# Wheel shampoo



## Kyle_241 (Nov 24, 2016)

Looking for recommendations on a wheel shampoo, something that won't damage coatings or waxes.

Recently bought waxaddict wheel shampoo, seems like decent enough product, shame can't buy it in bulk.

Kyle


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## FallenAngel (Oct 24, 2015)

Just buy the cheapest pure body shampoo you like. Wheel soap, wonder what else will the marketing gurus come up with


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## Ads_ClioV6 (Apr 27, 2014)

Any decent shampoo will do as above


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

Car Chem 1900:1 is very good for sealed wheels, I use it a little stronger than for bodywork. And you can buy it in as much bulk as you want!


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## JayMac (Sep 4, 2016)

Dooka do a wheel shampoo, maybe worth taking a look at that? As above though, and decent pure shampoo is more than good enough to do the job!


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## Obi- Dan Karnubi (Jun 16, 2011)

Dooka wheel shampoo for me its really nice to use.


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## Kyle_241 (Nov 24, 2016)

Thanks for all feedback, great to see people's opinions and what they use :thumb: 

Kyle


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## todds (Feb 17, 2015)

I use dooka wheel shampoo since it came out on my 19 year old alloys which have never needed to be refurbished and it is a great shampoo use it every week so no need for harsh cleaners ever
regards
todds


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## Kyle_241 (Nov 24, 2016)

todds said:


> I use dooka wheel shampoo since it came out on my 19 year old alloys which have never needed to be refurbished and it is a great shampoo use it every week so no need for harsh cleaners ever
> regards
> todds


Do you use it in bucket? Or in spray bottle?

I like sound of spraying it on the wheels, does it make much difference either way?

Prefer the feeling of spraying it on and agitating it with brush or mitt.

Kyle


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## todds (Feb 17, 2015)

Kyle_241 said:


> Do you use it in bucket? Or in spray bottle?
> 
> I like sound of spraying it on the wheels, does it make much difference either way?
> 
> ...


I have tried it both ways depending on my mood and both work equally well . i also use the dedicated wash mitt from wowo and their drying towel which works a treat on my seems like 100 spoke alloy wheels
regards
todds


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## Puntoboy (Jun 30, 2007)

Yep Dooka wheels is perfect for this. Works in a spray (10:1) or in a bucket. 


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## cheekymonkey (Mar 15, 2008)

10/1 seems a bit strong for a shampoo. not very cost effective and is it lsp safe at that strength


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## todds (Feb 17, 2015)

cheekymonkey said:


> 10/1 seems a bit strong for a shampoo. not very cost effective and is it lsp safe at that strength


Taken from the bottle "For best results use dooka wheels at a dilution ratio of 200-1. Simply add to a bucket of warm water,stir and clean your wheels as usual.It can also be used as a spray on cleaner at 10/20-1"
I have always found it to be lsp safe at theses ratios.
Bottle size is 500ml/16.9 us fl oz
regards
todds


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## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

cheekymonkey said:


> 10/1 seems a bit strong for a shampoo. not very cost effective and is it lsp safe at that strength


I think that's what's recommended, it wouldn't be very economical if used in a bucket but put into a spray bottle I suppose it would work out ok.

Gonz.


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## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

Sorry didn't read Todds post, he explained it much better than me 


Gonz.


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## Clarkey-88 (Apr 29, 2014)

There's a dedicated Shampoo for Wheels?? This is getting a bit silly now. Most wheels are painted and lacquered the same way as a car bodywork is. Why do they require a dedicated Shampoo for them?

whats next, rear bumper Shampoo, bonnet Shampoo?


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## Sim (Feb 18, 2008)

Most companies sell harsh dedicated wheel cleaners too. Wheel shampoo is stronger than normal shampoo but not as strong as a dedicated wheel cleaners.

Cost wise there isnt much difference between them.


