[B-737]

I bought a gallon of Sonax wheel cleaner for around $100

it looks like some very potent stuff, but its safe for all wheels and is Ph Neutral so i had peace of mind regarding wheel finish and any accidental over spray.

My car does not seem to have major brake dust issues like some BMWs i see around. its actually better than most cars ive owned in the past, including my old Porsche and my explorer. With only 8000 miles on the car the wheels do clean up very easy, but the inside of the wheels themselves were starting to get a solid coating of black where i couldnt get with a wash mitt.

I used it for the first time today during a regular washing. what i liked most about Sonax was that you could coat the inner wheel by spraying it, where its really hard to get at with a wash mitt. let it sit for a minute or two, then blast it with the hose, and it rinses all the black away. It did a fantastic job, the entire inner wheel looks brand new again. As well as the brake calipers

i think i'll prob use this stuff on every other washing or so. it seems strong but safe for our wheels, its the most effective wheel cleaner ive ever used.

Side note. I used BMW Leather Conditioner for the seats, and the BMW Interior cleaner for most of the other stuff on the inside. i liked using those products as well. they worked well, didnt seem too harsh, the inside looks great and they smell good. The BMW Interior Cleaner did a good job removing a stain from the headliner pillar too.

unrelated question, I have leather interior but does anyone know if our door panels are vinyl or leather?

[digital01]

Think it depends on if you actually have real leather or if its the standard artificial leather from BMW.

[Detailed Image]

Glad to hear the SONAX Wheel Cleaner Full Effect has been so effective for you. We've had great results with it as well and I'm amazed at how strong and yet safe it is. I generally spray it on the wheels wait 1 - 2 minutes and rinse it off and 80% - 90% just comes right off. I then go back and spot treat any other areas and agitate it with a mitt.

Most cars are now using a synthetic leather aka vinyl or leatherette. From my understanding very few models are using actual leather, however the care for them is pretty similar. The 303 Cleaner & Spot Remover is my preferred product for the interior because of how gentle it is and it won't dry out pieces. If you ever need any recommendations please don't hesitate to ask.

Greg @ DI

[B-737]

Thanks Greg!

I appreciate the input. I will head your way for future products, thanks for those links!

[anerbe]

+1 I can attest to the Sonax wheel cleaner from detailed image.

Amazing stuff. Coupled with the mini wheel brush, it is the most effective wheel cleaner I have ever used, period.

[canucklion]

Originally Posted by B-737

unrelated question, I have leather interior but does anyone know if our door panels are vinyl or leather?

If you opted for leather, then the door panels and armrest are covered in leather as well.

Easy way to spot vinyl door panel + armrest from leather ones: no stitchings running horizontally across the middle of the door panel and no stitchings around the edge of the armrest.

leather:


vinyl:

[TiAg335i]

Sonax is good for wheels that are already well maintained. If you have wheels with baked in dust or have been neglected for some time it won't do much.

[Envious Eric]

Originally Posted by TiAg335i

Sonax is good for wheels that are already well maintained. If you have wheels with baked in dust or have been neglected for some time it won't do much.

thats the complete opposite for what I have heard about sonax. granted its not an acid, but its supposed to remove stuff that other gel wheel cleaners dont...

[jopa489]

Originally Posted by Envious Eric

thats the complete opposite for what I have heard about sonax. granted its not an acid, but its supposed to remove stuff that other gel wheel cleaners dont...

Complete opposite of what I've experienced too. I only use Sonax if I get really busy and let my wheels get very dirty. Otherwise, P21s or even just ONR get the job done.

[TiAg335i]

Well, I have real world experience with this stuff on wheels in "bad" shape, i.e., bake in dust in the barrel of the wheel, etched-in/burned in brake dust spots. It will NOT remove this stuff. It chemically cannot, it's not an acid and can't dissolve/destroy it. It can only render loose brake dust particles water soluble.

[TiAg335i]

Originally Posted by jopa489

Complete opposite of what I've experienced too. I only use Sonax if I get really busy and let my wheels get very dirty. Otherwise, P21s or even just ONR get the job done.

