# Strongest Wheel Cleaner



## ottostein (Sep 11, 2012)

As title says. 

Whats the strongest wheel cleaner out there at the moment. 
Must be very strong when diluted also


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## gregb (Feb 1, 2009)

Wonder wheels


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## Tank. (Dec 26, 2011)

Autosmart ALI

Although total overkill

I used to think i wanted the strongest, but realised there was no need for it

I use smart wheels now, heres pics of my truck wheel before and after with no agitation, just sprayed on and left a bit and jet washed off


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

For a one off clean to remove serious contamination wonder wheels but I'd try IronX or one of the derivatives first. It might take one or two applications.


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## jebus (Jun 2, 2009)

bang for buck, Smart wheels is one of most popular on here as well any bilbery, and various things from autobrite combine this with a fallout/deironiser should bring any wheel back to sparkling!


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## ronwash (Mar 26, 2011)

Just get an acid based wheel cleaner,any will do.
please work with caution.


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## EVL (Dec 31, 2010)

Strongest one I've come across is XXX by Saanro.


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## xJay1337 (Jul 20, 2012)

Nanoman said:


> For a one off clean to remove serious contamination wonder wheels but I'd try IronX or one of the derivatives first. It might take one or two applications.


I thought the point was things like Wonder wheels (which is fine to use regularly on powdercoated wheels I speak from experience)... are used to sort of clean and remove oil and deposits where as Iron-X simply removes the iron and doesn't actually "clean" as such..
:detailer:


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## ottostein (Sep 11, 2012)

Everyone, i have used bilberry at 1:1 and wolfs deiron but there still grubby as a tramps balls. clay wont even touch it!! looking from google the reps wont supply ali due to the MSDS and acid blah blah. 

no vids on xxx


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## rf860 (Jul 24, 2011)

Use wonder wheels. It's awesome on wheels that are properly caked!


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## adamf (Feb 5, 2006)

Sometimes you can pickup the 5ltr bottle of Wonder Wheels cheap but as said before i'd only use on proper caked wheels and never on anything special like chrome.


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## Daffyplum (Mar 29, 2010)

If I'm careful can I use wonder wheels on the rear of a split rim?


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## woodym3 (Aug 30, 2009)

Had a set of caked on Golf GT TDI wheels to do yesterday, nothing could touch them, broke out the wonder wheels and they came up a treat, used carefully WW is a great and underated produt. imo...


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

What kind of "dirt" are we talking? This will determine your cleaner type


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Espuma Revolution or Maxolen Wheel Cleaner for me :thumb:


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## Junior Bear (Sep 2, 2008)

espuma revolution hasnt let me down yet, at 30:1 dilution ratio and a small detail brush its effortless wheel cleaning


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## Junior Bear (Sep 2, 2008)

Wonder wheels is probably the strongest though


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## Mr Shoelaces (Dec 27, 2007)

Espuma Revolution


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## Scrim-1- (Oct 8, 2008)

Can i ask why you require the strongest wheel cleaner on the market?


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## Gizmo68 (Mar 27, 2008)

Whilst any acidic cleaner will be ok on sealed surfaces (i.e. no chips or paint / lacquer missing AT ALL) it really should not be used regularly, would you wash your cars bodywork in acid? wheels are finished in a clear coat (lacquer) just line the bodywork is, so they should be treated the same.

Yes I have used acidic Wonder Wheels in the past (before I knew better) but now I use Very Cherry on my wheels and this brings them up just as clean (on really stubborn bits I use it neat) but 1:10 should suffice for most brake dust.

Just be careful with the acid as it WILL stain the lacquer if you are not careful with it, and chips in the lacquer and it will get under it, be warned.


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

I've NEVER used a wheel cleaner. You don't need one. Tardis and Iron X to decontaminate before sealing the alloys with your chosen wax / sealant. Ours are wearing Gtechniq C5 so just washed with shampoo and water. Job done.


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## Mikej857 (Jan 17, 2012)

If it was me then I'd try the wonder wheels but then ensure they were waxed/sealed so I didn't have to regularly use it.

