4 Color Changing Wheel Cleaners go Head to Head

[SYMAWD]

First up is 1Z Einszett ColourTec Wheel Cleaner which is $0.53 per ounce when bought in a 5 liter container. Here is the product description: "Transform your wheels from dirty to clean

Acid-free wheel cleaner for all wheel types

Turns from clear to purple as it works

Makes cleaning hard-to-reach areas easy



1Z Einszett ColourTec Wheel Cleaner makes wheel cleaning easier! This powerful wheel cleaner requires little-to-no scrubbing! It is safe for all wheel finishes. Formulated with German-bred technology, 1Z Einszett ColourTec Wheel Cleaner quickly cuts through heavy brake dust buildup with ease. ColourTec turns from clear to purple as it releases brake dust's hold on your wheels.

1Z Einszett ColourTec Wheel Cleaner was designed in Germany to remove the heavy accumulation of brake dust that German sports sedans are known for. Because many European sedans are outfitted with delicate or aftermarket wheels, ColourTec does not rely on heavy acid's or caustic detergents. 1Z Einszett ColourTec Wheel Cleaner provides immense cleaning power, yet is safe for anodized, polished aluminum, chrome, painted, and powder coated wheels (including matte finishes)! If it works on German brakes it will work great on any car!

As soon as you spray 1Z Einzett ColourTech Wheel Cleaner onto your wheel it goes to work. It quickly dissolves the iron content of the brake dust, releasing the dust's hold on your wheel. Gentle cleaners emulsify the remaining dirt and residue. 1Z Einszett ColourTec Wheel Cleaner's powerful action makes cleaning hard-to-reach areas such as behind the spokes or in the lug recesses easier. Allow 1Z Einszett ColourTec Wheel Cleaner to turn purple then rinse from the surface forcefully, revealing the clean wheel you deserve."

For all tests, a normal hose was used, not a pressure washer and all directions were properly followed. All of the wheel was agitated with a CG goat's brush and an EZ-Detail mini. One section of the wheel was not agitated to test the cleaner's rinsing only performance. Prices may vary based on sales or promotions, but all are calculated at their normal prices. Wheels were slightly wet as it rained last night.


The test vehicle is a 2011 VW Routan, with aftermarket pads and rotors so not quite the levels of normal VW brake dust.

Here is the wheel that ColourTec was tested on:




Sprayed on:




All agitated but one section:



Rinsed off:


After full agitation:


Next up is SURF CITY GARAGE PROFESSIONAL ACTIVE WHEEL CLEANER PLUS which is $0.59 per ounce when bought in a gallon size. Here is the product description:
"Active Wheel Cleaner combines the powerful brake dust melting power of a wheel cleaner with the tire scrubbing power of a high quality degreaser, allowing you to clean both surfaces with just one product. Alkaline detergents remove old tire dressings and road grime from rubber while active particles attack and melt away brake dust. The color-changing formula turns red so you know the job is done.

Directions:


Never spray the cleaner on to a hot surface or allow it to dry.
(1) Spray Active Wheel Cleaner Plus on to a cool, dry wheel.
(2) Scrub tires first with a stiff bristle brush.
(3) Allow cleaner to activate on wheels, as indicated by color change.
(4) Agitate wheel face with a soft brush.
(5) Rinse thoroughly to remove residues."

To start:


Sprayed on:


Doesn't cling too well despite being foamy:


Agitated:


Rinsed:


Fully agitated:


Next up is Adam's Deep Wheel Cleaner which is $0.47 per ounce when bought in a gallon size. Here is the product description: "Adam's Deep Wheel Cleaner is the ultimate way to remove stubborn brake dust and metallic contamination from your wheels. The thick formula clings to wheel surfaces and allows the european derived formula to melt away the stubborn brake dust commonly left behind by many of todays high-performance braking systems. The color changing formula lets you know its working, turning to a deep purple as it activates and does the hard work for you.


Best of all Adam's Deep Wheel Cleaner is safe for all wheel finishes. So whether you have factory clear coated wheels, aluminum, powder coat, or paint the highly effective cleaning solution will remove the stubborn brake dust, but will never harm your wheels. Saturate the wheel with Adam's Deep Wheel Cleaner and allow the color changing formula to activate. Next agitate the surface with an Adam's Boulder Blonde Wheel Brush, then rinse away the residues to reveal a deeply cleaned wheel.


