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      04-05-2015, 01:05 PM   #1
AlterZgo
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Safe spray on wheel cleaners?

The brake dust that accumulates on the rims almost immediately after a wash is killing me. It feels 10x worse than dealing with a black car.

Does anybody have a recommendations for a good, safe and effective spray on rim cleaner that won't harm the clear coat but will get the brake dust off w/o scrubbing and buffing? Thanks.
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      04-05-2015, 03:25 PM   #2
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Sonax wheel cleaner plus
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      04-05-2015, 06:08 PM   #3
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I wish there was a wax or clear coating that'd keep dust from magnetically sticking!
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      04-05-2015, 06:33 PM   #4
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A lot of products out there. Some work better than others but none of them completely resist brake dust.
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      04-05-2015, 08:03 PM   #5
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I was at a Car Detailing clinic at Detailer's Domain in NJ just this past weekend. Always purchased all my car detailing products from these guys.

The Adam's Deep Wheel Cleaner product they recommend is one of the best in the market.
Apply to the wheel while it is dry. Let it do the work for about 60 seconds, and use a Boar's hair brush to clean before hosing off with water.
Do one wheel at a time, all 3 steps.

Adam's Deep Wheel Cleaner

Boar's Hair Brush
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      04-06-2015, 07:34 AM   #6
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I've used a microfiber cloth if it hasn't cooked on yet. Couple weeks of accumulation or so.

Griot's Heavy Duty Wheel cleaner works for me. There's no scrubbing but you have to "agitate" before you rinse. I imagine most of the other cleaners are the same way. The job is nasty and you don't want a true stripper.

Also be sure there's plenty of ventilation. The stuff is _strong_.
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      04-06-2015, 10:12 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pheerix View Post
Sonax wheel cleaner plus
+1

Sonax and a power washer is all you really need...
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      04-06-2015, 10:47 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MatthewDavid View Post
I wish there was a wax or clear coating that'd keep dust from magnetically sticking!
Lots of products reduce the issue... cquartz, opti-glass, etc.

OP... A wheel cleaner won't really clean the wheels without some agitation unless it is a fine dust and, in that case, a blast of water would do the job almost as well. It also removes any sealant/wax you put on the wheels over time. If you wash the car once a week, you don't really need a strong cleaner. Just car shampoo and water works perfectly fine. In the interim, you just have to ignore the brake dust build-up
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      04-06-2015, 11:28 AM   #9
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Sonax Full Effect by far......smells horrid though
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      04-06-2015, 11:35 AM   #10
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SONAX WHEEL CLEANER PLUS!!

Even better with an EZ wheel brush for the barrels. Agitating all 4 wheels takes a total of 40 seconds, spray it off and you're good to roll!

The more it bleeds, the better it's working!!

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      04-06-2015, 02:10 PM   #11
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Thanks for the suggestions.
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      04-06-2015, 02:26 PM   #12
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Soap/Water is always the safest, but have used P21S or Sonax in the past with good results.

A good rule of thumb on wheel cleaners is if it's not safe for your vehicle's paint, you shouldn't be spraying it on your wheels (or clean more frequently).
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      04-06-2015, 07:47 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John Tanglewood View Post
...The more it bleeds, the better it's working!!.....
The bleeding is directly related to the amount of brake dust you have on the wheels. More bleeding just means you have not cleaned your wheels in a while.
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      04-07-2015, 10:01 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nene View Post
The bleeding is directly related to the amount of brake dust you have on the wheels. More bleeding just means you have not cleaned your wheels in a while.
Obviously man, lol.........come on
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      04-07-2015, 10:21 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pheerix View Post
Sonax wheel cleaner plus
+1

This stuff is amazing...I usually buy 6 bottles at a time.

Can we get it by the gallon? who sells it in that quantity?
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      04-07-2015, 06:23 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John Tanglewood View Post
Obviously man, lol.........come on
Just because you stated it does not make it obvious. In fact I would say your statement is obviously misleading.
Regardless, the Sonax product is top notch. The product cleans the wheels very well regardless of the level of color it creates in the process. It performs the same on semi-clean and extremely dirty wheels. Not sure that was obvious to you, but it was obvious to me it was not what you meant in the statement I quoted.
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      04-07-2015, 06:54 PM   #17
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This stuff brings back childhood memories of being forced to wait for my mom to get her hair did at the beauty salon (torture for a kid) because it smells like burning, dyed, perm'd hair. Works great though!!


Quote:
Originally Posted by John Tanglewood View Post
SONAX WHEEL CLEANER PLUS!!

Even better with an EZ wheel brush for the barrels. Agitating all 4 wheels takes a total of 40 seconds, spray it off and you're good to roll!

The more it bleeds, the better it's working!!
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      04-07-2015, 07:54 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John Tanglewood View Post
SONAX WHEEL CLEANER PLUS!!

Even better with an EZ wheel brush for the barrels. Agitating all 4 wheels takes a total of 40 seconds, spray it off and you're good to roll!
I can't stop it from splattering all over the place with a brush. Gets all over my clothes, skin, eyes, etc.
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      04-08-2015, 01:23 AM   #19
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I used Iron X this past weekend, didn't touch a single wheel all came clean, like the Sonex, turns purple and smells like death
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      04-08-2015, 09:14 AM   #20
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I use Sonax Wheel Cleaner Plus on my 18" rims and a wheel woolie and it's awesome....HOWEVER....

It comes out in a stream, not a spray. There is no way, without using ridiculous levels of product, to just spray it on and have it evenly clean the surface, nooks, and some of the barrel of the wheel.

Now, I could be doing something wrong....?

That being said, I spray it on, agitate, leave it on the wheel for a total of ~3 minutes (from first spray to wash off), and the wheels are glowing clean. It is by far the best cleaner I've used.....

That being said, it's not totally wheel safe - it will strip wax and shouldn't be left on for long. For a slightly less aggressive cleaner, I like P21S gel cleaner.
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      04-08-2015, 09:39 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MatthewDavid View Post
This stuff brings back childhood memories of being forced to wait for my mom to get her hair did at the beauty salon (torture for a kid) because it smells like burning, dyed, perm'd hair. Works great though!!


THIS! And my Brother's first and middle name are Matthew David. Freaking weird!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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      04-09-2015, 11:36 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nene View Post
Just because you stated it does not make it obvious. In fact I would say your statement is obviously misleading.
Regardless, the Sonax product is top notch. The product cleans the wheels very well regardless of the level of color it creates in the process. It performs the same on semi-clean and extremely dirty wheels. Not sure that was obvious to you, but it was obvious to me it was not what you meant in the statement I quoted.
Fair enough, you are extremely thorough and detailed in your explanation, and my sentence was rushed and not descriptive of how the amount of red the product creates corresponds directly to the amount of dirt/grime you have on your wheel.

Sorry for misleading the general public
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