# A better alloy cleaner than halfords own?



## unstoppable (May 22, 2011)

Hi,

I've been using halfords own brand of alloy wheel cleaner but I'm not really impressed. Can someone recommend a better product please?

Thanks.


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## toddy2 (Jul 21, 2009)

Bilberry


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## cbred (May 9, 2011)

Easy answer is try Bilberry.Great stuff and only around £8 a litre which you dillute to what strength you will need .


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## Flipsacoin (Mar 29, 2011)

I have Bilberry and it's brilliant but you may want to give them a blast with Iron X/Wolfs Brake Duster, then rinse, then wash, then dry, then seal. After that you may find that a weekly blast with a pressure washer will remove a weeks worth of brake dust and bring them up again.


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## dooka (Aug 1, 2006)

Megs wheel brightener is also a very good cleaner. Both have their place..


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## unstoppable (May 22, 2011)

Thanks, looks like bilberry it is 

Is this the stuff?

http://www.rollupandshine.com/bilberry-safe-wheel-cleaner-1l-51-p.asp

Also the brakes and the discs are very rusty, esp the brakes (been like this since I bought the car a year ago). Will this stuff remove the rust?

Cheers.


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## Flipsacoin (Mar 29, 2011)

unstoppable said:


> Thanks, looks like bilberry it is
> 
> Is this the stuff?
> 
> ...


Yes.

No.


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## unstoppable (May 22, 2011)

Flipsacoin said:


> Yes.
> 
> No.


Any suggestions for the rust problem?


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## Flipsacoin (Mar 29, 2011)

unstoppable said:


> Any suggestions for the rust problem?


To be honest mate you'd probably need to put some pictures up and let us see how bad it is. Rust has so many levels from minor to "it's rotten and needs cutting out" I wouldn't like to guess and have you waste money on products that might not work.

I'm sure there are people on here who have cleaned their calipers up who will know what to do but I'd suggest pictures would help.


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## TheGooner84 (Jun 29, 2010)

calipers - attack with a wire brush and a couple of coats of hammerite paint.

the discs you can do the same or if they are worn get some new discs and paint the area that isnt swept by the pad to stop them rusting


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## Prism Detailing (Jun 8, 2006)

Chemical Guys Diablio is fantastic, Dodo Juice Mellow Yellow is also good, Bilberry for me has had its time, Im prefering the gel cleaners as your not wasting as much product with run off.


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## Matt_Nic (Apr 15, 2011)

Gonna go against the grain here - Bilberry is rubbish. 

Meguiars stuff in the pink bottle, although grossly more expensive will clean your wheels better with drastically less effort. 

Spray on, leave for a minute or two, hose off with a pressure washer. 

With Bilberry you have to get in there and aggitate it a lot, then you have to spend ages washing it off and then you have to really dry/buff them up or else you get streaks all over your wheels. 

Sod that, especially on mine with multi spokes.


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## Pk777 (Apr 12, 2011)

Have to agree bil isn't great autobrite, now there's a wheel cleaner, leave for a min then wipe off, then rinse!


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## Flipsacoin (Mar 29, 2011)

Matt_Nic said:


> Gonna go against the grain here - Bilberry is rubbish.
> 
> Meguiars stuff in the pink bottle, although grossly more expensive will clean your wheels better with drastically less effort.
> 
> ...


Unfair to say it's rubbish imo, just because you have multi spokes. It does a very good job for the price/dilution ratio but that's not to say there isn't better stuff out there. That doesn't make Bilberry rubbish imo.

Not everyone can afford grossly more expensive product so if you're willing to use a drop of elbow grease and patience, Bilberry can achieve excellent results.


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## toddy2 (Jul 21, 2009)

Flipsacoin said:


> Unfair to say it's rubbish imo, just because you have multi spokes. It does a very good job for the price/dilution ratio but that's not to say there isn't better stuff out there. That doesn't make Bilberry rubbish imo.
> 
> Not everyone can afford grossly more expensive product so if you're willing to use a drop of elbow grease and patience, Bilberry can achieve excellent results.


Here here! For the money and dilution ratio it's great.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Flipsacoin said:


> Unfair to say it's rubbish imo, just because you have multi spokes. It does a very good job for the price/dilution ratio but that's not to say there isn't better stuff out there. That doesn't make Bilberry rubbish imo.
> 
> Not everyone can afford grossly more expensive product so if you're willing to use a drop of elbow grease and patience, Bilberry can achieve excellent results.


