Hi there, I’m new to the forum but not new to Meguiar's products. I've been using them for over 20 years and I think they’re the best in the business. I’m very confused, however, about all of the Meguiar's wheel cleaning products because there are so many on the website:
Meguiar's Ultimate All Wheel Cleaner G180124
Meguiar's MB0522 Mirror Bright Wheel Cleaner
Meguiar's Hot Rims Chrome Wheel Cleaner G19124
Meguiar's Hot Rims Wheel & Tire Cleaner G9524
Meguiar's Hot Rims Aluminum Wheel Cleaner G14324
We're talking brake dust here (the Chrome Wheel Cleaner does not apply to this question — at least I don’t think it does).
I used to use the "blue bottle" Aluminum Wheel Cleaner G14324 on the 16” slotted aluminum (alloy/whatever they’re called) rims on my 1998 Ford Explorer. This cleaner worked so amazingly well that it was almost unbelievable. It was a pleasure to work with. The rims would just literally shine after using this product no matter how dirty or dusty they were beforehand.
I now have a 2011 Ford Edge, we just put new factory 22” Ford Sport rims on it (see photo). I’ve seen these rims go by many different names, the best I can tell you is that they are called polished aluminum rims with a clear coat.
It looks to me like I can’t use the "blue bottle" Aluminum Wheel Cleaner G14324 any longer on our new wheels (which is a shame because it worked so good on the old wheels). So I narrowed the Meguiar’s selection down to two products (athough I would still love to be able to use the "blue bottle" product):
The "pink bottle" Hot Rims Wheel & Tire Cleaner G9524 (which I believe used to be simply called “All Wheel Cleaner”)
The “black bottle” Ultimate All Wheel Cleaner G180124
I would prefer not to use the Ultimate All Wheel Cleaner G180124 since it is a gel. I've heard a number of people say that it has a tendency to leave residue on the wheels and even stain a little bit if left too long. I would prefer to use something more similar to the old "blue bottle" compound (which I believe the "pink bottle" compound is like — more watery than gel). Meguiar's states that the "pink bottle" product is “safe and effective on factory painted and clear coated rims and tires” but there is no mention of pH for this product (correct me if I’m wrong but I have read that it is an acidic product which confuses me even more). Meguiar's states that the Ultimate All Wheel Cleaner G180124 gel is “pH balanced”.
And there is also a fifth product I noticed called Mirror Bright Wheel Cleaner MB0522 wich Meguiar's says is “excellent on wheels that are chrome, aluminum, polished, painted, etc”.
OMG. Help. Which one do I use? Safety, effectiveness and pH are all of utmost concern. Also, it is safe to use Meguiar's Ultimate Wash & Wax G17748 on our new rims (Meguiar’s says “clear coat safe surfactants gently clean the paint … and is pH neutral” so I assume that this would also apply to wheels, not just the body of the vehicle).
Sorry for the lengthy first post. I have a few other questions, 1) how long a person can get away without cleaning off brake dust and 2) finding a satin tire dressing product but I'll save them for another post.
Meguiar's Ultimate All Wheel Cleaner G180124
Meguiar's MB0522 Mirror Bright Wheel Cleaner
Meguiar's Hot Rims Chrome Wheel Cleaner G19124
Meguiar's Hot Rims Wheel & Tire Cleaner G9524
Meguiar's Hot Rims Aluminum Wheel Cleaner G14324
We're talking brake dust here (the Chrome Wheel Cleaner does not apply to this question — at least I don’t think it does).
I used to use the "blue bottle" Aluminum Wheel Cleaner G14324 on the 16” slotted aluminum (alloy/whatever they’re called) rims on my 1998 Ford Explorer. This cleaner worked so amazingly well that it was almost unbelievable. It was a pleasure to work with. The rims would just literally shine after using this product no matter how dirty or dusty they were beforehand.
I now have a 2011 Ford Edge, we just put new factory 22” Ford Sport rims on it (see photo). I’ve seen these rims go by many different names, the best I can tell you is that they are called polished aluminum rims with a clear coat.
It looks to me like I can’t use the "blue bottle" Aluminum Wheel Cleaner G14324 any longer on our new wheels (which is a shame because it worked so good on the old wheels). So I narrowed the Meguiar’s selection down to two products (athough I would still love to be able to use the "blue bottle" product):
The "pink bottle" Hot Rims Wheel & Tire Cleaner G9524 (which I believe used to be simply called “All Wheel Cleaner”)
The “black bottle” Ultimate All Wheel Cleaner G180124
I would prefer not to use the Ultimate All Wheel Cleaner G180124 since it is a gel. I've heard a number of people say that it has a tendency to leave residue on the wheels and even stain a little bit if left too long. I would prefer to use something more similar to the old "blue bottle" compound (which I believe the "pink bottle" compound is like — more watery than gel). Meguiar's states that the "pink bottle" product is “safe and effective on factory painted and clear coated rims and tires” but there is no mention of pH for this product (correct me if I’m wrong but I have read that it is an acidic product which confuses me even more). Meguiar's states that the Ultimate All Wheel Cleaner G180124 gel is “pH balanced”.
And there is also a fifth product I noticed called Mirror Bright Wheel Cleaner MB0522 wich Meguiar's says is “excellent on wheels that are chrome, aluminum, polished, painted, etc”.
OMG. Help. Which one do I use? Safety, effectiveness and pH are all of utmost concern. Also, it is safe to use Meguiar's Ultimate Wash & Wax G17748 on our new rims (Meguiar’s says “clear coat safe surfactants gently clean the paint … and is pH neutral” so I assume that this would also apply to wheels, not just the body of the vehicle).
Sorry for the lengthy first post. I have a few other questions, 1) how long a person can get away without cleaning off brake dust and 2) finding a satin tire dressing product but I'll save them for another post.

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