 2 extra hours polishing the wheels both by hand and machine afterward. Not all aluminum wheels react this way but all it takes is one time and you get gun shy.
If you layer a few coats of the CG wheel wax or applied some form of coatings on the wheels, you will find that all future cleaning could be done with car soap and water. The chemicals stated earlier will only be in the mix when the need arises. I find that IronX will strip wax and I am assuming Sonax will do the same. All strong cleaner could strip wax base on the dilution. This is the reason I like products that I could dilute/tailor to suit my needs. Remember what I said, there is no such thing as "Magic in a Bottle" that works on everything and in every situation. The trick is to clean them often and you wouldn't have to use all these chemicals. Permanon could be use for paint but it requires a surface that is bare (no wax/no sealant) . You will have to strip your current LSP. I am not sure you want to go through all of this work. A new product by CarPro call Hydro2 Touchless Silica Sealant might be better for the paint. http://www.autogeek.net/carpro-hydro...t-coating.html You could use this product on top of your LSP just as long the surface is clean with a car shampoo that has no gloss enhancer (such as Ultima Paint Guard Wash - http://www.autogeek.net/ultima-car-wash.html ) prior to its application. I been trying this out for several weeks now and I am quite happy with the result. It makes your surface hydrophobic and you will get some crazy beading. This product is also great for those who are looking to add a bit of slickness to coatings such as Cquartz and Opticoat. Good Luck.
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03-20-2013, 09:00 PM | #14 | ||
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03-20-2013, 09:45 PM | #15 | |
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Several coats to start (apply/dry/buff then repeat) and 5-6 times through the year or when dirt are not coming off as easily as before. Good Luck
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03-21-2013, 01:29 AM | #16 | ||
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03-21-2013, 06:52 AM | #17 |
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I would clay the entire wheel including the barrel. I am OCD that way.
De-con as in decontaminate. IronX makes the claying process easier by getting rid of most contaminants that is on the paint. IronX was originally designed for paint but could be use on wheels while Sonax was designed for wheels. They both change color when they are working and they both smell equally bad. IronX changes color when it encounters iron particles while Sonax changes color when it encounters brake dust, oily film, and dirt. Just to confuse you further.... here is another product by CarPro call TRIX. It is PH neutral and it removes iron particles as well as tar. I also have this product in my bag of tricks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=7NVkfljV3Dw The good thing about most CarPro products is that you could order sample packs. You get to see what works on your car without having to commit to a full bottle. Best of both worlds. http://www.carpro-us.com/samples/ good Luck.
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03-22-2013, 05:34 AM | #18 | ||
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You definitely got my head spinning, there are so many products and I had one more question, how do you feel about eagle1 all wheel cleaner? I've used it before and it made cleaning 1000x times easier but that was only on my old wheels. Do you think it'll dull the shine of my new ones? And also while looking at your link, I found a video that shows a guy using iron x before claying(on paint). I definitely see the difference. Do yu think it'll remove most of the other stuff so the claying process is faster?
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03-22-2013, 08:36 AM | #19 |
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IronX or Trix does make the claying process easier and faster since it get rid of most of the above surface contaminants.
As you probably know by now.... i like trying out new products. It drives the wife crazy. I tried Eagle One many years ago. I honestly don't remember much from it. I think it was middle of the road since it didn't leave any lasting memory. Here is the consolidated version of all the conversations we had so far. Get some good quality brushes. Clean your wheels with the aid of a safe cleaner (CG Diablo, Eagle one, Etc). Use a stronger chemical if necessary (IronX, Trix, Sonax). Clay if possible. Once the wheels are clean, protect them with a coating (Opti-coat, Cquartz. etc) or with a high temp tolerant sealant (Permanon, CG wheel Wax, Collinite). When the above steps are done then all you do going forward is maintenance washes with brushes, car soap ,and water. You would reapply the sealant several times over the course of the year or when you feel necessary. A Coating will last for years in the right condition. I hope this helps. If you are in Nor Cal, I would say come over and I will show you but good Luck anyways.
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03-24-2013, 09:45 AM | #20 |
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If it counts for anything Sonax is a German brand and very highly rated over there an trusted by many car detailers. Im sure they thoroughly test on bimmers, mercs etc. I wouldn't be surprised if they make the BMW OEM car care range.
For baked on brake dust and tar unfortunately soap and water doesn't cut it. Do wheels with wheel cleaner every second wash and just give the wheels a rub down with regular car wash in the interim if you're concerned about product harshness. |
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03-24-2013, 04:47 PM | #21 | |||
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03-24-2013, 10:16 PM | #22 | |
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Now... Go out and do some driving!!!!!!
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