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## Brian1612 (Apr 5, 2015)

Wheel Shampoos are just another pointless expense in my own opinion... What maintenance wheel cleaner do you use? Alkalloy diluted to 1:10 is perfectly fine on sealed wheels or use whatever shampoo you have in your arsenal mixed up in a spray bottle. Stick 20ml in a 500ml bottle and top with water, spray onto the wheels and agitate.


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## bradleymarky (Nov 29, 2013)

I bought 5 litres of carplan shampoo for 3 quid to use on the alloys and as a lube for claying.


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

Kyle_241 said:


> Looking for recommendations on a wheel shampoo, something that won't damage coatings or waxes.
> 
> Recently bought waxaddict wheel shampoo, seems like decent enough product, shame can't buy it in bulk.
> 
> Kyle


Dooka "Wheels" wheel shampoo without a question of a doubt


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## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

HDD brakethrough for me, tried both AF revolution (which is rubbish) and dooka wheels, which although good is marketed more as wheel cleaner. Certainly at the dilution ratios for shampoo use it's ridiculously expensive

Brakethrough hits the sweet spot for me and is a really good product

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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

One tip, avoid shampoos with wax in on coated wheels, as they will smother the nice hydrophobic effect from your coating.

As regards wheel *cleaners*, I have a 1l bottle of Auto Glanz Alkalloy which works well at 10% from a foaming spray head, but I don't use it often because to be honest, the wheels are so clean once I've jet-washed the BH Auto Foam off that specific wheel cleaners are just overkill.


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## Teufel (Feb 21, 2016)

todds said:


> Taken from the bottle "For best results use dooka wheels at a dilution ratio of 200-1. Simply add to a bucket of warm water,stir and clean your wheels as usual.It can also be used as a spray on cleaner at 10/20-1"
> I have always found it to be lsp safe at theses ratios.
> Bottle size is 500ml/16.9 us fl oz
> regards
> todds


Works spot on the dooka shampoo very mild nothing for very dirty wheels.
Liked it so much I bought the 5l version !


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## ChrisJM (May 3, 2017)

Hereisphilly said:


> HDD brakethrough for me, tried both AF revolution (which is rubbish) and dooka wheels, which although good is marketed more as wheel cleaner. Certainly at the dilution ratios for shampoo use it's ridiculously expensive
> 
> Brakethrough hits the sweet spot for me and is a really good product
> 
> Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


Is HDD brakethrough Ph neutral and wax/coating safe? Have you tried it in a spray bottle?


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## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

ChrisJM said:


> Is HDD brakethrough Ph neutral and wax/coating safe? Have you tried it in a spray bottle?


Hasn't made a blind bit of difference to my protected wheels and I've been using it for about a year now

Never tried it in a spray bottle as I want a shampoo type product to go in the bucket

If I want a spray on product I'll go to a dedicated wheel cleaner

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## todds (Feb 17, 2015)

Teufel said:


> Works spot on the dooka shampoo very mild nothing for very dirty wheels.
> Liked it so much I bought the 5l version !


Teufel where did you get the 5 litres from it always seems to be out of stock on the dooka website
thanks
todds


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## todds (Feb 17, 2015)

Clarkey-88 said:


> There's a dedicated Shampoo for Wheels?? This is getting a bit silly now. Most wheels are painted and lacquered the same way as a car bodywork is. Why do they require a dedicated Shampoo for them?
> 
> whats next, rear bumper Shampoo, bonnet Shampoo?


While this is true car bodywork is made from steel generally whereas alloys are made from ( self explanatory) and i dont know is the lacquer exactly the same for both,maybe people with a better knowledge will chime in here.Dooka make their own products inhouse and i for one trust them in what they say about the reason and quality of there products. i believe in sy mmetry of products in order of use and type to help me achieve the best results that i can get.This is by choice.someone with a more scientific knowledge that me may be be able to offer an opinion as to whether we are being swayed more by marketing in this instance.The point about rear bumper shampoo etc is being a tad disingenious i think as i could also say in jest why dont we use car shampoo to clean the inrterior glass and save on products
food for thought
todds


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## Zebra (Dec 2, 2010)

*HDD Brakethrough*

Another vote for the HDD product.