With active cleaning agents and advanced surfactants the formula is perfect for cleaning away the worst, most baked on brake dust commonly found in the barrel of your wheels. Simply spray on, allow the cleaner to activate, and then agitate using one of Adam's Turbo Sticks or Wheel Woolie Wheel Cleaning tools (sold separately).


Adam's Deep Wheel Cleaner is great for more than just wheels too! Have a light colored paint job like white or silver? Then you've no doubt noticed the little orange iron particles that stick to your paint. Adam's Deep Wheel Cleaner can be sprayed on these little trouble areas and used to dissolve the iron from these surfaces as well.


Adam's Deep Wheel Cleaner is guaranteed to be the best wheel cleaner you've ever experienced!"

To start:


Sprayed on:


Oddly almost no color change despite a few spots:


Agitated:


Rinsed:


Fully agitated:


Lastly IronX which is $0.92 per ounce when bought in a 4 liter size. Here is the product description: "The only way to truly remove these damaging particles is with a dedicated iron remover like Iron X. Iron X opens up the paint's pores to flush out iron particles and to neutralize the caustic compounds that have developed as a result of the particle. In one step, you can eliminate the cause and its effects.
Iron X is completely safe and and effective on both automotive paint and safely cleans clear coats. Iron X is also highly recommended for all clear coated alloy wheels. Brake dust and road grime become baked onto wheels over time. Brake dust contains high levels of iron and can quickly pit clear coated wheels. When you use a product like Iron X, you’re able to stop the corrosion in its tracks.
Manufacture’s Note: Iron X should not be used on bare metal parts, brake calipers, wheel balancing weights, or SMART paint repairs. Mask off these areas. Avoid letting Iron X dry on any surface.
Iron X is easy to use and you can see it working! Iron X is a clear solution in the bottle but it turns purple when it comes into contact with sintered iron particles. Iron X turns the iron into a water soluble complex for easy removal. After five minutes of dwell time, wipe down the surface and rinse thoroughly. After using Iron X, you can polish and clay your vehicle as you normally would. After your car is prepped properly, it has a perfect surface to be coated with CQuartz Paint Coating.
Proper vehicle care with Iron X means taking care of your investment above and below the paint's surface. Iron X Iron Remover removes iron particles and their effects to keep the paint clean and healthy. "

To start:


Sprayed on:


IronX had the most color change:



Agitated:


Non agitated section:


Rinsed:


Fully agitated (this wheel got stuck in the mud once, hence all of the scratches):


Now for the weird part. Adam's Deep Wheel Cleaner had just about no color change, yet Iron X had a lot of color change, yet both performed equally as well on the non-agitated sections. I then sprayed Iron X on the wheel cleaned with Adam's to see if it would change colors and here is the result after a few minutes.

Absolutely no change:


It appears Adam's managed to be just as effective with very minimal color change.

So that brings to question: What does the color change really mean?

 

[CCC4me]

Thanks for the testing!

Adam's is the cheapest and works as well as any (albeit without the color change), looks like I'll have to get some!

 

[Avi@CarPro]

[/QUOTE]
So that brings to question: What does the color change really mean?[/QUOTE]

Most likely that there were very few irons on that wheel in first place , ironx react with irons , the color change is chemical reaction with irons , so if not more color change means no irons on surface. how long you left it to react? its also important, in cold weather Ironx could take little more longer to react with irons ,even more if surface was already cleaned before.

 

[SYMAWD]

So that brings to question: What does the color change really mean?[/QUOTE]

Most likely that there were very few irons on that wheel in first place , ironx react with irons , the color change is chemical reaction with irons , so if not more color change means no irons on surface. how long you left it to react? its also important, in cold weather Ironx could take little more longer to react with irons ,even more if surface was already cleaned before.[/QUOTE]
The Iron X reacted in about 30 seconds and had a large color change as seen. The Adam's had almost no change after about 5 minutes, but still removed all of the iron.

 

[KMdef9]

Nice review!

So what product do you like the most and why?

 

[Mantilgh]

Nice review.

Sorry to bother but, are all these color changing wheel cleaners spray, dwell, scrub, then rinse correct? Not scrub then dwell?

The Adams says to spray, dwell, agitate.

Others don't say and could not fix directions when I looked them up.

