I used a full 16oz of Diablo Gel and had to say, it did nothing as a spray and rinse but with some mild agitation, worked better than anything I've used before. Very solid wheel cleaner at 3:1 ratio. Not the most cost effective but it is something on my list. I like how it has no chemical smell, PH neutral, and no acids to harm sensitive wheels. For this season, I need to order in bulk now and I need to find something cost effective but at the same time, safe for all wheels. I'd rather have one go to wheel cleaner over a handful as I don't have a shop and a large clientele but rather a modest amount and limited budget. I saw that sticky wheel gel is actually a lot cheaper and shares similar qualities. Gel consistency, concentrated, PH neutral, and "safe for all wheels". I am torn between the two. Almost all of my chemicals now are CG chemicals as they offer great deals and ordering in bulk saves even more but I am very open to new ideas. I wanted to go Sonax Full Effect and order from Phil, but cost is just too much for me. That and the caustic smell, I can't take it. Any input on the two, or an outside option is greatly appreciated.
No need to purchase some extremely high priced wheel cleaner... I see tons of people overseas and in the US use cheap cleaners like Bilberry, MG wheel brightener, and also the CG products. However many people buy something that takes Iron off the wheels seperately, because that is what sonax does well. i would say Sonax is a 2 in 1. good cleaner and takes off iron, thats why its priced high. But im sure you can buy something else for much cheaper.
That's one reason it is in the back of my mind but just too much for my wallet. I definitely do not want something as caustic as MG WB and also I'd prefer it to be safe on all wheels, coated, and uncoated. I worry about my health and wheel cleaners are my worst enemy.
Diablo works well at 4 and 5:1 as well, ive played around with it on different wheels, its a great product if you leave it for a while, but on mildly dirty wheels its not the best option.
I've been doing 3:1 and feel like 5:1 it looks like water and no longer is a gel. And I've had some good luck with it but that came with some scrubbing. I did some GTI 18's that never been cleaned for about 6 months with about 60 miles a day of driving. The dust was CAKED on thick you can see the layer. It all came off butter smooth but with about 10 minutes of dwelling. The only thing is will CG sticky gel work just as well? It's half the cost.
I have the sticky gel, its about the consistency of a 5:1 ratio of Diablo, that is why i mixed a batch at that ratio. I use the CG sticky gel on my DD for my weekly washes, it is a nice product, id compare it to basically a APC though.
I use sticky gel with a little bit of maxi suds II and a foaming trigger. Works great! The extra soap helps the solution to foam up more when it goes through the trigger.
Zep Citrus or Zep Purple which is stronger you can use either at 3:1, 4:1 or up to 5:1 and has many other uses as well, Zep Citrus that is. As for Zep Purple I would stick to using it on dirty exterior areas only like wheels, tires, wheel wells, exhaust, tar and bugs, sills, engine bays .
Sticky Gel is a lot stronger than Diablo Gel. Sticky Gel isn't pH neutral, I think it's 11.4, I forgot exactly but I had the MSDS. Edit: pulled up the MSDS, still had the file after so long! It is in fact 11.4, no clue what it is for Diablo Gel, but they claim Diablo is totally pH neutral. About to wash my wheels with Diablo 3:1 right now. BBL.
Just to add about the PH neutral thing, I believe P21S is also 12.something or 11 something. Not really sure why this is but just something to know when comparing wheel cleaners.
CG stuff is always "on sale" I think they use this as a marketing gimmick. Keep an eye on a 'on sale' item, you'll notice that the price never changes.
You're right, but it's normally "on sale" for $64 a gallon whereas now it's actually on sale for $36 a gallon. But Sticky Gel is also on sale for $24.65 per gallon and it's normally "on sale" for like $36 a gallon. Sticky Gel is totally stronger than Diablo Gel. Diablo really feels quite weak whenever I use it, but I think people get good results from it because it makes the surface slipper which makes it easier to brush off brake dust and other sticky stuff. Sticky Gel is much more watery and relies on just being an alkaline cleaner. Diablo always gets the job done for me, but I never break it out when it comes to nasty wheels. For what it's worth, P21S Gel's pH is 9.5.
