rawbhp Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Hey all, I am finding this detailing forum really interesting, being pretty anal about keeping my car clean! One thing I haven't been able to find is info on acidic wheel cleaners. I have always used Wonder Wheels in the past after it got good reviews in a number of tests. I have only tried it on painted/laquered and powdercoated wheels, but it has always done the job really well. I never leave it on for more than 60 secs but use several applications if the wheel needs it. I have never noticed any bad effects. I have noticed that most detailers on here use non-acidic cleaners which are obviously kinder to wheels but are they as effective? Any info would be much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renegade Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I use turtle wax wheel cleaner and turtle wax wheel restorer polish and protect afterwards and never had a problem. But now they are clean I just use an old wash mitt for cleaning,then wax now and again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Step away from the Wonder Wheels! It destroys alloys no matter what the coating, it will eventually damage them. I suggest (and you wont like it, its a lot of effort and time), you get the wheels off, clean them normally, clay them to get off the brake dust and then when nice and clean, coat them in wheel sealant like PoorBoys. Takes ages, but once dont, you dont need any nasty acidic wheel cleaners, just an old washmitt and normal water and shampoo. Cleans up dead easy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sl114 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Step away from the Wonder Wheels! It destroys alloys no matter what the coating, it will eventually damage them. I suggest (and you wont like it, its a lot of effort and time), you get the wheels off, clean them normally, clay them to get off the brake dust and then when nice and clean, coat them in wheel sealant like PoorBoys. Takes ages, but once dont, you dont need any nasty acidic wheel cleaners, just an old washmitt and normal water and shampoo. Cleans up dead easy +1 on this, never use wonderwheels as its terrible stuff! i find - as above - the best way to get them clean and stay clean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixy Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 i have used something called billberry wheel cleaner from a trader off detailing world - its branded as a safe wheel cleaner but i'm not sure how reliable that info is! If i had wheels i actually liked i probably wouldn't use it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECLIPSE AUTO VALET Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 ive got both in my van as i need something stronger for the cars that have never had the alloys cleaned but no need to worry about damaging them as mostare foooked to start with . but for anything decent its non acidic everytime, dont forget you can dilute it down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixy Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 so is bilberry safe then? I have watered it down but i find its not very good unless i use a strong solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 so is bilberry safe then? I have watered it down but i find its not very good unless i use a strong solution. Bilberry is fine if you dilute it to the specs. Could try detailersworld and see what they recommend as the dilution ratio on there. Since using PB Wheel Sealant, I honestly have never had need for wheel cleaners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I have noticed that most detailers on here use non-acidic cleaners which are obviously kinder to wheels but are they as effective? Any info would be much appreciated. Tim already answered your question. I discovered a long time back that Meguiar's Wheel Cleaner is pretty aggressive on rim surface. Personally I use a non-acidic Turbo Wax Wheel Brightener. It's not aggressive, but works a treat without wrecking the surface, and is easy to use. Non-acidic all the way. Quite a few cars I've detailed had rims like that Audi Tim did the other week, truly horrible, so in that situation I usually do 2 applications, rinsing as I go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rawbhp Posted April 14, 2009 Author Share Posted April 14, 2009 Step away from the Wonder Wheels! quote] I had a feeling a few people would say that! I have always used Megs and AG cleaning products in the past but I am quite interested in the Poor Boys stuff. Would Spray & Rinse do the job (edit-just noticed this is acidic too!?)? Also is wheel sealant actually any different to normal wax or just the same stuff in a different container? Thanks for the advice so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S1 HNK Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 i use the non acidic wheel cleaner from muk junkie who are a registered trader on here. Brilliant stuff!! www.mukjunkie.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rawbhp Posted April 14, 2009 Author Share Posted April 14, 2009 i use the non acidic wheel cleaner from muk junkie who are a registered trader on here. Brilliant stuff!! http://www.mukjunkie.co.uk Looks like they have a 50% sale at the moment-may have to give it a try! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Step away from the Wonder Wheels! I had a feeling a few people would say that! I have always used Megs and AG cleaning products in the past but I am quite interested in the Poor Boys stuff. Would Spray & Rinse do the job (edit-just noticed this is acidic too!?)? Also is wheel sealant actually any different to normal wax or just the same stuff in a different container? Thanks for the advice so far In all honesty, the PB Wheel Sealant is probably just like any other sealant. Its not a wax, its more hard wearing than that. Something I quite often recommend to people is to get AG Extra Gloss Protection (EGP). This is a sealant much like PB wheel but PB claim that theres is more heat resistant to resist baking on of brake dust. Dont know if its true, but my wheels are still easy to clean, so it doing something right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Bilberry at 1:10 for me. Can be used neat if it's really bad and anything inbetween. It smells nice too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M13KYF Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Megs do a non acidic wheel cleaner. Works well bu tyou will soon go though a bottle and it aint cheap. Best way is soapy water once or twice a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beavis Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Best way is soapy water once or twice a week. +1 Never used a wheel cleaner yet. Just used my mit with soapy water, dried off then Autoglym wheel sealant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Envy Valeting Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I had this very debate on the MLR the other day. Most detailers that detail for a living dont use it. I'll copy and paste my reply below: I was caught up in all the bilberry hype but felt OK its more expensive than what I was using (autosmart smart wheels) but IF it truly is a spray on rinse off product then the time I'd save on jobs would be worth the price premium. Sadly it was hype for me and I moved on to now use Espuma Revolution. Dilutes 10:1, acid free and is approx £17 for 5 litres or £8.31 for 1 litre (which is 10 litres at working strength) Good value and even cheaper if you buy 25 litres but that would last years! Tim I was actually amazed to be backed up by polished bliss who said I agree with Tim about the Bilberry; we tested the entire Valet Pro line last year, and Bilberry performed less well than our current pH neutral product, which is Blackfire Gel Wheel & Tyre Cleaner. For really tough dust problems, Meguiars Wheel Brightener is hard to beat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Envy Valeting Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 PS acid free, cheers Bronzee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixy Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 i'm not impressed with the Bilberry either - and mine doesn't smell nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 i'm not impressed with the Bilberry either - and mine doesn't smell nice! I wouldn't say it's better than any others but I like the smell. It works well for my application. I have loads so I'll work away at it! I've never used wheel brightener to be honest but the bilberry left my Dads Rangie Supercharged wheels visibly, well, brighter after use. I'm sure for the pros there are better products out there but it does me fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H5 Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 When young and foolish, I used Wonder Wheels on my OZ Superlegerras..... Don't do it! I now use a mix of stuff, anything from just water, through to very occasionally on the tough bits diluted AG Clean Wheels but then immediately rinsed and dried...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattG Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 I have the Bilberry at the moment and like others I've not been overly impressed. The smell is nice but the fact that it doesn't cling to the wheel surface and penetrate into the dirt like some of the gel based products do means that it doesn't help a great deal in shifting the muck IMO. I think most of the time my wash shampoo is doing all the work as the Bilberry has just run off onto the ground. And that's using it neat too! I'm going to try some of the Autobrite Verry Cherry next as that seems to be getting rave reviews. The current GB on detailing world seems like quite good value. For £19.99 you get: 1 x 5 Litres of Very Cherry Acid Free Wheel Cleaner (Dilutes up to 20-1) 1 x Big Blaster Foaming Trigger 1 x 947ML Bottle 48hr Delivery See here for more info, he should have more in stock any day now: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/s ... p?t=100362 Another thing to remember is that having the right brushes for the job makes a huge difference too. With the combinations of brushes I have I can easily clean all of the wheel including right inside the rim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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