Sonax Wheel Cleaner, is it really that better than Armor All Wheel Cleaner?

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pcrcool

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Ive been having trouble getting my black rims to look new. I bought the Armor All Extreme Wheel and Tire Cleaner, let it soak on the rims, scrub it with a brush, and spray it off.

Done it several times, the rims still have dirt/stain spots all over them. Almost look like water stains & faded. But its really just dirt I think, the rims are 2 years old, but only have 4,900 miles on them. So is SONAX really something different?


These are my rims: 19x10 Tenzo Type-M Version 1 Matte Black Racing Wheels Wheels
 
Most things are better than armor all.

Sounds like you need an iron remover or heavy APC like Iron X or Trix. I think what you think is dirt is really brake dust embedded in there. You might try decontaminating, claying and polishing.
 
I agree with Chris, but if your wheels are identical to the ones you posted. I wouldn't clay or polish them as it will damage Matte finish. But yes there is a chance that it's embedded brake dust.
 
Yeah, here are a few pics. The 1st pic shows the little dot spots, as if its water stains. And you can see everything else....





Here is one more shot, buts its kinda exagerated as my wheels are dirty right now, but thats still kinda what it will look like:


I dont think its that its actually faded or peeling right? It must just be grim embedded, cause the wheels, like I said, only have 4,900 miles on them.
 
It actually looks like the black paint or powder coat has been damaged by a harsh cleaner at some time in the past.

You may have to try a polish on the wheels to remove the damaged portion of the pain.

But about the SONAX. I use it on wheels that are heavily covered with ferrous brake pad and rotor material. It removes it and turns red while doing it. However, if the car has non ferrous ceramic type pads you might not need it and can get away with a much cheaper wheel cleaner. I like the Meguiars D-140 Wheel brightener. It's pretty powerful and you must not let it dry on the wheel. Use plenty of water to wash it off.
 
oldmodman said:
It actually looks like the black paint or powder coat has been damaged by a harsh cleaner at some time in the past.

You may have to try a polish on the wheels to remove the damaged portion of the pain.

But about the SONAX. I use it on wheels that are heavily covered with ferrous brake pad and rotor material. It removes it and turns red while doing it. However, if the car has non ferrous ceramic type pads you might not need it and can get away with a much cheaper wheel cleaner. I like the Meguiars D-140 Wheel brightener. It's pretty powerful and you must not let it dry on the wheel. Use plenty of water to wash it off.
Click to expand...


Hmm, idk cause I never used any cleaner or chemical on the rims until now when I bought the Armor All Wheel Cleaner. Maybe the pictures just make it look like its damaged (the third image just looks really bad cause of the flash), or maybe you're right, idk. I always thought it was just bad staining. Ill check out Meguiars D-140 though.

The rims are made of " high-quality low-pressure die-cast one-piece aluminum alloy".
 
I like SONAX Full Effect, in fact I have over a gallon at home and I'm just an enthusiast. With your problem, however, I don't know if it would help. I think polishing may be in order, rather than a different wheel cleaner. Once you have them cleaned up, throw a coating on there and then your wheels will stay in good condition and clean up much easier in the future.

Good luck and happy detailing!
 
Radarryan said:
I like SONAX Full Effect, in fact I have over a gallon at home and I'm just an enthusiast. With your problem, however, I don't know if it would help. I think polishing may be in order, rather than a different wheel cleaner. Once you have them cleaned up, throw a coating on there and then your wheels will stay in good condition and clean up much easier in the future.

Good luck and happy detailing!
Click to expand...

Okay good to know. So as far as polish, just use something like this??: Amazon.com: Meguiar's Hot Rims All Metal Polish - 8 oz.: Automotive Sorry if thats a dumb question, never used polish before. So I assume something like Meguiar's polish is okay?
 
pcrcool said:
Okay good to know. So as far as polish, just use something like this: Amazon.com: Meguiar's Hot Rims All Metal Polish - 8 oz.: Automotive ?
Click to expand...

It depends if your wheels are clear coated or not. Most OEM wheels are. There are simple tests, such as rubbing polish onto the wheel to see if it dis-colors (search this forum and the internet and you'll see demonstrations -I think I even remember one that Mike Phillips did, too). If it turns the rag black - it's not clear coated and use a metal polish to remove oxidation. If it is clear coated, treat it just like the paint on your car. Polish with the least aggressive first and see where that gets you. If you want to stay with Meguiar's they have a lot of good offerings. Start with M205 or Ultimate Polish, and then work your way to a compound (M105, 101, UC, etc.) until you've removed all the defects to your satisfaction. Same rules apply, don't go overboard chasing isolated things.

After you clean everything up, I strongly suggest coating not just sealing your wheels. It will make future cleanings easier and help seal in the hard work you've done. There are many great wheel specific coatings on the market. Personally, I coated my wheels before they were released, so I have Opti-Coat 2.0 on it. DP, GTechniq, CarPro, and Pinnacle, in addition to Optimum, would be good candidates. Good luck with everything and post your progress and everything so people can follow along, offer advice, and learn from your process. Happy detailing!
 
That is not the right product for you to be using on your wheels. That polish is for bare metal wheels chrome or aluminum.

