Autoglym Custom Wheel Cleaner Review

Last Updated on October 5, 2021 by Stewart

Custom Wheel Cleaner is part of the Autoglym detailing range. Unlike the Clean Wheels which is acidic, Custom Wheel Cleaner is on the alkaline end of the pH scale.

How to use Custom Wheel Cleaner

First and foremost, the wheels need to be cool to the touch. I haven’t tried it on hot wheels, but I can imagine the product would dry out rapidly and could damage the finish of it. There are two options when it comes to applying this, which is dictated by how dirty the wheels are.

If it’s the case the wheels are caked with grime and dirt, I would highly recommend that the wheel is rinsed off first. This will help to knock off as much as this dirt as possible. The benefit of this is that you will not need to use as much of the product (therefore saving you money). It also means that the cleaner will be able to make much quicker work of the ingrained dirt.

If your wheels aren’t overly dirty, then you can spray Custom Wheel Cleaner directly onto them. The good news as well is that it is also excellent for cleaning tyres. This is a really important step to carry out if you’re going to be applying a dressing to the tyres afterwards. The cleaner it is, the better the dressing will adhere to it.

When I’m using it, I like to let it dwell on the wheel for around 30 seconds, and then agitate it with a variety of brushes. There are two different options for Custom Wheel Cleaner. A 500ml bottle, and a 1litre bottle. The 1litre bottle also comes with two brushes.

I’ve been using these brushes for years and they’re still not showing any signs of degrading.  I would recommend though that you have a barrel brush to clean the wheels, and not just the face of them. Then it’s just a case of rinsing it off with copious amounts of water and then moving onto the next wheel. I would advise to only work on one wheel at a time. This will prevent it from drying out on the surface.

How well does Custom Wheel Cleaner work?

In short, exceptionally well. It really does make light work of brake dust, and also road dirt. Added to this, as mentioned above, it can also be used to clean tyres. In the six years I’ve been using Custom Wheel Cleaner, there’s never been a time that I haven’t been happy with it. It’s always provided a flawless finish. One thing to remember though is that this is not an iron fallout remover. If you do want to remove any iron fallout from your wheels, you’ll need a dedicated product for it. More information about these products can be found on this paint decontamination page.

Is it safe to use on my wheels?

This is always a concern for a lot of detailers, especially if they’re working on other peoples cars. The short answer is yes. I always try and steer clear of acid based wheel cleaners, and instead opt for pH neutral cleaners, or alkaline based ones. The  good news (as taken from the back of the bottle), is that Custom Wheel Cleaner is safe for a variety of wheel finishes. The exception to this is split rims. You cannot use this product on split rims.

Value for money

As with any detailing product, it must provide good value for money. This product does provide excellent cleaner power with only a few squirts of product per wheel. With that in mind, with wheels that are well maintained, this should last you a good few months. However, if the dirt is caked on and a lot of miles are put on the car, you may end up using this up a lot quicker. That’s why it’s so important to make sure that a layer of protection is added to the wheels as well. In this case, a layer of Autoglym UHD Wax, or AM Hybrid Sealant would work really well.

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Autoglym Custom Wheel Cleaner - Premium Car Care Kit Comes with (500ml) Acid-Free Car Wheel Cleaner Spray and (2) Soft Car Wheel Cleaning Brushes

• It is safe for use on all wheel types including alloy, lacquered alloy, steel, chrome, painted, anodised and plastic covers

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