# bilberry wheel cleaner help



## luke_270 (Jan 30, 2015)

i have the valet pro bilberry wheel cleaner i used to use on my old car but my new one has diamond cut wheels would i be okay to use this on them or am i going to cause damage?


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

You'll be fine Luke, bilberry isn't acidic and safe to use on your wheels. Smells really nice too. :thumb:


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## 204driver (Aug 27, 2008)

Just because a wheel cleaner isn't acidic doesn't necessarily make it safe . Like many acid free wheel cleaner bilbury contains sodium hydroxide so is caustic at strong dilutions.


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## Andy from Sandy (May 6, 2011)

If the whole rim has been lacquered / clear coated it will be fine.


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## cossiecol (Jun 29, 2014)

Moved to the correct section


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## fatdazza (Dec 29, 2010)

Soul boy 68 said:


> You'll be fine Luke, bilberry isn't acidic and safe to use on your wheels. Smells really nice too. :thumb:


Very poor advice!!!!!!

Correct about the smell 
Correct about not being acidic 

Totally omitted to inform the OP that it is highly alkaline.

Sealing the wheels with a wheel wax / sealant or a ceramic type coating and using normal shampoo or ph neutral wheel cleaner will ensure your wheel finish remains looking good for as long as possible.


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## luke_270 (Jan 30, 2015)

cheers guys might just give it a miss and spend abit more time on them without it 


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

fatdazza said:


> Very poor advice!!!!!!
> 
> Correct about the smell
> Correct about not being acidic
> ...


I was assuming his wheels are lacquered and clear coated, if so then I can't see any problems.


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## fatdazza (Dec 29, 2010)

All that is protecting the diamond cut finish on your wheels is lacquer. The same lacquer which protects your paintwork. Would you use a harsh wheel cleaner on your paintwork?

Best to look after that lacquer by using the least aggressive chemicals, hence my advice to seal your wheels. Then shampoo will clean the wheels easily if you keep on top of the cleaning.

On painted wheels you have a base coat under the lacquer, but once the lacquer protection is compromised on the diamond cut, that's it.


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

fatdazza said:


> All that is protecting the diamond cut finish on your wheels is lacquer. The same lacquer which protects your paintwork. Would you use a harsh wheel cleaner on your paintwork?
> 
> Best to look after that lacquer by using the least aggressive chemicals, hence my advice to seal your wheels. Then shampoo will clean the wheels easily if you keep on top of the cleaning.
> 
> On painted wheels you have a base coat under the lacquer, but once the lacquer protection is compromised on the diamond cut, that's it.


I am no scientist but is Bilberry that aggressive? I have not had problems with my wheels and they are Lacquered, seen no signs of the lacquer being compromised.


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## AndyN01 (Feb 16, 2016)

How about drop a line to Valet Pro themselves?

And share their reply.

Andy.


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## fatdazza (Dec 29, 2010)

AndyN01 said:


> How about drop a line to Valet Pro themselves?
> 
> And share their reply.
> 
> Andy.


Now call me a cynic but i bet they will say they are perfectly safe for lacquered wheels. They market the stuff as acid free wheel cleaner without telling people it is highly alkaline ( something done by a lot of companies).

My point stands about using the least aggressive chemicals to ensure the finish lasts as long as possible.


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## fatdazza (Dec 29, 2010)

Soul boy 68 said:


> I am no scientist but is Bilberry that aggressive? I have not had problems with my wheels and they are Lacquered, seen no signs of the lacquer being compromised.


Thereby is the problem. Do yourself a favour and read the msds. And start to learn about some of the chemicals you play with. It is a caustic chemical. People here often go on about ph neutral and safe techniques to protect their paint and yet happily use caustic chemiclas on their wheels which have the same lacquer :wall:


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## stealthwolf (Sep 24, 2008)

I have used Bilberry on my diamond cut alloy wheels for years without problems. Before I knew about detailingworld, I used to use Megs Hot Rims on them. Neat.


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

fatdazza said:


> Now call me a cynic but i bet they will say they are perfectly safe for lacquered wheels. They market the stuff as acid free wheel cleaner without telling people it is highly alkaline ( something done by a lot of companies).
> 
> My point stands about using the least aggressive chemicals to ensure the finish lasts as long as possible.


If VP say they are safe on lacquered wheels and really they are not then surely they can be liable for mis selling?


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## Brian1612 (Apr 5, 2015)

Just about finished up my 1L of Valet Pro Bilberry diluted at 1:5. Don't use it every wash but alternate between that and another wheel cleaner at 1:10 depending on how the protection on the wheel is going.

No issues on any car using Bilberry, even every maintenance wash.


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## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

Ultimately I don't imagine that a wheel cleaner will damage the lacquer on any sort of wheel unless you are using some really strong acid based wheel cleaner which bilberry is not. 

Just stick to the recommended dilution rates and you will be fine:thumb:

There is a reason wheels are laquered and that is to protect the bare metal underneath so if it can stand being driven day in day out I am sure a little bilberry won't do it any harm


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## fatdazza (Dec 29, 2010)

Without labouring the point:

The lacquer on your wheels is the same as on your car 's bodywork.

I do not hear of people on here using alkaline wheel cleaners to keep the bodywork clean.

In fact people often go to the length of putting an LSP on their bodywork.

Why not treat your wheels the same? Clean them, seal them and then use the least aggressive chemicals to clean them.

The finish will then remain in excellent condition for longer.


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## hyburnate (Apr 6, 2015)

Ignoring the debate on whether it's safe or not. I strongly recommend you just seal them, there are lots of products out there from easy to apply but 'short' lifetimes such as Obsession Wax Taranis, CarPro Hydro2, FK1000p etc etc to longer lasting products like C5 that require longer curing times...


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## fatdazza (Dec 29, 2010)

Soul boy 68 said:


> If VP say they are safe on lacquered wheels and really they are not then surely they can be liable for mis selling?


And most acidic wheel cleaners are advertised as safe for lacquered wheels.

Yet so many people on here claim that acidic wheel cleaners should be avoided at all costs, while at the same time are happy to recommend "acid free" wheel cleaners which are actually highly alkaline.

People think "acid free" is a guarantee of safety. Dip your hand into a bucket of highly alkaline chemical and find out how safe it is.

BTW did you look up the MSDS for bilberry?

A couple of extracts from it in case you didn't:

Hazard statements: H314: Causes severe skin burns and eye damage.
Signal words: Danger
Hazard pictograms: GHS05: Corrosion

Precautionary statements: P102: Keep out of reach of children.
P260: Do not breathe spray.
P264: Wash hands thoroughly after handling.
P280: Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection.


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## mr.t (Oct 1, 2010)

acidic or not...i have used billberry for about 3 years on diamond cut wheels...no problems at all.


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