[togwt]

Wheel Cleaners:
It is important to keep wheel surfaces clean, as well as improving the overall look of the vehicle leaving them dirty can have many adverse effects; the black powder coating on the surface of your wheel has four components; a static friction charge (caused by the pads contact with the rotors) that attracts dirt, road tar and other contaminants kicked up by both your vehicle and others. Friction heats the pads and callipers to extremely high temperatures, and causes tiny particles of hot metal to wear off and sent flying in different directions.

Many of these hot metal particles land on your rim and literally fuse themselves to the surface. Finally there is brake pad adhesive, modern brake pads are complex compounds of metals, synthetic materials and adhesives (the binder system) which is designed to wear away under friction like the rest of the pad. The adhesives used in brake pads can be very difficult to remove and they are also corrosive and will etch the wheel surface, the metal particles from the pads and rotors will become a conduit for rust compromising the paint surface of your wheel

Wheel cleaning is not that difficult, especially if you use the correct tools, they have to work safely but effectively. Wheel cleaners that contain acid are the most dangerous, there are wheel acids that are safe if used with care and the directions are followed precisely. Accidents and expensive wheel replacements can always be avoided if you do some research and are smart about your choices. Always check the products MSDS and its pH value before you use it. It is always preferable that you use a 100% acid-free product with a pH of 7.5 – 8.0

Cleaning Clear Coated Wheels:
•Ensure wheels and rotors are cool before applying cold water as this may cause them to warp. Hose off as much initial grime as you can. Rinse up into the wheel well to wash away road kill, mud and other debris.
•Use detailing clay to remove any embedded contaminants
•Use a solvent based cleaner to remove any road tar
•Apply a solution of P21S Total Auto Wash to wheel-wells and tyres, and let soak in, agitate with a long-handled boars haired brush before rinsing
•Spray P21S Wheel Cleaner (Gel or Liquid) this cleaner is 100% acid-free and will not damage any type of wheel finish. (Gel for badly soiled and regular for normal soil) onto wheel rims and lat soak in (for badly soiled surfaces us P21S-Red (422)
•Before finally removing cleaner, agitate with a soft brush and then rinse off (See Wheel Brushes)
•Rinse wheel surface thoroughly with clean water (to avoid splashing paint surface rise by pouring a bucket of water over each wheel from the top down
•Remove any surface imperfections with a suitable clear coat polish (Dependant upon extent of damage)
•Dry wheels with a towel, apply a polymer sealant (ZoopSeal) to the surface of the wheels, it will protect the finish from brake dust and the elements and also make them easier to keep clean.
•Wax has a low melting point and will not withstand the sustained temperature

Polished Aluminium Lips -they can be either a clear coated, anodized, or bare polished aluminium in which case different types of polishes are needed for each. Bare (uncoated) aluminium, using a metal polish will turn the cloth black. Use Mothers Mag and Aluminium Polish and Mother’s Powerball –

Note - Bare aluminium will oxidise (turn a yellowish colour) if a highly acidic or alkaline product is used.

Menzerna Gel 7.5 Wheel & Tire Cleaner- pH-Neutral (7.5) a detergent-based cleaner with surfactants, wetting agents and emulsifiers (for cutting road oils) which quickly cleans both tires and wheels yet is as gentle to the surface as drinking water! This cleaner contains no acids, petroleum solvents, butyl or butyl ethers of any kind, neither acidic or alkaline it cleans tires and all types of wheels including billet aluminium, plated, polished, anodized, powder coat, painted and clear coated. - Classic Motoring Accessories - Car Buffers, Car Waxes, Car Polishes, Auto Detailing Supplies, Car Covers, Car Accessories

Alternative products –
P21S Gel or Liquid Wheel Surface Cleaner (Green) originally developed in 1976 by a German chemist, a water-based, (non-acid) detergent that provides terrific cleaning and guarantees not to damage painted, clear-coated, or anodized wheels - Performance Motorcare Products Ltd P21S

P21-S Wheel Cleaner (Felgen-Reiniger) Power Gel (Red)– manufacturers approved way to remove corrosive brake dust and road grime from alloy wheels. Safe, pH controlled, formula is guaranteed not to harm any type of road wheel, braking system or other automotive surface, works safely and effectively on every type of wheel and coating, removes brake pad adhesive and sequestered metal brake dust safely - Classic car, kit car and motorcycle restoration - Frost Auto Restoration Techniques Or Die Seite kann nicht aufgerufen werden

Wheel cleaners that are formulated with Hydrofluoric acid; that is a solution of hydrogen fluoride in water, it is corrosive, meaning it will have a detrimental (and sometimes unrecoverable effect on surfaces it’s applied too) and it is also highly poisonous. The application instructions usually state- ‘apply, but do not allow product to remain on the surface for more than 30 seconds before removal with a strong stream of water’.