Trust me, they aren't that dirty. Either that or your definition of clean is different than mine. When I say clean wheels, I mean spotless inside and out. This stuff won't get neglected wheels spotless.

Don't get me wrong Sonax is probably the best non-acid cleaner. But if your wheels are neglected and have corrosive BMW brake dust problems then it won't do much for you. Try Meguiar's Wheel Brightener but be careful cuz that stuff is dangerous.

[autoaesthetica]

Originally Posted by TiAg335i

Well, I have real world experience with this stuff on wheels in "bad" shape, i.e., bake in dust in the barrel of the wheel, etched-in/burned in brake dust spots. It will NOT remove this stuff. It chemically cannot, it's not an acid and can't dissolve/destroy it. It can only render loose brake dust particles water soluble.

Originally Posted by TiAg335i

Trust me, they aren't that dirty. Either that or your definition of clean is different than mine. When I say clean wheels, I mean spotless inside and out. This stuff won't get neglected wheels spotless.
... if your wheels are neglected and have corrosive BMW brake dust problems then it won't do much for you.

I agree with this 100% and type this response with a smile to see another person evaluate objectively based on real world.. The tough part about being a supplier(or our service customers and other detailers) and detailer(the jumping off point) as my daily gig, is that we see real cars, in real situations that require real cleaning. Our inventory is controlled by products that simply work by our own objective findings, not controlled by what marketing is bringing to the front burner.

Sonax has been around a long time, and really was considered almost a flop, years ago. Of course cleaning your wheels with shampoo and a quality brush isn't as fun as typing out "reacts with iron" and watching it change color.

When guys who take care of their cars(relative to people who let others do it) and review a product, its probably pretty much known that the person cares about their car and spends time keeping it in good shape. The problem is *it takes someone to say just that* to realize "oh yea, i guess we haven't seen this cleaner on seriously neglected wheels.

I have only been disappointed by Sonax, and have given it multiple attempts.

I don't want to this to be a rant, merely an eye opener for people who may be dealing with neglected wheels. I used to type out long and boring responses(like this one) to help people understand the 2 "types" of brake dust

type 1. the unreacted dusting that may heavily sit on the wheel face, like heavy dust on a carpet - for that carpet, a good vac and some time will get it nice and clean.
type 2. the months or years of reacted carbometallic reacted, exposed brake dust that has had time under heat, weathering, moisture and simply exposure to turn into a complete different compound, one that simply doesn't react with cleaners as its carbo compounds render it relatively unreactive(where fresh metal is reactive). For a carpet, this would be years of ground in mud, stains etc.. that would require much more than a simple vac.

Fact is, real world neglect situations would quickly show the limits of products such as this, which is why there are probably tons of photos that never make it posted - it simply has its limits, while it is a fairly good product for those who feel a dedicated wheel cleaner is somehow better than agitation on wheels that don't need the artillery.

Wade through the sea of marketing and fluff - the "graveyard" of sidestepping products is always being filled at my establishment. I think many people would be astounded of what are the real performers, if all labels were stripped and we went only by objective findings - not fluff and what others "say".

Stay thirsty my friends(seriously, summer is coming - gotta hydrate)

Mike

[TiAg335i]

^Very true and I'm glad someone agrees with me. Simply put, most people who buy the Sonax wheel cleaner already wash and detail their wheels frequently. Their wheels are new or are in very good shape to begin with. When these people give rave reviews to the Sonax wheel cleaner, they are merely reviewing the fact that Sonax was able to dissolve brake dust that was resting on the surface of the wheel. In fact, I'm willing to bet money that the only time that Sonax gets your wheels truly spotless is on NEW or regularly cleaned/waxed wheels. OP has a 2011 model, which obviously has new wheels and the new brake pad compound which dusts less and is probably less corrosive.

