128 Bottles of Wheel Cleaner for $32.99

[swanicyouth]

So, most of us maintain (clean) our wheels on a regular basis. A lot of us have also done things like install low dust brake pads and have coated our wheels. With these practices, frequent use of more potent cleaners like Iron X (and similar) or Wheel Bright (and other strong acids/bases) is unnecessary.

So, for routine cleaning we are often using some type of surfactant style wheel cleaner. My go to "surfactant wheel cleaner" was CG's Sticky Wheel Cleaner, until I recently found out it had sodium metasillicate and sodium hydroxide in it - make it a basic wheel cleaner. What pH it is when diluted correctly (1:5) or how much of these ingredients is in this cleaner is unknown buy me.

I'm not afraid of the chemicals per se causing damage, I just think in my case I don't need to use them. As, my wheels are coated and I have low dust pads. So, I've played around with using car wash soaps as wheel cleaners before - but none of them really impressed me.

Until I tried Chemical Guys Citrus Red as a wheel cleaner.



The way I'm using it is at about 1:32 in a spray bottle with a foaming sprayer, like you would any other regular wheel cleaner. This means, for $32.99 one could make 128 thirty two oz bottles of surfactant wheel cleaner. Yes, 128 bottles. Not including water, that comes out to about 26¢ for a 32oz bottle of wheel cleaner.

So, it's cheap... But how does it work? It works awesome. In fact, I really can't notice any difference between using this mixture and CG's Sticky Wheel Cleaner at 1:5. It also works good at cleaning all the things you would use an APC for outside the car, like mud flaps, running boards, etc... I didn't do this to save money, but to try to come up with a possibly gentler way to clean my wheels.

CG's doesn't post their MSDSs. Last time I tried to get one from them, it was a huge hassle. They wanted to see my receipt for the product I bought (from AG), which I had long threw in the garbage. So, I'm guessing (but don't know for sure), that the Citrus Red Shampoo doesn't have these basic chemicals in it.

Give it a try.

What do you all think?

[Bill1234]

So, most of us maintain (clean) our wheels on a regular basis. A lot of us have also done things like install low dust brake pads and have coated our wheels. With these practices, frequent use of more potent cleaners like Iron X (and similar) or Wheel Bright (and other strong acids/bases) is unnecessary.

So, for routine cleaning we are often using some type of surfactant style wheel cleaner. My go to "surfactant wheel cleaner" was CG's Sticky Wheel Cleaner, until I recently found out it had sodium metasillicate and sodium hydroxide in it - make it a basic wheel cleaner. What pH it is when diluted correctly (1:5) or how much of these ingredients is in this cleaner is unknown buy me.

I'm not afraid of the chemicals per se causing damage, I just think in my case I don't need to use them. As, my wheels are coated and I have low dust pads. So, I've played around with using car wash soaps as wheel cleaners before - but none of them really impressed me.

Until I tried Chemical Guys Citrus Red as a wheel cleaner.



The way I'm using it is at about 1:32 in a spray bottle with a foaming sprayer, like you would any other regular wheel cleaner. This means, for $32.99 one could make 128 thirty two oz bottles of surfactant wheel cleaner. Yes, 128 bottles. Not including water, that comes out to about 26¢ for a 32oz bottle of wheel cleaner.

So, it's cheap... But how does it work? It works awesome. In fact, I really can't notice any difference between using this mixture and CG's Sticky Wheel Cleaner at 1:5. It also works good at cleaning all the things you would use an APC for outside the car, like mud flaps, running boards, etc... I didn't do this to save money, but to try to come up with a possibly gentler way to clean my wheels.

CG's doesn't post their MSDSs. Last time I tried to get one from them, it was a huge hassle. They wanted to see my receipt for the product I bought (from AG), which I had long threw in the garbage. So, I'm guessing (but don't know for sure), that the Citrus Red Shampoo doesn't have these basic chemicals in it.

Give it a try.

What do you all think?

Looks like a good idea. I have used car wash as wheel cleaner before, works better than expected.
On another note, I read here that companies have to post msds? what is chemical guys deal with not giving it to you?