Once sealed properly it's just a case of washing with normal wash solution


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

Wonder Wheels is by far the strongest I've used. I wouldn't even use it regularly as it's so strong I wonder what it does to the laquer on alloys. It just eats through everything like it's nothing, great for a one-off deep clean if nothing else is strong enough.


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## AdnanKhan (Aug 16, 2012)

Fluoroantimonic Acid

Best stuff ever use it all the time. 


sent from my Samsung GT-I9100 via tapacrap


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

Blueberry said:


> I've NEVER used a wheel cleaner. You don't need one. Tardis and Iron X to decontaminate before sealing the alloys with your chosen wax / sealant. Ours are wearing Gtechniq C5 so just washed with shampoo and water. Job done.


So what do u recommend for seriously caked wheels then if not a wheel cleaner. There's plenty u can get on wheels that tardis and iron x will do nothing with..?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

Nanoman said:


> So what do u recommend for seriously caked wheels then if not a wheel cleaner. There's plenty u can get on wheels that tardis and iron x will do nothing with..?
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2


In the 5 years I've been detailing I bought a sample of Bilberry wheel cleaner, as it was getting rave reviews at the time. Tried it, didn't do anything for me. Didn't see that it actually did anything. Never used it again. If wheels are sealed regularly, nothing bakes on them - nothing that Tardis and Iron X doesn't deal with anyway. If I've detailed someone else's car which had stubborn marks that wouldn't come off, I've given them a bash with Megs APC, which has done the job.


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## xJay1337 (Jul 20, 2012)

millns84 said:


> Wonder Wheels is by far the strongest I've used. I wouldn't even use it regularly as it's so strong I wonder what it does to the laquer on alloys. It just eats through everything like it's nothing, great for a one-off deep clean if nothing else is strong enough.


Again on my standard alloys I used to use this and never had a problem................
How much of this is just conjecture or bad experiences from using on diamond polished rims...


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## Junior Bear (Sep 2, 2008)

Unless thoroughly rinsed and then shampoo washed after, wonder wheels is deadly IMO


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## ottostein (Sep 11, 2012)

I just wanted to know what the strongest was. I would never wash my car let alone anyone elses in acid. Thats stupid. The wheels have never been cleaned and the brake dust is baked on like concrete.

so everyone is saying wonder wheels. Can this be diluted to say 1:5 and still be effective or just use neat?? 

wheels need a refurb anyway but i want to get the brake dust off first. Failing that ill just sand them down. I was going to do one wheel at a time but i would like the other wheels looking nice whilst the refurb is being done


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## Junior Bear (Sep 2, 2008)

I would dilute it at 15:1 try that first

Don't fill a full bottle, Incase you need a different ratio. Won't waste it then


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## rf860 (Jul 24, 2011)

Wonder wheels isn't as bad as it's being made out. I used it on my parents M3 diamond tuned wheels and also their range rover sport diamond turned alloys every few weeks for 3 years and it done no damage to them at all. 

As somebody already mentioned, if you properly clean and seal your wheels, you should be able to use normal shampoo. This is the best idea, but not the answer the OP was looking for


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## rf860 (Jul 24, 2011)

ottostein said:


> I just wanted to know what the strongest was. I would never wash my car let alone anyone elses in acid. Thats stupid. The wheels have never been cleaned and the brake dust is baked on like concrete.
> 
> so everyone is saying wonder wheels. Can this be diluted to say 1:5 and still be effective or just use neat??
> 
> wheels need a refurb anyway but i want to get the brake dust off first. Failing that ill just sand them down. I was going to do one wheel at a time but i would like the other wheels looking nice whilst the refurb is being done


Just do it neat. It'll work, no probs!


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## martvw (Sep 11, 2012)

I've used wheel acid before its not ideal but It didn't harm the lacquer and I made sure I gave it a good polish and wax after


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## Daffyplum (Mar 29, 2010)

This is what I'm faced with










I have the same problem on my split rims, I have managed to get the fronts like this










What is best/safest to use on the back?

