P21S vs. Sonax...

mdbohica

New member
In the Red corner, P21S wheel cleaner that I have used and love.



In the Blue corner, Sonax wheel cleaner.



P21S has my heart but people have been talking about Sonax

Sonax is the newcomer and is more expensive, but it changes colors.



Let see which one of these champions walks away from this historic battle.



FIGHT!! :bat
 
Each seems like they have totally different cleaning chemistry. I never liked P21S that much and the Sonax stuff looks really interesting.
 
any reason for your dislike dave?



Sonax I think was said to be so basic that it is actually pretty caustic stuff (and definitely bad for your health) but having never tried it myself I can't make a judgement



The P21S wheel gel is what I have and use and I have to say, I like it--I mean for my BMW since the rims are shot it's a pain to get stuff out of the pits, but for the other cars I've worked on, I can even dilute the gel and still get some pretty great results, the tires I have to use some elbow grease to make sure I scrub dirt and stuff out, but for the wheels, normally a quick once around seems to be all I need
 
Sonax is completely pH neutral(7-7.5) and not basic at all. I have both of them but sonax cleans a bit better and works much faster. P21s is good but it requires a really long dwell time for serious wheels.
 
what do you do if the p21s dries though? I always wondered about that because I figured if it dries it doesn't really work so I sometiems would moisten it with a quick water spritz or just scrub...
 
Alexshimshimhae said:
any reason for your dislike dave?



Probably the worst wheel cleaner I've ever used. There is so many others that clean way better. The thing that is good about it is that it's safe to use on delicate wheels. But so is car wash shampoo with some elbow grease.:chuckle:
 
=[ I actually kind of like my p21s =[ well... mainly cause I have a hard time remembering which cars have what type of rims and then figuring out which product is safe for that type of rim...



might I ask what your preferred products are?
 
Greg Nichols brought me back a bottle of the Sonax wheel cleaner from Sema, and proceeded to demonstrate the stuff on my 'bees wheels. One of the best wheel cleaners I've had the pleasure of using. It cleans as well as acid based cleaners (like Meg's Wheel Brightener) without the acid.



Good stuff.
 
SuperBee364 said:
Greg Nichols brought me back a bottle of the Sonax wheel cleaner from Sema, and proceeded to demonstrate the stuff on my 'bees wheels. One of the best wheel cleaners I've had the pleasure of using. It cleans as well as acid based cleaners (like Meg's Wheel Brightener) without the acid.



Good stuff.



I never thought that wheel brightner is all that strong? Then I have used some really heavy acidics before though
 
Barry Theal said:
I never thought that wheel brightner is all that strong? Then I have used some really heavy acidics before though
Yeah, it's not... just threw the name in for a point of reference.



AeroCleanse said:
I hear that Sonax smells really nasty. For those that have used it, how bad is the smell?
I wouldn't use it to replace your "Little Tree" air freshener ;) but it's not that bad.
 
David Fermani said:
Probably the worst wheel cleaner I've ever used. There is so many others that clean way better. The thing that is good about it is that it's safe to use on delicate wheels. But so is car wash shampoo with some elbow grease.:chuckle:



I agree with Dave - I've tried P21S wheel cleaner many times because I always feel like I am missing something when people talk about it. I've tried it on bad wheels, good wheels, long dwell, short dwell, etc.. and never had much luck with it at all. I always felt like I could do a better job more quickly with soap, water, and 10 minutes of elbow grease.



Barry Theal said:
I never thought that wheel brightner is all that strong? Then I have used some really heavy acidics before though



Undiluted it's reasonably potent. Not the strongest stuff out there, though. If Sonax can do what WB does and is ph neutral that's pretty impressive, imo.
 
Sonax is very good and I have a 5 liter jug in my garage, but it still does not have the power of MWB.



MWB used FS will get more dust off of the wheels when used in a spray and rinse mode.



Sonax does better getting the embedded bits of bake dust off, but still requires agitation.
 
Barry Theal said:
I never thought that wheel brightner is all that strong? Then I have used some really heavy acidics before though



MWB is the strongest wheel cleaner I've used and it works very well on heavy brake dust. What have you used that is stronger, I hope not muratic acid.
 
I'm surprised to see so many people who think p21s is overrated. It's a safe medium strength cleaner at a premium price. Patience is key with this product. You literally have to spray it, go for lunch, and then come back and work it in to take full advantage of the cleaner.
 
blacK20 said:
I'm surprised to see so many people who think p21s is overrated. It's a safe medium strength cleaner at a premium price. Patience is key with this product. You literally have to spray it, go for lunch, and then come back and work it in to take full advantage of the cleaner.

Some don't have the time to wait.
 
I dunno normally I spray the wheels and tires down and I'll wash the rest of my car or clean my engine and then work on the wheel/tire...



I haven't had problems for hte most part--which makes me kkind of scared of what you guys are getting on your cars...does P21S work even though it dries?
 
I have been using SONAX for a year now, and it's very safe and effective. You can give it to anyone and not be afraid of damaging anything.





John
 
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