# Wheel Cleaning Test on Wheel backs.



## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

*Ok Folks... while cleaning my good lady's car, i got a phone call to tell me i was not needed in work that day.....:wall: Just had another today saying you know we said you would be in the rest of the week, well they say not today but then rest of the week yeah Right.....:wall:

The Pleasure of been an agency worker......:wall:

So Did a wash mit test and cleaned my car and then decided the wheels i got from a dismantlers need a clean ill have a bit of a test on them.....:lol:

As You Do....

So Wheels...










Think this one needs some filling for refurb.....:lol:










Anyways the wheel backs...










Some have some peeled paint from the spoke backs so please focus more on the dish of the rim for cleaning purposes please in your viewing of the pics...

So Typical of the wheel grime in this one...










So we know there are a lot of good products for wheel cleaning as in the face of the alloy and a suitably sealed wheel can be cleaned with just a shampoo solution all dependent on contamination.... Yadda... Yadda....

But Wheel backs can be neglected for decades and are more likely to have loads of contamination from brake dust etc..

So lets get rolling.... All wheels were sprayed or spread with the wheel cleaner agitated with an Envy type brush and rinsed only with the mains pressure through the garden hose....

So a pair done...

The Right hand one with Very Cherry non Acid Wheel Cleaner... @ 1 to 10 product to water.

Left Wheel with Surfex HD @ 1 to 10 Product to water...










Again focus on the Dish Here not the Centres please...

Ok lets try one of these wheels 50/50 ... so starting wheel...










Now G101 left hand and Surfex HD Right Hand Both @ 1 to 10 Mix...










In this instance the G101 Cleaned a little better although the Surfex i find Superb as a De Greaser...

Now Some Mer Alloy Wheel Cleaner on Minging Wheel...

So Before application...










After Application and Rinse Off...










Remember the 50/50 wheel???










So this time some Maxolen Fallout Remover... So after Rinsing.....










Now somethings here i would not normally use as a wheel cleaner in the same respect i would not imagine using the Maxolen however majority of the wheel contamination will be Fallout from the brake pads... Could these 2 products possibly do the trick....

So Iron Cleanse V Iron-X again....:lol:

These again applied to partially cleaned wheels i only have so many wheels here to test on....:lol:










These were dispensed from there respective bottles and what i feared did happen as the Iron Cleanse is from a sample bottle with pants atomiser type pump the density of the liquid and delivery system hampers its ability...










You may not tell in the pic but after rinsing seamed to remove slightly less with the iron Cleanse, suspected as much at the application stage only due to how it was been laid down.

So test on another this time both the Iron Cleanse and the Iron-X dispensed from the same type of head as is on the Iron-X Bottle much better delivery and spread from the Iron Cleanse... in both the tests of the Iron Cleanse and Iron-X they had been left for between 3 and 5 minutes... as from other tests i have done the run is slower on the Iron Cleanse and so Clings longer...

So Sprayed on...










Agitated and rinsed off again always done with just cold mains pressure through the garden hose...










Now how about trying some Autosmart Tardis???? HHHmmmm

Well lets see....

Tardis test wheel Minging...










Applied and agitated and rinsed off...Yes recycling bin contents come in handy....:lol:










Now what shall we have a bash with now..??? I Know....

I Know Bilberry @ 1 to 10 Ratio....

So Minging Wheels... (not the Detailing World Member)...:lol:










Applied Agitated and Hose rinsed...










Now an old Boy Product Now....

Wonder Wheels... The original version not the Wonder wheels U... the original version is not recommended for damaged or polished alloy..

So onto what bilberry had left i think...










Agitated and rinsed...










HHHHMMMM im liking that result....

Lets try again...










Agitated and rinsed once more...










Right i am liking the speed of removal of contamination with that, it may be acid but gets the job done fast then just keep ontop of the wheels....
So off to do all the wheels with it....

I know they need some more cleaning but...










So from...










To This... at the point that time and light issues stopped play...










Faced with the same condition wheels again i know what ill reach for... that is until i can find something just as good or better....

