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Right, just to get a few options on what you guys use etc.
First off, I hate cleaning, but when I do, I like the easiest task.
I'm currently using bilt hamber and I think it's excellent stuff, litterly no agitation required.
Now I've ran out and about to buy another so was just wondering if I should try something else as it won't hurt to test stuff like this and when tested a good few then I can finally retire on my favourite.
I've got a few that have caught my eye etc, here's the short list that's caught my eye going by reviews etc.
-Bilt hamber auto wheel (currently using and best wheel cleaner award by auto express)
-Auto finesse iron out (no.1 on all that gleams website 2016 tests)
-dodo juice ferrous dueller (no.2 on all that gleams, as above^^)
-valet pro dragons breath (seems popular)
-merlins blood (getting its name out there it seems)
-decon X (seems decent too)
Note, all above I've never tried any of above apart from bilt hamber so just gauging interest on what's best to try if any.
Feel free to chime in on your experiences and recommendations or anymore good stuff to try.
Unfortunately non of these stuff are dilutable as good stuff aren't and all the dilute stuff I've tried in past don't really cut it for me.
May as well bump this up instead of making new one.
I've been slowly buying wheel cleaners to decide which one I like best and prefer for my lazy wheel cleaning needs.
I have already tried bilt hamber and I liked it, smells nice and effortless to clean with nearly no agitation required if not crazy dirty.
I also tried the Decon x and although it was good, I found it too strong to the point it started discolouring my ap calipers ouch, so quickly rinsed. It was awfully toxic to smell and I wouldn't advise using this around kids or pets playing around with you when washing (which I normally do with daughter), they even supply latex gloves when you buy a bottle so that says it all really lol.
Bill berry I've also tried and thought it was crap, always had to scrub with hand and even then would leave some dirt stains left on wheels, but it's a dilution product.
Now I've just received some dodo juice and dragons breath to try next (will update when I have my own view)
Next on the try list is auto finesse and Merlin's blood.
so that's my next to try then I'll of tried all the ones I've narrowed down and at the end I will choose which one I prefer for my lazy cleaning duties and then buy in bulk for my favourite.
The bilt hamber is my favourite so far for its allround reasons.
Will update as and when.
Last edited by bustaMOVEs; 20 January 2017 at 12:56 PM.
First i would say is that a Fallout remover is not a wheel cleaner and is slightly misleading term.
Many people will use a fallout remover as a wheel cleaner and in doing so waste valuable / expensive product in doing so.
A finish appropriate dedicated wheel cleaner will offer the correct cleaning agents for the wheel. Fallout remover would then be used to decontaminate bodywork (inc. Wheels) from iron fallout sepcifically. (There are a number of ambiguous terms for "fallout" in this remit and "fallout" can be from numerous sources).
In terms of fallout removers specifically i've used and like are
Angelwax Revelation
Autoglanz Spar Tar
OCD Finish Purple Haze
Gtechniq W6
Valet Pro Dragons Breath
All of which are good. My chosen go to would be either Spar Tar or Revelation. Both offer good cleaning properties.
First i would say is that a Fallout remover is not a wheel cleaner and is slightly misleading term.
Many people will use a fallout remover as a wheel cleaner and in doing so waste valuable / expensive product in doing so.
A finish appropriate dedicated wheel cleaner will offer the correct cleaning agents for the wheel. Fallout remover would then be used to decontaminate bodywork (inc. Wheels) from iron fallout sepcifically. (There are a number of ambiguous terms for "fallout" in this remit and "fallout" can be from numerous sources).
In terms of fallout removers specifically i've used and like are
Angelwax Revelation
Autoglanz Spar Tar
OCD Finish Purple Haze
Gtechniq W6
Valet Pro Dragons Breath
All of which are good. My chosen go to would be either Spar Tar or Revelation. Both offer good cleaning properties.
Sorry yes as you can tell I'm not up to scratch with valeting products.
I just go by some google searches to find the best wheel cleaner for my needs with as much less possible work as I hate cleaning so just going through products to clean the wheels (and bodywork friendly) without going over them again to agitate etc.
Would it be correct in saying fallout remover is also a bug/tar remover?
A lot of products are miss-sold to create sales I suppose.
And also what would you class as a good 'wheel cleaner' in 1 product?
Last edited by bustaMOVEs; 20 January 2017 at 06:14 PM.
Hi, its cool, don't worry, there are a lot of misleading terms thrown about around car care items etc.
In answer to your question, no, they are not the same thing. You could create a fallout remover to aid tar removal due to the chemcial properties however, thats a different kettle of fish.
In terms of a fallout out remover, it creates an exothermic reaction. The chemical reaction involved includes latching onto iron oxide particles and the reaction latches onto them and breaks them down. The change in colour on most (not all) fallout removers signifies the chemical reaction working.
However, they aren't designed to remove the normal road grime and muck that wheels pick up. Hence why clean with a dedicated wheel cleaner. A fallout remover isn't a weekly thing, the contamination built up in a week can usually be safely washed off.
Get yourself a good wheel cleaner, get the wheels off, wash them thoroughly and then put them back on. Save the fallout remover for a longer period between maintenance washes.
I use Valet Pro Bilberry wheel cleaner mostly. Decanted & diluted into a 99p spray bottle from B&Q, it lasts a long time & those gardening spray bottles give a good mist to get into the corners.
I do use Dragons Breath once in a while but only if there's a real build up on contaminants. My comment on the Dragons Breath is that the spray bottle it comes in is rubbish. It's more of a squirt than a spray and isn't the easiest product to get where you want it. That's nothing to do with my squirting ability btw...