I use this myself and Shane at HDD is local to me - good guy too.

Has not affected the C5 I have applied to my wheels in a bad way.


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## L200wrap (Apr 30, 2017)

*Wheel Shampoo*

Clarkey-88,

Well said!!


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

Clarkey-88 said:


> There's a dedicated Shampoo for Wheels?? This is getting a bit silly now. Most wheels are painted and lacquered the same way as a car bodywork is. Why do they require a dedicated Shampoo for them?
> 
> whats next, rear bumper Shampoo, bonnet Shampoo?


In the case of Dooka Wheels its actually a wheel cleaner but can also be put in your wheel bucket at a much lower dilution rate.

From my personally experience using it when you mix it up in a spray bottle it does go a long way and lasts even when putting the stated dose in the wheel bucket too. I got my first bottle in like September last year and have only had to buy a replacement in the last couple of weeks, and this is with me washing at least one of our cars per week.

I do think that you do make a point about certain brands will jump on the marketing "snake oil" sales pitch but in the case of the Dooka product this isnt true, and thats speaking from personal experience.


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## Clarkey-88 (Apr 29, 2014)

Well I suppose if people are happy with it then crack on. It seems to me like another pointless gimmick. A way for a company to get extra sales in a flooded market. I coat my wheels with AS smart wheels at a dilution of 1-6, jet wash them, and then give them a rub around with an older wash mitt using the left over shampoo from washing the car. They are as clean as they possibly can be, without the use of wheel shampoo.

Wheel shampoo? Come on, really?


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## Puntoboy (Jun 30, 2007)

Yes really. How much brake dust do you get on your paintwork? Not a lot I bet.


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## jamiepollock643 (May 12, 2013)

Clarkey-88 said:


> Well I suppose if people are happy with it then crack on. It seems to me like another pointless gimmick. A way for a company to get extra sales in a flooded market. I coat my wheels with AS smart wheels at a dilution of 1-6, jet wash them, and then give them a rub around with an older wash mitt using the left over shampoo from washing the car. They are as clean as they possibly can be, without the use of wheel shampoo.
> 
> Wheel shampoo? Come on, really?


Surely the fact you use a dedicated wheel cleaner on your alloys is no different to those that go out and buy a wheel shampoo for use on theirs?


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## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

jamiepollock643 said:


> Surely the fact you use a dedicated wheel cleaner on your alloys is no different to those that go out and buy a wheel shampoo for use on theirs?


Exactly, I can't remember the last time I used a wheel cleaner for my wheels

When I'm doing periodic full decons it's wash with the shampoo and in with the fallout remover

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## Clarkey-88 (Apr 29, 2014)

Well I suppose that when you put it like that, it makes a little more sense. 


Where do I place my order? :lol:


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

dooka.co.uk


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## FallenAngel (Oct 24, 2015)

:waveointless gimmick  "grabs a popcorn" :devil::lol:


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## Clarkey-88 (Apr 29, 2014)

FallenAngel said:


> :waveointless gimmick  "grabs a popcorn" :devil::lol:


It was a joke, I'm not buying it. But I can sort of see why people would consider it now.


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## FallenAngel (Oct 24, 2015)

Its a niche market, we all buy things we dont need at all. Why would wheel shampoo be any different? .


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## Rich (Oct 26, 2005)

Never had any issues here with normal shampoo being able to clean well sealed wheels. I treat the wheel paintwork in the same way as other panels always using the most mild approach possible. Mine are wearing FK1000p and sprayed with BSD after each wash. Clean up easy as pie.

But having never spent my cash on any other specialist wheel cleaning products I will continue to use up the stash of shampoos I have purchased for the rest of the car - coming to the end of some Meguiars Shampoo Plus I have had for years.


