I thought this might be a good place to see if anyone has had any luck, or likes a certain brand or kind of wheel cleaner for their daily driver. I have noticed when I go through the car wash, the brake dust that accumulates on the inside of the spokes of the wheels and the calipers is starting to build up. Since the weather is changing here in the midwest, it's not as easy to spend a few hours detailing the wheels. I have tried in the past ( many years ago ) to use the spray on wheel cleaner. The old products used to leave a film or etch the wheels. The current wheels I have now are black and powder coated, so there should be no etching problems. My thought was to use one of the spray on type cleaners right before heading into the carwash. So while i'm gassing up, spray the wheels and let it penetrate for a bit before heading in to the wash bay. Has anyone else tried this method with success? and if so, what brand or kind of wheel cleaner has brought the best results.
I've used many different brands to clean my CR-Vs wheels and have had no etching problems. They are clear-coated and probably painted, not powder-coated. I've used ArmorAll and other brands you find at like AutoZone and Pepboys. My problem, is finding the wheel PROTECTANT. No one seems to carry it anymore. That is what you will need after you finish cleaning them really well. http://bestreviews.com/best-wheel-cleaners Try this article and see if it helps. I'll read it, too, as I am always looking for the best products for my car. I just spent about $30.+ on some buffing products for my Honda last night. All of this is practice for when I buy my first Shelby!
Looking for someone who has used and has been successful with a spray on product that does not require any wiping as I will be spraying it on prior to entering the carwash. The new products now are advertising spray and wash with no scrubbing required. I am looking for someone with hands on knowledge ( experience ) with one of these products that they can recommend as doing what it says it can do.
I don't think it exists unless you are willing to wash the wheels on a daily basis.
Something like this....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GZYTNxSRbo
DON'T SPRAY ANYTHING ON BEFORE ENTERING THE CAR WASH! I might be the next guy thru any I don't want YOUR chemicals on my car! the car washes recycle the water/rinse any the crap you add to it doesn't help. car wash is for daily drivers. phred
I've had much success using CODE RED active wheel cleaner by Surf City Garage. All of my data comes from using this product (and others) on my Honda Civic with very "busy" construction meaning that there are a lot of nooks, crannies, tight radii, etc. which do not allow fingers w/rags or even the use of soft wheel brushes to be used successfully. The CODE RED is a spray on-hose off product with no need for scrubbing (generally). It sprays on GREEN and, when it turns RED, it is ready to hose off with a strong spray or pressure washer if you have one (I never used a pressure washer on my wheels). I never had to resort to scrubbing. I sometimes applied the product a second time for tenacious brake dust.
Surf City Garage advertises that CODE RED is safe on all wheels. It is acid-free and ph-neutral. It changes color when it attacks brake dust.
Check out their web site-- www.surfcitygarage.com
I hope this helps.
Frank
Thank you Frank. I was hoping to hear from someone with a successful experience. Lets give it a run!
I found it on Amazon for $12.99 a bottle. Free 2 day shipping so I will post my results over the weekend-
I can't find it on Amazon
Tried "code red wheel cleaner"
Can you post a link?
thx
Sure:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00URDZ5RS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Thanks!!!
When applicable, here is a completely different approach to the brake dust problem:
https://www.kleenwheels.com
Once I got turned onto these I'd never be without them again.
Unless you need to show off your Brembo calipers, they're the hot ticket for keeping your front rims looking as good as the rears with zero additional work.
Give Sonax Plus wheel cleaner a try. I use it on all types of wheels (including aluminum) and it works very well. As with all wheel cleaners, any heavily built up brake deposits will need mild agitation to remove them fully. Sonax can be ordered online or it's available at retailers like Pep Boys, another Sonax product worth noting is their Rim Shield which keeps brake dust from sticking to wheels.
https://www.sonaxusa.com
Thanks for the heads-up on the Rim Shield. I am needing a really great wheel protectant. Thanks, Terlingua for the Code Red info. Let us know how it works or not. For $13./bottle, it better work like a boss!
Quote from: terlingua11 on October 25, 2018, 12:22:33 PM
Sure:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00URDZ5RS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I used it on daily driver wheels this weekend. Probably the best wheel cleaner I have used to date.
I'm glad you found the CODE Red to your liking. FYI, Surf City Garage has other great products in their product line.
Frank
I am optimistic on the code red working well but I haven't tried mine yet. I wanted to relate a story about my amazon purchase of code Red. I ordered it and it arrived at my friends Mustang business that I use for a ship to address for packages. He called and said something came and is smelling up his business. He said it smelled like perm smell at a beauty parlor. I immediately went there and found the package leaking and it was red on the floor. It did smell like perm at beauty parlor .I got it out of there and took if home with the widows rolled down. I opened the padded envelope and the bottle was sealed in another plastic bag but the bag didn't seal . After taking out of the bag I discovered the top was loose. About 1/4 of the bottle was gone . I figured out that it was clear initially and actually has a pleasant smell until it starts to activate on something dirty. when activated it has that terrible smell . If you get it on your hands aviated it took me about 5 times washing with goop to get the smell off. If you get on your cloths forget about it .You have to change them. You have to change cloths and wash them to get the smell out. The smell stuck in may van and I had to scrub the rubber mat and add odor neutralizer to get the smell out. This stuff better work great because I don't know if it is worth the side effects. Amazon replaced my bottle so I look forward to trying this on some wheels but I will wear some rubber gloves for sure.
Code red is likely similar to a product car pro makes....Iron X
Yup it smells to high heaven
https://www.autogeek.net/carpro-iron-x-cleaner.html
Once you get past your troubles with the leaking package, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
It sprays on a greenish gray and turns blue berry purple after it has worked over dirt and brake duct.
Thanks for the heads up. Mine arrived without issue. It's been terrible weather here for the last 2 weeks. Cold, rainy off and on, so I have not tried the product as of yet. I will definitely be using gloves and I will need some sort of safe container to transport it in if I choose to leave it in my car. Sounds like it's not worth getting spilled on ANYTHING.
I don't think that this is one of the products that you NEED to carry in your car. You really don't have to use it too often as it takes a while for brake dust to accumulate (unless you have brake pads with a high metallic content). If you think about it, ANYTHING that will chemically remove nasty old brake dust (without scrubbing) has got to be potent stuff! I store mine on the shelf of a metal cabinet in a plastic tray and use it when necessary. The only "cleaning" products that I carry in the car are detailer spray and glass cleaner-both of which are pretty benign (chemically).
You have the right idea about wearing gloves when using any product of this type. You need to wear safety glasses/eye shielding also. It is nothing to be paranoid about-just respect it's hazards.
Frank