Hi, its cool, don't worry, there are a lot of misleading terms thrown about around car care items etc.
In answer to your question, no, they are not the same thing. You could create a fallout remover to aid tar removal due to the chemcial properties however, thats a different kettle of fish.
In terms of a fallout out remover, it creates an exothermic reaction. The chemical reaction involved includes latching onto iron oxide particles and the reaction latches onto them and breaks them down. The change in colour on most (not all) fallout removers signifies the chemical reaction working.
However, they aren't designed to remove the normal road grime and muck that wheels pick up. Hence why clean with a dedicated wheel cleaner. A fallout remover isn't a weekly thing, the contamination built up in a week can usually be safely washed off.
Get yourself a good wheel cleaner, get the wheels off, wash them thoroughly and then put them back on. Save the fallout remover for a longer period between maintenance washes.
I get all lost in this valet malarkey.
I guess that's why I liked the bilt hamber so much as it's a full specific 'wheel' cleaner?
I use Valet Pro Bilberry wheel cleaner mostly. Decanted & diluted into a 99p spray bottle from B&Q, it lasts a long time & those gardening spray bottles give a good mist to get into the corners.
I do use Dragons Breath once in a while but only if there's a real build up on contaminants. My comment on the Dragons Breath is that the spray bottle it comes in is rubbish. It's more of a squirt than a spray and isn't the easiest product to get where you want it. That's nothing to do with my squirting ability btw...
I found bilberry too weak for even a weekly wash.
Last edited by bustaMOVEs; 21 January 2017 at 06:32 PM.
Most important thing in my experience with cleaning wheels it to make sure they have a really good wax on them. That makes the weekly clean so much easier. A lot of people wax the paintwork but overlook the wheels completely.
Most important thing in my experience with cleaning wheels it to make sure they have a really good wax on them. That makes the weekly clean so much easier. A lot of people wax the paintwork but overlook the wheels completely.
lol probably, but that's on my daily drive Audi A4 which is all stock brakes etc.
Yup I don't really wax car or wheels (as long as it's clean I'm not too fussed in protecting )hence probably need a stronger item for general cleaning.
so which product would you say gives the best protection / easiest wash down for say show and shine competitions
After you've driven to shows you need to give the wheels a clean to get them back to 100% what procedure and products would clean up with the minimum fuss and gets the wheels looking great again
Seal wheels first end of hard scrubbingUse a product like Gtechniq C5 "Wheel Armour"and then you will be able to use normal car soap to clean them with ease.SJ.
Anyone found a decent brush that can get between the spokes. I have 20spoke alloys which are a nightmare.
Pretty much all the ones I try are designed like a test-tube cleaner and have a steel wire core which can dig in and scratch if used at the wrong angle or when the bristles wear out and loose their springy-ness, which seems to happen rather quickly.
The best brush so far for me is a Curver dust-pan brush. Problem is the bristles could do with being a bit stiffer and longer to reach into the corners. Despite this it's still better and more durable than all the dedicated alloy wheel brushes I've tried thus far!
Last edited by ALi-B; 25 January 2017 at 07:46 AM.
Anyone found a decent brush that can get between the spokes. I have 20spoke alloys which are a nightmare.
Pretty much all the ones I try are designed like a test-tube cleaner and have a steel wire core which can dig in and scratch if used at the wrong angle or when the bristles wear out and loose their springy-ness, which seems to happen rather quickly.
The best brush so far for me is a Curver dust-pan brush. Problem is the bristles could do with being a bit stiffer and longer to reach into the corners. Despite this it's still better and more durable than all the dedicated alloy wheel brushes I've tried thus far!
My wheels sound similar (Audi a4) and I got like a paint brush type one for agitating the dirty parts, this is one of the reasons I'm trying to find the best without too much agitation as it's a royal pain, and tbh the bilt hamber stuff 'generally'gets it all out without agitation.
Seal wheels first end of hard scrubbingUse a product like Gtechniq C5 "Wheel Armour"and then you will be able to use normal car soap to clean them with ease.SJ.
Can't you seal wheels with general body wax? Or does it have to be pecific wheel wax.
Can't you seal wheels with general body wax? Or does it have to be pecific wheel wax.
You can buddy but the durability won't be that long especially in winter with all the crap that they put on the roads,summer time I use a durable wax on the wheels winter definitely C5,try it busta you will not regret it it is superb and you can easily get a year or so out of it once you don't use very harsh acidic wheel cleaners,I have been detailing cars for over 14 years now so know what works .SJ.
Cheers, so you can still use the normal acid free cleaners with probably a lot less amount of work to clean I presume.
That's right ,I never allow my wheels to get that dirty anyway,but once sealed properly 95% of the dirt falls off under a burst from my pressure washerThe key is not to allow your wheels to get seriously mucky in the first place,more so with the cars that we drive the Mighty Subaru and the dust that comes from the brake pads.SJ.
I use autoglym clean wheels and find it works well for me. I think the key is, as already mentioned is to not let the crud build up and wax the wheels (poor boys is what I use a couple of times a year but my car isn't a daily). Still yet to find a wheel brush I like
my wheels don't get crud, muddy or excessively dirty, I just find it hard to get them clean with a snow foam or wash (without removing them)......the reason is I haven't waxed, sealed or protected them
So as they say, to stay clean use 'protection'
02 July 2016, 06:02 PM
Best wheel cleaners, fallout removers, iron X
.SJ.