Skin contact with concentrated hydrofluoric acid or inhalation of its vapour has caused many serious injuries, even death. Concentrated solutions of hydrofluoric acid pass quickly through the skin and cause deep, painful burns. Dilute solutions also penetrate the skin, but it does not give the immediate burning sensation caused by the concentrated form of the acid, a user may tend to be less aware of the contact with the acid.

There are specific ordinance to enforce Hydrofluoric acid hazard spill control / exposure and treatment methods and specific materials, most of which are just not going to be in the enthusiast or even mobile detailer's toolkit, non-compliance can result in heavy penalties.

It also has the unique ability to dissolve almost all inorganic oxides. In the human body, hydrofluoric acid reacts with calcium and damages nerves, bone, and several organs including the heart and kidneys - Hydrofluoric acid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Critics say the lack of knowledge about chemicals exposes a system where environmental regulators largely rely on companies that profit from industrial chemicals to sound alarms about their safety. Questions about potential effects on human health and the environment often aren't raised until years after a chemical is introduced to the marketplace.

Notes –
Warning
Before using any chemicals or solvents, carefully read all of the cautions and medical information on the products container and / or MSDS. Always follow all of the manufacturer’s recommendations. Ensure that you wear eye protection and acid-proof gloves; this is mandatory. No matter how safe an acidic product is advertised, never run the risk of it splashing in your eye or permeating your skin.

a) Use a product that has a low acid concentration level (i.e. Sulfuric, Phosphoric and Nitric acid. 10%, or less) with as high a pH level (> 2.0) as you can find, this constitute a less aggressive product. Oxalic acid is relatively safer and yet still very effective to use on most wheels. A wheel cleaner containing Oxalic acid is far safer yet still very effective to use on most wheels. It will do a far better job than high alkaline cleaners, yet is nowhere near as harmful to the vehicle or yourself
Acid is highly corrosive; the skull and crossbones warning on an acid label is there for a reason; acids will etch or erode anything in its path, they are also very effective in dissolving metals and etching glass.

b) Even a pH 5.0 acid with a dilution rate of 4:1 (as recommended by Meguiar's for their Wheel Brightener) results in a pH 4.5 solution. The dilution of an acid doesn’t make it safer as the addition of a molecule of water to a chemical compound, without forming any other products is known as hydration (i.e. dilution causes the pH to decrease) But since pH is not a very good indicator of the strength of the acid in every system, this approach won't always produce the desired results.

c) A wheel cleaner formulated with Oxalic acid is a safer yet still very effective cleaning chemical. It will do a better job than alkaline cleaners, but is nowhere near as harmful to the vehicle or yourself. Oxalic acid is a relatively strong "weak acid" Oxalic acid exhibits many of the reactions characteristic of other carboxylic acids, it’s a relatively strong organic acid, being about 10,000 times stronger than acetic acid (Vinegar pH 2).
This acid still needs to be handled with care and diluted correctly, but it’s safer than Hydrofluoric acid yet a very effective alternative.

d) Always check the products MSDS and its pH value before you use it. It is always preferable that you use a 100% acid-free product with a pH of 7.5 – 8.0

© TOGWT ™ Ltd Copyright 2002-2008, all rights reserved

[JohnyB]

This maybe wrong of me to ask but could you recomend to me a product with A wheel cleaner formulated with Oxalic acid. im always looking to make my shop as safe as can be.

[Cooter]

Nice write up togwt. Very informative. This should be a sticky somewhere. Excellent post.

Heath

[P1et]

I want the book to be available NOW!!!

[Nica]

Originally Posted by Cooter

Nice write up togwt. Very informative. This should be a sticky somewhere. Excellent post.

Heath

I agree, very informative oh and it's now a sticky

[Tonya]

Thanks togwt! Thanks Nica for making it a sticky!