Reading TarX on AG says spray, agitate, dwell

Directions:
1. Wash the car or wheels surfaces, make sure surface is in cool temp.
2. Shake well, spray on the surface. Rub it in with damp sponge thoroughly.
Wait 5 min. while contaminants change its color to purple/red. Wipe off with damp soft sponge. Don’t let the IronX dry completely on surface!
3. Rinse well or power wash the whole surface. The vehicle is ready to clay now.

I have Megs Dub cleaner and it says spray, dwell 3-5mins and also includes (May need to agitate in the same line), then rinse.

I looked up the MSDS for all of these and seem to be similar except the TarX.

Just wondered what anyone's thoughts were on this or if there would be a benefit to scrubbing first with the wheel ones?

 

[Mantilgh]

Or do most just stand in awe looking a the color change, then go "Oh, I guess I should scrub them now."

 

[smf]

I can smell the disgusting stench of iron x just from reading this review.

 

[hilld]

I think you probably should add a couple more to your test arsenal.

Griot's Garage Heavy Duty Wheel cleaner. It will turn red after a bit and it pretty decent. The gallon runs about $50 (less if you can find it on sale).

Sonax full effect wheel cleaner, a 5 liter jug can be had for about $80 and will turn from green to red after the reaction.

Out of those 2, the Sonax works better, but it is also more expensive.

 

[mamut]

don't forget about the auto finesse iron out

 

[SYMAWD]

Or do most just stand in awe looking a the color change, then go "Oh, I guess I should scrub them now."

You agitate after the color change.

I think you probably should add a couple more to your test arsenal.

Griot's Garage Heavy Duty Wheel cleaner. It will turn red after a bit and it pretty decent. The gallon runs about $50 (less if you can find it on sale).

Sonax full effect wheel cleaner, a 5 liter jug can be had for about $80 and will turn from green to red after the reaction.

Out of those 2, the Sonax works better, but it is also more expensive.

I've compared FE to SCG and FE did not do as well. I haven't used Sonax's new Plus version though.

 

[PiPUK]

Avi is right - with IX, if there is no iron, there will be no colour change and no colour change basically means there is little or no iron. Of course, not all products are the same as IX and we perhaps are assuming that the Adams product is the same when it may not be. Does someone have the MSDS for it? It is possible to remove iron without any colour change at all, but that will rely upon totally different chemistry. I have done a quick bit of googling and Adams seems to be taking the view that they do not have to make MSDS easily available. That should ring alarm bells because these are obligatory documents and they will get themselves in trouble refusing them, especially since they are reselling in the UK/EU. It is understandable that they fear people replicating the product but that is no excuse for failing in their regulatory obligations.

Anyhow, the other possibility is that IX does tend to bleed more than is necessary. The consistency is such that it runs everywhere. You can have a small amount of iron localised to an area and this will run and spread and end up in a significant bleed in areas with little or no iron.

I think it more likely that the Adams product has something different about it than IX, but without the obligatory safety data information, we cannot be sure.

 

[swanicyouth]

Adams seems to be taking the view that they do not have to make MSDS easily available..... It is understandable that they fear people replicating the product but that is no excuse for failing in their regulatory obligations.

.

Lolz.

I think it's more like Adam's is the replicator and not the innovator.

 

[99monguse]

Do you guys use Iron X on the vehicles painted body too? I used it on my beater, and the claying was easier.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

I think it's more like Adam's is the replicator and not the innovator.

I'm not sure that's the way PiPUK meant it. It's funny, he's pointed out in the past that sometimes "new" or "revolutionary" detailing products, which we presume rely on some sort of "new" or "revolutionary" technology or ingredient, are sometimes simply adapted from a pre-existing ingredient from another industry.

We all know that color-changing wheel cleaners are fairly new to the market, but I recently looked up the active ingredient (which is basically the same for all these cleaners although they use slightly different names for it), and it not only smells like hair perm--it IS hair perm. This chemical has been around for well more than half a century and is used for removing rust stains from stainless steel and concrete.

I'm sure the reason it was never used in wheel cleaners before is that no one dreamed that us detail fanatics would be willing to buy an expensive wheel cleaner that stunk to high heaven, until some marketing guy got the idea of mixing it with a fluorescent additive and selling us on the color change.

So anyway, back to the MSDS, I'm not sure it's so much that any of these companies who restrict MSDS distribution are trying to keep people from copying their formula or stealing their "innovation" as much as they don't want you to know their product just uses the same ingredients as the competition, because it interferes with their marketing message.

