Review: Muc-Off Frequent Use Wheel Wash- TLC Auto Detail

[Flannigan]

Some of you may notice that I`ve been using/reviewing quite a few Muc-Off products lately. So far Muc-Off seems to make some quality products, that sell for reasonable prices. So far I have reviewed the Pre-Wax Cleaners, and the Liquid Wax. Those write ups can be found here

Muc-Off Prewax Cleanser Review - TLC Auto Detail - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum
Muc-Off Wunder Shine Liquid Wax Review - TLC Auto Detail - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum

I have been testing their tire/bumpers shine, so stay tuned for a full write up on that product as well......

Anywho, today we`ve got their wheel cleaner up for testing. Lets get to know the product first based on AG`s description:

Safely clean all wheels, including carbon fiber!

Muc-Off Frequent Use Wheel Cleaner is a biodegradable, alkaline-based wheel cleaner that cuts grease and brake dust to restore your wheels’ shine. Muc-Off Frequent Use Wheel Cleaner will not break down clear coated wheels. This safe wheel cleaner is suitable for frequent use and for new wheels.

Muc-Off Frequent Use Wheel Cleaner is a spray-on, rinse-off all wheel cleaner but that doesn’t mean it’s harsh. On the contrary, Muc-Off Frequent Use Wheel Cleaner is extra gentle but still capable of removing greasy road grime and brake dust. The key is to use it regularly to prevent brake dust buildup. Brake dust is highly corrosive and can pit your wheels’ finish quickly. With Muc-Off Frequent Use Wheel Cleaner, you can safely clean your wheels every week.

As the name implies, Muc-Off Frequent Use Wheel Cleaner should be used regularly to maintain clean, shiny wheels. It’s perfect for people who are meticulous about having a clean vehicle. Spray down your wheels to remove loose dirt and then coat them, one wheel at a time with Muc-Off Frequent Use Wheel Cleaner. Allow the cleaner to dwell for a moment and rinse well.

Muc-Off Frequent Use Wheel Cleaner is safe, water soluble, and biodegradable. Use it on all types of wheels to maintain a clean shine.

So basically this is saying that the product is safe to use as often as you like on all types of wheels. It also says that it can be sprayed on and then rinsed off. This may be true to remove very light brake dust and dirt, but this is the type of stuff that could be cleaned with car wash soap. In my book wheel cleaners should only be used when wash soap won`t get the wheels totally clean. That being said this test will use two wheels that haven`t been cleaned in some time.

Initial Product Impressions

When you order this product you will notice that you get a full litre of wheel cleaner for only $12.99. In this day and age of $100+/gallon wheel cleaners this is a nice surprise. If this wheel cleaner lives up to its claims it will be a nice break from paying top dollor for a product that works.

To put that price in perspective here are the prices per ounce of other leading wheel cleaners:
P21S Gel - $1.06/oz
Sonax FE - $0.95/oz
Griots Garage HD - $0.57
and lower than any others we have Muc- Off at $0.38/oz.

So before we even get to the performance we see that this wheel cleaner costs less than half of some other leading wheel cleaners. To me if it works even close to as well as them, we have a real winner on our hands.

So lets get on with this thing!!!

Here we have the wheel cleaner. The bottle is quite large compared to most other wheel cleaners. A full litre. I noticed right away that the plastic that the bottle is made out of is quite thin, and "soft". I don`t think this will be a problem, but I wouldn`t go around throwing this bottle on the ground. It comes with a spray head that can be set to closed, mist, and stream. The mist is nice, and puts enough product on the wheel.



OK, now on to the review!!! Im the MANIm the MAN

First up we have this wheel that was taken off my buddies 350z over a year ago. It wasn`t clean when it was taken off, and hasn`t been cleaned since then. The face isn`t terrible, but the barrel is pretty nasty. This will serve as a good starting test for the Muc-Off Wheel Wash.

Here is the face before being cleaned. THe direction on the wheel wash say to rinse the wheel, and then spray the wheel cleaner on, and let it dwell for 3-5 minutes. I did just that, and let it dwell for 5 full minutes before scrubbing it.





Now the cleaner is pink, but it doesn`t really show up on the wheel. Here is a picture after the wheel has been agitated with a swissvax wheel brush.



After some agitating I rinsed it off with a normal garden hose, no pressure washer used today. Here is what we are left with on the face. Perfectly clean, but honestly I think the face could have been cleaned with a strong solution of car wash soap.