I don't think it's unfair for the guy to post his opinion, I'm sure bilberry is ok, I'm not so sure it will smash everything available from over the counter sources.
I think what the respondant is saying to the OP is to be wary of being suckered by adopting sheep mentality and just following the vote.


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## Flipsacoin (Mar 29, 2011)

Avanti said:


> I don't think it's unfair for the guy to post his opinion, I'm sure bilberry is ok, I'm not so sure it will smash everything available from over the counter sources.
> I think what the respondant is saying to the OP is to be wary of being suckered by adopting sheep mentality and just following the vote.


No of course it's his opinion and it's respected, I'm just counter arguing/discussing that it's unfair to say it's rubbish, particularly when you're comparing it with a much more expensive product. Like saying a Mondeo is rubbish then saying a 3 series is much better.


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## Pk777 (Apr 12, 2011)

At the end of the day the op wants a reccomended product that's better, no price limit was given


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Flipsacoin said:


> No of course it's his opinion and it's respected, I'm just counter arguing/discussing that it's unfair to say it's rubbish, particularly when you're comparing it with a much more expensive product. Like saying a Mondeo is rubbish then saying a 3 series is much better.


I have never tried bilberry, but I do know from frequently visiting this forum that people have purchased it and been dissapointed that it has not met the hyped expectations (perhaps that is why the respondant reported it was rubbish) I am absolutley sure that bilberry is not the only choice of wheel cleaner that anyone should choose and somehow I'm sure I have multi purpose cleaners here that may match the performance.
Also there are other options at Halfords the OP could consider, to just say the Halfords one is no good, more sounds like user error of which he may find similar performance in whatever he follows in the disguised voting thread. That is where the problem lays, following the vote is not always (or often) the better choice for the OPs


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

I recommend Espuma wheel cleaner mate, it's about £12-£13 for 5 litres. This was the only stuff that really cleaned my E46 alloys up.


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## unstoppable (May 22, 2011)

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Yes, good or bad is subjective - appreciate all the views


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

DMH-01 said:


> I recommend Espuma wheel cleaner mate, it's about £12-£13 for 5 litres. This was the only stuff that really cleaned my E46 alloys up.


:lol: The OP had already made his mind up by post #5


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Avanti said:


> :lol: The OP had already made his mind up by post #5


Reading fail. Dammmm :wall:


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

DMH-01 said:


> Reading fail. Dammmm :wall:


Not a fail at all, somebody must realise that a 3:1 vote by post #5 to make a decision may not be a good sample rate, Espuma has been mentioned elsewhere on the forum of offering real good products that work and at a competitive price too :thumb:


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

unstoppable said:


> Hi,
> 
> I've been using *halfords own brand of alloy wheel cleaner *but I'm not really impressed. Can someone recommend a better product please?
> 
> Thanks.


WHich one as there are 2 versions


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## unstoppable (May 22, 2011)

Avanti said:


> WHich one as there are 2 versions


http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_714857_langId_-1_categoryId_165682


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## Matt_Nic (Apr 15, 2011)

My experience with a few various wheel cleaners. 

Meguiars Hot Wheels - excellent - although you have to jetwash it off before it burns
Valet Pro Bilberry - total waste of money. Tried diluting from heavy to 100% and it did no better job than soapy water and elbow grease. Fairy liquid dilutes 1000:1 so in terms of cheapness - it's better than Bilberry. 
Halfords foaming wheel cleaner - ok, not cheap as a £4 can will probably clean 4 wheels twice. 
Autoglym Custom Wheels - as bad, if not worse than Bilberry. 

I think next I shall try either some kind of wheel gel or Meguiars Wheel Brightener. 

I have half a litre of Bilberry Juice left. My wheels looked such a state I just didnt bother using it any more and ended up buying Meguiars again to get the job done. Faaaaar superior.


Ps, interesting analogy re: Mondeo and 3 Series. I have a 3 Series, my dad has a Mondeo which I spent 3 hours working on yesterday. What a peice of crap!


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

unstoppable said:


> http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_714857_langId_-1_categoryId_165682


Thanks for that, you may find the BB does not differ too much in the performance stakes as they are similar formulae


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## [email protected] (Apr 28, 2011)

AG custom wheel cleaners is good.


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## Guest (May 23, 2011)

The best value for money is an acid based wheel cleaner - the cost price is fractions of a good alkaline or neutral cleaner.