All help/advice greatly appreciated


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## EVL (Dec 31, 2010)

ottostein said:


> Everyone, i have used bilberry at 1:1 and wolfs deiron but there still grubby as a tramps balls. clay wont even touch it!! looking from google the reps wont supply ali due to the MSDS and acid blah blah.
> 
> no vids on xxx


Whereabputs are you? If you're anywhere near Rochdale, you're welcome to come pick some XXX to try.


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## Junior Bear (Sep 2, 2008)

Daffyplum said:


> This is what I'm faced with
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Holy ****, I see what you mean. Personally I would attack those with...

Very cherry acid wheel cleaner 3:1, but use the meguiars interior brush (because its very stiff) to agitate, I'm confident that after 5-6 hits that would get them presentable


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## ottostein (Sep 11, 2012)

EVL said:


> Whereabputs are you? If you're anywhere near Rochdale, you're welcome to come pick some XXX to try.


Northamptonshire  good 3 hr to try some wheel cleaner.

idk whats wrong with my bil cleaner. tried it diluted 1:8 on my partners car which has been sat for over a year on the wheels and they were never cleaned and came up an absoloute treat!!

Ill get some WW and let you know if it works


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## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

I can't believe nobody has mentioned Meguires wheel brightner, this stuff is proper strong. It stings if you get the spray on the back of your hands, can be diluted tho down to 4/1.


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## Junior Bear (Sep 2, 2008)

O yeah! Totally forgot about that stuff

Tis very good, extremely strong


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## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

Junior Bear said:


> O yeah! Totally forgot about that stuff
> 
> Tis very good, extremely strong


I bought a gallon years ago, you use so little it has lasted ages. I only use it when I'm stripping my wheels right back to polish and seal or when I'm detailing friends and family's cars as a one hit wonder. Out of intrest I have then used a iron fallout product but not much blending is achieved.


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## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

Brick acid, works a treat.


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## Junior Bear (Sep 2, 2008)

great gonzo said:


> I bought a gallon years ago, you use so little it has lasted ages. I only use it when I'm stripping my wheels right back to polish and seal or when I'm detailing friends and family's cars as a one hit wonder. Out of intrest I have then used a iron fallout product but not much blending is achieved.


My dad bought a gallon when we first got into detailing five years ago, still got loads left!


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## rossmuir1978 (Sep 29, 2009)

given the state of them..... pressure wash...old sponge soap and hot water to get the worst off, then plenty wonder wheels to be honest, repeat as necessary


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## suspal (Dec 29, 2011)

Years ago i did some wheels on an audi 80 brake dust was baked on proper,nothing short of getting them refurbished was going through my mind untill the ag rep suggested hydrochloric acid diluted alloys came up a treat with some scrubbing.
Smell was horrible though. :thumb:


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## explorer (Nov 11, 2012)

I use to use wonder wheels regularly. But I have found from this site that it is too strong for regular use. But having said I have never had problems


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## macca666 (Mar 30, 2010)

explorer said:


> I use to use wonder wheels regularly. But I have found from this site that it is too strong for regular use. But having said I have never had problems


For the occasional use I've never had any problems either but agree I wouldn't use it regularly.


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## Antbunt (Jan 14, 2008)

Malco break off. Now that is strong.


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## xJay1337 (Jul 20, 2012)

All I needed for this was a jet wash and some Citrus Power..


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## rf860 (Jul 24, 2011)

They're not that dirty though? Just surface dirty like mines after a few days :/


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## Daffyplum (Mar 29, 2010)

The fronts /faces get cleaned a lot more regularly than the unseen bits behind the 'spokes'. Will a combination of pre wash/wolfs/wonder wheels/iron x re,Get rid of 10/15 years of abuse?


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## xJay1337 (Jul 20, 2012)

^ Yes it would.


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## Daffyplum (Mar 29, 2010)

In that case I'll make use of the jack and all the products i've bought in the last month or so on here. I'll try and take pics and do a suitable write up too.


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## podgas (Apr 4, 2010)

gregb said:


> Wonder wheels


Cheaper to use Patio cleaner it the same if you want an Acid.
Or spirit of Salts


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