# Whats a top wheel cleaner



## Bishop (Jan 2, 2010)

What is a good wheel cleaner?


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## Shinyvec (Feb 12, 2010)

I swear by Autobrites Non Acid Very Cherry, spray on let dwell and wash off with a Power Washer, job done :thumb:


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## buldy (Feb 17, 2010)

Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner for me. If you have brake dust baked on your wheels this is the best thing you can use.


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## SilverSun (Oct 13, 2010)

I'm a bilberry fan... Lots of good wheel cleaners available though. Get them sealed and you can just use a regular shampoo.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Yep , as Silversun points out, a power washer will make light work of wheels


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## steview (Sep 23, 2010)

+1 for the bilberry :thumb:


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## Tom-B (Oct 31, 2010)

I use wonder wheels, seems to do an awesome job and dirt cheap from costco.


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## 335dAND110XS (Dec 17, 2010)

+2 for Bilberry.

Wonder Wheels is VERY harsh and can strip lacquer. It also made me ill (no I didn't drink it!)


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

335dAND110XS said:


> +2 for Bilberry.
> 
> Wonder Wheels is* VERY harsh and can strip lacquer.* It also made me ill (no I didn't drink it!)


No need to BS to get your vote across, remember the OP will be buying the cleaner not you, so it makes no odds which one he chooses, are you willing to prove it strips laquer?


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## ianking (Jun 6, 2007)

I like autosmart smart wheels non acidic.

I wouldnt go anywhere near the wonder wheels, it will take your skin off plus it will strip off lacquer.


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## ianking (Jun 6, 2007)

Avanti said:


> No need to BS to get your vote across, remember the OP will be buying the cleaner not you, so it makes no odds which one he chooses, are you willing to prove it strips laquer?


A friend of mine was using it for a while on his own car and it removed all the paint on his wheel nuts and as a result it made them rusty.

I have used it before my self and it really did burn my skin. No B.S just my honest experiences of the stuff.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

ianking said:


> *A friend of mine was using it for a while on his own car and it removed all the paint on his wheel nuts and as a result it made them rusty.*
> 
> I have used it before my self and it really did burn my skin. No B.S just my honest experiences of the stuff.


And there was me about to put I will send you a tub of AG HD or RG42 if you could prove it, on decent wheels it won't do any harm, it is not ideal for regular cleaning where shampoo at 1:10 will do just as well as bilberry I'm confident of that


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

ianking said:


> I like autosmart smart wheels non acidic.
> 
> I wouldnt go anywhere near the wonder wheels, it will take your skin off plus it will strip off lacquer.


Acids give ions and alkali takes them away (or vice versa) but in any instance they both can cause skin irritation, so it is not as plain simple as acid is good and alkali is bad, that is just plain misleading or ignorance, perhaps one of you would like to explain how it strips the laquer 
Or why other alkali wheel cleaner producers are still in business as they may as well throw the towel in surely?

Ian, this is swarfega acidic wheel cleaner , naturally you dilute it ,










however even used neat it is far short of what appears in frankenstien movies, megs wheel brightner is also acidic :thumb:
and iirc valet pro also offer an acidic wheel cleaner, so obviously both have their place :thumb:


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## 335dAND110XS (Dec 17, 2010)

Avanti said:


> No need to BS to get your vote across, remember the OP will be buying the cleaner not you, so it makes no odds which one he chooses, are you willing to prove it strips laquer?


Blimey, what upset you today?

Google "Wonder Wheels strips lacquer" and you shall see.

And then apologise - profusely. :wave:


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

335dAND110XS said:


> Blimey, what upset you today?
> 
> Google "Wonder Wheels strips lacquer" and you shall see.
> 
> And then apologise - profusely. :wave:


Nowt has upset me, it is rather annoying sometimes when folk spout BS, they may as well say "don't use this product and you will die a slow painful death soon!" Bilberry is good I have no doubt, but it is just one of many to choose from, there is not an all and out best as sometimes acidic will be required over alkali, but the majority of time no wheel cleaner will be required, I have wonder wheels here along with other wheel cleaners, rest assured if it had those exaggerated adverse claims then I would say so, I think someone has some bilberry on the way to me, so I will post a similar video of it in use, will there be any difference between that and say simoniz gel or AG custom wheel cleaner?
I'm putting money on the answer being no! :thumb:


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## 335dAND110XS (Dec 17, 2010)

Spout BS? How is something backed by many others BS?

