Product Review: Gyeon Iron Wheel Cleaner

My review of the Gyeon Iron Wheel Cleaner.  In short, the product exceeded my expectations.

I have never subscribed to the notion that an Iron Remover alone cleans wheels.  A dedicated iron particle dissolving product by itself (without surfactants) does not clean grime.  I also have realistic expectations about how clean a wheel can get without agitation, especially for non ceramic coated wheels.  I do not believe unicorns exist.

Particularly on high performance German made vehicles, even when not visible, I have seen the benefit the color changing effect revealing the chemical break down of hidden break dust.  In the past, a combination of a car soap for a presoak, with a Gtechniq W5 (APC) Citrus All Purpose Cleaner diluted 1 to 8, and a typical but not always Iron Remover product, has been my preferred method for cleaning wheels.  Although I have not tried many, I generally preferred this method over other wheel cleaners with color changing iron remover ingredients.  Gyeon Iron Wheel Cleaner may have changed my preference.

I believe based upon some of the (love versus not recommend) mixed feedback, there is a underlying misunderstanding about the value proposition of this product.  It is unrealistic for any product to be totally spray and rinse.  This is especially the case if your expectations balloon based upon an increase in price or are mindful about not using products that can more easily damage wheels.  Getting improved but not guaranteed perfect results with just a rinse off should be considered a win.  I also believe (the hated phrase) appropriate dwell time is is important.  To get very close to a spray and rinse full cleaning of wheels with a safer on wheels cleaning product, you NEED to have your wheels ceramic coated.

Instructions & Application:

For this Audi RS4 with a good deal of break dust and some neglect it became a good candidate to test this product.

Instructions call for 2 to 4 minutes of dwell time.

I started at 2 minutes with just the cleaner.

I foamed the area and left for 2 to 3 more minutes.  I then agitated the wheels with an assortment of brushes.

Often multiple applications are needed to get the wheels to this level.  But this made quick work.  For good measure I touched up the area with soap and water.  I believe this to be true for a variety of different kind of cleaning products, much of the end user disappointment is a result of not allowing enough dwell time prior to removal or secondary agitation.  These kinds of products I suspect fall in that category.  The dwell time for Gyeon Wheel Cleaner is a recommended 2 to 4 minute window.  I went slightly longer on a somewhat overcast morning in this situation.

Impressive.

I would not say it is perfect at cleaning or appropriate for all situations, where you can only use PH neutral car soap and water.  Different wheel types and different kinds of debris built up on wheels change the variables.  I may not always stick to Gyeon Wheel whether it be wheel type or other reasons.  But this will likely be my preferred combination, particularly on abandoned or (you know why) German vehicles.  There are several other dedicated wheel cleaners that I have used.  Some I would consider to be good options.  Yet I would prefer this product (Gyeon Iron Wheel Cleaner) easily over those.  I believe the price point is good as well.