I have been searching for a good wheel cleaner thats affective on all kinds of wheels. Here is why:
Most wheel cleaners you buy off the counter are either not suitable or too weak.
I take wheel cleaning very seriously and dirty wheels make the entire shiny car lose its appeal.
Wheel cleaners are often alkaline in nature but stronger ones are acidic. Here comes the problem:
There are 2 common kinds of wheels, steel and alloy.
I shall discuss the alloys:
1.Clear coated (a layer of colourless paint)
2. Metal coated (a layer of metal paint i.e. chrome, aluminium)
Clear paints are more resistant to acid stains as in the effects are not as apparent with Metal coats. As you can imagine, metal gets "eaten" up by acid albeit slowly. And the effects are very visible when you spray acidic wheel cleaners on metal paint because you immediately see these stains or what material chemists call "Etching".
Wheel cleaners you buy off the counter (or off the shelf) are aimed at the average joe who want to get their wheels cleaned as easy and as quick as possible. Most manufacturers state that the cleaners use "phosphoric acid" as a substance and I'm inclined to believe them after conducting a few pH tests. You should note what type of wheels you own so you know to stay clear of Acid based cleaners.
Other cleaners that are alkaline in form are not very strong so they dont work very well. But you can be sure they are safe and not stain your wheels. I've tried several "all" wheel cleaners and they just dont perform very well. Then I found
Duragloss 821.
Manufacturer Claims:
Duragloss All Wheel Cleaner is formulated to clean all wheels. Duragloss #821 removes brake dust, road film, oil and grease. Safe to use on all types of wheels including clear coated, painted and highly polished.
Lo and behold, its cleans up really nicely. I tested it on my wheels as well as my moms Hyundai matrix Wheels. Dirt slips right off and the more stubborn dirt is removed with light agitation with a paintbrush. The Matrix wheels have an aluminium lip and previous wheel cleaners i've used have stained these wheels unfortunately.
The bottle comes in a simple 22oz trigger spray bottle. You get to adjust the spray nozzle to mist or squirt. I'd say mist would be more appropriate.
821 is not very friendly on the nose. I wouldnt say its pungeant but its a little irritating.
Its safe to say, I'll go back for the 821 the next round.
Pics:
Before pics
During
After
A few more stubborn stains I didnt brush off.
*These days? Banks at every corner. You'd be forgiven thinking you were walking in Seoul? Hong Kong? Taipei? *
*Every Christmas Santa never fails to get himself up there. I swear its the creepiest Santa I've ever seen.ho ho ho*
*Sometimes it gets weird*