There is an entirely different and more menacing type of brake dust that these people may not know about or haven't yet encountered. The type which ETCHES/BURNS/EMBEDS, heck, even WELDS itself into the clearcoat of the wheel. Despite my attempts to keep my wheels clean as often as possible, I have this type of brake dust. It can happen quite easily actually, especially with the earlier BMW brake pads (2007).

To sum, the Sonax wheel cleaner is a more than capable product for wheels that are new or are cleaned weekly. Which in that case I don't know why you would use a wheel cleaner anyway - simple soap and agitation should do the trick. Sonax falls short, very short, when trying to remove anything more than brake dust this isn't just sitting on top of the clearcoat.

So please, if you have neglected BMW wheels with any type of brake dust that will not come clean with soap + agitation, Sonax will not get your wheels truly clean. Don't waste your money on it as it's expensive as it is. Quite frankly, it doesn't deserve all the rave it's getting. It's no better than some soap and agitation.

[autoaesthetica]

I couldn't agree more. To be honest I am quite happy I didn't have to type exactly that.

It is good to see more of the real world wheel experiences out there. I have been preaching soap, mild apc, and a good brush in place of marketed miracle wheel cleaner for the longest time for maintenance.

[B-737]

Originally Posted by canucklion

If you opted for leather, then the door panels and armrest are covered in leather as well.

Easy way to spot vinyl door panel + armrest from leather ones: no stitchings running horizontally across the middle of the door panel and no stitchings around the edge of the armrest.

Canuck,
Thanks for taking the time to write that up. That's the best vinyl vs leather description I've ever seen! Its nice to see they actually use leather door panels when u opt for leather interior.

[AMASIAN]

I love Sonax but I also keep my items regularly maintained. Mike, I am curious to know what your go to products are as well. I'd like to maintain my car to the max potential after you get it fixed! We should talk...

[mave198]

I used Sonax on 2 month old caked on, baked on brake dust in NYC August heat last year.......

I just bought my 4th gallon of this amazing stuff.....

[TiAg335i]

Originally Posted by mave198

I used Sonax on 2 month old caked on, baked on brake dust in NYC August heat last year.......

I just bought my 4th gallon of this amazing stuff.....

Please show pics of this "caked on, baked on brake dust" next time you clean.

[mave198]

Originally Posted by TiAg335i

Please show pics of this "caked on, baked on brake dust" next time you clean.

Sure thing.

Oh and my car is a '07 335i. So you already know how bad it can get with the break dust according to your post.....and Sonax worked great to clean them.

[anerbe]

I used it on a set of e92 wheels covered with brake dust- were not cleaned since august of last year, sat thru all winter in storage uncleaned, and finally tended to in May due to our shitty "spring". There were large black tar spots and blots from spring road work, caked on brake dust with actual hard deposits and salt/grime. Wheels had a bronze sheen. Sprayed sonax on the wheel, let sit for 5 mins, and used the mini wheel brush. It cleaned all thru the barrel.

The real test will be when I swap back to the winter 162 wheels. They were not detailed all michigan winter and have such a thick gritty layer that did not transfer with heavy handling. I thought the wheels had no chance. I'll do before/after pics when I clean them in the fall. That will be a good test. Wheels were never waxed and were in very good condition previously.

Perhaps sonax changed their formula recently?

[TiAg335i]

Nope, I'm just convinced you all have different pads than me. BMW must of given me some pads with a corrosive compound. The dust is just destroying my wheel which is why I'm switching to new dustless pads ASAP

Please, if you're gonna review the product, give pictures..

[AlanL]

An example of the corrosive type of brake dust would be racing brake pads. A buddy of mine who is a track whore put some Hawk Blue pads on his Audi A6 for a track event and then left them on for street driving in a nice wet PacNW winter. The brake dust completely ate through the finish on his rims by the time it occurred to him that he had blown it by not removing them after the event. Nothing short of sandblasting and repainting will save your wheel from that type of abuse.

For the record I use Chemical Guys Diablo wheel gel and am quite happy with he results. The comments here so far have not convinced me that I need to go out and buy Sonax instead.