A2Z may be causing damage??

Jngrbrdman

Jngrbrdman

New member
I didn't want to hijack the other thread so I started a new one. For the record, I haven't been anything less than absolutly pleased with the results of A2Z. I'm just trying to eliminate that as the cause of the damage first before I dig further.



I'm going to take some pictures to add to this thread later, but I wanted to ask the question first. Has anyone used only A2Z on their wheels long enough to notice if it was causing any long term damage? I've been getting my car in shape for a show this coming weekend for awhile now and I just noticed that the clear coat on the lip of my rims is starting to look a little eaten up by something. I've only had them for a year and I've only used the new forumula (orange bottle) of A2Z on them since I got them. I even used SG on them to help protect. Using A2Z everytime I washed the car (usually once a week) has helped keep the brake dust from collecting in the corners behind the rivets on the wheels, but if it has caused the clear on the lip to peel then I'm going to be pretty ticked.



I recently got some of Platinum's new wheel gel and will be using that for awhile to see how it works. 2 of my wheels were unfortunatly curbed a few months ago and I'm finally taking them off and putting new ones on. I'll be using this new wheel gel on the wheels now and maybe in a year if I notice that the new ones are peeling then I can just chalk it up to bad craftsmanship. I am very concerned that A2Z may have caused the damage though. I'll get some pictures of the damage tomorrow when I have the two bad wheels taken off. That way I can get some better angles of the wheel to take pictures of.



Has anyone else noticed that A2Z may be causing some damage?
 
If I remember correctly, another member indicated that after a year he was noticing that his driveway was starting to show marks as if it was eaten up.



I use it on really neglected wheels. I have to assume that weekly uses over time can cause damage. It is rather caustic (sp?)



Do you need to use it WEEKLY? If you keep them protected with AIO, SG or Zaino, then you shouldn't need the EO all the time.



I use Wheel Wax and Collinite and only need car wash soap and water that I mixup in a bottle. There is next to no dust build up.



I know it's expensive, but why not P21s gel on those corners behind the rivets a couple times a month?



I just think that those weekly uses on aftermarket rims may cause damage. The outer lip of the wheels on ALL of my family's cars (not mine!) are missing the coating and are white in color. Yet the rest of the wheel is fine. Sounds like you are at the begining stages of going down that path. I'd switch your routine and save the EO for nasty jobs.



Just my $.02
 
Yeah, that is what I'm thinking. I don't spray it directly on the lip when I clean so I'll have to analyze the damage areas and see if maybe they are run off from the rest of the wheel or something.



The new Platinum gel seems to be similar to the P21S gel. I'll have to run them side by side and see which works better. I've never used gel much on my wheels. I always thought that A2Z was as good as it could get. Time to dust of the P21S and see how it does. These wheels are hard enough to find without needing to replace them every year. :(
 
AH! Found it! From Bjwebster:



What Scares Me About Using It To Often On My Nice Summer Wheels, Is That After Using A2Z 10 or so Times, My Driveway Had 4 Spots With Zero Sealent Left On them. The 4 Spots Were The Exact Spots Where My Wheels Are When I Wash Them. If Its Strong Enough To Remove Driveway Sealent, its STrong Enough To Be Careful With.



IMHO, it's time to lay down the EO. However, withdrawl symptoms may occur.



JNGR, put the bottle down and slowly back away. It'll be ok. Wait, what are you doing?! Err...Ow...but... give that back! Stop!



mental image: JNGR running like a maniac down the street, cackling away like a mad man, EO in hand; his baby blue Autopian apron flapping in the breeze.
 
I am sure you thought of this already but I thought Id chime in. I initially did not like Griots wheel cleaner but I love it now. A2Z is great, I used it a lot but I too think it is too strong on my Maximas rims. I use it on neglected clients cars but on my daily driver I have 4 coats of Z on the rims so car wash soao usually gets the dust off other wise just a squirt or three ot Griots does the trick. Just a tip had you not thought about it.
 
Since P21S and Platinum are what I've got then I think I'll use those till they are gone. I've never shopped at Griots, and although I know they have some great products, I've just found what works for me in other places and haven't got around to shopping there. If Platinum and P21S don't do the trick then I'm sure I'll be looking for other options. Until then, this is my new logo. Sorry for the how crude it is. I'm at work and I only have MS Paint to work with. :D
 

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I have a question about wheel cleaners in general. Most on this board are fanatical about cleaning and detailing at least one of their cars. Personally my household has three cars my daily driver/beater that is gets very neglected (except when I am experimenting and don't want to screw the nice cars up) and my wifes daily driver and my garage queen. I have never used wheel cleaner on any of my cars and can pretty much get them spotless with Z7 and a wash mitt and about 2-3 minutes a wheel. This was even before I started applying Z2 to the wheels (PA -- Pre Autopia) and as a reference my wifes car and the garage queen are horrible when it comes to brake dust. Why use the cleaners? The risk just seems too great. Am I missing something or is it a time thing? I can understand those that do detailing for a living because time is money but for the fanatics l don't understand.
 