I am assuming that the rust on your discs is on the front surface and not the rear? If so, this is not something you should worry about. A good brake disc _should_ behave this way when it gets wet. You can clean it off but it will always come back very rapidly. Best way to deal with it is to find a clear stretch of road and brake firmly a few time - discs will be clean as a whistle.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

BL-Sci said:


> *The best value for money is an acid based wheel cleaner - the cost price is fractions of a good alkaline* or neutral cleaner.
> 
> I am assuming that the rust on your discs is on the front surface and not the rear? If so, this is not something you should worry about. A good brake disc _should_ behave this way when it gets wet. You can clean it off but it will always come back very rapidly. Best way to deal with it is to find a clear stretch of road and brake firmly a few time - discs will be clean as a whistle.


This bit requires some clarification, as there are a lot of posts about hydrochloric or brick acid being used, whereas perhaps all the acidic wheel cleaners are never just acid or contain hydrochloric acid


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## Matt_Nic (Apr 15, 2011)

DJ1989 said:


> AG custom wheel cleaners is good.


I'd give the cleaning power 2 out of 10 and I would give the squirty bottle it comes in 0 out of 10.


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## TheGooner84 (Jun 29, 2010)

Avanti said:


> This bit requires some clarification, as there are a lot of posts about hydrochloric or brick acid being used, whereas perhaps all the acidic wheel cleaners are never just acid or contain hydrochloric acid


the AG normal stuff smells like the phosphoric acid we use at work.

have heard of oven cleaner being used as well.


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## owen86 (Jan 2, 2009)

I have been getting great results with Wolfs deironizer gel, brought my wheels up a treat, was the only thing that would shift the little black brake dust spots!!


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## Ninja59 (Feb 17, 2009)

the problem you have is using aggressive cleaners constantly will cause eventual problems all wheel cleaners and other have their place even shampoos it all depends on how bad the wheel to dealt with is.

really bad state: - brick cleaner, Megs wheel Brightener etc. (mainly acid based)

okayish: - Bilberry at strong conc. or Bilberry at a weaker dilution - the main advantage here for bilberry is the fact that it is not _as_ aggressive as the ones listed above, no way would i reach for an aggressive wheel cleaner without prior need.(mainly alkali based)

saying bilberry is rubbish because i actually have to do something is abit rubbish even as an op.

Wolfs tbh i have not used so would not be willing to comment

Overall, once fully cleaned seal the wheels then just use a shampoo to get them clean saves any further damage to them completely. Which is what i use reg. if they are a little worse then APC-->Billberry diluted-->stronger--> then acid based...

I know bilberry has recently changed manufacturers behind the scenes so is no longer the original one i know which is what i have although anchem (the original makers) or very cherry (which is another name for bilberry in it's original form) might help with that.

Without knowing the current condition of the wheels then you cannot make an informed decision.










Notice i have only SF'ed and the orange bucket only features one of my older shampoos for cleaning wheels no "alloy wheel cleaners" in use. It appears this thread has given all sorts of ops. but all products have their place it just depends on condition of the wheels.


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Try Sonax xtreme full efect,its fantastic stuff..
http://www.performancemotorcare.com/acatalog/Sonax_Extreme_Rim_Cleaner_Full_Effect.html


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## Guest (May 23, 2011)

Avanti said:


> This bit requires some clarification, as there are a lot of posts about hydrochloric or brick acid being used, whereas perhaps all the acidic wheel cleaners are never just acid or contain hydrochloric acid


Many products will use HCl and they will be very effective (though best performance does rely on some additional components). Other acids will also be used which can tend to give a more user friendly product but they will rarely be more effective.


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## Matt_Nic (Apr 15, 2011)

For me, if there's a wheel cleaner out there that is squirt on hose off and another one that's squirt on, aggitate lots, squirt on again, aggitate again, hose off, wipe down and STILL doesnt look good then the latter is crap. I think I'd get more off my wheels if I spat on them.

I will never say something that takes 10 times the effort with 10 times less end result is anything but crap. 

If any one wants half a bottle of BB - come and get it, it's as good to me as a chocolate teapot tbh.
I'll keep my megs bottle though, so bring your own


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## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

Just ignore everyone on here and use what the local car washes do. BRICK ACID 












Kidding obviously - AS Smart wheels/Megs Wheel brightner/Bilberry are all good IMO


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## Matt_Nic (Apr 15, 2011)

How is Megs WB vs Megs Hot Wheels?

