Wheel cleaner vs Iron Remover

[luvmyrv]

I have read several posts and seen several videos where people use Iron removers on both paint and wheels, and most of them with quite a bit of success. Others recommend Iron remover on paint and a dedicated wheel cleaner. When i read up on some of the wheel cleaners, like Sonax for example, it says it goes on green and then turns purple/red like an Iron remover. On the McKee's Iron Remover reviews it's used on both paint and wheels and seems to work well. The 3D Brake Dust remover seems to get marketed as a product that will kill 2 stones with 1 product. My question is why use 2 separate products? If an Iron remover will do the job on both...why buy a separate wheel cleaner?

[Eldorado2k]

My question is why use 2 separate products? If an Iron remover will do the job on both...why buy a separate wheel cleaner?

Because iron removers/color changing wheel cleaners not only cost more, but aren’t anywhere near as effective as some traditional wheel cleaners when it comes to cleaning really caked on wheels.

You may not see caked on wheels all the time [especially if you’re only maintaining your own wheels] but on the other hand, you’re not exactly going to need a pricy iron removing wheel cleaner everytime you clean your wheels.

Iron removers aren’t sold in concentrated form.
Traditional wheel are sold in concentrate, and therefore much more economical.

[luvmyrv]

Ok...I thought it could be a question of economy as the Iron removers do seem to be on the pricier side. Makes more sense now.

[VISITOR]

some are going to use a product off label and if you have good luck doing so more power to you (if you cause damage, you have no one to blame except for yourself). if i were to buy an iron remover right now, i would choose one that the manufacturer suggest to use it on. buying one that can be used on both paint and wheels (among other things) makes more sense. someone on MOL posted this about using their ultimate all wheel cleaner on paint...

We do not recommend using our Ultimate All Wheel Cleaner or any of our other wheel cleaners for applications other than wheels. We know and understand other products use similar color changing/iron reacting chemistry for applications other than wheels, but Ultimate All Wheel Cleaner is designed just for wheels. Keep in mind with any product which uses this color changing ingredient, that color changing ingredient could be one of many other ingredients in the formulation, and even though the color changing ingredient is widely known for it's effective yet safe cleaning ability, the other ingredients included in the formulation may be geared towards a more specific application like wheels, to help with all sorts of variables in performance, and those ingredients geared towards a more specific application may or may not work well or be safe for certain surfaces.

[luvmyrv]

This is good to know and makes total sense. I don't think I would have ever thought to use a dedicated wheel cleaner product as an Iron remover/decon product on my entire paint surface. On the other hand many of the Iron remover products show that they apply it to the wheels when they do the paint surface.

[Eldorado2k]

This is good to know and makes total sense. I don't think I would have ever thought to use a dedicated wheel cleaner product as an Iron remover/decon product on my entire paint surface. On the other hand many of the Iron remover products show that they apply it to the wheels when they do the paint surface.

IMO they’re all the exact same, meaning they contain the same main ingredients.

[SWETM]

A simple test would be to test a bleeding wheel cleaner on a small area on the paint and on the same area apply a iron remover afterwards and see how much if any iron was left. And or the other way around. IME iron removers and bleeding wheel cleaners would have to be applyied multible times in cases of heavy iron deposits and you don't aggitate them. And that is something that is mostly done with wheel cleaner that you aggitate it and I think they have less of the same chemical that desolves rust corrosion. Their is economical iron removers out there and the only downside is that it's not showing any bleeding when used. That will be oxalic acid and can be bought in powder to get alot of iron remover to a very low price. It's used often to boats and clean the waterline and under it to clean with. And is often used in a acid based wheel cleaners also. Then a wheel cleaner use other chemicals to clean other kind of dirts to be effective as a dedicated iron remover is more just that a iron remover. So the iron remover is often more potent than a wheel cleaner at desolve rust corrosion. And then of cause there is those hidden gems out there. But the chemical that bleeding when activate the desolveing to iron is expensive. And for a no bleeding iron remover you Megs wheel brightener as a perfect example to be just as effective if not more. Don't know if it's based on oxalic acid or an other acid. Then you have acid bathes where you put corroded iron material in as a reference. The bleeding iron remover is a more user friendly way for us to use as in we see when it's working. A thing is that we rinse it of to soon and not let it dwell long enough to really desolve the corrosion. But if left as long as possible before it's dries up is the way to be able to rinse the most off as to aggitate it of. Then of course a iron remover has the possibility to desolve other kind of dirt as well but not all. That's why I use different chemicals to different kind of dirt when decon washing.

