Meguiar’s Non-Acid Wheel and Tire Cleaner: Amazon / Walmart
Meguiar’s popular Non-Acid Wheel & Tire Cleaner is available in a ready-to-use formula in spray bottle form. This wheel & tire cleaner can be used on factory OEM clear-coated, painted, chrome wheels, and tires. However, the bottle does state that it should not be used on uncoated aluminum, anodized, magnesium, powder-coated, aftermarket or motorcycle wheels, and painted or colored brake components. So, it seems you’re safe you stick with OEM clear-coated and chrome wheels with this product.
Like many of the other wheel and tire cleaners out there, this product does a fairly good job at cleaning both wheels and tires. It is of course best used if agitated with a wheel barrel brush and a wheel face/tire brush. With coated wheels, it’s possible to spray this product on, allow it to sit, and then rinse off. In most cases however, agitation is necessary to fully clean the wheels.
This 32 oz. spray bottle doesn’t have much trigger resistance, so the trigger pulls easily and the spray pattern is good in that it easily disperses the product perfectly. I did notice that the doesn’t lather as much as other wheel & tire cleaners, so you may need to use a little more product that you’re used to especially when working in drier climates or if you’re working in the sun.
The scent is not overtly strong– it’s a mild fruity scent, which is pleasant to use. The color of the chemical is dark red or brown and changes color when it hits your dirty wheels, especially when it contacts the tires.
As you can see after a bit of scrubbing with a wheel barrel brush, general-use brush, and Meguiar’s Non-Acid Wheel & Tire Cleaner, my wheel and tire has come out looking extremely clean. One 32oz. bottle runs you about $20, but you can get a lot more value if you get the 1 gallon version (128oz.) that costs only an additional 15 bucks or so.
Overall, Meguiar’s Non-Acid Wheel & Tire Cleaner is a great general-use wheel/tire cleaner that is safe for most OEM wheels. It’s not as strong as other formulas out there, but it’s a nice, safe option for cleaning the majority of wheels out there. You can also be rest-assured that you’ll end up with a quality product, especially one that comes from a reputable brand like Meguiar’s.