Thank you all as ever for viewing...:wave:*


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## stonejedi (Feb 2, 2008)

where do you get the wonder wheels product from thats some good stuff


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## chillly (Jun 25, 2009)

stonejedi said:


> where do you get the wonder wheels product from thats some good stuff


Costco is very competitive if you have one near you.


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## -Simon- (Oct 29, 2010)

Great stuff, clearly there is a place for acid based cleaners where the wheels have been left uncleaned for some time. However, as a one off, looks like the best product for the job, guess best not to let them get too bad in the first place :thumb:


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## chillly (Jun 25, 2009)

Whats your thoughts on the maxolen product james, wonder wheels out of the equasion?


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

stonejedi said:


> where do you get the wonder wheels product from thats some good stuff


Will find in supermarkets but think they tend to go for the Wonder Wheels U... mine was from the local emporium £2.95 then vat on top....

In Halfrauds also...

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_195615_langId_-1_categoryId_255235

The B&Q one here is the 1lt one...

http://www.diy.com/nav/build/motori..._cleaners/Wonder-Wheels-Cleaning-Kit-11377613


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

I have no issues using WW for really bad wheels, as a one off...

Wouldn't use it every week mind you...

Good test, just shows how good some "none detailing" products really are...

:thumb:


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

chillly said:


> Whats your thoughts on the maxolen product james, wonder wheels out of the equasion?


Worked to some degree but that is Acid also if its acid you wish to avoid, i have seen the Maxolen used as a compound to great effect by machine... Bodywork yes i need to test it on bodywork and would use for fallout on panels.

Wheel cleaning no cant see it personally...

If i had Some Autosmart Ally or Smart wheels i would have given them a go same as if i had some Autosmart Fallout remover.

Can only try what i have at hand though.

As has been mentioned in the past continuous acid wheel cleaner use has been reported to dull the wheels and often recommended by the manufacturer to not use on damaged alloys or polished ones.

A factory wheel i tend to find has not had the rears finished as well as the facings. The backs do not have so much if any lacquer often rougher texture and more surface imperfections for contaminants to sit in and cling to.

Once a wheel is as clean as you feel or wish to get it, the cleaner the better if your looking to seal them to get a better bond and as such easier clean in the future.

Each product has its place for a job in hand... The fact every other product would need multiple hits to get close to the the first hit results of Wonder wheels saves so much time and im talking hours here then for me in this case Wonder Wheels all the way... I can then be sealing them rather than still trying to clean them and getting well peeved.


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## DetailMyCar (Apr 19, 2010)

James i'm disappointed in you!

You're possibly the biggest Autosmart fan I've met, yet you didn't even try Smart wheels?? 

I'm 100% confident that Smart wheels at 4:1 would have shifted all of that even better then the WW product....

I did a similar test out of desperation on some 5-Series wheels, the only thing that made any impact was Smart Wheels (I even tried WW at the point of getting desperate).


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## Dingo2002 (Apr 4, 2007)

Wonder Wheels is almost unparalleled at getting ground in grime off. Awesome stuff for a one off hit! These wheels were proper dirty as well none of that "look how dirty my wheels are" on items that are clearly just dusty. Top work fella :thumb:


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## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

james_death said:


> These were dispensed from there respective bottles and what i feared did happen as the Iron Cleanse is from a sample bottle with pants atomiser type pump the density of the liquid and delivery system hampers its ability...


I also thought the spray head on the sample bottle of Iron Cleanse made it a slightly unfair test as it seemed to use a lot of product. I suspect a better spray head would give it a wider dispersal and I will try what's left of mine in another sprayer when I get round to doing the Skoda properly.

:doublesho @ Wonder Wheels. Mind you, it's definitely a useful thing to own when you decide you're going to clean the backs of the wheels for the first time in 10 years.


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## trv8 (Dec 30, 2007)

james_death said:


> *
> 
> So test on another this time both the Iron Cleanse and the Iron-X dispensed from the same type of head as is on the Iron-X Bottle much better delivery and spread from the Iron Cleanse... in both the tests of the Iron Cleanse and Iron-X they had been left for between 3 and 5 minutes... as from other tests i have done the run is slower on the Iron Cleanse and so Clings longer...
> 
> ...