The one downside to Hot Wheels is that it's £8 - £9 a bottle and only does 3-4 sets of wheels. Although consider this - Halfords do 3 For 2 on all car cleaning products so every now and then, get 2 bottles of something you need and effectively the wheel cleaner is free. Or just get 3 bottles of the stuff for £18 instead of £27 odd.


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## Flipsacoin (Mar 29, 2011)

I've just this minute received some samples from HTST as per his post yesterday, I'll post up any findings although the CG's Diablo has already received good reports.


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## Bratwurst (Jan 23, 2009)

I know it may not be within your budget, but I have a selection of wheel cleaners for different types of wheels and different severities of mess.

For my car which has wheels sealed and kept clean regularly I use shampoo/water. Any thing I can't get off, say after a weekend away on a long drive I get out the Stjarnagloss Hjul or Chemical Guys Diablo at a weakish mix. About 4:1.

For delicate wheels (polished or chrome etc) or damaged wheels, I also use the two above.

'Normal' wheels I use Autosmart Smart Wheels, tremendous value and can be used at weak mix right up to neat and will shift almost everything.

'Normal' wheels with really heavy mess I use Megs Wheel Brightener, but only really as a one-off where possible as it's pretty mental stuff in strong mixes.

All wheels, except chrome or very delicate, I also use IronX which can sometimes be all that's needed.

Also Tardis for tar spots that no wheel cleaner will move.



Never really rated bilberry myself and found the similar AS Smart Wheels to be better at cleaning and better value too. ASSM is for this reason my favourite all-rounder and will shift almost everything on undamaged 'normal' wheels.


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## Matt_Nic (Apr 15, 2011)

Wee Green Mini - is wheel brightener as good as Hot Wheels at shifting muck with out loads of scrubbing?


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## Bratwurst (Jan 23, 2009)

Sorry man, don't know, never tried Hot Wheels.

Try a wee search on here for Hot Wheels and see if you get any results. Someone in here's bound to have used it at some point. If you try advanced search and put it in like this - "hot wheels" - with the "'s you should find something somewhere.


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## FlawlessDetailing (Mar 13, 2010)

So really what everyone is saying here is:
What works for you, works for you. Depending on the condition of the wheels.

Its the same as saying: you should use Menzerna over 3M, Wolf's over Chemical Guys, AutoGlym over Meguiars because...

Use whatever wheel cleaner will work for you, its just a case of trial and error, unfortunately you will have to spend a few quid buying different cleaners but at the end of the day, when your wheels are clean with mild dust, you will use a mild wheel cleaner, not something hugely acidic, for example (like for paint using Meguiars #80 for when you only need a quick spruce up, really light swirll removal) and when you havent cleaned your wheels in a few months and there caked in brake dust iron filings and tar you use something harsher (like for paint Meguiars #105 a heavy cut compound for heavy defects to correct) Same principle apply's to wheels. and most forget this.

Im only using Meg's as an example by the way.
Plus if you have a few cleaners im sure you'll know someone who'le need some, which will be a favour returned when needs be :thumb:

Thats my 2 cent !

Padraic


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## Matt_Nic (Apr 15, 2011)

IMO it boils down to how much work you want to do and how much money you want on an initial lay out to spend. 

Unless I had very expensive delicate rims, I wouldnt use anything that requires me to bend over and scrub. I'll go for what ever product goes on easily, breaks up the grime easily and hoses off easily. Having tried numerous products, the Megs fits the bill for me. 

It's a shame it doesnt foam up like the Halfords aerosole cans though, IMO thats the best way of ensuring a wheel gets cleaned - by making the product stick to the rim for as long as possible, something Bilberry, AG and most other products just dont do. Even the Megs isnt brilliant, but it's so strong it takes a lot off anyway!


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## Bratwurst (Jan 23, 2009)

@ Matt Nic, why don't you give a gel cleaner a try and see how you like them? As you get no run-off since it clings so well, you have hardly any waste and like you say the clinging ones clean better usually.


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## DetailMyCar (Apr 19, 2010)

New Smart Wheels by Autosmart is incredible!!!!!!!!!

My BMW 520 has 137k on the clock, the wheels had serious amounts of baked on brake dust that just looked like pitting to me and something that could only be cured by a refurb....

AB Very cherry didn't touch it, Wonder wheels didn't touch it, AG Clean Wheels didn't touch it....