I've used Wonder Wheels for years and I genuinely think it partially stripped the wheels on three cars - took me a while to realise.

I've recently "discovered" Bilberry - it's gentle but works. TBH if you need something as aggressive as WW then you're not looking after your wheels well enough anyway.

Would you use bleach to do the washing up?

Neither would I.


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## ianking (Jun 6, 2007)

I dont use wheel cleaner regularly as my wheels are sealed so I just shampoo them every week. A couple time a year I take them off and use wheel cleaner prior to sealing them again.


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## veedubsimon (Mar 13, 2008)

WW has its place on real bad wheels....but has it been proven not to strip lacquer?? I'm sure if you are using it often enough it will do more damage than good. Bit like washing the car's paint in a way, the more its washed the more chance of inflicting swirls. Its like saying a wash mitt doesn't cause swirls.....but it can.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

335dAND110XS said:


> Spout BS? How is something backed by many others BS?
> 
> I've used Wonder Wheels for years and I genuinely think it partially stripped the wheels on three cars - took me a while to realise.
> 
> ...


What's confusing is that you say you used it for years, thing is you use it once on minging wheels, then throw some wax on them, no need for a return of acidic wheel cleaner on the wheels EVER! So from what you report it is plain user error, lots of cleaners work, and as it happens the two other wheel cleaners valet pro offer are stronger than WW (in a PH sense) , there are testimonies from folks on the forum who have also been displeased with bilberry, all I am saying is it is not the only option for the OP and he won't burn in hell if he does not go along with the vote


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## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

Most wheel cleaners contain some form of strong chemical to aid cleaning, whether it is acid or alkaline, use them with some common sense and they are effective and unlikely to damage the alloy.

Obviously I wouldn't look at spraying anything harsh like Wonderwheels or acid on a damaged alloy, nor leave it for prolonged periods of time, or on one that has been refurbed poorly.

Personally i've used most cleaners over the years, AS Smartwheels has enough diversity for my needs.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Gleammachine said:


> Most wheel cleaners contain some form of strong chemical to aid cleaning, whether it is acid or alkaline, use them with some common sense and they are effective and unlikely to damage the alloy.
> 
> Obviously I wouldn't look at spraying anything harsh like Wonderwheels or acid *on a damaged alloy*, nor leave it for prolonged periods of time, or on one that has been refurbed poorly.
> 
> Personally i've used most cleaners over the years, AS Smartwheels has enough diversity for my needs.


and I think the instructions often point out not to use on damaged wheels :thumb:


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## pee (Apr 6, 2009)

I find bilburry to be very good for me but ive recently run out so im currently using megs apc which doesent do a bad job either :thumb:


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## Envy Car Care (Aug 17, 2006)

I use Wonder wheels and never had a..... no not really!
My day to day wheel cleaners are AS smart wheels and Espuma Revolution and both are good for most occasions.


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## 335dAND110XS (Dec 17, 2010)

Avanti said:


> _What's confusing is that you say you used it for years, thing is you use it once on minging wheels, _then throw some wax on them, no need for a return of acidic wheel cleaner on the wheels EVER! So from what you report it is plain user error, lots of cleaners work, and as it happens the two other wheel cleaners valet pro offer are stronger than WW (in a PH sense) , there are testimonies from folks on the forum who have also been displeased with bilberry, all I am saying is it is not the only option for the OP and he won't burn in hell if he does not go along with the vote


_Yes and you can do that for years. Not very often._

Now the topic of the title is "what's a top wheel cleaner" - now I'd call that asking for opinions. Wish I gave and suggested a reason to avoid or at least be very careful with Wonder Wheels based both of personal experience and also from what others have said - there are plenty of words of caution about WW. Oh and a point of interest - the wheels on the box of WW are in fact my alloys (160 style BMW).

But of course someone a little unhinged like Avanti decides to resort to insults when actually I've simply expressed an opinion and also back it up with some other experiences.

What was I meant to do - tell the OP to use whatever he fancies including Fairy liquid, chocolate spread and grass seed?


