Review: BlackFire Gel Wheel and Tire Cleaner

[Bobby G]

by David W. Bynon

<font size="1">Copyright©, 1999-2002, Autopia Car Care -- All Rights Reserved</font>



Winter is finally over. Yahoo!



If you’re like me, this means a couple of things. Like, once again it’s time to clean up the garden for spring flowers. And, the car needs a good checkup and cleaning in preparation for warmer weather.



Let’s test your knowledge with a few car care questions:



1.Â`True or false: The life or your tires will be shortened by 30% or more from improper inflation?



2.Â`True or false: It is not necessary to check or replace air filters on new fuel injected cars?



3.Â`True or false: New cars are corrosion resistant and are not affected by road salts or cinders used to prevent the roads from freezing?



4. Your car has been sitting in the garage all winter and the battery is dead. All you need to do is charge the battery and go. True or false?



5. Your air conditioning system has not been run all winter. Now it smells musty when you use it. The smell will go away after a week or two? True or false?



Quiz Answers



1. True. You may be throwing away a third of your tire investment by driving with under- or over-inflated tires. Â`With the change in seasons comes a change in tire pressure. As the temperature rises, be sure to adjust your tire pressure.



2.Â`False. It`s a good idea to check the air filter every 6 months or 6,000 miles and replace as needed or at least every 24,000 miles. Â`Some manufacturers make extended life air filters that last up to 30,000 miles or more. In any case, a dirty air filter will rob your car of power and reduce your gas mileage.



3.Â`False. Even the best car bodies, which may be zinc dipped prior to painting, will corrode and eventually rust through from extended exposure to salt and other corrosives. Road salts, cinders and other materials use to prevent icing must be thoroughly flushed.



4. False. Once a lead acid battery completely discharges and sits dormant, the electrolyte breaks down, the battery cells deteriorate, and the battery will no longer hold a charge or a full charge.



5.Â`False. The musty smell is from mold, mildew and bacteria in the A/C system. It will not go away by itself.



SPRINGTIME MAINTENANCE CHECKLIST

When the weather begins to change from winter’s gloom to the glory of spring, most of us get more active outside and begin using our cars more. Before getting into the full swing of warm weather, take time out to give your car a good spring cleaning and a maintenance check up:



1. Wiper Blades. Your wipers got you through winter, wiping away rain, sleet, snow, leaves, mud and more. Consider replace your wiper blades now so you can drive squeak and streak free during April showers and summer thunder storms.



2. Grill & Under Hood Cleanliness. Â`Check your radiator grill and the cowl (hood area just ahead of the windshield) for accumulated debris from winter. Remove leaves and other trash. Build-up in these areas may cause your engine to over heat or you’re A/C to blow warm air.



3. Cooling System. Â`Lift your hood and check your antifreeze. Fresh antifreeze is vivid in color (usually bright green). Dirty antifreeze looks dull or rusty. In most cases, you should flush your antifreeze every 24 months.



4.Â`Belts and Hoses. Â`Winter is very hard on belts and hoses. The cold, salt and dirt make rubber hard and brittle. So, it’s a good idea to check your belts and hoses every spring. I suggest Cleaning your engine each spring to remove winter’s grunge. After cleaning, treat all hoses, belts and other rubber parts with a generous helping of rubber dressing.



5.Â`Brakes. Â`Spring is a good time to check your brakes. The most obvious warning sign is brake noise, squealing, screeching, chatter or grinding. Your brakes should also be checked for corrosion, which can lead to premature brake failure.



6.Â`Air Conditioning. Spring is the best time to check your air conditioning (A/C) for proper operation. Â`Most people forget to run their A/C during the winter months, which can result in premature failure of seals and compressors. I recommend running you’re A/C all winter.



7.Â`Â`Oil Change. Many of us change our car’s oil before winter to get ready for the cold. With the coming of spring, you should dump the old winter oil and top off with fresh oil for warmer temperatures. Many people think that summer months are the hardest on the engine. In reality, cold winter starts cause the most damage to moving parts. Flush the winter oil as soon as possible.



SPRINGTIME CLEANING CHECKLIST

In addition to basic mechanical checks, spring is a good time to clean up your car and give it the protection it deserves. Here’s what I recommend for spring cleaning:



1.Â`Undercarriage Flush. With the onset of spring, all car owners should have their car’s undercarriage flushed. The easiest way to do this is to find an automated, touch-less, carwash with an undercarriage wash feature. If you drive on salted roads, I recommend two cycles through the wash. I also recommend thoroughly cleaning your wheels and wheel wells.



2.Â`De-grunge.Â`Â`No matter where you live, if you drive your car in winter weather, your car gets covered with grunge. To remove the grunge, you need to wash your car with a strong detergent; most car wash solutions do not have the strength to cut through the dirt. I recommend using a solution of 1 ounce of Dawn dishwashing detergent to 3 gallons of cool water to wash your car. Rinse thoroughly.