[Mbss]

Don’t use iron remover every wheel cleaning, to expensive and too harsh. About every other wheel detail I use it. My process; is first spray off with pressure wash hose, apply regular wheel cleaner, brush and dwell a few minutes, rinse and let dry a bit(usually blow off it a bit, doesn’t need to be totally dry) then apply iron remover and agitate with brush, leave as long as possible(5-10mins)without drying, and finally rinse well and blow dry immediately to minimize rotors rusting.

[Eldorado2k]

Don’t use iron remover every wheel cleaning, to expensive and too harsh. About every other wheel detail I use it. My process; is first spray off with pressure wash hose, apply regular wheel cleaner, brush and dwell a few minutes, rinse and let dry a bit(usually blow off it a bit, doesn’t need to be totally dry) then apply iron remover and agitate with brush, leave as long as possible(5-10mins)without drying, and finally rinse well and blow dry immediately to minimize rotors rusting.

I agree with you about an iron remover being too expensive for regular wheel cleanings.. But too harsh? When you say regular wheel cleaner, which wheel cleaner are you referring to?

And you say you brush and then let that dwell for as long as possible and then rinse? Hmm... I’m the complete opposite on that 1. As soon as I finish brushing I immediately rinse off.

That’s like scrubbing a dirty carpet and having all the dirt lift up in the foam, but then allowing all that grime to dwell and marinate for a few minutes before wiping it up... Doesn’t seem like a good idea.

[Justin at Final Inspection]

I have gone through the same as the OP. I keep coming back to using a dedicated wheel cleaner. In my case Mckees 37 foaming wheel cleaner gel. It clings and removes more of actual road grime. I have tried iron removers and even Sonax wheel cleaner+ and they just don't seem to work as well on really dirty wheels. Just my opinion.

[TMQ]

I have gone through the same as the OP. I keep coming back to using a dedicated wheel cleaner. In my case Mckees 37 foaming wheel cleaner gel. It clings and removes more of actual road grime. I have tried iron removers and even Sonax wheel cleaner+ and they just don't seem to work as well on really dirty wheels. Just my opinion.

Hummm....Like it better than the Sonax? Geez---now I have to get some! Grin...

Tom

[TMQ]

Has anyone tried this???

https://www.autogeek.net/3d-bdx-brake-cleaner.html

It can do both wheels and paint.

Tom

[Justin at Final Inspection]

I have tried the Sonax wheel cleaner+, 3D BDX, iron-x, Nanoskin iron remover, Mckees extreme Iron remover.

I like the price point and results with the Mckees iron remover. But again a dedicated iron remover imo doesnt replace a dedicated wheel cleaner. I have a couple liters of the Sonax wheel cleaner+ sitting here that won't get used. I went right back to the Mckees foaming wheel cleaner gel.

[TMQ]

Justin,

Thanks for the input---I know what I'll do next once my supplies run out!

Tom

[RippyD]

IMO they’re all the exact same, meaning they contain the same main ingredients.
Assume you mean iron removers? I've checked a couple of dozen iron remover MSDSs. They all use either sodium or ammonium thioglycolate to remove iron oxide, with one exception. Duragloss wheel cleaner uses oxalic acid. Oxalic acid has the advantage in not smelling like a rotting skunk carcass and the disadvantage of not changing color.

Would be great to see how well DG works relative to the others. If I get time in the future I'll try to test it out.