Meguiar's D140 Questions before buying...

[PureArt]

So I've been doing some research and have been looking for a good all around wheel cleaner. Meguiar's D140 seems to fit that bill. However, it says "Do not use on polished aluminum or anodized wheels."

So I will do as the directions say, but... let just say for some strange, odd, magical reason D140 did get on polished aluminum. I am guessing it would stain it, but if it did could you not polish it back out? Also if you were just doing a small test spot prior to fully using it then wouldn't you just have to polish that area out on the wheels?

Is this the story of how Meguia'rs went to town on Barry Meguiar' s Belair aluminum wheels then polished them out for demonstration purposes?

Also it says not to use it on anodized wheels...., well I have no idea really what anodized wheels are really so I did some research and found these

Googled ones, they are the same brand too as the one my cousin has on his Rx7 btw







Before ^ I used Meguiar's APC+ I also waxed the wheels with Meguiar's Ultimate Wax. It is my go to wax for wheels and love the fact that it is OTC.




^ After
and they looked similar to my cousins wheels. So are his wheels anodized or powder coated? good thing I used Meguiars's APC+to clean them

[PureArt]

Re: Meguiar's D140 Questions before buying...

Also does D140 strip the paint of anodized wheels and can it be used on powder coated wheels or plastic hub caps on normal daily driver cars?

Thanks for the help everyone

[Detailing by M]

Re: Meguiar's D140 Questions before buying...

Anidozed is colored aluminum.

WB will oxidize aluminum in .ooo1 sec it touches it.

This is perfect for cleaning aluminum but you must polish after using it.

DO NOT USE WB ON ANODIZED ALUMINUM

You can use it on aluminum IF you are going to polish after

Here is my write up on the cleaning and polishing of my aluminum rims

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?59242-Aluminum-Rims-Restored-and-Protected&highlight=aluminum+rims+polished

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Meguiar's D140 Questions before buying...

D140 Wheel Brightener is an acidic wheel cleaner with a pH of 4.5, which is why we caution against using it on bare polished metals or anodized surfaces. These are delicate surfaces that can be easily stained by either strong acids (D140, Hot Rims Chrome Wheel Cleaner, etc) or strong alkaline cleaners (D143, Hot Rims All Wheel & Tire Cleaner, etc) so care should be used when cleaning them. Aluminum, though pretty delicate, in its raw state can usually be polished back to a high shine if it is stained by such cleaners or just exposure to the elements in general. Anodized finishes are quite different as they are a coating created through an electrolytic process and essentially dye the outer surface of the aluminum. This finish can be stained or otherwise damaged by aggressive cleaners, but unfortunately it does not lend itself to polishing. In fact, the level of polishing needed to remove the staining on bare aluminum is usually sufficient to remove that thin anodized layer on an anodized wheel, further compromising the appearance.

D140 should only be used on clear coated wheels, factory OEM wheels, and genuine chrome (not "black chrome" as that is usually an anodized finish as well). If a dilute mix of APC or APC+ has been working well for you on the wheels in question, we recommend you stay with that, or use Hot Rims Aluminum Wheel Cleaner or soap and water.

[PureArt]

Re: Meguiar's D140 Questions before buying...

Thank for the replies so far guys Detailing by M the work you did came out great btw.

For regular maintenance washes on OEM clear coated wheels I am still wondering if I should order the D140 or D143. D143 seems to be more gentler than D140, but either one should still work? I plan on buying the gallon for customers cars.

I tried out the Meguiar's Hot Wheel and Tire cleaner on my Doge OEM wheels and was surprised how much better and easier it cleaned them over Meguiar's APC+. I also sprayed it on my tires and I applied Meguiar's High Endurance Tire Gel on them after and they still look good and they have never went this long with the same tire dressing. I am now thinking it was due to how well Meguiar's Hot Wheel and Tire Shine cleaned them.

So I am just looking for a good all around wheel and tire cleaner in bulk. So would Meguiars D140 or D143 be a better choice for an all around wheel and tire cleaner? Thanks Again....

Art

[szladob]

Strong alkaline cleaner?

Mentioning strong alkaline cleaners, where does APC fall? I had the wrong(?) impression, that it has a very high pH? Is APC+ different in pH?
Not trying to hijack the thread, but I have an Audi with aluminium trim (looks like chrome), which gets milky easily, so trying to find out what is safe or not on aluminium. The NXT metal cleaner has worked great to clean up the milky appearance. Many thanks!

[PureArt]

^ I don't think your hijacking the thread. The more information to learn the better.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Strong alkaline cleaner?

Mentioning strong alkaline cleaners, where does APC fall? I had the wrong(?) impression, that it has a very high pH? Is APC+ different in pH?
Not trying to hijack the thread, but I have an Audi with aluminium trim (looks like chrome), which gets milky easily, so trying to find out what is safe or not on aluminium. The NXT metal cleaner has worked great to clean up the milky appearance. Many thanks!

APC (D101) has a pH of 13 while APC+ (D103) has a pH of 12. But that's their pH in non diluted form, and both products should be diluted 10:1 for general use and as strong as 4:1 for heavy cleaning. When you dilute at 10:1 you knock that pH down quite a bit, making the product safer on more delicate materials. Even so, neither one is really the best choice for cleaning bare aluminum or anodized finishes as those are quite delicate. Since the aluminum trim on your Audi doesn't get as dirty as the wheels on the car we would recommend staying away from those two products for regular maintenance cleaning on those surfaces.


Art, as to your question about which is the better wheel and tire cleaner, that easily goes to D143. D143 is basically a bulk packaging of Hot Rims All Wheel & Tire Cleaner (with a slight tweak here and there) and is dilutable. D140 is an acid based cleaner so it's not as effective at removing road grime from the tire sidewall. D143 is alkaline so it cleans the dirt from the tire extremely well while still doing an excellent job removing brake dust from the wheels.