Wheel cleaner vs Iron Remover

[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.

[FUNX650]

There are iron-removing products that
aren’t very good at removing “non-iron”
particles from wheels. That is to say:
they’re not very good at the overall
wheel cleaning process.

Conversely:
Some wheel cleaning products are
not very good at removing those
burned-on/embedded iron particles.


Bob

[The Guz]

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.

Tagging onto your post. Nick over at MOL just posted the same thing but with Mirror Bright in the statement.

We do not recommend using our Mirror Bright 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 Mirror Bright 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 on a wide array of surfaces, 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. Those ingredients geared towards a more specific application may or may not work well or be safe for certain surfaces.

Hope this helps.

Nick Winn
Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Online Forum Administrator
Meguiar's Inc.
Irvine, CA
nawinn@meguiars.com
800-854-8073 ext 3845

I like McKee's foaming wheel cleaner as it cleans well. Destroys the sprayers. Well at least the last 3 sprayers I recently used. I actually used it 3 weeks ago on my personal wheels and they did turn a bit purplish brown (as the McKee's color is not really purple). Two weeks later I used Ironx and it pulled even more iron deposits out. McKee's Iron Remover does the same. Not saying the wheel cleaner is weak but just an observation when it comes to the color changing aspect of the iron ingredient. The gel format is nice as it clings well.

Not to mention that McKee's wheel cleaner smokes if it touches another chemical. Happened to me a few times when it came into contact with Britemax Grime Out and Tuf Shine Tire Cleaner run off.

I rarely use a wheel cleaner on my personal wheels that are coated. But I do a deep decon on them 1-2 times a year with some sort of iron remover be it a wheel cleaner or dedicated iron remover.

[SWETM]

It would be very intresting to read the msds on McKees 37 Foaming wheel cleaner gel. As it reacts to other chemicals I think it's something in it that is not very commonly used in detailing products.

[Mbss]

I used to use Sonax wheel cleaner but a couple years ago switched to carPro IronX for the iron remover. I buy it by the gallon. For general wheel/tire cleaning I use BleechWhite, it works and cheap. I feel IronX is too harsh for regular use.
I’ll disagree on not letting it dwell. I want it work as long as possible and run into areas I may have missed. Only from my experience does let dwell get better results, your experience may be different.

[RippyD]

It would be very intresting to read the msds on McKees 37 Foaming wheel cleaner gel. As it reacts to other chemicals I think it's something in it that is not very commonly used in detailing products.

Have never seen an MSDS for PBMG or McKee's products.

I used to use Sonax wheel cleaner but a couple years ago switched to carPro IronX for the iron remover. I buy it by the gallon. For general wheel/tire cleaning I use BleechWhite, it works and cheap. I feel IronX is too harsh for regular use.

IronX is safe on paint. Why would you expect it to be too harsh on wheels? IronX has a lower % of detergent and neutral pH relative most other wheels cleaners. I would consider using it regularly more wasteful rather than risky in terms of harshness.