Yours are painted, maybe cleared or just black but they need to be treated just like any painted surface using polish designed to be used on painted surfaces.


With that being said. At this point using any type polish on your wheels is going to turn your rag black until you get all the contaminates off of them. Once you've done that you will know if they are cleared or not. Start with a thorough cleaning with a good wheel cleaner and take your time on each wheel. Then once cleaned and dry clay/polish off what didn't get removed. You then may be able to get away with just using a good cleaner wax. If not then just as you would do on your paint step up to something a little bit more aggressive. Once cleaned up a coating will definatly make clean up in the future much easier. If a coating is not an option for you keeping a good coat of wax on the will also work. Collinite 845 works well for this.


If your in a hurry and don't want to wait on ordering a wheel cleaner a good OTC paint safe wheel cleaner is Mothers Wheel and Tire Cleaner, you can find it at just about at any auto parts store. Hope this helps.

Mothers Mothers Foaming Wheel & Tire Cleaner cleans & maintains coated, painted, polished and anodized wheels without pitting the coating or corroding
 
It appears to me that the surface finish has been damaged.

Hopefully it is only a staining that can be removed with polishing. I would use a standard polish like Meguiar's M105/205. Metal polish is not the correct product for that finish, as metal polish is intended for raw metal.

Luckily, wheels are a lot easier and cheaper to repair (compared to body panels) if polishing does not take care of it... you can make a set of wheels look like new again with a little sanding and a fresh coat of paint... or have them powder coated.
 
rzatch said:
That is not the right product for you to be using on your wheels. That polish is for bare metal wheels chrome or aluminum.

Yours are painted, maybe cleared or just black but they need to be treated just like any painted surface using polish designed to be used on painted surfaces.


With that being said. At this point using any type polish on your wheels is going to turn your rag black until you get all the contaminates off of them. Once you've done that you will know if they are cleared or not. Start with a thorough cleaning with a good wheel cleaner and take your time on each wheel. Then once cleaned and dry clay/polish off what didn't get removed. You then may be able to get away with just using a good cleaner wax. If not then just as you would do on your paint step up to something a little bit more aggressive. Once cleaned up a coating will definatly make clean up in the future much easier. If a coating is not an option for you keeping a good coat of wax on the will also work. Collinite 845 works well for this.


If your in a hurry and don't want to wait on ordering a wheel cleaner a good OTC paint safe wheel cleaner is Mothers Wheel and Tire Cleaner, you can find it at just about at any auto parts store. Hope this helps.

Mothers Mothers Foaming Wheel & Tire Cleaner cleans & maintains coated, painted, polished and anodized wheels without pitting the coating or corroding
Click to expand...

zmcgovern45 said:
It appears to me that the surface finish has been damaged.

Hopefully it is only a staining that can be removed with polishing. I would use a standard polish like Meguiar's M105/205. Metal polish is not the correct product for that finish, as metal polish is intended for raw metal.

Luckily, wheels are a lot easier and cheaper to repair (compared to body panels) if polishing does not take care of it... you can make a set of wheels look like new again with a little sanding and a fresh coat of paint... or have them powder coated.
Click to expand...
:iagree:
Both of these guys are correct.
 
They look like they've been burned by an acidic or possibly highly caustic cleaner. Could be the flash I guess.

You can try polishing a small section by hand but it will probably look weird because they are matte black. It's worth a shot for sure.

Sonax is lightyears ahead of any armorall product. It is my favorite wheel cleaner, not necessarily because it is the strongest, but because it is very safe. I've never caused even a hint of damage on anything with it. I can't say the same thing about iron x or scholl concepts (although they are excellent cleaners).

Don't even think about spraying Wheel brightener on those rims. You're matte finish truly will be toast after about 10 seconds. I'm really not kidding about this. I have a lot of experience with Wheel brightener. The more I used it the more I hated it...especially as the cars I worked on got more expensive. I keep some on reserve and use it once a month maybe...as a very very very last resort.

Wheel brightener is really only good for undamaged clear coated wheels with heavy brake dust.
 
Sorry for not posting these earlier, but here is a much better picture that sums it up:

CIM466U.jpg


Here is the link if you wanna see full size: http://i.imgur.com/CIM466U.jpg

I called my manufacture, Tenzo, the guy said they recommend against using anything other than dish soap because they are matte black, and to not use polish. But, Im still guessing Meguiar's M205 wouldnt hurt. I wonder if a clay bar would help, idk
 
Ah, I was not aware they were supposed to be a matte finish. I would technically call that a satin finish, but that is neither here nor there...

Yeah, polishing may not be the best choice for that finish. It looks like they were stained and unfortunately I am not sure what would be your best plan of action if a dedicated wheel cleaner does not help.

At that point, you could try to polish because what have you got to lose? So if polishing alters the appearance it isn't a huge deal. FWIW, a friend of mine polished his satin finished wheels because of similar issues and was able to restore their original appearance.
 
It's hard to tell if your wheels are coated or not. If you are looking for something over the counter you could get meg's ultimate compound and ultimate polish. You can find them pretty cheap at walmart.
 
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