I also Dont use any wheel Cleaner. I dont know what the big fuss was about takeing 30min to Get a wheel to factory shape after not being washed months. If I get something really caked Just a little diluted Hi-Intensity Cleaner and its all gone. I usally just clean it with a stiff brush and Dawn.
 
the biggest reason to use a wheel cleaner is that although the wheel may look clean after using Z7, I guarantee there is still a residual ammount of brake dust/etc. on the wheels or, more likely, the tires. The A2Z is designed (from what I understand) to be a dual purpose wheel and tire cleaner (hence why the old EOTC and black bottle A2Z were phased out.) and makes quick work of removing this buildup.



Even on cars that are washed weekly such as mine are, if I let the wheel and tire cleaner go for 2-3 washings I can say with certainty that the wheels and tires will give off an almost black residue when I clean/scrub them. This is the primary reason why a cleaner specific to this task is so essential. Especially with the tires, you may not even notice the buildup if you keep the tires dressed but believe me its there.





Now, I just started using the new formula A2Z a few weeks ago and have to say its alot better than the old stuff (I didn't use that because it just seemed to not do as well as the Meguiar's "Gold Class Wheel Cleaner" I had...) but I do agree its alot stronger than any other wheel cleaner I've used... I used to have a 10-step process for getting the wheels and tires truly clean and spotless, but now with the A2Z I can do it in only one step with the same level of clean for a result.



I can't speak much for dammage as my wheels were already messed up when I bought my truck from some kind of oxidation with the wheel weights, but I'll keep an eye on it to see if it gets worse. I can also keep an eye on my wife's car because its wheels are mint. It doesn't get washed as often though :(.



I'm still trying to trace what made a strange rust-like spot on my driveway, its in the spot I always put my bottles of product when washing, so who knows what it could be?
 
Fr0zen said:
If I get something really caked Just a little diluted Hi-Intensity Cleaner and its all gone. I usally just clean it with a stiff brush and Dawn.
Click to expand...



the problems with this are that EF-HI does as bad/worse things to wheels over time than even Simple Green could potentially do. (Just ask Brad B. and he'll tell you his SG horror story.) Also if you're talking about using a stiff brush on the wheels, don't you worry that it will scratch them? I use a stiff brush for tires but always use something no harder than a soft-bristle toothbrush for the wheels.
 
Cleaning your wheels without using wheel cleaner is like brushing your teeth without using toothpaste. Does the toothpaste really make a difference? I'd say it does. Wheel cleaners are similar. If you properly maintain your wheels then you can clean them with just a wheel brush and soapy water. To get the baked on crud off it may require a little bit of help. I definitely think that there is a place for wheel cleaners in our work. If you keep your wheels in good shape with Klasse or Zaino or whatever then there probably isn't as much of a need for a good wheel cleaner, but for the wheels that aren't treated already I don't know how I would get along without it. Time is money when you are detailing a client's car and you don't want to have to sit there with a toothbrush and some soapy water when a (relatively) safe product like A2Z could be used and save you the effort.
 
Agreed, SLD. I've grown to belive that the specialized "wheel/tire cleaners" are over-rated. So now I'm just using my Zaino wash, then (if the wheels and tires ask for more) APC+. Doesn't feel as harsh, but the cleaning properties are just as good.
 
Yes, a2z definetly ate right through my driveway sealent. This sealent has stood up to salt, snow, ice, car wash after car wash, random cleaners and degreasers used to clean my carport, buts its demise was a2z.

While I still have a2z and use it on very soiled wheels, I dont and wont use it on my nice summer wheels, not worth the risk. imo

I use either sonax wheel cleaner or p21s wheel cleaner when they are dirty enough to warrant wheel cleaner, otherwise I use whatever soap I am using at the moment.
 
Man, you guys just opened my eyes in the nick of time, lol. I have been using A2Z on my factory rims for a while, but I am putting my new custom wheels on my car next week. Guess I will not be using the A2Z on them cause they cost too much to take any chances with.



