What is a wheel cleaner
Written by: Vinnie van Rooij
Within detailing, there are many different types of product. Within the group of cleaning products, there are sub-categories. Amongst them is the wheel cleaner. This is a specific cleaning products designed to clean wheels. This product will be specifically aimed at removing dirt that is most common for this area, such as brake dust, grime, mud, tar and several more. Not all wheel cleaners attack all these contaminants, but most attack many of them.
Contents
Why use a dedicated wheel cleaner?
Wheels come into contact with several types of contaminants that paintwork hardly comes into contact with. This means that a normal shampoo isn’t always capable of cleaning these types of dirt. Claying and/or polishing the area can sometimes be difficult and most people don’t want to take there wheels off every week. Using a dedicated wheel cleaner will make it much easier to remove stubborn dirt that won’t move otherwise. You could achieve similar results with clay, but your clay will wear a lot quicker and you increase the chance of severe marring. In general terms you can conclude that a dedicated wheel cleaner will simply make your job a lot easier.
Low, high or pH neutral
There are wheelcleaners on the market that have a very high pH value (higher then 7) which would mean that they are alkali. Other have a very low pH value (lower then 7) which would make them acidic. And there are wheelcleaners that are pH-neutral (around 7). Many detailers are convinced that only pH-neutral wheel cleaners are safe, but this is not entirely true.
It all depends on what alkali or acidic ingredient is used.
Some manufacturers have spent a lot of effort into researching the effect a certain ingredient has on specific dirt, and remove the ingredients that are not specifically targeted at a certain type of dirt.
For example: a manufacturer discovers that hydrochloric-acid is very good at removing traffic film, but it also stains polished steel and aluminium. That manufacturer can research what the active ingredient is that is causing the stains and what the ingredient is that is making it clean properly. If they can successfully filter out the ingredient that causes stains, they can achieve a product that will clean properly without leaving stains. The finished product can still be very acidic, but it won’t stain polished steel or aluminium. All the benefits, none of the drawbacks.
Some manufacturers spent a lot of time in this research and development, other don’t. If you are in doubt about your product contact the manufacturer or your supplier. You can also test on a small area first and see if detailing fora has discussed the product before.
Different uses
Ceramic coatings have a very high chemical resistance against acidic liquids (pH lower then 7). This means that it allows you to clean off contaminants that are very difficult to remove with a normal shampoo. Washing the car with a low pH solution can remove very stubborn dirt. This will give the ceramic coating a deep clean and improve sheeting and beading again.
Be careful though, because some unprotected materials (like trims) can be either damaged or stained by this. Rinsing is also very important afterwards.
Common mispercetions
- Although a fallout remover cleans (among other areas) wheels, it is not a dedicated wheelcleaner
- A wheel cleaner that is alkali or acidic does not have to be a bad thing, it completely depends an what type of alkali or acidic ingredient is used
- Always take care when using a wheel cleaner. It is highly recommended to try any dedicated cleaner on a small place before using it on a bigger surface!
- Take especially big care when working with aluminium, diamond cut rims or unprotected/unpainted metals
- A wheel cleaner can be used on every surface, however great care has to be taken because it is not always certain how it reacts with particular surfaces
- Hydrophilic is the opposite of hydrophobic, which means that it is a property of a molecule that "attracts" water. No real attraction force is involved though. In general hydrophilic substances dissolve easily in water....
- Although polishing chrome is often considered to be the same as polishing metal, there is a slight difference. Because chrome has more of a mirror shine, imperfections are much easier to see with the naked eye. Making it more difficult to achieve a perfect result....
- The two-bucket method is possibly to most known and most used technique used by detailers and professionals, to wash a vehicle. It is one of 3 different types of washing a vehicle that are widely considered to be safe and correct ways of cleaning a surface....
- Before and after photo's are fairly popular when showing the work done on a vehicle. But these photo's don't always properly show the work that has been done because the images are to difficult to compare. ...
- Monello is a Dutch brand of detailing products that sells polishes, shampoos, fallout removers, microfiber cloths and several more. The head office is located in the Bergschenhoek, The Netherlands, but it is being sold in several places around the world. ...
- This is the act of removing said contamination. The aim of turning a contaminated area into a pure and perfectly clean area. Decontamination can be achieved in several different ways....
[…] dust does not get accumulated, wheels can tolerate high temperatures that brakes produce, makes wheel cleaning very smooth, and you can enhance the glossy look of the […]