Review: Griot's Garage Wheel Cleaner

[PerroneFord]

I had a chance to try out Griot's Garage Wheel Cleaner today. Thought I'd offer a short review of the product.

Griot's Wheel Cleaner:

I purchased this product because I am starting to get work detailing classic cars with some very sensitive wheels and I wanted something I could use with complete confidence. The Griot's product is about as safe as it gets, so it seemed like a natural.


ease of use:

The product comes in a 35oz bottle. But with no sprayer. I tend to work with smaller bottles where possible, so I transferred the product into a more handy sized sprayer.

smell:

The smell of the product is very pleasant. It still has a "strong" chemical smell but it's well masked by the pleasant included fragrance.


cleaning ability:

This is tough. The vehicle I tested on had a myriad of wheel issues. Tough brake dust, adhesive left over from stick on weights, tar that had been left to sit etc. But this is not to say the wheels looked bad. They didn't. They looked spectacular from 10ft. It was only up close that you could see the small problem issues. If you need a wheel cleaner that can attack heavy brake dust, tar, etc. This is not your product. If you want to clean up well cared for wheels with normal grime, normal levels of brake dust, etc., then this product might work extremely well for you.


Process:

I rinsed the wheels then sprayed the product on the face, wheel barrels, lug nuts, and caliper of the wheel I was working on. I left it to dwell for about a minute. I then began to clean using my new Daytona Speedmaster brush. I was getting lots of brake dust off and road grime. So far so good. The calipers looked gorgeous. I changed to a soft brush for the face of the wheel, and the face came clean with ease. I then worked on the lugnuts but the grime in there wasn't coming clean.

After rinsing, I examined the wheel. While all the road grime and basic dirt were gone, there was still a strong layer of embedded brake dust left behind along with dots of road tar, etc. So I sprayed the wheel again, and this time used a stronger brush to agitate. Again, , more good results, but I was not entirely satisfied with what I was seeing.

I went to my "go to" product for handling these kinds of situations, and after letting it dwell for 30 seconds, I agitated and rinsed. Dirt and old tar came pouring out of the wheel. Problem resolved.

After a test drive later in the day, I noticed that the wheels had gotten dirty again, and apparently the hub had standing dirty water on it that slung on the rear 2 wheels. I used the Griot's Wheel Cleaner for these issues and it was fast and totally effective.


Summary


Griot's Wheel Cleaner should be a very welcome addition to your arsenal if you have to work with VERY sensitive wheels. Just be aware that it will not replace something like Megs Wheel Brightener, Amazing Roll-Off, or even the OTC Eagle One A2Z Wheel cleaner. But if you are dealing with wheels that receive regular care, the Griot's Wheel Cleaner might just be the ticket. The price is excellent also. Given how little I used today, I'd estimate I could do a few dozen cars with those 35oz. For for $10, it's quite the bargain.

[ScottB]

I agree that Griots is on the safer end of the wheel cleaner and even works on uncoated wheels. It does need some agitation as noted, and I found the sponge they use to send was perfect. You do need to buy one of their sprayers seperately.

The other wheel cleaners you offered are much stronger, some even use an acid base, and are likely more in tune with Poorboys Spray/Rinse Wheel Cleaner. As with any wheel cleaner, I hope all end-users read the label, understand the product, and use as directed.

Thanks for a well-balanced review ... I think you pretty much hit the proverbial Nail on the Head.

[PerroneFord]

I try to make my reviews balanced and unbiased. No one is paying me to use this stuff. Honestly, I used this product today as a test only. Worked for the stuff it SHOULD work for, struggled with the stuff I expected it to struggle with. Fair enough.

I've got a 40+ year old Austin Healey coming up next weekend I wasn't ABOUT to put APC or anything similar on those original wheels. That will get the Griot's and agitation ONLY.

[ScottB]

With the Austin, I too agree that a safe wheel cleaner like Griots or P21S in likely the correct choice. Would love to see pics when you are done.

[PerroneFord]

With the Austin, I too agree that a safe wheel cleaner like Griots or P21S in likely the correct choice. Would love to see pics when you are done.

I am doing the owner's Mini Cooper and MB Wagon tomorrow. Here's a couple pics of the Healey I snapped a few months ago. You can see the Yellow Mini in the backgound.








Notice the wheels???

[bunyz06rabbitt]

I like the way foreign cars have their mirrors on the front fenders like that. Gives it that extra exotic look.

[PerroneFord]

LOL, but having the mirrors "on the wing" like that makes it darn difficult to adjust! That's what the co-driver is for! Does remove the blind spots at the rear corner of the car.

[bunyz06rabbitt]

Hmmm...a shrewd observation indeed. And I'm sure those can't be adjusted by power inside the cabin or even by cable. Ah, the days when there was no technology, sigh...

[GriotsGarage]

Great review! Thank you for the really balanced approach. I appreciate getting a fair shake. Our Wheel Cleaner really is designed to be a very safe wheel cleaner and has no acid in it.

Great review, thanks again!

[ObsessiveAutoDetail]

I am doing the owner's Mini Cooper and MB Wagon tomorrow. Here's a couple pics of the Healey I snapped a few months ago. You can see the Yellow Mini in the backgound.








Notice the wheels???

Do me see an MGB in the background of the top pic??? BTW... Love the wires. PITA to maintain... But love em.