Autobead Acid Wheel Cleaner 500ml - Destroy Brake Dust & Contaminants - Concentrated Gel-Based Rim Cleaning Dirt Remover

Product Information

Clean Wheels is acid based yet safe to use on the majority of alloy wheels. We’ve agitated it with our Hi-Tech Wheel Brush, ideal for access to the tight areas on the annoying-to-clean-but-nice-to-look-at alloys. We used Clean Wheels on Jaguar Magazine’s XJS. A great car, true, but one with utterly filthy alloys! Acidic wheel cleaner is a powerful, professional-strength wheel cleaner, that uses a special blend of acids and detergents to remove most stains from alloy wheels. It will restore the lustre and shine to factory finish alloy wheels by removing dust, dirt, grime and rust formation in one easy application. Available in 500ml ready-to-use format and 5-litre concentrate. Acid Wheel Cleaners (AWCs) have been a fixture of the detailing landscape for decades. Prized for their versatility and ability to break down even the toughest of baked on brake dust and other deposits, AWCs have nonetheless come in for some negative press of late, with various sections of the internet calling for them to be all but abandoned in favour of less effective, differently formulated alternatives. The fact that they’re made of a corrosive substance ensures that all acid-based wheel treatments should be treated with respect, but, when used carefully and correctly, they’re a valuable tool in the battle to keep your alloys looking flawless.

Q) I’ve been told that Clean Wheels is safe to use in all conditions, so can I apply it after I’ve driven my car to a show? Not all alloy wheels are safe to use with Acid Wheel Cleaners, with those with an anodised or chromed coating, or those with a diamond cut being key examples. For those that are getting into car detailing, the allure is always to go for the cheaper priced products. Acid wheel cleaners fall into this category. They’re extremely cost effective to make, and therefore this gets passed onto the consumer.

How to use

We’ve been developing, formulating, selling and using AWCs for decades now, long enough to know a huge amount about them, and long enough to be in the position to impart some advice on the subject. With this in mind, please take the time to read through the following article; Acid Wheel Cleaners 101 – The Complete Guide To Acid Wheel Cleaning Products Consider pairing Acidic Wheel Cleaner with our Heavy Duty wheel and parts brush for those most stubborn ingrained areas of brake dust and grime. How to use White vinegar contains natural acetic acid, which will readily dissolve calcium carbonate and other minerals. Some wheels are prone to rotting and corrosion and there are a number of ways to treat this. Some companies ‘shot blast’ or ‘sand blast’ wheels to remove all the paint and corrosion. Adam’s Polishes wheel cleaner is designed to only remove rust and brake dust while keeping your paint and exteriors intact. However, at least one user says this product damaged his chrome tires.

Most reviewers corroborate our experience: Adam’s Polishes works really well, but it doesn’t smell very good. While there are indeed alloys with certain coatings and finishes that cannot be used in conjunction with AWCs (see below), the majority are fine. Advances made in the field of alloy wheel coatings and lacquers mean that almost all mainstream wheels are more than capable of shrugging off acid wheel treatments, and this is particularly true of more sophisticated cleaning solutions, our own Clean Wheels being a case in point. Effortlessly cut through heavy brake dust and traffic films to restore lustre and shine to your wheels! Suitable for use with a variety of wheel brushes. If there are still water spots, give it another go and see how far you get. If the mineral deposits are too tough, you can add more vinegar to your solution, scrub it in, and leave it sitting a little longer.The Halfords cleaner doesn’t have the ultimate cleaning power of our favourites, but it’s not far off.We had to get in there and agitate the cleaner in a few awkward recesses to get the best results, and you might even need to repeat the clean on very grubby tyres,butthe alkaline formula is safe on hands and all wheel typesand is kinder to a wheel's underlying metal if it's exposed at all. This product, in my experience, takes a lot of the ‘elbow’ out of the ‘elbow grease’ equation. Just spray on the wheels and let it do all the work.” – RtDK

This is seriously the greatest stuff. I use a regular tire cleaner that they offer at the car washing place I go to, and it’s OK, but this stuff works almost instantly. You can see the rust and dirt just come out.” – Holly & NicoleBudget: Prices vary widely, although you don’t need to spend a lot for good results. You simply need to find the best products. That work has gladly been done for you by us. There are a number of different types of acid in commercial use today, and though all function in the same basic way when used in an AWC (loosening and eventually removing brake residue), their different composition means that there are some types that you’d be well advised to steer well clear of, both in terms of your wheels and your skin! One example of an acid that you really don’t want to get too closely acquainted with is hydrofluoric acid, yet it remains commonly used (though not by Autoglym) in AWCs. It’s certainly effective and will make short work of most contaminants, but it’s also coarse and overly corrosive, with the potential to damage your wheels and health. We find this is a harsh process and can leave pitting; therefore we now use the latest techniques which involve us removing all the paint and corrosion in an acid bath. This is carried out at our depot. Due to the strength of the acid used we cannot do it on the mobile service. You can have your wheels painted to the original colour or if you fancy a change we can mix any colour you like. If you have a specific colour you would like you can supply us with a paint code and we will match it. The steps for the acid stripping and powder coating process are as follows: Those running wheels with an anodised, chromed or diamond cut finish should instead look to our Custom Wheel Cleaner solution, a product developed specifically for use on expensive aftermarket wheels, or those with thinner, more chemically sensitive coatings. Its carefully developed, acid free, alkaline formulation means that it will have no problem removing the iron deposits caused by repeated braking, yet won’t cause damage to the alloy itself.

A) While Clean Wheels is pre-mixed and therefore requires no dilution before use, its acid base means that you should still be wary about using it in really hot weather or immediately after you’ve driven your car. This is because the liquid that forms an essential element in all cleaning solutions is liable to evaporate in hot weather or when applied to a wheel that’s hot to the touch, and this in turn serves to concentrate the remaining acid, increasing the likelihood of it damaging your wheels. We compared the foaming Turtle Wax T-18 wheel cleaner head-to-head with Meguiar’s and Adam’s Polishes wheel cleaners. In both tests, Turtle Wax T-18 removed noticeably more caked-in dirt from the wheel than the competitors.

Enquire

When it comes to cleaning wheels, one of the biggest questions is if it’s safe to use acid wheel cleaners. First off, let’s discuss what an acid wheel cleaner is. These are cleaners that are between pH 1-5, with alkaline cleaners being in the range of pH 9-13 and those in the middle (such as car shampoo) being classed as pH neutral. The best product to clean rims depends on your tire and what you’re trying to clean. Only the most caustic products can fully remove deeply-embedded rust. However, these may also damage chrome or polished metal. If there is an issue with the Turtle Wax T-18, it’s that it works too well. Some customers say that while it removes grime and brake dust, it can also deteriorate custom paint jobs.