Meg's Wheel Brightener, ratio questions

[Bill1234]

I rarely use this stuff as I dont own a german car now and when I used to have the family audi to clean it was bad every week.

If I do use it, im using it 4:1 or 10:1

Definitely wear protection. I bought 3m chemical goggles and I have thick nitrile gloves, along with the meguiars wheel brightener bottle and sprayer.

[Eldorado2k]

another thing, why would someone want to use WB all the time.

Why? Because instead of having to reach into your wheel bucket and pull out your wheel woolie/daytona brush/speed master brush/boars hair brush/detailing brush/lug nut brush/wheel mitt/wheel face brush, knee pads and spend time down there working and busting a sweat...

You could simply spray, let dwell for 45 seconds and hose off with your nozzle on jet setting, or even better spray off with a power washer and not have to spend a second crouched down brushing anything.

It’s faster, it’s easier, and you don’t get a bunch of nasty grit on your hands or any fling on your face from those wheel brushes... It’s a no brainer.



Pair it up with an equally good tire cleaner and you shouldn’t have to scrub your tires but once every 4 weeks or so.

And for all the people talking about gloves... That only applies to your method, in which you’re down there getting messy with numerous brushes on your hands. A spray bottle doesn’t leak on your hand, and if it does you should invest in better sprayers.

I’ve scrubbed my wheels enough times to know there’s an easier way.

[VISITOR]

i've been doing just fine with my variety of brushes and mild wheel cleaner (or car soap) to clean wheels (especially if you have some protection on them,). you always don't need to grab the steak knife to cut the stick of butter when the butter knife will do. not saying anyone is wrong for using it all the time, but for me it's not needed (invest in a cheap electric pressure washer it helps as well). if using WB every time you clean wheels works for you, more power to you...

here's the safety data sheets if anyone is interested in looking at it...

http://www.meguiars.com/content/en/msds/D140%20SDS.pdf

Prevention:
Keep only in original container.
Do not breathe dust/fume/gas/mist/vapors/spray.
Use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
Wear protective gloves, protective clothing, and eye/face protection.
Do not eat, drink or smoke when using this product.
Wash thoroughly after handling.

[Eldorado2k]

you always don't need to grab the steak knife to cut the stick of butter when the butter knife will do.

Why bother trying to cut through steak with a butter knife? Also, you do realize that Wheel Brightener causes absolutely no harm to coated wheels don’t you? The only case where you wouldn’t want to use it would be on bare metal wheels.

It could be argued that you’re causing more degradation to your wheels finish by constantly scrubbing them, because not all wheel brushes are made of the softest materials. For example alot of wheel brushes are made up of nylon brushes.

Cleaning wheels that aren’t even that dirty via wheel brushes still takes about the same time as it does to clean a dirty wheel. So if it can be done by simply spray on hose off then why not save yourself a bunch of time and work? I don’t know about you, but spending nearly 15-20min. scrubbing my wheels and tires is a chore.

[VISITOR]

Why bother trying to cut through steak with a butter knife? Also, you do realize that Wheel Brightener causes absolutely no harm to coated wheels don’t you? The only case where you wouldn’t want to use it would be on bare metal wheels.

It could be argued that you’re causing more degradation to your wheels finish by constantly scrubbing them, because not all wheel brushes are made of the softest materials. For example alot of wheel brushes are made up of nylon brushes.

Cleaning wheels that aren’t even that dirty via wheel brushes still takes about the same time as it does to clean a dirty wheel. So if can be done by simply spray on hose off then why not save yourself a bunch of time and work? I don’t know about you, but spending nearly 15-20min. scrubbing my wheels and tires is a chore.

it's not a chore to me (i use wheel woolies, soft brushes, and a mild cleaner which do not degrade my painted wheels) and i value my health to not have to use the most aggressive measure each and every time. like i mentioned, if using WB every time you wash the vehicles works for you, then by all means keep doing it...

[LEDetailing]

I only use 4:1 if the wheel is not really dirty, I simply use my degreaser on the rim as well (I normally use it on the tire and wheel well). Maybe I should diluting it to 10:1 and see how it does. It's just that I hate that stuff, it kill all my sprayers in no time. The only way I have managed to make them last is to remove the sprayer from the bottle after ever use and have it spray water to rinse it out. Really annoying and time wasting. I have tried several types of sprayers including chemical resistant ones and they all die within the first 3 use of the product. So make sure you rise out the sprayer or you will find this product is pretty costly to use if you have to spend 2$ or 3$ on a new sprayer with every use.

