Wheel Brightener: Results

This is designed to push you fellas on the fence about buying Wheel Brightener. It's ~$20 a gallon and generally is diluted at 4:1. If anyone is unaware of the cleaning power of this stuff, this before and after should fill you in. The truck had not gone through a wash for ~4 years, and had plenty of burned on brake dust, quite arguably the worst I've ever seen. This is no average or even heavily soiled wheel, this was warfare. There were a few spots in the cracks that I used P21S Polishing Soap (another great product) lathered up on a Swissvax wheel brush, but 95% of the work was done using Wheel Brightener exclusively. Pics were taken with my cell phone over the summer. Take note that although the wheels in the before and after shots are not the same, all of the wheels on the Dodge Ram test subject were exactly the same and the results were the same for each wheel. Enjoy.

 

i use wheel brightener and love it. when used correctly it is a great product but if used wrong could be a tragedy.

nice work though.

 

Did you use it on the wrong style wheel? Just can't let the stuff dry. I thought about doing some tests with it mixed with something like CG CWC.

 

by the way what was your process? did you agitate the surface with something or?

 

no. what i meant by that was it could turn bad but me personally, haven't ran into issues with wheel brightener at all.

 

Spray and agitate with a Swissvax Wheel Brush ( 3 times). At the end there were some deposits in the cracks between the center cap and wheel that I lathered up some polishing soap and worked them for a second or two and it came out like that.

 

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nice. that was it? what type of sprayer are you using? need to get something that foams up or sprays a mist and sits. I'm using a garden type sprayer so it shoots out a bit much. surprised to see that by agitating it with the available brush yielded that. my dads truck rims on his Ford j would have to scrub literally lol.

 

It's excellent stuff, and I'll never do without it. Really, you need P21S for the nice wheels, and WB for your average wheels. Great great stuff.

 

Yeah this is what I'm trying to do. I'm thinking about using Sonax instead, it seems to do a better job.

 

I tried using it straight with a tooth brush on the corners and there's still these super baked on dust...

 

wear a mask or hold your breathe when you spary WB onto your rim.
I was cleaning my summer rim full with baked on brake dust, tried Zep citrus and WB, didnt' really do much. Then I bring out the VX5000 steamer and it seems to do a good job.

 

nice LoL . . . . . . steamer to the rescue. Try some polishing soap.

 

For jobs like that, I use my wheel acid (hydroflouric acid)

 

oh yes. now that's what im talking about. very rare have i needed to use acid but by does it work and work fast LoL.

you can have all 4 rim faces cleaned by the time you are done doing something like brushing your teeth if you have the right stuff.

 

A more efficient and most importantly SAFE, for both you and your wheel surfaces

Acid, just say NO

 

I know I know, but those wheels were beyond trashed. I'll use a mask for now on.

 

I'm postng this information to ensure that no one who reads it can say "But I didn't know the health risks involved with acids like this"

Ammonium Hydrogen Fluoride

Other names: Ammonium bifluoride - NH4HF2 (ABF) Ammonium hydro fluoride, Ammonium acid fluoride

[: Ammonium hydrogen fluoride is the inorganic compound with the formula NH4HF2. It is produced from ammonia and hydrogen fluoride]

One of the most common, and potentially dangerous, wheel cleaners; its effectiveness removing brake dust and difficult contaminants from chrome wheels is undisputed, but some chemists say ABF presents an unjustifiable and potentially lethal risk to carwash operators and their employees.

Industry experts say that the dangers of ABF are clearly outlined on the chemical's Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), and many consciously ignore the obvious risks because ABF is cost effective and reliable. However, some manufacturers and operators worry that Ammonium bifluoride (ABF) is being marketed as a safe alternative to highly-corrosive Hydrofluoric acid (HF), even though the two chemicals pose nearly identical health risks. Experts say that some operators have been lead to believe that ABF is up to 20 times safer than HF and that this misinformation may be causing a time bomb at hundreds of carwashes
Hydrofluoric acid (Hydrogen Chloride)

Historically called muriatic acid or spirits of salt 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 - Hydrofluoric acid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chemists say it's the Fluoride ions in HF and ABF (NH (4) F) that make many wheel cleaners and pre-soaks so potentially dangerous. Whether fluoride ions enter body tissues as the result of inhalation or skin contact, they cause deep, progressive burning that may quickly lead to multi-organ failure and death. Long-term exposure to even minimal amounts of ABF can lead to brittle bones, weight loss, anaemia, and calcified ligaments

Muriatic (Hydrochloric) Acid

Muriatic (Hydrochloric) acid is the solution of hydrogen chloride (HCl) in water. It is a highly corrosive, strong mineral acid and has major industrial uses i.e. cleaning algae and other stains from concrete and cleaning brickwork). Historically called muriatic acid or spirits of salt, hydrochloric acid was produced from vitriol and common salt.

Further relevant information

Hydrofluoric Acid Burns, by Garry Wilkes, MBBS, FACEM, Director of Emergency Medicine - Hydrofluoric Acid Burns: eMedicine Emergency Medicine

Technology Transfer Network - Air Toxics Web Site Hydrochloric Acid (Hydrogen Chloride) | Technology Transfer Network Air Toxics Web site | US EPA

 

What dilution did you use? I was trying to clean my wheels for the past three hours. The wheels i'm cleaning are Enkei RPF1s and they are heavily soiled from Time Attacking. I tried these dilutions and nothing worked. 4:1, 3:1, 1:1 and full strength with agitations. I see that it's working a little as the liquid around it is turning black but there's still a lot on the wheel.

 

Why do you guys keep recommending sonax for the literally baked on carbometallic particles?

Yes, I understand it is safe(er) for your wheels than an acid

I read all these threads about seriously difficult stuff that harsh cleaner and aggressive clays can't get off but then everyone goes and again recommends sonax? Get real, it is a good cleaner for the stuff that may resting on top of the surface regardless of how heavy it may be but it will get laughed at by the stuff(chrome surfaces maybe an exception) that is black and literally STUCK via galvanic corrosion, as well as the hybrid reaction because of the carbon material in the dust.

 

The hydration reaction of sulphuric acid is highly exothermic; the ionic (salt) compound will loosen any iron particulates even those subjected to galvanic corrosion

What is your suggested method for cleaning this type of carbon / metal particulates deposits?