Any safe store bought wheel cleaners that anyone would recommend??? I don't have a sealant at the moment that I trust to put on my rims, wonder if Final Polish would be OK??? Like to just continue to clean them with a wheel cleaner, but if I can't find one that is safe enough to use, guess I have to find other options.
 
Okay, here are my $0.02 FWIW.



I used A2Z for several months last year on both my car and the parents' because the wheels on both of them are a PITA to clean. In that time both sets of vehicles had some pre-existing damage on at least one of the wheels (corrosion, paint problems, etc). During that time when I used A2Z on them I did not notice the problems becoming any worse than they already were.



Since then I've been experiementing with some "other" wheel cleaners, some acidic, some not, and the "good" wheels are still good, and the damaged wheels... well, they're about right for going through a winter. :rolleyes:



Incomplete rinsing maybe? :nixweiss



EDIT: A2Z does seem to be stronger than anything else out there - it can clean out my tire brush (white) while other cleaners can't. I just haven't seen it damage anything though...
 
Deep_Freeze said:
I don't have a sealant at the moment that I trust to put on my rims, wonder if Final Polish would be OK??? Like to just continue to clean them with a wheel cleaner, but if I can't find one that is safe enough to use, guess I have to find other options.
Click to expand...



When you say "Final Polish" are you referring to Menzerna Final Polish? If so I don't think Menzerna FP has any type of protectant that would make your wheels any easier to clean (other than making the surface smooth. Or are you talking about it as cleaner and surface preparation product? What type of wheels and/or finish are you getting? Check with the manufacturer of the wheel on what they recommend to clean them.



Curious, why don't you trust zaino or klasse?



If you are really concerned you really can't go wrong with a two bucket method of washing with a mild soap like Z7 and wash mitt (I don't use brushes on my wheels). Change the rinse water frequently and use plenty of water in your cleaning also. Frequent washing will help in the cleaning.





Side note on wheel damage and wheel cleaners. The actual brake pads on the car could be part of the problem also. The dust from some high performance track pads when mixed with cleaners and/or water combinations can make for some really corrosive stuff.
 
I've only used A2Z once on my wheels to get them squeaky clean just before I applied Zaino to them. I can get them very clean now just with regular Z7 washing. Won't use A2Z again on them unless I want to re-apply Zaino. I think any wheel cleaner will just strip off any sealant you put on the wheels.



Plus, I don't think wheel cleaners are that safe for clear-coated wheels if used often. I can't think of anyone considering it safe to regularly spray some wheel cleaner to clean the clear-coated paint of the car thinking it was fine to do so. Can you?
 
I stick with car wash soap and brushes for cleaning wheels. I'd rather not replace some chrome 19" AMGs on a customer's car that some wheel cleaner etched or streaked.



I've been using Moose Wax on wheels now with great results. It seems to have a great resistance to heat than carnuba waxes and the brake dust seems to wash off more easily.
 
bet993 said:
When you say "Final Polish" are you referring to Menzerna Final Polish? If so I don't think Menzerna FP has any type of protectant that would make your wheels any easier to clean (other than making the surface smooth. Or are you talking about it as cleaner and surface preparation product? What type of wheels and/or finish are you getting? Check with the manufacturer of the wheel on what they recommend to clean them.



Curious, why don't you trust zaino or klasse?



If you are really concerned you really can't go wrong with a two bucket method of washing with a mild soap like Z7 and wash mitt (I don't use brushes on my wheels). Change the rinse water frequently and use plenty of water in your cleaning also. Frequent washing will help in the cleaning.





Side note on wheel damage and wheel cleaners. The actual brake pads on the car could be part of the problem also. The dust from some high performance track pads when mixed with cleaners and/or water combinations can make for some really corrosive stuff.
Click to expand...



Actually, I was referring to the stuff recommended by Scott: http://carpolishes.safeshopper.com/11/15.htm?270



Honestly, I don't use much stuff that I have to get online, not cause I don't like it or anything. Just haven't done it yet. I don't really want to use zaino, but klasse is definitely an option. I am looking for a good (great) polymer that I can use for the winter on my car and can use it on the wheels also. A durable and attractive polymer that can be topped with s100 well, and I guess I am still searching for it.



My wheels have a clearcoated center with polished lips. Bought some Mother's Billet Alum polish for the lips, and now I guess I will just use soap and water on the centers since I will not use A2Z (thanks to this trend:D).



BTW, I already have the low dust brake pads that I want to put on my car to combat dust, just waiting to put them on at the same time as my wheels.
 
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