# The power of Wheel Brightener



## BenP (Dec 2, 2005)

I still can't get over how good this product is. I know it's not safe for all finishes but as long as you're careful in identifying the wheel finish before applying it you'll be fine.

The girlfriend's Mini hadn't seen a clean in over five weeks so I decided to show off just what this product can do with no agitation whatsoever. So here we go:

This is a picture of the wheel before applying the Wheel Brightener. It's dry (apart from the few runs of water off the bodywork where I'd tried some insect remover - more of that in another thread) and cool to the touch, and has (as previously mentioned), over five weeks worth of brake dust and muck on it:

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e142/benpo****/Dirty.jpg

I then applied Wheel Brightener (4:1) liberally, allowed it do dwell for 30 seconds or so, and then hosed it off with my pressure washer. Here's the result:

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e142/benpo****/Clean.jpg

It is, quite simply, the best wheel cleaner I've ever come across. Nothing can survive the onslaught of this product, and this is the reason it's now my go-to wheel cleaner.

If you haven't got any yet go get some!

Ben

(PS - obvioulsy I went over the wheels again after this photo was taken to get the rest of the muck off)


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## db_abz (Jan 19, 2006)

It is as you say Ben, very effective at removing the dirt and brake dust easily.

As you also said, inspect the finish on your wheels carefully before using though. 
My wife's CRV had some bubbling and cracking of the paint on her alloys, a few days after using WB and being very impressed with it all the bubbling and cracked paint fell off and now looks worse than it did when it was just dirty!
I'm not knocking WB it works very,very well on good condition alloys that need a deep clean, just be careful on wheels that are less than perfect.

Dave


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

WB is a very good product, you cannot beat it on really grubby rims.

I tend to avoid using it on a regular basis, as I prefer to wax my wheels and just use shampoo to clean them.

I do find caution is the best thing to use with WB, a good pair of rubber gloves and keeping well away from any spray and mist is good advice.


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

It is without doubt an excellent product, and one I use if I'm certain it will be safe on a wheel and the wheel is very grotty - it works fantasticly, but I only ever use it rarely - normally just a was with car shampoo and the Megs Wheel Brush for me. But for wheels that are really grotty like these ones, its a fantastic product as these pics show.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Dave KG said:


> It is without doubt an excellent product, and one I use if I'm certain it will be safe on a wheel and the wheel is very grotty - it works fantasticly, but I only ever use it rarely - normally just a was with car shampoo and the Megs Wheel Brush for me. But for wheels that are really grotty like these ones, its a fantastic product as these pics show.


I can't see any pics that you are reffering to


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## Nick666 (Apr 7, 2006)

he means the pics at the top of the thread


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Nick666 said:


> he means the pics at the top of the thread


OIC, well I'm afraid the wheels in the pics would have cleaned up just as nicely with shampoo, a week last sunday I came across a guy with a Mk5 gti, we were chatting about the cars and he showed me the damage that had been done to his monza 18s after he had taken it to one of those car cleaning places, the centre caps and nut covers required replacing

these wheels were cleaned with TW big orange wash only! and the car had not been cleaned for months 
Before 









after


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## andyollie (Dec 5, 2005)

i use Autosmart TFR neat, and always shift everything on rim in bad shape. Usually just use shampoo and megs brush


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

andyollie said:


> i use Autosmart TFR neat, and always shift everything on rim in bad shape. Usually just use shampoo and megs brush


Just been on the Megs site and had a look at the datsheet for WB, 
thankfully it is not as aggressive as WW, and the ph value is 5.5, the same as Flash shampoo neat  , TW extreme is slightly stronger (more acidic)


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## AndyC (Oct 25, 2005)

Ben - thanks for that write up mate. Fully agree with your comments and also those from some others - WB does need to be handled carefully, like it says on the bottle  

Avanti - can you tone down some of your posts please matey? I'm sure your various orange cleaners would also work just as well but your initial post does come across as somewhat dismissive and that's not needed. Thanks.

