Wheel Cleaners -breaks down wheel cap stickers-

[mobiledynamics]

I mainly use leftover shampoo on the wheels.
They do get some Sonax + on the post winter decontamination/full deep wash.



New Car. Typical German dusty pads....
I think I`m going to run with the OE pads for now - just to see how OE caliper/big brake feels ...before I start swapping them off.
It`s not water but I did give them a Sonax + wash

I dunno but I`ve had some weird instances where anything just short of car shampoo tends to break down the wheel cap stickers.
Is it me and bad luck ?

[dgage]

What about shifting to a non-acid wheel cleaner? I use Meguiar’s D143 Non-Acid Wheel and Tire Cleaner and haven’t noticed any issues. Likely wouldn’t clean really bad wheels but it sounds like you’re looking for a regular wheel cleaner stronger than shampoo, which D143 is. I’ve been meaning to get some stronger wheel cleaner just in case but haven’t needed it for regular cleaning. If I have really bad staining on a wheel, like the inside with wheel off cleaning, I just use Tarminator and that gets it clean.

[mobiledynamics]

Sonax+ is ph neutral if I recall...

Honestly , this wouldn`t even be a worthy of a post but ahem, cough, aside from new custom wheels, etc - on this new ride, I actually -paid more- for a different emblem package. So in my -head-, I`m like I need to take extra care since I actually -paid- for these stickers as it was not stock...

[dgage]

Here is a description for Sonax Plus and between the iron decontamination, iron color changing, and 30% stronger than their previous wheel cleaner, it seems like this might be a stronger chemical wheel cleaner, even if it is acid free. So maybe look for a lesser wheel cleaner for regular cleaning and save that for dirty wheels and periodic cleanings. Besides Meguiars D143, I have also liked Duragloss 821 All Wheel Cleaner though it is stronger than D143 so I only use that for periodic cleanings.

Either way, I haven’t seen the fading you’re referring to so maybe my products are less caustic than yours or we may just be dealing with different wheel centers. Hard to say but hope you figure it out so your new wheel centers stay like new.


“The Sonax Wheel Cleaner Plus new formula is incredibly powerful and will help you rapidly break up just about any contamination that your wheels can come in contact with! It is non-corrosive and pH neutral so you can use it on just about any wheel surface such as chrome, alloy, clear coated, polished, anodized, stainless steel, etc. Spray the clear formula on your wheels and watch it quickly break down contaminants, while changing to a deep red color. This color change lets you know the formula has broken down, softened and loosened the contamination, allowing you to easily rinse your wheels clean. It`s especially good at removing iron deposits often left on the wheel finish that is often challenging for other wheel cleaners to remove. Wheel Cleaner Plus is formulated 30% stronger than the popular Sonax Wheel Cleaner Full Effect (https://www.detailedimage.com/SONAX-M49/Wheel-Cleaner-Full-Effect-P525/500-ml-S1/), which allows you to clean your dirty wheels from brake dust and contamination at a much faster rate. If you are looking for a high quality, safe and easy to use wheel cleaner, pick up the Sonax Wheel Cleaner Plus!”

[Dan]

OE caps can take a lot of acid. That`s what car washes spray on them.

That said, I`ve never needed anything more than soap on well maintained wheels.

[dcjredline]

Another D143 user and never had a problem