Ok, now that the easy stuff is out of the way here is the first real test. I don`t think this barrel has ever been cleaned. There is baked on brake dust and big chunks of tar all over.



As you can see it is pretty dirty! Again the barrel was rinsed with the garden hose, and then the cleaner was allowed to dwell for 5 minutes. After it had dwelled it was agitated with a Mothers wheel brush. I was very impressed with what I saw after the wheel was rinsed down.








Now you will notice just a small amount of dust on the back of the spokes. Just to put it in perspective Meguiars Wheel Brightener was needed to remove that. So that would have been left by all the other wheel cleaners as well. I am confident in saying that if this wheel was on the car you would not get any better results with any other wheel cleaners. This is as close to perfect as a safe wheel cleaner would get you. Needless to say I was very impressed with this outcome!!

Here is a goofy 50/50 i put together in case you forgot what it started out as.




Ok, now that the easy stuff is out of the way....lol

Here we have a BMW wheel that probably hasn`t been properly cleaned or protected in several years. We have some nasty brake dust build up, as well as baked in stuff that I knew up front wouldn`t be coming off.

Here is what we started with.



Again the wheel was rinsed, cleaner allowed to dwell, and wheel agitated with various brushes. This is what we are left with. It looks pretty nasty still, bust stay tuned for the results from Sonax, what some say is the best wheel cleaner on the market right now.







So obviously these wheels still aren`t pretty, but I was surprised how much crud was cleaned off of these wheels.

These final pics show the wheel on the other side cleaned with Sonax. This is basically to give something to compare the Muc Off too. Many people say that Sonax is the best, safe, wheel cleaner out there, so here we can see how Muc-Off does compared to the best of the best.

Sonax dwelling









As you can see Sonax did a SLIGHTLY better job at removing the baked on brake dust. However even it would need to be followed up with something stronger to get the wheels totally cleaned. To me this means it didn`t matter what wheel cleaner you used on these, you would need to step up to acid regardless.

Overall I was VERY impressed with this wheel cleaner. It worked almost as well as one of the best cleaners on the market, and is less than half the price!!! I personally will be using this product from now on, and just keep it, and some wheel acid on hand. With these two products I should be able to tackle any job that comes my way. I know some people are on the sonax bandwagon, but I really think you should take a look at this product. It will really amaze you as it did me.

Thanks for taking the time to read my review, and I look forward to hearing what you have to say!!!

[TroyScherer]

Great Review Dave!!! Your right for the price this may be a winner.

[Dr Oldz]

Very nice review, Dave! I am impressed on how well it handled the barrels. 50/50 shot was very effective in showing how well it worked! Seems like the Muc Off products work really well and are priced very affordably!

[Todd@RUPES]

Thank you for taking the time to do and post that review. Good reviews don`t happen in seconds, they take effort. Great job!

[Flannigan]

Great Review Dave!!! Your right for the price this may be a winner.

Thanks Troy! It has earned a place on my shelf, thats for sure!

Very nice review, Dave! I am impressed on how well it handled the barrels. 50/50 shot was very effective in showing how well it worked! Seems like the Muc Off products work really well and are priced very affordably!

Thanks Jim!

Thank you for taking the time to do and post that review. Good reviews don`t happen in seconds, they take effort. Great job!

Thanks Todd! They do take some time, and energy, but I enjoy doing them too!

[Rocket]

I`m surprised it worked so well since its "frequent use". Thanks for sharing and the pricing isnt bad either!

[Bunky]

Nice review! Do you think the wheel cleaner is better than other cleaners like Optimum Power Clean?

Can you rate the "best" wheel cleaners you use?

[Flannigan]

I`m surprised it worked so well since its "frequent use". Thanks for sharing and the pricing isnt bad either!

Thanks Rocket!

Nice review! Do you think the wheel cleaner is better than other cleaners like Optimum Power Clean?

Can you rate the "best" wheel cleaners you use?

Thanks Al. I was never a fan of using APC`s on wheels so I can`t really comment on that. I do use OPC on tires at 3:1 and it is a very capable product.

As for my best wheel cleaners, thats a tough one. If you go based only on it`s ability to clean it would be one list, but I think other factors such as price and safety need to be considered. Here are some wheels cleaners I have liked a lot though.

Sonax FE
Autoglym CWC
Muc-Off Frequent Wheel Wash

I would say that is in order of how well they cleaned, but they are all so close in ability. If you factor price into that eqation I would reverse the list putting Muc-Off at the top. Hope that makes sense!