[jamesboyy]

Thanks for sharing your discovery I will try this tomorrow though ill mix it up tonight, and ill chime back in to tell you how it worked out

[swanicyouth]

Looks like a good idea. I have used car wash as wheel cleaner before, works better than expected.
On another note, I read here that companies have to post msds? what is chemical guys deal with not giving it to you?

Nope. They don't have to release MSDSs to consumers for certain (most) detailing products. Try getting one from AG for their house brands. At least I did, and could not get it. I believe it's something along the lines of .... if the product is meant for a consumer and considered relatively safe - they don't HAVE to give it to you. Now if your a business, and the product is meant for (or can be used primarily for) "professional use" - I believe they have to make it available.

I eventually DID get the MSDS I was looking for from CGs, after emailing them a screen shot of my online receipt from AG to prove I purchased the item. Still there was quite a lag. If there was a poisoning from said CG's product - the poisoned person likely would have already dropped dead.

This is just my understanding of it and my experience.

[andyo]

https://www.msdsonline.com/sign-up/?...FeZDMgodgzIAYg

[Tato]

Great tip.

I use CG Bug Tar wash for the same purpose, on same foaming sprayer... A very little goes a looong way, and recently I've got it by the gallon.


I may use degreaser at some level, also iron x for prep, I follow to the last cleaning with the soap told above.

For maintenance, I'm sticking with the soap method you stated (just different soap). Basically, I coat every wheel I thorough clean because I just want to do the 'hard wheel work' once.

Too bad I can't get Citrus Red in Brazil, CG doesn't sell to us anymore, and AG won't sell CG internationally.

Brazilian CG distributors only get jetseal and the MF apron... hahahah

Kind Regards.

[jamesboyy]

Finding the right dilution ratio can be a challenge though the one you suggested works pretty good, I would consider this more of a maintenance wheel cleaner that will vary in results depending upon what car wash soap you will use once again thanks for sharing

[PA DETAILER]

I have the smaller bottle of this. Used it to pre clean the paint before polishing with amigo. It did leave a squeaky clean finish.

[Ohio Detailing]

Thanks a lot for the idea! I use Red Citrus Wash and the Citrus Wash & Gloss almost 100% of the time on clients' vehicles, and have gallons left right now. I have used the CG Bug/Tar wash as a spray before to pre-treat problematic panels, but as a wheel cleaner I've never tried the Red Citrus.

Do you find that the foaming spray-nozzle is a must, and credit it for the success of the wash for the wheel cleaning abilities?

Also, it's a 50/50 mix of my customers when it comes to their vehicles -- some are maintained very well, and some are neglected and have a great deal of aggregated residue and brake dust etc. baked on to the wheels... would this approach be potent or aggressive enough for those situations, or would that still require T.R.I.X or one of the now countless other iron activated 'purple' cleaners? Thanks!

[PiPUK]

Without MSDS or product in hand, it is hard to comment. What I will say is that, if you are a professional, the refusal to supply an MSDS should almost be an automatic signal to stop using the product.

In Europe (and my understanding is that it is not dissimilar in the US), a supplier is OBLIGATED to make an MSDS available to any user, if the product has any hazard associated. If there is no hazard, the supplier is again OBLIGATED to make the MSDS available to a professional user. In Europe, professional users are likewise OBLIGATED to carry out risk assessments of their work (of course many 'pro' detailers aren't sufficiently 'pro' to realise this). In order to do this, the MSDS are thus required. In the EU, if a supplier refuses you an MSDS, you should approach the local Health and Safety authority who will pursue the supplier and will go as far as closing them down if they fail to comply.

In reality, failure to provide an MSDS demonstrates that a company has a real failing in their grasp of the regulations. Certainly it is my concern that if one aspect of generic chemical supply is done incorrectly, there may well be other questionable things going on which are less visible. Hence I re-iterate, if your chemical supplier refuses you an MSDS, you should do your bit for the industry, report the supplier to the relevant authority and vote with your feet and buy elsewhere (at least until they demonstrate the necessary competence). If detailers actually did this, we would have much fewer issues!!