[supercharged]

P21S gel wheel cleaner is the best! I really wanna try their RED wheel cleaner, but hate to order it from Europe, with shipping it will cost ~$200 for 5 liters...

[Nica]

Originally Posted by supercharged

P21S gel wheel cleaner is the best! I really wanna try their RED wheel cleaner, but hate to order it from Europe, with shipping it will cost ~$200 for 5 liters...

I was chatting with Rich from Polished and yes P21S red version sounds very interesting but the Menzerna 7.5 Gel forumula is supposed to be a tad better then the P21S products I've got a bottle of the Menzerna version coming I'm really curious to see how well it will perform but yea the red version or UK verion of P21S sounds very interesting.

[supercharged]

Originally Posted by Nica

I was chatting with Rich from Polished and yes P21S red version sounds very interesting but the Menzerna 7.5 Gel forumula is supposed to be a tad better then the P21S products I've got a bottle of the Menzerna version coming I'm really curious to see how well it will perform but yea the red version or UK verion of P21S sounds very interesting.

I'd love to try it, Nica, hopefully it will be available soon. Again, with dollar to Euro exchange ($1.50 for 1 Euro), I'm not buying it from Europe, as it will be way too much (I'd rather get Swissvax Concorso for the same price). I'm sticking with P21S gel (green).

[togwt]

Edit the 'Notes' (b) for clarification

Notes –
Warning
Before using any chemicals or solvents, carefully read all of the cautions and medical information on the products container and / or MSDS. Always follow all of the manufacturer’s recommendations. Ensure that you wear eye protection and acid-proof gloves; this is mandatory. No matter how safe an acidic product is advertised, never run the risk of it splashing in your eye or permeating your skin.

Use a product that has a low acid concentration level (i.e. Sulfuric, Phosphoric and Nitric acid. 10%, or less) with as high a pH level (> 2.0) as you can find, this constitute a less aggressive product. Oxalic acid is relatively safer and yet still very effective to use on most wheels. A wheel cleaner containing Oxalic acid is far safer yet still very effective to use on most wheels. It will do a far better job than high alkaline cleaners, yet is nowhere near as harmful to the vehicle or yourself

a) Acid is highly corrosive; the skull and crossbones warning on an acid label is there for a reason; acids will etch or erode anything in its path, they are also very effective in dissolving metals and etching glass.

b) Even a pH 5.0 acid with a dilution rate of 4:1 (as recommended by Meguiar's for their Wheel Brightener (Ammonium hydrogen fluoride [NH4] [HF2]) results in a pH 4.5 solution. The dilution of an acid doesn't make it safer as the addition of a molecule of water to a chemical compound, without forming any other products is known as hydration (i.e. dilution causes the pH to decrease) But since pH is not a very good indicator of the strength of the acid in every system, this approach won't always produce the desired results.

c) A wheel cleaner formulated with Oxalic acid is a safer yet still very effective cleaning chemical. It will do a better job than alkaline cleaners, but is nowhere near as harmful to the vehicle or yourself. Oxalic acid is a relatively strong "weak acid" Oxalic acid exhibits many of the reactions characteristic of other carboxylic acids, its a relatively strong organic acid, being about 10,000 times stronger than acetic acid (Vinegar pH 2).
This acid still needs to be handled with care and diluted correctly, but it’s safer than Hydrofluoric acid yet a very effective alternative.

d) Do not confuse hydrochloric acid (HCL) with hydrofluoric (HF, has a pH of 3.14) acid because of the similarity of names. On the skin, hydrochloric acid burns from the outside in. Hydrofluoric acid solution readily penetrates the skin and burns both skin and deeper tissues. If enough acid is absorbed, it may lethally affect the heart and nervous system.

e) Ammonium hydrogen fluoride NH4HF2 (or Ammonium bifluoride SiO2) is miss-classified as the safe alternative to hydrogen fluoride, once mixed with water it becomes hydrogen fluoride one of the most common, and dangerous, acid wheel cleaners used in automatic car washes today. Its effectiveness removing brake dust and difficult contaminants from wheels is undisputed, but most chemists say Ammonium bifluoride presents an unjustifiable and potentially lethal risk.

f) Always check the products MSDS and its pH value before you use it. It is always preferable that you use a 100% acid-free product with a pH of 7.5 – 8.0