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BMW 5-Series (G30) Forum Cosmetic Maintenance: Wash, Wax, Detailing, Repairs Wheel Cleaner Recommendations

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      08-19-2019, 04:53 AM   #23
jsf721
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I have the fully set of wheel Wookiee and ez detail brushes. Gets me everywhere. Really depends on your wheels which you would need / prefer.



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Originally Posted by claykin View Post
I love wheel woolies. They make cleaning the 20" 759i wheels semi tolerable.

Which wheel woolies are your choice? So many vendors selling the same concept. I bought the 3 pack (small, med and large) of Liquid X from Amazon and they seem ok but the handle has a bit too much give. Thinking they're all pretty much the same and private labeled?
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      11-11-2019, 07:43 AM   #24
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A rusty or simply dirty disk is not dangerous, but having a mechanical damage is a direct threat to life. During the ride, the wheels get a heavy load and the slightest malfunction can lead to tragic consequences.
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      01-14-2020, 06:45 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jsf721 View Post
I am a self admitted detailing geek.

If you can ceramic coat your wheels you will save much time cleaning them for sure.

I wash my car often, and if you do, all you should need is car wash soap and a good set of brushes.

When I do a car that is infrequently washed, the Sonax Full Effect is the best. Smells bad, works great.

Just be careful not to spray on the polished hats as I have seen that leave marks on them.
This is the actual correct answer in this thread. Sonax is not meant to be used every wash...you're killing yourself and your wallet. It is only meant to be used on wheels with baked on brake dust. If you ceramic coat your wheels all you need is soap and water hence why you went through the full process to coat them in the first place.

If you want more cleaning power go with something economical and proven for your maintenance washes like P&S Brake Buster, which can be diluted to be very easy on your wallet.
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      01-14-2020, 07:02 PM   #26
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I have BMW's black chrome 636 style wheels. I was looking thru reviews and read some good stuff about car guys oh balanced wheel cleaner safe for "all finishes". Anyone tired car guys stuff?
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      01-15-2020, 11:46 AM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rjd598 View Post
This is the actual correct answer in this thread. Sonax is not meant to be used every wash...you're killing yourself and your wallet. It is only meant to be used on wheels with baked on brake dust. If you ceramic coat your wheels all you need is soap and water hence why you went through the full process to coat them in the first place.

If you want more cleaning power go with something economical and proven for your maintenance washes like P&S Brake Buster, which can be diluted to be very easy on your wallet.
+1 here.

I have not ceramic coated my wheels, and even still I don't need to use wheel cleaner every time. I couldn't get over Sonax's smell, so I use Meg's Ultimate All Wheel Cleaner instead. But I only use it every 2nd or 3rd wash, depending on how much/hard I've driven the car in between washes (and I wash once or twice a month, depending on how much I've been driving and how nasty the weather is).

A year into ownership and this seems to be working for me. I do need to get some better wheel brushes.
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      01-09-2021, 07:54 PM   #28
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Simply Green works great and it's a lot cheaper than wheel cleaners
It won't affect the finish like most acid based
Cleaners
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      05-05-2021, 09:33 AM   #29
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Sonax fan here. The stuff is like magic. I use a high end detail shop and pretty much use whatever they use since it is their livelihood.

I have this on subscribe and save:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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      06-07-2021, 03:44 PM   #30
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The best wheel and tire cleaner

https://theragcompany.com/products/p...s-brake-buster

One solution for wheels and tires. Spray it, brush your wheels and rinse. Boom
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      09-04-2021, 07:58 PM   #31
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Good call on the Sonax in this thread - I've been using for a couple of years and am very happy!
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      09-05-2021, 02:18 AM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PHXM550 View Post
Good call on the Sonax in this thread - I've been using for a couple of years and am very happy!
+1. Sonax is what I've been using for two years. I asked my detailer a few years ago what they used and the was it. Not sure I'll ever try anything else. I'll spray it on before a touch less wash or I will spray it on and use this wheel tool for my hose. The head brush spins with wash pressure and rinses while scrubbing. Literally takes 10 minutes to clean your wheel and 5 minutes is waiting for the Sonax to turn purple.

Car Wheel Brush, Premium... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z7N7KGW...p_mob_ap_share

Sonax (230500) Wheel Cleaner Full Effect - 169.1 fl. oz. , Yellow https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BDOCWMQ..._UzyONEejaESHL
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      05-21-2022, 02:22 AM   #33
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P&S Brake Buster works well on wheels & tires.
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      05-24-2022, 11:51 PM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe-BMW33 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by PHXM550 View Post
Good call on the Sonax in this thread - I've been using for a couple of years and am very happy!
+1. Sonax is what I've been using for two years. I asked my detailer a few years ago what they used and the was it. Not sure I'll ever try anything else. I'll spray it on before a touch less wash or I will spray it on and use this wheel tool for my hose. The head brush spins with wash pressure and rinses while scrubbing. Literally takes 10 minutes to clean your wheel and 5 minutes is waiting for the Sonax to turn purple.