He did change the head so that they were both sprayed from the same type of head :thumb:.

Please keep up at the back :lol:.


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## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

Yes I did notice that but my comment was directly related to the performance of the atomiser type spray head.


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

johnnyguitar said:


> Yes I did notice that but my comment was directly related to the performance of the atomiser type spray head.


I had issue over the sample head when i did the Plastering van test on Iron Cleans and Iron-X...

Even then it was evident the spray head used is paramount...

http://www.detailingworld.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3042468

But that was just that a sample bottle sure the retail one is a world of difference for the better...:thumb:



DetailMyCar said:


> James i'm disappointed in you!
> 
> You're possibly the biggest Autosmart fan I've met, yet you didn't even try Smart wheels??
> 
> ...


:lol::lol::lol:

If i had some i would try some Im not a Fan as such of any manufacturer i may like one product from one and nothing else i always try and see how they go.... the fact i already had so much Very Cherry for general wheel cleaning i didnt get any smart wheels at the Autosmart HQ day..... The fact Autosmart is not a retail store product and only in 5lt is a limiting factor....
As said if i had it i would have used it.....:lol:

Other than say a Autosmart Franchise i think ChrisC could take the Autosmart appreciation tittle.... He has Stacks... from the pics ive seen....:lol:


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## McClane (Dec 9, 2010)

Nice test James. Some of those products used may have benefitted from 1:4 as mentioned for smart wheels too.

But yeah, strength is key I guess when faced with that. I've been using 1:4 bilberry on my alloy backs to save on Iron X useage during my "off car" cleanup


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## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

I use Meguiars wheel brighter which is acid based and it's fantastic at 4/1, I only use it twice a year tho when the wheels come off and get a good going over. 
I use it on my van wheels all the time (steel rim) and its so strong I don't even have to use a brush just spray on rinse off a couple of times and done.


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Thanks for the review great work to give an insight into the power of some products on that poor state of wheels, i find megs wheel Brightner good but away to get some smart wheel new stuff


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## Russ and his BM (Jan 1, 2008)

I have a load of wonder wheels that sits at the back of the shelf for those 'de niro' moments when my wheels give me aggro..."You talkin' to me?" Right, out with the big guns, wonder wheels deployed in the offensive role! Problem solved.


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## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

I have said many times on here.. wonder wheels acidic original version certainly has a place on here.

I'm not sure I agree with nick on smart wheels 1:4 shifting more than wonderwheels, not to what I've seen and I use smart wheels on pretty much everything.

I'm told AluShine is the acidic version from AS and may rival Wonder Wheels though.
haven't tried it however.

nice test james. honest as always.


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## DetailMyCar (Apr 19, 2010)

CraigQQ said:


> I have said many times on here.. wonder wheels acidic original version certainly has a place on here.
> 
> I'm not sure I agree with nick on smart wheels 1:4 shifting more than wonderwheels, not to what I've seen and I use smart wheels on pretty much everything.
> 
> ...


Hmm maybe 4:1 is a bit generous, I think I probably ended up using it at 2:1 thinking back but honestly after trying everything I could find in the shed including neat wonder wheels the only thing I found actually removed the tiny baked on / pitted bits of brake dust was Smart wheels... I would think it's probably stronger then WW if you used it neat but I've never needed to go quite that far


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## mossey0708 (Mar 3, 2011)

Russ and his BM said:


> I have a load of wonder wheels that sits at the back of the shelf for those 'de niro' moments when my wheels give me aggro..."You talkin' to me?" Right, out with the big guns, wonder wheels deployed in the offensive role! Problem solved.


Genuine LOL, thought I was the only one who referred to the bit of acid based alloy cleaner like that! I always start out with Very cherry, and keep the iron-x close by, but on rare occasion, I've to launch a counter offensive with AG wheel cleaner (trade w/ acid)

:lol:


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