Autostolz Brake Dust & Iron Remover 5 Litre

This is our favorite Iron remover.  Most manufacturers use industrial grade chemicals in their Iron Remover, Autosoltz use Cosmetic grade ram materials that are purer.  All Iron removers have a distinct sulfur like smell, but the Autosoltz smell is not as strong due to the purer raw materials used, making it nicer to work with.  It still smells, but not as bad.  We also find it works better than others., perhaps also due to the purity.  

Iron removers are great tools, and a top product for professional detailers, both to remove brake dust and to decontaminate a vehicle before paint correction.

Iron removers are not wheel cleaners.  They are Iron removers.  Brake dust is fine iron particles, when you brake the calipers push the brake pads against the brake disk, the friction slows your vehicle and also wears the pads and brake disk.  This friction causes heat and also fine iron particles of the worn iron from the brake pads, this is what brake dust is.  This fine iron dust is hot as it leaves the brake pads, and when it lands on your wheels or surrounding areas on your vehicle, can bond to the surface.  This can make it very difficult to remove through normal wheel cleaning.  If left on your wheel, the iron will begin to rust and will etch into the surface of your wheel creating cavitation, when this happens the only fix is to machine polish the top eroded surface down.  Removing Iron from your wheels not only improves the look and makes cleaning your wheels easier, it also prevents corrosion to your wheels.

Iron removers are not designed to clean dirt and grime.  They do their job and they do it well.  Its chemistry, based on a chemical reaction for Fe Iron.  You may find that simply using an Iron remover will be good enough to clean your wheels from time to time, but Iron removers are not designed for cleaning road grime or dirt.  If you use an Iron remover to remove iron, and there is still dirt on the wheel, that is not that the Iron remover didn't work, it's that it worked on the Iron, as it should, but not on the grime and dirt.  For that you need a wheel cleaner.

As the Iron Remover reacts with the Iron, it will change colour to a purple/red.  Often referred to as "bleeding", This shows you the chemical is reacting with Iron, confirming that Iron is present.  Allow it to react but do not let it dry on.  This is very important.  Work 1 wheel at a time, do not use on hot wheels, make sure the wheels are cool to touch.  Rinse off ensuring all product if removed.  Repeat if necessary, if you spray and the product does not change colour then no iron is present.

Normally with Iron removers you see reviews that are very good, then you see someone who gives one a bad review, these are people who do not read the instructions or expect it to do things it is not designed to do. This will do exactly what it is meant to do, it will remover Iron.  If you rinse it off before it dry it is safe to use on all surfaces. 

We have products that combine Iron removers and wheel cleaners together, however we find the chemistry of each does not work well together, and often you will let a wheel cleaner dwell longer than in Iron remover.  Fireballs Wheel+ Iron (previously caller Wheel++), is pretty good at combining, but most others struggle.  We recommend you are better to have Iron Remover and Wheel cleaner as separate targeted products.  

From Autostolz:

Efficient Iron remover for brake dust and ferrous iron (Fe2+). Binds to Iron particles, dissolving them. Pulls Iron from the surface. Colour change indicates particles being chemically dissolved. Brake dust and Iron is easier to remove.

Particles are encapsulated to reduce scratch risk when rinsing. Fast Working. Low Odour.

DIRECTIONS:

Shake bottle well. Ensure surface is cool to touch and out of direct sunlight.

Spray onto surface evenly, watch for colour change. Do not let dry. Agitate if necessary. Rinse thoroughly to remove chemical, dissolved contaminants and residue. For high contamination areas repeat until surface is free of iron particles.

Use on cool surfaces only, surface should not exceed 30⁰C (86⁰F).

With all chemicals always do a small, subtle test spot first. Do not let freeze.