Adams vs Sonax vs Nanolex vs Griots wheel cleaner battle

Here are some wheel cleaner/iron removing products I had laying around. I have been using 3D BDX for a while and decided to try something else.

Cliff notes if you don`t want to watch.

4 products were sprayed on and were NOT agitated. just simply rinsed off.

Ranking for cleaning would go Sonax, Adams, Nanolex and Griots.

I know smell is important for most people but I have been wearing PPE so it is not important to me but if you are interested.

"Best" smelling would be Nanolex, Griots, Sonax and Adams. I disliked Adam`s cough syrup? smell but I could tolerate Sonax`s chemical type smell, strange.. i know. Like i said though, PPE is best when handling these type of products anyways.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVOjKGtTzC4

Is the groit`s meant to be a wheel cleaner or is it meant to be a paint safe iron remover primarily? May explain its lack luster performance? Thanks for great review, I have the old Sonax wheel cleaner when thats out I guess I need their new one for very bad rims. I have been using PoorBoy`s Spray and Rinse for maintenance wheel washes and it works really well and doesnt use a lot of product so its $$budget$$ friendly.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...b6f7dff2d2.jpg

wheels were noted on the back.

and all these products do work with agitation. i just find spraying and rinsing shows it`s true power

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Originally Posted by trashmanssd

Is the groit`s meant to be a wheel cleaner or is it meant to be a paint safe iron remover primarily? May explain its lack luster performance? Thanks for great review, I have the old Sonax wheel cleaner when thats out I guess I need their new one for very bad rims. I have been using PoorBoy`s Spray and Rinse for maintenance wheel washes and it works really well and doesnt use a lot of product so its $$budget$$ friendly.

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I was just going to mention the Griot`s being an Iron Remover and not necessarily a wheel cleaner. While it`s safe on wheels it lacks the other cleaning ingredients found in the other 3 wheel cleaners. Griot`s HD Wheel Cleaner probably would have been better suited for the test but thanks for putting it together Don! I have the Griot`s Iron remover now and it smells better than IronX but I`ve never tried the Adams stuff....curious to see how it compares as I can`t stand the smell some of these have.

Taken from the Q&A. ;)

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How does this compare to your heavy duty wheel cleaner?
1 answer

GG_Sam · 2 months ago

Iron and Fallout Remover is specifically designed to go after ferrous metal particles and iron fallout in order to help decontaminate the paint when used before mechanical decontamination. It utilizes the same active ingredient as HD Wheel Cleaner (which is why both change colors) but is far more concentrated. HD Wheel Cleaner contains additional ingredients designed for wheel cleaning to help remove debris other than ferrous metal particles. Iron and Fallout Remover can be used to clean wheels with very heavy brake dust or brake dust deposits but Heavy-Duty Wheel Cleaner should not be used on painted body panels.

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That didn`t surprise me at all. Sonax WC+ is the best I have used. It worked so well I almost got the 5L but didn`t for the fact that other than my room mates car I don`t really need anything more than regular car wash soap. If I did this for a living or even part time it is one thing I would keep on hand.

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Originally Posted by Ancient_1

That didn`t surprise me at all. Sonax WC+ is the best I have used. It worked so well I almost got the 5L but didn`t for the fact that other than my room mates car I don`t really need anything more than regular car wash soap. If I did this for a living or even part time it is one thing I would keep on hand.

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LOL! I`m still working on finishing off the 5L I bought a couple years ago! :)

How does the sonax compare now to 3D bdx


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All of these are relative on how much thioglycolate is in them. IronOut I believe has more than Sonax fwiw.

My personal preferred cleaner is 1Z Colourtec. I can`t recall but it`s on the lower scale of thioglycolate content. It foams up nicely when agitated and works sufficiently enough. YMMV for pro detailers, who don`t exactly control what level of dirt the wheels comes in for cleaning ;-)

What PPE do you wear?

Also, may be obvious to most, but didn`t cross my mind at the time -- don`t wear decent clothes when spraying these. The slightest splash back will really affect the colors of your clothes.


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Originally Posted by donbeezy

wheels were noted on the back.

and all these products do work with agitation. i just find spraying and rinsing shows it`s true power

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"Pictures are worth a thousand words" I would agree then that while it may work as a wheel cleaner there are much better options.

Thanks for testing/posting!

Good test. I know it`s a OTC product, many of which are looked down upon, but I still use Eagle One A to Z and I still love it. Works great on tires as well.

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My personal favorites are the Sonax and 1Z with the edge going to Sonax in cleaning power. I`ve got a gallon of PBs Wheel Cleaner that I hope lives up to its billing as the Sonax can get a little pricey.

You might have a problem when... not seeing the wheel fully cleaned in the end makes you disappointed:)

Made me want to grab a brush and get all brake dust off. Your test without agitation, does a good job of showing the ability of the product alone.

Those Porsche pads make a real mess.

Love video tests/reviews. Thanks