Wheel Cleaner vs. Iron Remover for Decon? Do I need IR?

[LSX Maestro]

I'm going to be doing a complete detail on 2 new cars and my truck soon, weather looks for next weekend (FINALLY).  I was planning on using Wheel Cleaner for a decon step as it was recommended by many members here.  Now here's the thing, how much better does Iron Remover work than Wheel Cleaner for an iron decon? Is it worth ordering a bottle for this weekend's detailing or no? 

 

I read their descriptions as basically having the same ferrous removing power but the IR activates quicker and is thinner so it can cover more area.  For me, those two things don't seem like much of an upgrade.  Is there any chemical or strength differences on top of those 2 discrepancies? 

[Hamilton Detail]

I would also like to know this as well.  

[SumBeach35]

From what I read, the iron remover will activate 75% faster and is thinner so it will go farther than the WC.

 

I'm waiting for it to show up.  

 

To me thinner and activating faster is a benefit.  I'll use less product and achieve the same results.  I find the WC is great for wheels but doenst really cover well on paint. It basically stays where you spray it.  

 

If you dont want to order the new product, you can use WC at full strength or 1:1 using distilled water.

Edited April 16, 2018 by SumBeach35

[LSX Maestro]

Well I just ordered the small wheel woolie and threw in the 16oz Iron Remover while I was at it.  I will let you guys know how it compares. 

[Beemer]

I used the Iron Remover over the weekend. I had never deconned a car with the Wheel Cleaner but I have used it on wheels several times.

 

The first thing that I noticed was that while the Iron Remover has a strong odor it's not NEARLY as pervasive as the Wheel Cleaner.  I never wanted to spray Wheel Cleaner on my car just because of the odor but the Iron Remover was not bad at all.

 

My car is red so I was not able to see the activity but it sure feels nice after claying. And I feel like the claying process was a lot slicker as there were a lot less imbedded particles on the paint. But that's completely subjective....

 

 

Edited April 16, 2018 by Beemer

[tlbullet]

I deconed my car for first time this weekend. I used diluted WC 1:1.   Seemed  to  work fine. But i definitely received complaints regarding the odor!  Im glad the WC bottle is empty so i can buy the Eco Wc next time.  But the original WC works well as a wheel cleaner and as diluted decon treatment. 

[bkolowski111]

I was wondering this myself. I’ve used WC diluted 1:1 as a deacon with good results. Seems to me that the WC is still the better buy since you can use it full strength for wheels and cut it 1:1 for decon. This would make it much more economical than the new Iron Remover since a diluted WC is basically $30 a gallon as opposed to $50 a gallon for the Iron Remover. 

[falcaineer]

14 hours ago, bkolowski111 said:

I was wondering this myself. I’ve used WC diluted 1:1 as a deacon with good results. Seems to me that the WC is still the better buy since you can use it full strength for wheels and cut it 1:1 for decon. This would make it much more economical than the new Iron Remover since a diluted WC is basically $30 a gallon as opposed to $50 a gallon for the Iron Remover. 

 

But the Iron Remover, I think, doesn't have the same "don't let it dry" on the paint restriction...and it smells A TON better! Just my two cents.

Edited April 18, 2018 by falcaineer
I stand corrected - IR should NOT be alllowed to dry on the paint.

[LSX Maestro]

50 minutes ago, falcaineer said:

 

But the Iron Remover, I think, doesn't have the same "don't let it dry" on the paint restriction...and it smells A TON better! Just my two cents.

Just from the WC leaking in my box and smelling it then, the $14 for IR was worth it.  

 

But besides that, the IR should work a bit better/faster.  And the current blue Wheel Cleaner doesn't need to be (Perhaps shouldn't be?) diluted 1:1 for a Decon.  That was what Adam's used to say for their old Deep Wheel Cleaner, I could be wrong. But especially if misting onto the paint of a wet vehicle/just rinsed...

[galaxy]

Am I the only one that doesn’t mind the smell of WC?  DOnt get me wrong, I don’t “like” it, but it certainly doesn’t offend me. Try iron-x one time and then see how bad it is. 

[Beemer]

1 hour ago, falcaineer said:

 

But the Iron Remover, I think, doesn't have the same "don't let it dry" on the paint restriction...and it smells A TON better! Just my two cents.

 

I believe the "don't let it dry" instructions are there for both products.

 

[bkolowski111]

1 hour ago, falcaineer said:

 

But the Iron Remover, I think, doesn't have the same "don't let it dry" on the paint restriction...and it smells A TON better! Just my two cents.

 

I didn’t realize it smelled better!

 

56 minutes ago, LSX Maestro said:

Just from the WC leaking in my box and smelling it then, the $14 for IR was worth it.  

 

But besides that, the IR should work a bit better/faster.  And the current blue Wheel Cleaner doesn't need to be (Perhaps shouldn't be?) diluted 1:1 for a Decon.  That was what Adam's used to say for their old Deep Wheel Cleaner, I could be wrong. But especially if misting onto the paint of a wet vehicle/just rinsed...

 

Didn’t know it wasn’t supposed to be diluted! That shoots down my theory. Looks like the IR may be for me. Thanks for the input you guys. 

[falcaineer]

1 hour ago, LSX Maestro said:

Just from the WC leaking in my box and smelling it then, the $14 for IR was worth it.  

 

But besides that, the IR should work a bit better/faster.  And the current blue Wheel Cleaner doesn't need to be (Perhaps shouldn't be?) diluted 1:1 for a Decon.  That was what Adam's used to say for their old Deep Wheel Cleaner, I could be wrong. But especially if misting onto the paint of a wet vehicle/just rinsed...

 

24 minutes ago, bkolowski111 said:

 

I didn’t realize it smelled better!

 

 

Didn’t know it wasn’t supposed to be diluted! That shoots down my theory. Looks like the IR may be for me. Thanks for the input you guys. 

 

Nope, no need to dilute. Here's the video where Adam demos using it undiluted.

 

 

[falcaineer]

1 hour ago, Beemer said:

 

I believe the "don't let it dry" instructions are there for both products.

 

 

You may very well be right, in which case I stand corrected. Can anyone confirm?

[red94chev]

10 hours ago, galaxy said:

Am I the only one that doesn’t mind the smell of WC?  DOnt get me wrong, I don’t “like” it, but it certainly doesn’t offend me. Try iron-x one time and then see how bad it is. 

 

Same here, don't mind it at all. 

[SlammedRT]

9 hours ago, falcaineer said:

 

You may very well be right, in which case I stand corrected. Can anyone confirm?

 

Can confirm. It says do not let dry. 

 

On 4/16/2018 at 2:12 PM, tlbullet said:

I deconed my car for first time this weekend. I used diluted WC 1:1.   Seemed  to  work fine. But i definitely received complaints regarding the odor!  Im glad the WC bottle is empty so i can buy the Eco Wc next time.  But the original WC works well as a wheel cleaner and as diluted decon treatment. 

 

Just an FYI. The Eco WC does not contain any iron activator and wont work for paint decon like WC or iron remover.

[tlbullet]

I didnt know that, thanks.   Thankfully

i still had the non-eco WC. 

[falcaineer]

13 hours ago, SlammedRT said:

 

Can confirm. It says do not let dry. 

 

 

I stand corrected. Thanks for the clarification!