On the bright side, when used at 4:1 is cuts through baked in brake dust like there is no tomorrow. If your can't remove it all in the first go, spray a second time and it should remove the rest. As other have said, be very careful of fumes and sling with this thing. Hydrochloric acid is some of the nastiest stuff we detailers have to work with, a serious health hazard if you are not careful. So for me that means gloves. I don't use a mask. What I do is I hold my breath while spraying then I walk away about 5-10 feet before I start breathing again.

No kidding on the sprayers. I swore I rinsed out my gray Tolco sprayer last time after using WB and the sprayer was still dead. I wonder if the vapors are enough to eat the seals?

I never use WB anymore unless wheels are caked with dust. Gets used on friends and family thrashed wheels. I switched to D143 on my own wheels and tires and never have to worry about all the WB issues. WB does work magic on wheels that haven’t been cleaned in months/years. Probably one of the easiest products to see an instant result from. That also scares me too.

[Eldorado2k]

it's not a chore to me (i use wheel woolies, soft brushes, and a mild cleaner which do not degrade my painted wheels) and i value my health to not have to use the most aggressive measure each and every time. like i mentioned, if using WB every time you wash the vehicles works for you, then by all means keep doing it...

You’re getting a whole lot closer to hazardous chemicals and grime every time you clean your wheels & tires than I do.
After cleaning my wheels & tires, my hands aren’t black with soot and brake dust, nor did I have to wear any gloves because there was no mess near my hands like via grunt work. If you value your health, why are you down there breathing all those brake and cleaner fumes and possibly getting the mess all over you? When you could play it safe and knock it out from a distance and not get any chemicals or grime on your hands or have to hold your breath or even bust a sweat?

Work smarter, not harder.
There’s dangers all around, fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, so do batteries, it doesn’t seem to scare you away from changing a light bulb or watching your TV everyday does it? Things are regulated to be safe. Do you really think that wheel cleaner would still be on the shelf after so many years if it was causing even minor consistent harm to anybody?

Meguiars OTC Hot Wheels Chrome & Wire Cleaner is basically the same thing. Are you scared to go near it at Walmart? Does the clerk at Autozone have to wear a hazmat suit when he stocks the shelf just in case 1 of the bottles might have a leak? Cmon man.

[VISITOR]

You’re getting a whole lot closer to hazardous chemicals and grime every time you clean your wheels & tires than I do.
After cleaning my wheels & tires, my hands aren’t black with soot and brake dust, nor did I have to wear any gloves because there was no mess near my hands like via grunt work. If you value your health, why are you down there breathing all those brake and cleaner fumes and possibly getting the mess all over you? When you could play it safe and knock it out from a distance and not get any chemicals or grime on your hands or have to hold your breath or even bust a sweat?

Work smarter, not harder.
There’s dangers all around, fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, so do batteries, it doesn’t seem to scare you away from changing a light bulb or watching your TV everyday does it? Things are regulated to be safe. Do you really think that wheel cleaner would still be on the shelf after so many years if it was causing even minor consistent harm to anybody?

Meguiars OTC Hot Wheels Chrome & Wire Cleaner is basically the same thing. Are you scared to go near it at Walmart? Does the clerk at Autozone have to wear a hazmat suit when he stocks the shelf just in case 1 of the bottles might have a leak? Cmon man.

you're in the minority of using this every time you clean wheels compared to everyone on here. are you wrong? am i or anyone else on here wrong? i'm not the detailing police. do what you want, no need to keep dragging this on...

[Eldorado2k]

no need to keep dragging this on...

Alright, deal. It’s just I took exception to your comment about “why would someone want to use Wheel Brightener all the time”

[Eldorado2k]

it kill all my sprayers in no time. The only way I have managed to make them last is to remove the sprayer from the bottle after ever use and have it spray water to rinse it out. Really annoying and time wasting.

I’ve found a way to make it a bit less annoying. What I’ve done is taken an old sprayer that clunked out a while back and cut the straw off and close it shut. Then I keep a bottle filled with water and the sprayer I switch in to use when ready outside on the patio table.

Quik switch out, and when I’m done switch back and spray it clean with the pure water bottle and it’s all done outside + sprayer doesn’t get ruined.