(BTW Flash shampoo's basically the same as washing up liquid - and that's from a professional in the cleaning chemical industry)


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## Johnnyopolis (Oct 25, 2005)

Avanti said:


> OIC, well I'm afraid the wheels in the pics would have cleaned up just as nicely with shampoo, a week last sunday I came across a guy with a Mk5 gti, we were chatting about the cars and he showed me the damage that had been done to his monza 18s after he had taken it to one of those car cleaning places, the centre caps and nut covers required replacing


The blokes a nutter!!!

I wouldnt let a Car Wash near a Mk V GTi with Monza's on!! If its damaged his centres then I guess he has learnt an important lesson 

p.s this is the opinion of the writer and not any other commercial entity


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

AndyC said:


> Avanti - can you tone down some of your posts please matey? I'm sure your various orange cleaners would also work just as well but your initial post does come across as somewhat dismissive and that's not needed. Thanks.
> 
> (BTW Flash shampoo's basically the same as washing up liquid - and that's from a professional in the cleaning chemical industry)


Many post comes across as dismissive!  
If anyone asks about a brand that can be purchased on the high street, next to no one answers  , later when someone has tried the product they are pleasantly surpried  I personally would not recommend some of the wheel cleaners to many visitors here, simply because they just slap the stuff on or misuse it :lol: , after all this is a valet / detail forum as such many should be into keeping their car clean hence washed often , so I cannot really see why most people here would even require strong acids to clean the wheels. :wall:

As for the Flash, perhaps you ought to post the ingredients naturally obtained from your contact, and see how it differs from many of the recommendations here.
As mentioned in another thread, a colleague has been washing his car for 8 years with WUL, to mine / our embarrasment his bodywork is looking superb for a 1998 Passat, others here have reported that Megs NXT strips the wax, snowfoam was not as impressive as expected,TW or AG is nowhere near as bad as the reviews here so yes I am sometimes dissmissive, but I cannot sit back and be quiet about misinformation 
:thumb:


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Johnnyopolis said:


> The blokes a nutter!!!
> 
> I wouldnt let a Car Wash near a Mk V GTi with Monza's on!! If its damaged his centres then I guess he has learnt an important lesson
> 
> p.s this is the opinion of the writer and not any other commercial entity


March 05 I was lucky enough to own my 1st ever brand new car, all I wanted to do was keep it in as new condition for as long as possible, I would be too scared to take it anywhere, even my local VW dealer ruined the paint on the hubs by using wheel cleaning acids


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## 182_Blue (Oct 25, 2005)

i have found that the paint finish on the alloy has a great influence on how easy they are to clean, e.g my 182 alloys were a complete biatch to keep the brake dust/ pitting away (used same technique for all), but my 172 speedline alloys were really easy and shampoo would remove the grime with no cleaners required, the ST's are really easy too.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

*Sorry Andy*



AndyC said:


> (BTW Flash shampoo's basically the same as washing up liquid - and that's from a professional in the cleaning chemical industry)


http://www.scienceinthebox.com/en_UK/pdf/FairyLiquidOriginal.pdf

then look at the one for flash car shampoo , then look at the megs nxt, the ph value for the mags and fairy liquid are very very similar, the only resemblance of flash shampoo and the wu liquid is the colour

Then look at this Flash Ultimate spray - orange 500ML 
and see how it 'differs' from erm wheel cleaner


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## k80 (Oct 26, 2005)

I have to disagree regarding Meguiars Wheel Brightner been a good wheel cleaner for neglected wheels. From my first go with WB it has struggled to remove baked on brake dust. Even after repaeated applications and aggitations. For this reason I have just purchased Alloy Extra and Extra strong wheel acid from Autobrite (review to follow shortly)

If anybody wonts a bottle of Meguiars WB for cost 2/3rd full please PM me.


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## pugoman (Oct 27, 2005)

k80 said:


> For this reason I have just purchased Alloy Extra and Extra strong wheel acid from Autobrite (review to follow shortly)


I've been using 'Autobrite Alloy Brite' recently and have to say it's pretty much the same as Megs Wheel Brightener, maybe slightly better IMO. Can be diluted to suit different degrees of soiling like WB. It even smells the same as WB... but it's only £10.56 for 5 litres (not a US gallon like WB). I won't be buying anymore WB once I've run out.

k80, I've found the Extra Strong Acid is very effective at penetrating baked-on specks of brake dust that nothing else will shift... I'll be interested to hear how you get on with Alloy Extra.


