Quick Review: 1Z ColourTec Wheel Cleaner

[Todd@RUPES]

The wheels on my friend`s trailer were trashed. Key word: WERE (past tense). He purchased this trailer used to haul his (and my) motorcycle(s) around. The wheels were covered in rust, algae, road grime, brake dust, and every other contaminant known to man.

1Z Einszett (Eins Zett is German for 1 and Z) has long been known for their outstanding quality products which remain true to German levels of engineering. When 1Z announced their ColourTec Wheel Cleaner (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/german-wheel-cleaner.html) I was excited to give it a shot. I figured this trailer was the perfect candidate. (It will be reviewed on my friend`s Camaro SS shortly as well).

The use of iron-dissolving color-changing solutions on wheels continues to grow in popularity. Brake dust is primarly iron remains from the rotors themselves, which can cake onto a wheel. Previously you used to have to use harsh acids to get the wheels clean. The first color-changing wheel cleaner I used was the prototype for Scholl Concepts RIM7 roughly 4 years ago. Then SONAX Full Effect hit the shores and concept gained momentum.

1Z Einszett ColourTec Wheel Cleaner (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/german-wheel-cleaner.html) is a blend of color-changing iron dissolvers and gentle cleaners work to not only remove caked on brake dust but to effectively clean the other contaminants that blanket your wheels.

http://ep.yimg.com/ay/autopia/1z-einszett-colourtec-wheel-cleaner-3.gif


The neglected wheels of this trailer were in bad shape.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x121/tropicaldetailing/marine31%20metal/w1.jpg


Spray a liberal amount of 1Z ColourTec over the face of the wheel and tire (it makes a GREAT tire cleaner as well) and allow to dwell until the color-changing effect takes place.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x121/tropicaldetailing/marine31%20metal/w2.jpg


You can see the filth and brake dust bleed off the tire in a brown sludge while the iron deposits on the wheel turn purple. Now its time to agitate.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x121/tropicaldetailing/marine31%20metal/w3.jpg


I started by having my son scrub the tire using a Mothers Contoured Tire Brush (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/mothers-contoured-tire-brush.html).

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x121/tropicaldetailing/marine31%20metal/w4.jpg


Then my son and I got to work using a Wheel Woolies 1-inch Boar`s Hair Detail Brush to lightly agitate the solution. I was IMPRESSED by 1Z`s cleaning power as it quickly cut through the algae, sludge, brake dust, and road buildup.

w5.jpg Photo by tropicaldetailing | Photobucket (http://s184.photobucket.com/user/tropicaldetailing/media/marine31%20metal/w5.jpg.html)


A trick I like to use is to keep a bucket of water handy and rinse my cleaning tool out in it. After rinsing, I will re-agitate the surface to flush some of the dirt and cleaner off. Here my son is employing the same tactic.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x121/tropicaldetailing/marine31%20metal/w6-1.jpg


Finally rinse away the solution.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x121/tropicaldetailing/marine31%20metal/w7-1.jpg


I sprayed a second coat of 1Z ColourTec Wheel Cleaner onto the wheel and let it dwell to help remove some of the surface rust that was visible. You can clearly see the wheel "bleeding" purple.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x121/tropicaldetailing/marine31%20metal/w8-1.jpg


Finally apply your tire dressing of choice according to the directions. Given the "old school" feel of the trailer, I went with Meguiars M40 Vinyl and Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x121/tropicaldetailing/marine31%20metal/w9.jpg


The end results.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x121/tropicaldetailing/marine31%20metal/w10-1.jpg

[PA DETAILER]

wow. did a number on cleaning them.

[dc52nv]

Great review Todd! I`ll have to pull the trigger on this product soon.

[Pats300zx]

Great review Todd !!!!

[radarryan]

Thanks for the review, Todd. From what I`ve heard, 1Z`s wheel cleaner could be a SONAX Full Effect killer, mainly due to its nice foaming ability. Good to see that it still has good cleaning power, too.

Couple questions: how many ounces would you estimate was needed for one wheel? Also, how is the sprayer? I have always liked the sprayers on 1Z`s products and hope that it is the same.

:yourrock

[tropicsteve]

wow, i didn`t expect that result. those wheels were fugly to begin with, but sure turned out nice.

[Wors]

In the Marine polishing post I noticed how clean the wheels looked. 1Z ColourTec Wheel Cleaner is on my list to try along with the M40. Nice work, thanks for sharing Todd.

[JSFM35X]

Wow. How is the smell? Sure cleans great.

[Swanicyouth]

I bought this stuff when it came out, but have yet to use it. I need some nasty wheels to clean.

[sprocketser]

Great job on there Todd ! Need some ColourTec & Meg s M40 , Didn t know about M40 before , learned something new this morning .

[TroyScherer]

Hmm...

Nicely done Todd. I have been waiting for some more definitive reviews before I bought this. I have Sonax, IronX, & WG Uber Wheel Cleaner. I was never impressed with the Sonax at all. I am interested how the 1Z ColourTec stack up head-to-head against the competition...

[Todd@RUPES]

A couple of things to note (and answer some of the questions).

The sprayer is typical 1Z quality. It delivers exceptional control and is easy to use.

This is a wheel & tire cleaner with iron dissolving ability as opposed to pure iron removers. While pure iron removers are excellent at loosening caked-on dust, they often require agitate to pull dirt and grime for the surface and offer little-to-no tire cleaning ability. Think of 1Z as a wheel cleaner on performance enhancing drugs.

The smell isn`t bad. It`s not great but 1Z did a nice job in masking the iron remover chemicals.

It does deliver a high-cling foam that stays put while the cleaner works.