# Autoglym Clean Wheels - anyone used it?



## Jakedoodles (Jan 16, 2006)

I just ordered a crate of AG stuff and somehow have ended up with Clean Wheels instead of Custom Wheel Cleaner (this may have been an error on my part.. I put the order in at 1am!) Can anyone comment on how acidic it is in terms of potential damage? Is it relatively safe, or do I need to chuck the lot on ebay?


----------



## martin slaven (May 27, 2008)

I use it, Ive heard its rather acidy so i use it sparingly.


----------



## Troon (Dec 17, 2008)

It's dilute phosphoric acid in a bottle. I once accidentally sprayed it on my door seals thinking I'd picked up the Vinyl & Rubber Care bottle, and it quickly liberated a load of sulphur from the rubber.

I'd suggest it should only be used for serious remedial work rather than a weekly wash.


----------



## Superhands (Jan 7, 2009)

Would never use the stuff again , Bilberry is so good i cant see past the stuff !


----------



## Guest (Jan 29, 2009)

It's fine... just because it's an acid doesen't mean its automatically bad (as I mentioned in the other thread on here - alkali is actually more corrosive to aluminum than acid). As it says on the back it is a balanced blend (i.e., its probably been developed to corrode wheels as little as possible). The main problem is it is like water and doesen't foam without agitation so it doesen't cling at all (though AG recently mentioned they have changed the trigger head to make it foam up a bit - which might suggest they have changed the formulation too).

Just to confirm it is clean wheels and not the trade "wheel cleaner" because those two products are actually different.


----------



## Jakedoodles (Jan 16, 2006)

Thanks chaps. I'll probably keep a bottle back for myself and stick the rest on the bay. Not worth risking!


----------



## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

I dilute mine 50:50 with water for the weekly clean use it neat on alloys that are filthy :thumb:


----------



## Coops (Apr 26, 2008)

Used to use it before moving over to Bilberry - is very acidic and really cleans up the worst of my alloys. Saying that so does the Bilberry - only use it now on the exhaust, if they get really bad.


----------



## MadOnVaux! (Jun 2, 2008)

I've used it, and its pretty good (although not a patch on Wonder Wheels IMO), it smells of pure acid though and burns like feck, especially if you have any cuts....Use gloves, dont breath the spray and dont splash it near your eyes!!


----------



## Nickos (Apr 27, 2006)

in comparison to Epsuma, i find it rather poor performance wise. It just doesn't seem to cut it.

Smells pretty lethal though.


----------



## Ultimate (Feb 18, 2007)

this is what i burnt my hands with!! so can confirm its pretty corrosive!! as very good at geting the brake dust off though


----------



## ahaydock (Jan 4, 2007)

I've used it a couple of times and it is good stuff but as said just needs a bit of care - no different to using Megs WB IMO - I just use it on major details.


----------



## matt strike (Jan 2, 2009)

I've used it, agree with previous posters....stings like a [email protected]@rd if you've got any cuts or nicks on your hands and doesn't foam or cling very well.

Does work though


----------



## Guest (Jan 29, 2009)

Nickos said:


> in comparison to Epsuma, i find it rather poor performance wise. It just doesn't seem to cut it.


I'd agree, it certainly isn't up there with the most effective cleaners on the market, nowhere near as good as wonderwheels for cutting dirt..


----------



## ahaydock (Jan 4, 2007)

Agree thought I still find Megs WB better.


----------



## ryand (Jul 18, 2008)

Used to use it and now use AG Acid Free Wheel Cleaner - got the 5ltr one from Elite and its good stuff, but doesn't always get all the tar off.


----------



## Guest (Jan 29, 2009)

AG Acid Free/Custom Wheel Cleaner is a nice product, foams well, and coming from AG it should be pretty safe for wheels. It is alright calling a wheel cleaner "acid-free" but that doesen't really mean it will be safe.

You may find this intresting re: acid-free wheel cleaners

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showpost.php?p=864626&postcount=1

Pay particular attention to this:



> *Some companies began producing alkaline based wheel cleaners, but as you can see by the damage caused to the aluminium strips in the test tubes in the clip below these can be just as corrosive as acid based cleaners*. Consequently we saw a gap in the market for an easy to use, acid free cleaner, with powerful cleaning properties that wasn't corrosive to alloy wheels.


----------



## wstrain87 (Jan 26, 2009)

I don't think it's very good at removing stubborn brake dust - I use Megs Wheel Brightener - it does what it says on the tine, in that as well as cleaning every pick of brake dust off, it makes the wheels really bright and shiny - I'm really impressed with it.

Would like to try the Valet Pro Bilberry though - it seems to get a good rating by those who use it.


----------



## isherdholi (Sep 18, 2007)

Let's not forget that strong alkaline chemicals can be just as harmful and corrosive as strong acidic chemicals.

Does anybody know what tha pH rating would be of all the acid free cleaners, such as Bilberry? If its a strong alkaline, then it could potentially be just as harmful.


----------



## Troon (Dec 17, 2008)

I use neat ammonia, as that's acid-free. :lol:

Note - joke, don't do this.


----------



## Guest (Jan 30, 2009)

isherdholi said:


> such as Bilberry? If its a strong alkaline, then it could potentially be just as harmful.


pH10 - so not *that* bad at all


----------



## RedCloudMC (Jul 19, 2008)

Clean wheels...well, from personal experience...

My fiancee, bless her, took to helping me one day on our Golf Rivage convertible (show car, perfect condition). I wasn't paying attention to what she was doing until I saw the bottle of Clean Wheels out of the cupboard..laying on the floor. I had it there for really tough jobs as I do find it pretty good if used correctly to be fair. I panicked.

I looked down at the wheels and realised it was too late. She had put this stuff on by the gallon on anodised alloy wheels and left on there to dry. Burnt the wheels and left run marks all over them..hell of a mess.

So moral is I guess, use carefully and it's OK use stupidly and it'll potentially mess your wheels big time. The biggest moral of course...if she insists on helping...give her the least responsible job you can find! 

Cheers :thumb:


----------



## MadOnVaux! (Jun 2, 2008)

Troon said:


> I use neat ammonia, as that's acid-free. :lol:
> 
> Note - joke, don't do this.


lol, how about Caustic Soda then???


----------



## gug54321 (Apr 30, 2008)

ive never had a problem with the stuff even on kurbed broken laquered wheels, ie never notices it eat away behind the laquer, just dont leave it on too long and it will be fine.


----------



## Satty (Aug 24, 2008)

imho not very good i used it on a set of bmw mv1 alloys and they are normally quite easy to clean with wheel brightner.. but with AG stuff it would just about move it...

5/10 for me

Sat


----------