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## cheekymonkey (Mar 15, 2008)

Brian1612 said:


> Wheel Shampoos are just another pointless expense in my own opinion... What maintenance wheel cleaner do you use? Alkalloy diluted to 1:10 is perfectly fine on sealed wheels or use whatever shampoo you have in your arsenal mixed up in a spray bottle. Stick 20ml in a 500ml bottle and top with water, spray onto the wheels and agitate.


So using a wheel shampoo is a pointless expense, yet you using alkalloy at 10-1 on sealed wheels isnt


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## Welshquattro1 (Dec 6, 2013)

If I have a coating on then normal shampoo is good enough but then I use Dooka's wheel shampoo as it has that bit more cleaning power if they are particularly dirty.


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## Brian1612 (Apr 5, 2015)

cheekymonkey said:


> So using a wheel shampoo is a pointless expense, yet you using alkalloy at 10-1 on sealed wheels isnt


Correct Cheeky :thumb:

I have Alkalloy primarily for use at it 1:5 on unsealed wheels. For me this works a lot better than a car shampoo mixture at removing the typical crud an unprotected alloy wheel accumulates. This reduces the amount of Fallout Remover I have to use on the family cars which in turn saves me money. The fact that I can use it at 1:10-1:20 for sealed wheels is an added bonus.

My reasoning for this opinion comes down to performance. There is a clear performance difference between a shampoo mix and a dedicated alkaline based wheel cleaner when it comes to cleaning bare wheels. Is that same difference in performance present with any wheel shampoos I have tried compared to a bodywork shampoo when cleaning sealed wheels? No.

I could use shampoo in a spray bottle but I find Alkalloy performs better with no additional cost over the shampoo mix.


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## jamiepollock643 (May 12, 2013)

For what its worth, the Dooka wheel shampoo is fantastic. I was very impressed with the amount of cleaning power it had. And will be on the replacement list when i get through the bottle.


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## Kyle_241 (Nov 24, 2016)

Dooka wheel shampoo, sold out :wall: have to wait to get some now.
This thread must be responsible for it :lol: 
Surprised on how many different opinions this thread has created, some believe in wheel shampoo and others think it non-sense, great to hear different views from fellow members :thumb:

Kyle


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## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

Kyle_241 said:


> Dooka wheel shampoo, sold out :wall: have to wait to get some now.
> This thread must be responsible for it
> Surprised on how many different opinions this thread has created, some believe in wheel shampoo and others think it non-sense, great to hear different views from fellow members :thumb:
> 
> Kyle


Try hdd brakethrough, I much preferred it to dooka wheels and is cheaper with better dilution ratios.
I found dooka hard to pigeonhole however, as although it's a good cleaner, it's very expensive per wash when used as a shampoo

People will then say is cheaper when used in a trigger bottle, but if we're looking at that use case then you can get the same performance when using a diluted wheel cleaner, again for a cheaper price

For me it sits in no man's land and I can't see myself using it again, nor do I get it's target market

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## cheekymonkey (Mar 15, 2008)

Brian1612 said:


> Correct Cheeky :thumb:
> 
> I have Alkalloy primarily for use at it 1:5 on unsealed wheels. For me this works a lot better than a car shampoo mixture at removing the typical crud an unprotected alloy wheel accumulates. This reduces the amount of Fallout Remover I have to use on the family cars which in turn saves me money. The fact that I can use it at 1:10-1:20 for sealed wheels is an added bonus.
> 
> ...


wasn't on about unsealed or bare wheels. my point was you was stating that these that use a dedicated wheel shampoo was wasting money, or as you put it a pointless expense. Is not using a dedicated wheel cleaner just the same when used on sealed wheels. a normal neutral shampoo has always been good enough to clean sealed wheels, using an alkaline wheel cleaner as well is just an extra expense. Dont get all this about putting the shampoo in a spray bottle. just use what you have mixed up in the bucket.