There is also the point that Mike Phillips has made, which is that MSDS's don't really tell you that much, the ingredients all have large ranges (probably to account for mfg. tolerance as well as protecting the actual formula), they frequently leave out non-hazardous ingredients which may be active, and us laymen may not really understand the import of the listed ingredients, anyway.

 

[Mantilgh]

Do you guys use Iron X on the vehicles painted body too? I used it on my beater, and the claying was easier.

Yes, IronX is used on and safe for paint. Also favored for wheels because of the iron particles produced during braking that get embedded on the wheels

 

[SYMAWD]

Avi is right - with IX, if there is no iron, there will be no colour change and no colour change basically means there is little or no iron. Of course, not all products are the same as IX and we perhaps are assuming that the Adams product is the same when it may not be. Does someone have the MSDS for it? It is possible to remove iron without any colour change at all, but that will rely upon totally different chemistry. I have done a quick bit of googling and Adams seems to be taking the view that they do not have to make MSDS easily available. That should ring alarm bells because these are obligatory documents and they will get themselves in trouble refusing them, especially since they are reselling in the UK/EU. It is understandable that they fear people replicating the product but that is no excuse for failing in their regulatory obligations.

Anyhow, the other possibility is that IX does tend to bleed more than is necessary. The consistency is such that it runs everywhere. You can have a small amount of iron localised to an area and this will run and spread and end up in a significant bleed in areas with little or no iron.

I think it more likely that the Adams product has something different about it than IX, but without the obligatory safety data information, we cannot be sure.

The MSDS is available. Here it is: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lvregljv54dl3n7/Deep_Wheel_Cleaner (1).pdf?dl=0

 

[FUNX650]

The MSDS is available. Here it is: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lvregljv54dl3n7/Deep_Wheel_Cleaner (1).pdf?dl=0

^^^ Thanks for the information! ^^^

------------------------------------------------------------------

•Adam's:
-Sodium Thioglycolate; @10-15%

CAS Registry Number:
367-51-1

Chemical Abstract Name:
Acetic acid, mercapto-, monosodium salt (9CI, 8CI)

Synonyms and Trade Names:
Mollescal SF; sodium thioglycolate; mercaptoacetic acid, sodium salt; monosodium mercaptoacetate; sodium mercap-toacetate; thioglycolic acid, sodium salt; USAF EK-5199; CTFA 02954; Erhavit D
----------------------------------------------------------------

•IronX:
-Ammonium Sulfanylacetate (Ammonium Thioglycolate); @3-25%

CAS Registry Number: 5421-46-5

Chemical Abstract Name:
Acetic acid, mercapto-, monoammonium salt (9CI, 8CI)

Synonyms and Trade Names:
Ammonium mercaptoacetate; ammonium thioglycolate; ammonium thioglycolate; Thiofaco A-0; thioglycolic acid, ammonium salt
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Perm-ish stuff that'll curl your hair...
[and your nose, and your toes... ]!!


Bob

 

[SYMAWD]

^^^ Thanks for the information! ^^^

------------------------------------------------------------------

•Adam's:
-Sodium Thioglycolate; @10-15%

CAS Registry Number:
367-51-1

Chemical Abstract Name:
Acetic acid, mercapto-, monosodium salt (9CI, 8CI)

Synonyms and Trade Names:
Mollescal SF; sodium thioglycolate; mercaptoacetic acid, sodium salt; monosodium mercaptoacetate; sodium mercap-toacetate; thioglycolic acid, sodium salt; USAF EK-5199; CTFA 02954; Erhavit D
----------------------------------------------------------------

•IronX:
-Ammonium Sulfanylacetate (Ammonium Thioglycolate); @3-25%

CAS Registry Number: 5421-46-5

Chemical Abstract Name:
Acetic acid, mercapto-, monoammonium salt (9CI, 8CI)

Synonyms and Trade Names:
Ammonium mercaptoacetate; ammonium thioglycolate; ammonium thioglycolate; Thiofaco A-0; thioglycolic acid, ammonium salt
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Perm-ish stuff that'll curl your hair...
[and your nose, and your toes... ]!!


Bob

Overall, pretty much the same and both are equally effective in my testing except Adam's smells a lot better and is much cheaper. Thanks for posting the Iron X information.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Overall, pretty much the same and both are equally effective in my testing except Adam's smells a lot better and is much cheaper.

Interesting, the active in the new Optimum Ferrex is the same as the Adam's and it's also supposed to smell less than Iron X. Ferrex lists 10-20% vs. Adam's 10-15.