Chemical Guys Diablo

SYMAWD

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I have kind of mixed feelings about this product. I used it diluted 1 oz Diablo to 3 oz water. First I really like that it is a gel and it clings to where you spray it. Second the smell is absolutely amazing, it's a very good bubble gum scent. Third you can leave it on the wheel as long as you need. Fourth is foams up extremely well when agitated and does a decent job on tires even though it was not designed for them.

What I don't like is that I only found it effective if I let dwell for about 5 minutes and then agitated. So spray all of your wheels, wait 5 minutes then go at them. It's okay if it dries. I also didn't like that it needed excessive agitation or the fact that I needed about 14oz total of RTU product for four 18 inch wheels, however, the wheels were dirtier than most.

Overall, the cleaning power was excellent as long as you let it dwell. I then sprayed a color changing wheel cleaner afterwards and there was no color change, so Diablo did do a great job. It comes out to $19.98 a gallon ready to use if you buy the 16 oz size and dilute 1:3.
 
I like Diablo a lot. I dilute it 1:4, spray it on every wheel, agitate a little and then rinse it off. Only one as good and maybe even better is Mother's foam which does even better on the tires.
 
This is my only true wheel cleaner, awesome product!

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online
 
I'm a huge fan of this product. Use it 1:6 to maintain my weekly washed wheels.
 
You have to use a lot of Diablo on filthy wheels. If they are that bad hit them with an APC and a power wash first. I usually hold my Diablo for semi clean product. Caked on brake dust gets the APC first. I also like the Sticky Gel they make. I'm not sure which one I like better. I think Sticky gel is cheaper.
 
One trick I did learn to conserve product is spray some product on the wheel and spread the gel over the wheel with a damp sponge or MF applicator. I noticed I did use less product when I did that.
 
In sorry but I will stick to wg uber wheel cleaner on harsh wheels. I have both diablo and uber and the wg uber blows it out of the water. Spend the extra cash and you won't have to deal with crazy amount of scrubbing.
 
+1 on being a fan of diablo at 1:3 for weekly washes. If I have to skip a couple of weeks in between washes and my wheels get really bad (bmw brake dust...arrrgh), then I will use something stronger like Megs wheel brite or Sonax. In terms of product usage, I consider it quite economical when compared to some of the other wheel cleaners I have used, like P21 gel and sonax.
 
My wheels are Opticoated and I have ceramic brakes. So, they don't get much dirtier than the rest of the car. I've been using Diablo because it was on BOGO. What I don't like about it is its too thick to foam through a foaming sprayer.

I think CG's Sticky Wheel Cleaner works just as well, almost 1/2 the price (gallon), and has a higher dilution. So, I bought a gallon of it.
 
You have to use a lot of Diablo on filthy wheels. If they are that bad hit them with an APC and a power wash first. I usually hold my Diablo for semi clean product. Caked on brake dust gets the APC first. I also like the Sticky Gel they make. I'm not sure which one I like better. I think Sticky gel is cheaper.

Sticky is much cheaper, especially by the gallon.

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I know I sound like a broken record, but I think its crazy to have to use (and buy) harsh color changing wheel cleaners because your brakes make a lot of ferrous dust.

Just get low dust ceramic pads and OC your wheels. The performance of ceramics is as good or better for the street.
 
I know I sound like a broken record, but I think its crazy to have to use (and buy) harsh color changing wheel cleaners because your brakes make a lot of ferrous dust.

Just get low dust ceramic pads and OC your wheels. The performance of ceramics is as good or better for the street.

Because race car :cruisin:
 
Off topic on the brake pads. I stumbled upon Wagner Thermo Quiet Pads looking for a cheaper break pads for my beater and they were on sale with a deep rebate from Wagner. Stumbled upon the fact they produce no dust at all and at a much cheaper price then other Ceramic pads I looked into. They carry a lifetime warranty. I think after the rebate I spent $40 on a pair of brake pads. I have noticed they go on sale of then and I have since installed them on all my cars as they came due. Great pad for the money
 
I always use Griots Wheel Cleaner for my weekly washes but have been considering Diablo.
 
For $16.99 you can make almost a gallon (112 oz) of Diablo wheel cleaner. You can't beat it.

-or- using Chemical Guy's math:

(from CG's website)

"For heavy duty cleaning, Diablo can be used more concentrated at 1:4 or 1:6. One 16 oz bottle can make as many as 6 bottles of ready to use Diablo Wheel Cleaner Gel"

- wouldn't that be 7 bottles ??? I guess they're "Chemical Guys" not "Math Guys".

More Chemical Guys math:

(From CG's website in the description for Sticky Gel Citrus Wheel Cleaner 16oz bottle):

"The heavily concentrated formula can be diluted 5:1, which means one bottle will be enough for 1 liter of wheel cleaner..."

Don't know. Where 1 went to school they taught me 16 oz x 6 = 96oz; which equals 2.9 liters - almost 3x what they are telling you.


More from their website;

Diablo Gel is the ONLY pH neutral wheel cleaner safe enough to use on any and all OEM, aftermarket wheels, painted and powder coated wheels

... Then, under the Sticky Wheel Cleaner Description:

"The pH neutral formula was specifically developed to work safely and effectively on virtually every wheel finish so you can use it with confidence, even on high end after market wheels"

So, how is Diablo the only pH neutral wheel cleaner safe on every wheel???
 
Advertising copy claiming x:1 dilution ratio =x bottles of ready to use product is not exclusive to CG. Always humorous I agree.
 
I'm a Sonax Full Effect person but what the heck, I'll try anything once. I am a huge fan of CG.
 
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