Smart wheels knocked it out the park! Literally cleaned all of it off and saved me the huge cost of having them all refurbed, i cannot tell you how impressed i am with it!!! £14 for 5L too - BARGAIN!


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## TheGooner84 (Jun 29, 2010)

was that at the 3:1 ratio or stronger ?

i picked up a barrel of it last week but havent had the chance to try it out yet. should be good for a test as the wheels havent been cleaned properly in a couple of months


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## DetailMyCar (Apr 19, 2010)

TheGooner84 said:


> was that at the 3:1 ratio or stronger ?
> 
> i picked up a barrel of it last week but havent had the chance to try it out yet. should be good for a test as the wheels havent been cleaned properly in a couple of months


No i just used it neat, the brake dust was so bad that it needed to be as strong as possible - Worked a treat though, so pleased with it!


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## Matt_Nic (Apr 15, 2011)

wee_green_mini said:


> @ Matt Nic, why don't you give a gel cleaner a try and see how you like them? As you get no run-off since it clings so well, you have hardly any waste and like you say the clinging ones clean better usually.


Absolutely - my next purchase will be gel. Not sure which to get though, there's a few. I have a BMW and BMW actually sell their own gel cleaner.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

BL-Sci said:


> Many products will use HCl and they will be very effective (though best performance does rely on some additional components). Other acids will also be used which can tend to give a more user friendly product but they will rarely be more effective.


I'm trying to see one that does use hydrochloric acid


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Matt_Nic said:


> Wee Green Mini - is wheel brightener as good as Hot Wheels at shifting muck with out loads of scrubbing?





wee_green_mini said:


> Sorry man, don't know, never tried Hot Wheels.
> 
> Try a wee search on here for Hot Wheels and see if you get any results. Someone in here's bound to have used it at some point. If you try advanced search and put it in like this - "hot wheels" - with the "'s you should find something somewhere.


Which hot wheels are you reffering to?
I have used the wonder wheels hot wheels gel, which after application turns red withing a few minutes.



















and then easily rinses off as per this video


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## clubman (May 18, 2011)

Never had any probs with AG Custom wheel cleaner, but then again the wheels se only 6mo.tbd old and I clean them twice a week, so the cleaner doesn't have to flex its muscles much.


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

I use Bilberry its bob on.


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## GJM (Jul 19, 2009)

Matt_Nic said:


> Valet Pro Bilberry - total waste of money. Tried diluting from heavy to 100% and it did no better job than soapy water and elbow grease. Fairy liquid dilutes 1000:1 so in terms of cheapness - it's better than Bilberry.


Never tried it but is it not comparable with the likes of AS Smart Wheels or many claim it to be better?

If so I've used Smart Wheels for a while and although there will more than likely be better out there, it's not bad at all.


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## 1Valet PRO (Nov 2, 2005)

Avanti said:


> I'm trying to see one that does use hydrochloric acid


Blue Gel Wheel cleaner uses hydrochloric. The first of its type if not the only one on the market to be gel based and hydrochloric.

This product give many benefits over conventional acid wheel cleaner. THe gel is spray able. It cling to the wheel surface improving contact time, THe gel contains the Vapour making it nicer to work with. It does not dry as quick also improving contact time. Also effective on normal grime.

Its an interesting product for thought who what or need a more aggressive wheel cleaner.


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## Guest (May 26, 2011)

Avanti said:


> I'm trying to see one that does use hydrochloric acid


You have to remember that 'detailing products' have become a category all of their own. There are many industrial and commercial products which do the same jobs but are would likely not show up on the detailing 'radar'.



1Valet PRO said:


> Blue Gel Wheel cleaner uses hydrochloric. The first of its type if not the only one on the market to be gel based and hydrochloric.


I would correct to say that this is accurate only within _this_ particular community.


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## Mr Shoelaces (Dec 27, 2007)

why acid on a painted surface? what are you cleaning?


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## thehulk2002 (Mar 16, 2011)

I use Wonder Wheels which is brill I bought mine from costco for £7.99 for 5LT bargin


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## TheGooner84 (Jun 29, 2010)

Mr Shoelaces said:


> why acid on a painted surface? what are you cleaning?


brake dust

most wheel cleaners are ether acid
or caustic - alkaline based, alot ive seen are sodium hydroxide

alot depends on the pads used, my oem porsche pads were a doodle to clean the dust from the alloys but the DS2500 are much harder


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