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## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

Avanti said:


> and I think the instructions often point out not to use on damaged wheels :thumb:


The majority rave about Iron-X, it's very effective & PH balanced, but left to dwell for the recommended period on a poor refurb or smart repair could have an adverse effect, but perfectly safe to use on sound paintwork and alike following the right directions.

What I'm getting at is most products that have some form of chemical cleaning, offer clear and strict guidlines to follow, but used following these directions are perfectly safe and effective for the job intended, with no negative impact on the surface their being used upon.


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## Edward101 (Jun 5, 2009)

http://www.i4detailing.co.uk/acatalog/Bright_Wheels_5L_2.html

This gets my vote, amazingly value for money and does the job! My go to at the moment when a wheel cleaner is needed.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

335dAND110XS said:


> _Yes and you can do that for years. Not very often._
> 
> Now the topic of the title is "what's a top wheel cleaner" - now I'd call that asking for opinions. Wish I gave and suggested a reason to avoid or at least be very careful with Wonder Wheels based both of personal experience and also from what others have said - there are plenty of words of caution about WW. Oh and a point of interest - the wheels on the box of WW are in fact my alloys (160 style BMW).
> 
> ...


Where was the insult to you? All I suspected was exageratting or BS, didn't call you unhinged, already on the thread there are testimonies to say acidic wheel cleaners are fine, what you could have done? Is suggest one without slagging off another, a search on bilberry will also show some people are displeased with the product following the hype.

I have asked you already will bilberry perform any better than the say simoniz wheel cleaner?

and why could the OP not use washing up liquid?


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## alexandjen (Feb 24, 2008)

AB Very Cherry here :thumb:


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Gleammachine said:


> The majority rave about Iron-X, it's very effective & PH balanced, but left to dwell for the recommended period on a poor refurb or smart repair could have an adverse effect, but perfectly safe to use on sound paintwork and alike following the right directions.
> 
> What I'm getting at is most products that have some form of chemical cleaning, offer clear and strict guidlines to follow, but used following these directions are perfectly safe and effective for the job intended, with no negative impact on the surface their being used upon.


I agree fully :thumb:


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## A.B (Feb 8, 2010)

Stardrops apc £1.00 or a shampoo mix would do, unless your wheels have baked on brake dust you dont really need a ''wheel cleaner''


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## A.B (Feb 8, 2010)

as smart wheels is very good aswell and affordable!


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## big ben (Aug 25, 2009)

Edward101 said:


> http://www.i4detailing.co.uk/acatalog/Bright_Wheels_5L_2.html
> 
> This gets my vote, amazingly value for money and does the job! My go to at the moment when a wheel cleaner is needed.


this is what i use if i need a wheel cleaner as well. 10-1 usually cleans most wheels, i have had a bottle for a year and half and still have a litre left :doublesho


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

I have Bilberry and have the wonder wheels if its really bad build up but the only danger from the wonder wheels standard as they do a non acid one for polished alloys or damaged alloys is the fact the standard wonderwheels is for sound alloys no chips or scuffs.
There is a reason wonder wheels always does really well in the autoexpress tests.


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## Tom-B (Oct 31, 2010)

Stop being wimps! WW is awesome! spray it on, bush it in, rinse off. Job done. No laquer removal whatsoever!


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## Bishop (Jan 2, 2010)

Thanks for the replies


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## Palmball (Feb 13, 2011)

WW would only cause a problem if there is a break in the lacquer and it gets underneath. If the wheels are in good condition, it's a very good product.

Otherwise, I like using AG custom wheel cleaner - it foams nicely and is very safe.


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## nathan93 (Nov 24, 2010)

Autoglym Clean wheels opinions?


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## Exotica (Feb 27, 2006)

I used wonder wheels too before the detailing scene , never had a problem .


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## kempe (Jan 9, 2011)

Bilberry fan here :thumb:


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## Blockwax (Jan 23, 2011)

*w wheels ?*

Just done the wheels on my wifes Honda Jazz with wonder wheels and its left shadowing on the alloy..........any thoughts ?


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## Carshine (Nov 11, 2009)

Simply the best I have ever tried!!:thumb:


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## justina3 (Jan 11, 2008)

alexandjen said:


> AB Very Cherry here :thumb:


plus one for this product love it bought it in the group buy came with nice foaming trigger headed bottle does the job no fuss.


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