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## Ads_ClioV6 (Apr 27, 2014)

Kyle_241 said:


> Dooka wheel shampoo, sold out :wall: have to wait to get some now.
> This thread must be responsible for it :lol:
> Surprised on how many different opinions this thread has created, some believe in wheel shampoo and others think it non-sense, great to hear different views from fellow members :thumb:
> 
> Kyle


 Sorry my fault it's sold out :wave:


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## Brian1612 (Apr 5, 2015)

cheekymonkey said:


> wasn't on about unsealed or bare wheels. my point was you was stating that these that use a dedicated wheel shampoo was wasting money, or as you put it a pointless expense. Is not using a dedicated wheel cleaner just the same when used on sealed wheels. a normal neutral shampoo has always been good enough to clean sealed wheels, using an alkaline wheel cleaner as well is just an extra expense. Dont get all this about putting the shampoo in a spray bottle. just use what you have mixed up in the bucket.


Not when the wheel cleaner works out cheaper due to dilutions. Nor have I went out my way to buy the wheel cleaner. It's been bought for a different purpose and just so happens it works well on sealed wheels at low dilution also. I wouldn't use my wash bucket personally as I clean the wheels first, don't want filthy water in either of my buckets prior to washing the body work.


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## Soapybubbles (Feb 10, 2014)

Brian1612 said:


> I wouldn't use my wash bucket personally as I clean the wheels first, don't want filthy water in either of my buckets prior to washing the body work.


Me either

Always use a spray bottle with shampoo in.

Far too much crap comes off wheels to dunk a mitt or whatever back in a bucket

Trigger spray bottle and wheel brush for me. :thumb:


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## cheekymonkey (Mar 15, 2008)

Brian1612 said:


> Not when the wheel cleaner works out cheaper due to dilutions. Nor have I went out my way to buy the wheel cleaner. It's been bought for a different purpose and just so happens it works well on sealed wheels at low dilution also. I wouldn't use my wash bucket personally as I clean the wheels first, don't want filthy water in either of my buckets prior to washing the body work.


Always do my wheels last, but there shouldn't be that much muc on sealed wheals if you pre wash them properly


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

I soak my wheels (sealed with DLUX) in Auto Foam with the rest of the car. Then when I'm jetting that off I do the wheels last. Faces come up about 90% clean, barrels maybe 70% (ten spokes to get in the way!)


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## Brian1612 (Apr 5, 2015)

Then your option is definitely the most cost effective cheeky. I just do my wheels and tyres first to prevent anything getting on the paintwork after it's been cleaned but either order is fine!


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## Rich (Oct 26, 2005)

I draw the line at purchasing a dedicated wheel shampoo, but I have a dedicated wheel bucket and wash mitts.


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## MDC250 (Jan 4, 2014)

Hereisphilly said:


> HDD brakethrough for me, tried both AF revolution (which is rubbish) and dooka wheels, which although good is marketed more as wheel cleaner. Certainly at the dilution ratios for shampoo use it's ridiculously expensive
> 
> Brakethrough hits the sweet spot for me and is a really good product
> 
> Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


I like this product as well. I feel it comes into its own say if you have gone a week or two longer than normal on your wash routine and need something with a little bit of an extra kick.


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## Nidge76 (Sep 16, 2016)

MDC250 said:


> I like this product as well. I feel it comes into its own say if you have gone a week or two longer than normal on your wash routine and need something with a little bit of an extra kick.


Where is the best place to get HDD Breakthrough please. Think I might give it a go. Currently running low on AF Revolution.


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## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

Nidge76 said:


> Where is the best place to get HDD Breakthrough please. Think I might give it a go. Currently running low on AF Revolution.


Only place that sells it is HDD themselves

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## ah234 (Nov 10, 2015)

Rich said:


> I draw the line at purchasing a dedicated wheel shampoo, but I have a dedicated wheel bucket and wash mitts.


Same as you, I have car chem shampoo and a lot of it :lol: a few squirts works for me


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