Car Wheel Brush, Premium... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z7N7KGW...p_mob_ap_share

Sonax (230500) Wheel Cleaner Full Effect - 169.1 fl. oz. , Yellow https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BDOCWMQ..._UzyONEejaESHL
The Sonax wheel cleaner full effect is usually reserved for heavy duty task where the wheels are caked in brake dust w/ road grime. Since I ceramic coated all my wheels, I typically use Adam's Eco wheel cleaner which is much milder when compared to Sonax. Also, Adam's Eco wheel cleaner smells like baby powder!
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      05-25-2022, 02:19 AM   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PetieD 7 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe-BMW33 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by PHXM550 View Post
Good call on the Sonax in this thread - I've been using for a couple of years and am very happy!
+1. Sonax is what I've been using for two years. I asked my detailer a few years ago what they used and the was it. Not sure I'll ever try anything else. I'll spray it on before a touch less wash or I will spray it on and use this wheel tool for my hose. The head brush spins with wash pressure and rinses while scrubbing. Literally takes 10 minutes to clean your wheel and 5 minutes is waiting for the Sonax to turn purple.

Car Wheel Brush, Premium... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z7N7KGW...p_mob_ap_share

Sonax (230500) Wheel Cleaner Full Effect - 169.1 fl. oz. , Yellow https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BDOCWMQ..._UzyONEejaESHL
The Sonax wheel cleaner full effect is usually reserved for heavy duty task where the wheels are caked in brake dust w/ road grime. Since I ceramic coated all my wheels, I typically use Adam's Eco wheel cleaner which is much milder when compared to Sonax. Also, Adam's Eco wheel cleaner smells like baby powder!
Similar here. I generally just wipe my wheels down with nothing but a dry MF cloth. Just had them ceramiced last week, so I'll be using Sonax sparingly.
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      06-27-2022, 03:04 PM   #36
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Ok, I've been side-by-side testing the following 5 wheel & tire cleaners for the last 2 months (weekly washes, so call it 9 wheel cleanings):

-Griot's Heavy Duty
-Sonax Full Effect
-3D Super Wheel Cleaner Nano
-Chemical Guys Sticky Citrus
-Adam's Wheel & Tire Cleaner

Everyone wants to know what the "best" cleaner is (I know I did). I've come to the conclusion that "it depends". It depends upon how dirty your wheels are, why are they dirty (is it brake dust or other, non-Fe dirt?), how often do you wash/clean your wheels, etc.

I've come to the conclusion that these are all (at a minimum) "good" cleaners in most situations.

If you need a thorough cleaning and de-iron I'd go with either:

Griot's Heavy Duty
or
Adam's Wheel & Tire

If your wheels aren't horribly dirty or don't have a ton of brake dust or don't need to be de-ironed (and you want to save some money), I'd go with:

3D Super Wheel Nano

Even diluted at 8:1 it's pretty strong and very cost effective at $40 for 64 oz.

The sprayers and the solution thickness make a MASSIVE difference here. The best sprayers (by far) were the Griot's Heavy Duty and Sonax Full Effect sprayers. Both were able to generate a super-fine mist that got total coverage very quickly without a lot of wastage.

While I really liked the Chemical Guys Sticky Citrus, the nature of the liquid and the sprayer meant that I ended up using a LOT more product to get coverage. For a frame of reference, on the same number of front and rear wheels, the Chemical Guys Sticky Citrus is at 1/2 full whereas the Adams' Wheel & Tire is between 2/3rds or 3/4 full. I am not a professional detailer, and as such, "dwell time" (which the Car Guys Sticky Citrus has in spades) is not a big deal for me. I usually clean one side of the vehicle (wheels & tires) at a time, so dwell time is a non-issue. I could see how it would be a nice thing if you were detailing multiple cars at a time and it took a while to get back to a previously sprayed wheel. The Car Guys sprayer also makes it harder and more time consuming to get full coverage on the wheel and tire.

I'm sure there are other cleaners out there that I should probably take a look at, but the above is what I've tested side-by-side so far.

One nice surprise is the Adam's Polishes rubberized tire brush (red and black bristles) and the rubberized wheel brush (red bristles). I've found them both to be very good, though I still like the Griot's black and grey shaped tire brush too.

Last edited by dhodory; 06-28-2022 at 09:38 AM..
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      06-27-2022, 07:14 PM   #37
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I just use Wheel Wax and the dust doesn't stick. Normal car shampoo cleans the wheels nicely.
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      06-30-2022, 12:34 PM   #38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc View Post
I just use Wheel Wax and the dust doesn't stick. Normal car shampoo cleans the wheels nicely.
Agree. I have ceramic coated my wheels (CarPro DLUX + Gliss + Reload), so things don't get too bad. In most cases I find that wheel cleaners are overkill, which is why I think the 3D nano cleaner is such a good deal (if your wheels don't get very dirty and/or you wash your car regularly).

There is definitely a convenience factor to using some of the better cleaners though. Even on my coated wheels, if I've got a lot of brake dust, I can tell it's a bit easier to clean them if I'm using Griot's or Adams or Sonax.

Just make sure you *never* use the same mitt or cloth to clean your wheels as you do to clean the body of the vehicle. Even after laundering, microfiber mitts can hang onto iron filings from brake dust and scratch your paint.

Last edited by dhodory; 07-14-2022 at 09:23 AM..
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