Product Review: IGL Coatings Ecoclean Iron
by Ian Martinez
Removing iron deposits is a crucial part of cleansing a vehicle’s paint for a perfect finish. This is especially true of white vehicles as removing any and all contamination will bring out its purity in its color.
I know what your thinking, can’t I just clay it? And technically, yes. However, iron deposits can be difficult to remove with just clay, so doing both not only produces a better result, but makes the job easier. Not to mention the visual it provides really shows your clients the contamination being removed.
With all of that said, how is IGL Coatings Ecoclean Iron? On first look, it states “low odor” which if you’ve ever used an iron remover this is VERY important, ever used Iron-X? Now while the smell is still bad, it is true to its description in being “low”. It doesn’t overpower you and take over your soul like some others.
Here is the before state of the vehicle we were working with.
As you can see it was very effective in lifting the contamination off of this white paint.
Simply wash the vehicle, then spray the entire paint with IGL Iron. Do NOT do this in direct sun because if it dries it can damage the paint.
See the iron being pulled out of the paint.
Then rinse very thoroughly and you can proceed to clay.
The one gripe I do have is the sprayer nozzle that comes with it. You can see how it sort of “leaks” out, which is common for these adjustable nozzles. A quick nozzle change and this product is a winner.
That low odor is no joke. It is a much better experience to work with this, then other iron removers I have used on the market.
Will an Iron removal product harm a finish that has been ceramic coated?
Gilbert,
No it will not, just don’t let it dry on the pint or do it on the sun, but that’s the case anytime you use an iron remover.
However, you shouldn’t need to use one as the coating usually prevent the iron from really embedding into the paint and you could just use a clay bar
Thank you. I am new to ceramic coatings. I live in upstate NY and the pressure washer is the only washing tool the vehicles get in the winter. The coating definitely kept the car cleaner. The first good washing in the spring sometimes reveals everything that winter left behind. I will use clay to remove any contaminates. It’s still snowing here so the first thorough cleaning might have to wait a while.
From what I’ve read and talked to other detailers about, it’s really not recommended to clay a car that has been ceramic coated. Clay is an abrasive and has the possibility of damaging the coating.
As long as you are using a clay on the finer side, using enough lubrication and not being too aggressive it is perfectly fine, you are just removing any contamination that has been embedded into the coating.