grambow
04-29-2009, 08:09 PM
Just a little background: I am a hobby detailer from Wisconsin. By “hobby” I mean my details are done in the driveway and two stall garage with a relatively modest selection of tools and chemicals . I enjoy having the cleanest cars in the neighborhood and in the parking lot at work. My neighbors all think I am crazy and often laugh as I am polishing my car despite a forecast of impending rain or snow or a combination of both. I am good entertainment for them if nothing else.
I drive a 2007 BMW X3 in modena blue and my wife drives a 2008 Mercedes C350 Sacs Fifth Avenue Edition in black metallic. They are both kept as clean as humanly possible for Wisconsin cars. My last car, a 2005 Mazda 3 in orange was my guinea pig for most of my car care education.
I feel the above characteristics represent a large cross section of guys and gals on this board. Our hobby is to keep our cars as clean as possible which requires chemicals and tools a notch above what can be purchased over-the-counter. I should also mention I am sorta cheap but I recognize that generally you get what you pay for. I have found this usually true for car care supplies.
With that said, sometime in February this year I started getting cabin fever as I could not wait to get outside and start washing, polishing, and waxing. Unfortunately, the snow and cold weather would hang around for a few more months.
To ease my pain, I started frequenting the AG forum for advice and reviews. Needless to say, like many of you, I have been obsessed ever since. They got me hooked with the frozen Fuzion, free shipping, and regular 15% discounts. I often wondered when I saw pictures on the forum of people’s “collections” of products why anyone would need that much stuff. Now I know as I have amassed a pretty big collection of chemicals and tools myself.
I have planned all along to provide my two cents on the products I have purchased. Meghan’s challenge just gave me the push I needed. My reviews are from the point of view of the average driveway detailer. I am not proficient with the rotary (I use the PC), and I sometimes (last night UGH!!) I forget the wheel wells. I am learning as I go by trial and error and help and advice of fellow forum members who value the feel of freshly clayed paint. I hope to someday be as skilled as my detailing idol Presidential_Detail! Without further ado....My reviews.
I purchased the P21s gel wheel cleaner right after the purchase of my wife's Mercedes C350. I experienced pitting on the wheels of my last car at least in part due to the chemicals I was using. I did not want this to happen on my beautiful 18" AMG wheels. The reviews I read on this forum suggested that P21s was the safest cleaner for all wheel types. In fact, I believe the German car makers recommend P21s products as a whole.
Pros:
Safe for all wheel types. This was especially important for me and my main reason for purchasing the product.
The gel consistency of the product really sticks to the wheels. This seems to make the product go farther as you dont have to compensate for runs down the face of the wheel.
Cleaning power. I clean my wheels about once per week so they are never too dirty. It is a Mercedes so a weeks worth of brake dust is pretty significant. That being said, it did a great job cleaning the wheels.
High quality sprayer.Cons:
Price! At $18 for 17 oz, every pull of the trigger counts. I was surprised (mortified) to see how much product I used when I looked at the bottle after going around to all 4 wheels.Conclusion:
Overall, I loved the product. I loved how it stuck to the wheels. It did a great job cleaning (they were only moderately dirty). However, I probably wont purchase again based on price. $17.99 for 32 oz, and you have a deal. See my upcoming DP Gel Wheel Cleaner review. Hope this helps!
P21S Gel Wheel Cleaner (http://www.autogeek.net/p2wheelclean.html)
I drive a 2007 BMW X3 in modena blue and my wife drives a 2008 Mercedes C350 Sacs Fifth Avenue Edition in black metallic. They are both kept as clean as humanly possible for Wisconsin cars. My last car, a 2005 Mazda 3 in orange was my guinea pig for most of my car care education.
I feel the above characteristics represent a large cross section of guys and gals on this board. Our hobby is to keep our cars as clean as possible which requires chemicals and tools a notch above what can be purchased over-the-counter. I should also mention I am sorta cheap but I recognize that generally you get what you pay for. I have found this usually true for car care supplies.
With that said, sometime in February this year I started getting cabin fever as I could not wait to get outside and start washing, polishing, and waxing. Unfortunately, the snow and cold weather would hang around for a few more months.
To ease my pain, I started frequenting the AG forum for advice and reviews. Needless to say, like many of you, I have been obsessed ever since. They got me hooked with the frozen Fuzion, free shipping, and regular 15% discounts. I often wondered when I saw pictures on the forum of people’s “collections” of products why anyone would need that much stuff. Now I know as I have amassed a pretty big collection of chemicals and tools myself.
I have planned all along to provide my two cents on the products I have purchased. Meghan’s challenge just gave me the push I needed. My reviews are from the point of view of the average driveway detailer. I am not proficient with the rotary (I use the PC), and I sometimes (last night UGH!!) I forget the wheel wells. I am learning as I go by trial and error and help and advice of fellow forum members who value the feel of freshly clayed paint. I hope to someday be as skilled as my detailing idol Presidential_Detail! Without further ado....My reviews.
I purchased the P21s gel wheel cleaner right after the purchase of my wife's Mercedes C350. I experienced pitting on the wheels of my last car at least in part due to the chemicals I was using. I did not want this to happen on my beautiful 18" AMG wheels. The reviews I read on this forum suggested that P21s was the safest cleaner for all wheel types. In fact, I believe the German car makers recommend P21s products as a whole.
Pros:
Safe for all wheel types. This was especially important for me and my main reason for purchasing the product.
The gel consistency of the product really sticks to the wheels. This seems to make the product go farther as you dont have to compensate for runs down the face of the wheel.
Cleaning power. I clean my wheels about once per week so they are never too dirty. It is a Mercedes so a weeks worth of brake dust is pretty significant. That being said, it did a great job cleaning the wheels.
High quality sprayer.Cons:
Price! At $18 for 17 oz, every pull of the trigger counts. I was surprised (mortified) to see how much product I used when I looked at the bottle after going around to all 4 wheels.Conclusion:
Overall, I loved the product. I loved how it stuck to the wheels. It did a great job cleaning (they were only moderately dirty). However, I probably wont purchase again based on price. $17.99 for 32 oz, and you have a deal. See my upcoming DP Gel Wheel Cleaner review. Hope this helps!
P21S Gel Wheel Cleaner (http://www.autogeek.net/p2wheelclean.html)