3.Â`Clean & Seal. A strong detergent solution cannot remove all contaminates from your car’s paint. To bring your car`s paint back to life, and repair minor surface damage, use a pre-wax cleaner or fine polish. Two products I highly recommend are Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion and 3M Perfect-It Swirl Mark Remover. The Pinnacle product is a better cleaner, whereas 3M is a better polish. If your car’s paint feels rough, you need a cleaner. If your paint has scuffs and scratches, you need a polish. After cleaning/polishing, protect your car’s paint with a good wax or sealant. For the money, my favorite products are P21S Paste Wax and Klasse All-In-One.



4. Treat. If your car has leather or vinyl interior, it needs to be treated before the onset of summer’s heat. Cold winter weather dries leather and vinyl. Adding heat and UV radiation to dry leather and vinyl causes the material to break down until it eventually fades and cracks. It’s not necessary to clean your leather and vinyl before treating, but running a damp towel over it to remove dust and dirt is a good idea. My favorite treatment for modern interiors is 303 Aerospace Protectant. It has almost no scent, dries to a matte/satin finish, it’s not greasy, and it has the best UV protection of any product I’ve tried.



5.Â`Glass & Chrome. Winter makes its mark on glass and chrome, too. Both glass and chrome should be polished in spring. Using a good glass polish on your windshield and windows will remove the winter grime and buff out water spots and minor surface abrasions. There are two products I like and recommend: Zaino Z12 Clearview Glass Polish and AutoGlym Car Glass Polish. Likewise, chrome needs to be cleaned and polished. Chrome will rust quickly if it is not kept polished and treated. For chrome, I recommend Luster Pad and Luster Seal.



GARAGE QUEEN CARE

Do you own a garage queen? You know, a car that you pamper and don`t take out side during inclement weather? If you do, your garage queen may need extra special care.



I took my garage queen out today, just before sitting down to write this article. It`s not that we have winter weather in my home town; far from it. I simply had other projects that occupied my time this winter.



When I finally got around to taking my car out for a nice Sunday drive, I found it dead as a door nail. The battery was history. No amount of electrolyte or charging would bring it back to life. So, I broke down and replace the original battery with a heavy duty unit. Lesson learned... again! I`ll be in the market for a good trickle charger.



After getting the new battery installed and the car started, I took her out for a warm up around the block. I was horrified to feel my car going "thump, thump, thump", as the flat spots on the tires slapped against the pavement. It figures, doesn`t it? I didn`t take my own advise by over-inflating the tires before putting it away for such a long time. Strike two!



I was lucky we had a warm day. I came back to the garage and filled the tires to 50 psi and went for another drive. After 10 minutes the car was running smooth again and I returned home to adjust the tire pressure to normal inflation.



You might have already guessed that my bad news was not over. I hadn`t fired up the A/C yet. I was crossing my fingers before flipping the switch because twice before I had allowed a car to sit and the seals or A/C compressor failed. Who would guess that the A/C needs to be run regularly to keep from failing? Phew! At least I didn`t have that problem this time. But, yuck, what`s that smell.



Strike three, I had mildew. Mildew is one of those things you really hate to get in your A/C system. The only good way to kill at home it is with a quality A/C and heating system cleaner. The product I prefer is Wurth A/C & Heating System Cleaner. It quickly eliminates odors caused by bacteria, fungi, mildew and stagnant water. Professionals seal the car and pump a gas through the A/C and vent system to kill the mildew.



Learn from my mistakes. Properly prepare your car before putting it away for winter. The best advise I can give it to drive your garage queen on dry days to keep the battery charged, tires round, A/C fresh and functioning, and moisture out of the crankcase.

[ziggo99]

I normally don`t use wheel cleaners much, since I wash my wheels before they need a cleaner. But when doing a friend`s car, sometimes soap and water won`t get it. I tried the Eagle One A2Z Wheel and Tire cleaner and I never understood why people liked it. It didn`t live up to the hype, so I went hunting for a wheel and tire cleaner. I like Meguair`s Wheel Brightener, but I didn`t want a gallon of it or have to worry about diluting it. I looked into the Blackfire cleaner, liked what I read, and ordered 32oz of it.


There isn`t much of a smell, and what is there isn`t offensive. Just, kinda cleanish, light chemical smell I would put it. Good for a couple whiffs, but I wouldn`t want to smell it all day.


I like the fact it`s a gel. Not like that of a body wash gel, but it does cling well enough. I did two spray around each tire and then I let the product sit couple minutes then hit it with my Mother`s tire brush. Enter pictures






Excellent foaming and brown roll off.

Now, in my attempt to beat the sun, I forgot after pictures :smack: but the tires came very clean, better than using APC+ at 4:1. I really liked how it performed.

And I also used it on a couple spots on the barrel of the wheel. Really cleaned the barrels up well, as you can tell from the small spots I got it on (as I was testing another product at the same time, thus the small spots. If I were do to it again, I`d get the entire barrel).




Would I buy this product again? Absolutely. It`s a non offensive smelling wheel and tire cleaner while at the same time being strong and safe. And with it being a gel, I didn`t have to use a lot of product.

Thanks for reading.
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[bmw5541]

Thanks for the review Kyle. So far, every BF product that I have used, I have really liked.