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## k80 (Oct 26, 2005)

Both the Alloy Extra and Extra Stong wheel acid should see some asction this weekend on some neglected Hyundai Coupe and Jaguar S Type alloys. 

Will keep you posted.


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## BenP (Dec 2, 2005)

Avanti said:


> OIC, well I'm afraid the wheels in the pics would have cleaned up just as nicely with shampoo


That may be so, but it wouldn't have been anywhere near as easy or as quick using that method.

Ben


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## AndyC (Oct 25, 2005)

Avanti said:


> Many post comes across as dismissive!
> If anyone asks about a brand that can be purchased on the high street, next to no one answers  , later when someone has tried the product they are pleasantly surpried  I personally would not recommend some of the wheel cleaners to many visitors here, simply because they just slap the stuff on or misuse it :lol: , after all this is a valet / detail forum as such many should be into keeping their car clean hence washed often , so I cannot really see why most people here would even require strong acids to clean the wheels. :wall:
> 
> As for the Flash, perhaps you ought to post the ingredients naturally obtained from your contact, and see how it differs from many of the recommendations here.
> ...


I simply asked you to think before typing mate 

Hope that's not too much of a problem for you


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## BenP (Dec 2, 2005)

Avanti said:


> so I cannot really see why most people here would even require strong acids to clean the wheels. :wall:


Ever thought about people who do this as a business and come across first-time-client's wheels that haven't seen a wash in months?

Ben


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## AndyC (Oct 25, 2005)

Fair point indeed Ben.

So to summarise, WB's very good on neglected wheels, care needs to taken with specialised wheel finishes, it can be diluted to varying strengths, it can be sprayed on/hosed to off to good effect, it's well priced.

Alternative wheel cleaners are available and alternative wheel cleaning methods may also work well on less neglected wheels.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

BenP said:


> Ever thought about people who do this as a business and come across first-time-client's wheels that haven't seen a wash in months?
> 
> Ben


Well, yes, I would have thought with their reputation at risk, that is the time to be more careful, and call upon their experience and perhaps training. Bad news travels faster than good.


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## AndyC (Oct 25, 2005)

Again a fair point but in Ben's defence there are times when you simply need a good strong cleaner and WB fits the bill. I had a Merc C Class last year and the front wheels hadn't been properly cleaned in something like 3 months and several thousand winter miles. I hit em with everything and I mean everything and ended up using neat Wonder Wheels with limited success.

Did the car again late last year; again not cleaned in months (some people don't learn....) and WB did the job on 3 of the wheels, with the fourth needing IMO a refurb as the dust had eaten right into the alloy - I even gave the owner a 1/2 full bottle of 10:1 diluted WB for future use!


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## BenP (Dec 2, 2005)

Avanti said:


> Well, yes, I would have thought with their reputation at risk, that is the time to be more careful, and call upon their experience and perhaps training. Bad news travels faster than good.


Yes - and my experience tells me what wheels can take WB and which ones can't.

Just because WB can damage certain types of alloy doesn't mean I'm not going to use it on anything just incase.

Ben


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## Nick666 (Apr 7, 2006)

I'm one of those 'doesnt keep it as clean as he should' guys I'm afraid  But after spending an hour scrubbing away at EACH wheel (I was dumb enough to buy white alloys!) last time with fairly limited success using Megs Gold Class shampoo and hot water, I was all for trying anything that'd decrease the elbow grease required... Well they looked just as dirty this time (a good 8-10 weeks later), but a quick spray of WB and a light brushing of the hard-to-reach bits while I waited for the 40 seconds to pass, then a blast with the hose and hey presto nearly as good as new! I was gobsmacked. So in this particular instance, on these particular wheels, a great result. As usual, your mileage may vary 

Pics to follow when I get the cam hooked up.


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