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      02-08-2015, 03:20 PM   #1
JoeFromPA
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Question about optimum no rinse & quick review of three wheel/tire products

Hi all,

Quick thread: Just cleaned up the cars a bit with the 45 degree weather today

First off, I added ~1 ounce of optimum no rinse wash and wax to 2 gallons of water and used a 2 bucket method. My car was FILTHY and I hosed it down aggressively beforehand (using a garden hose) to remove caked on salt until the water ran clear. >1 month since my last car wash and probably 2500 miles.

I feel like I didn't get the concentration of ONR right. I didn't feel it was cleaning very well or producing a good slick surface. And I didn't feel the dirt was releasing out of my wash mitt (which went from white to basically black AFTER cleaning it out) Any recommendations? The 5' and 10' look is great - stunning Alpine White paint, glossy, very reflective. But it took some effort and the wash mitt is disgusting looking.

...

Now, a few tire and wheel products reviewed:

Sonax Wheel Cleaner Plus - A pretty "safe" and not super toxic spray on wheel cleaner. Let sit for 2-4 minutes, agitated with Wheel woolie. Turns deep red as it works.

I used this on my BBS winter wheels with >1 month of brake dust caked onto them. And salt. And God only knows what. I thoroughly agitated with my wheel woolie but only applied once and then hosed off.

AWESOME results. Perfectly clean wheels - I mean every nook and cranny I could reach came out looking brand new with a single application. Very pleased.

Meg's Wheel Brightener - I used this on my wife's 08 535xit wheels. These are in bad shape. Ironically, no real curb rash just caked on brake dust in a bad way inside the wheel nooks and crannies and in the barrel.

This stuff is toxic and acidic. I got some on my skin when it ricocheted off the wheel surface and quickly wiped it off...and my skin is irritated. You are supposed to leave it on for 30-45 seconds.

I can't say amazing results but it did remove more brake dust than any other product. I did 2 applications and agitated. The wheel faces, where the dust isn't caked on, came out brilliant and shine great. The insides are simply less black and there is more aluminum showing.

For a amateur detailer, I rate this stuff a bit too hardcore. It's not user friendly enough, too toxic to want to keep in my house/around my kids, and god forbid you have to walk away from it while it's on the wheels. I'm going to use it with the wheel off and a no-scratch scrubbing pad but it will not be in my normal rotation.

Stoner's Spray on Tire Shine - Spray on Tire Shine? C'mon. That's gotta be gimicky or spotty.

THIS STUFF IS AWESOME. The can has a beautiful nozzle on it that sprays perfect width and thickness. Just be smooth and about 10 seconds around per tire and your tires look perfectly dressed. Can't speak to how long it'll last, especially in winter, but use and initial look gets top marks.

....

Last note is I've been using a sponge or old wash mitt to scrub my wheels for ages. Just spent the dough on a wheel woolie which, while very over priced, is simply the right tool for the job. I just went with the 12" model I believe....perfect for my uses.
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      02-08-2015, 04:53 PM   #2
DocWeatherington
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Have you tried Iron X for the wheels? I wonder how that compares to Sonax
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      02-08-2015, 07:00 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DocWeatherington View Post
Have you tried Iron X for the wheels? I wonder how that compares to Sonax
I have not. My best comparison is P21s wheel cleaner GEL applied with their applicator sponge.

I'd rate sonax wheel cleaner plus to be noticeably better at removing significant brake dust. It was also a bit easier to use, albeit I'm using a wheel woolie this time.

The one thing to note though is it's a bit of comparing oranges and clementines...p21s can be left on in the shade for 2 hours without damaging the wheels. It's a VERY easy going wheel cleaner that's still pretty good at cutting through brake dust. Sonax wheel cleaner plus says max 4 minutes on a cool dry wheel and is a bit more chemically which I'm going to interpret as a bit more toxic
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      02-08-2015, 07:29 PM   #4
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First off, I live where there's no snow; I've never dealt with salt and other crud. So take what I say with a grain of salt

I generally like ONR. But it doesn't work well if the car's too dirty. And works much better if you car has a coating, or at least a sealant on it (but that's true of any wash, I guess). It's good you rinsed the car off well. When I use ONR, I use a ratio of 1oz to 1 gallon. I also use a variation of the 'Gary Dean' method to wipe/wash, where you use a bunch of microfiber cloths folded in quarters, and discard when the whole cloth is dirty (sorry if you already knew this), because I never could seem to be able to get the wash mitt that clean in the rinse bucket. When I first used ONR, I felt it was like wiping the car down with water. However, it really does encapsulate the dirt pretty well. I sort of view ONR as a quick wash in between 'real' washes. I do add 1oz to my regular soap when I do a 'real' wash. Seems to make everything a little more slick.

Wheel cleaners: I'm using Sonax Full Effect. It's pretty good. It's basically iron-X for the wheels. I bought a couple of bottles of it, and have one left. I have some 1Z ColorTech wheel cleaner I've been meaning to try. I think it's the same stuff, but I've seen it foams more, which I would prefer. I would not have thought of trying Stoners. Their glass cleaner is good; never tried their wheel cleaners.

The wheel woolies ARE overpriced. I recently purchased a pair of the Griot's woolies. They definitely the right tool for the job. I have a Boar's hair wheel brush, EZ-detail brush, and a few others. I stull use them, but the Woolie is the best. If I could have only 1 brush, it would be the woolies. I need to get the biggest one. They also have a bent one for behind the spokes. BTW, I would NOT recommend the EZ-detail brush. It sprays everywhere. For me, it has a very specific, limited use: between the caliper and the barrel. Possibly the inner barrel, for the big opening between the spokes.
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      02-08-2015, 07:30 PM   #5
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Interesting, I will have to try it once my bottle of Iron X is done.

How many miles you got on the F80 now?
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      02-08-2015, 08:32 PM   #6
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7100 miles on the m3 now, will be 7500 by tuesday evening. Trying to find the time to change the oil, can't find it.

Rocketboots: The stoner's product was TIRE dressing, spray on. Never heard of it before recently. Very pleased.

Car is sealed with sonax polynetshield and I'm extremely pleased with that. I'm going to try 1 ounce per gallon with ONR next time. It did feel like washing the car with water, that's a good analogy. And obviously I didn't like that feel

There's no good option when the car is salt encrusted. Automatic car washes don't take the time and clean their washing materials, it's too cold to do a true wash, and there's no helping the fact that the car is simply salt encrusted.

My guess though is that the more I can build up a layer of sealant the easier that salt is going to wipe off.
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      02-08-2015, 10:37 PM   #7
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Sonax Polymer Netshield

Have you tried coatings like CQUK? Maybe for next winter...

I was debating CQUK myself, but I'm planing to try Optimum GlossCoat. Wanted OptiCoat 2.0

Did you do any sealant for the wheels? Think that's where I'll really miss the OptiCoat.

Stoner's tire; right, I misread that.
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