Review: Eagle One A2Z Wheel and Tire Cleaner

Yep, its springtime again, and we all know what that means! Uh-huh, time to detail the &$*%@&* cars again. My back ain't what it used to be, so I figured I'd spend the extra money on one of them "short cut" wheel cleaners. This way, I might not have to get down on my knees and scrub about five months of brake dust and road grime off of them.

So I stopped in the local Auto Zone, and they were running a 2 for 1 special on all Eagle One products, so I grabbed a couple aerosol cans of Eagle One A2Z All Wheel and Tire Cleaner and headed home to spend the next several hours trying to make our cars look new again.

The concept of Eagle One Wheel and Tire Cleaner is pretty basic; just spray it on, and hose it off. As I was getting ready to start washing, the instructions tell me I have to use this stuff on cool, dry wheels, which caused the actual washing of our Eclipse to be postponed for a half hour. When wheels were sufficiently cooled enough to touch, I sprayed the first wheel liberally with the stuff (do so only in a well-ventilated area, even though the fumes aren't as strong as you'd think!), letting it sit and foam up for 30 seconds.

And boy does it foam up! The first thing you'll see is the white foam that has engulfed the tire turning brown, as if you are cleaning an oven! It is very strong, but claims to be safe for all kinds of finishes, like mag, alloy, aluminum, chrome, and clearcoat (like the wheels on both my cars). One word of warning, though; it will kill your grass and stain your driveway, so choose your washing site wisely (my driveway is blacktop, so that don't matter to me much).

Another bomb the instructions dropped on me was that you can only clean one wheel at a time and dry it immediately after it is rinsed. It seems Eagle One Tire and Wheel Cleaner is rather strong, and will leave spots all over your kick-ass 22" spinners if you ain't quick with a towel. That right there will slow you down immensely. Additionally, if the wheels are exceptionally dirty (as in, almost 2 season's worth of brake dust), you will have to scrub them anyway. So much for an easy way out of the toughest chore associated with washing your car!

The good news is that it does a good job! Much better than Dawn or Mister Clean on wheels, anyway. The foam keeps its promise of breaking up caked-on brake dust and other filth from the highway. I wiped the wheels of our Eclipse thoroughly with a soapy washcloth, making sure to flood away all the grime. Immediately after rinsing the first wheel with a high pressure stream of water, I dried it off thoroughly with a dry towel (DO NOT use your good towels for this....DUH!)

I must say, I was impressed when I stepped back to assess my work! The wheel was spot free, and for the first time, I noticed they were painted with a bee-yootiful silver metalflake basecoat! Oh, yeah, them wheels looked GOOD! Took only 15 minutes (remember, the were filthy!); one down, three to go!

As the accompanying picture shows, Eagle One A2Z All Wheel and Tire Cleaner is pretty good stuff, although, as one might expect, does not perform like the "impossible-for-the-consumer-to-find" professional auto detailing products. It's strengths lie in its convenient spray can (with no CFC's), its foaming action that cleans more aggressively, and that it lives up to its promise that it wouldn't harm the finish of wheels that had been clear-coated.

Its negatives include not being able to even let the rinse water dry (will leave spots that become impossible to remove), having to only clean one wheel at a time (to prevent aforementioned spotting), and additional scrubbing of heavily-soiled wheels. Remember, the first cleaning of the spring is the most difficult, and Eagle One A2Z All Wheel and Tire Cleaner will keep your wheels clean without having to scrub them (as much), just so long as don't let them get too dirty.

I am not sorry I bought this stuff. It does a good job, but teaches us all yet another lesson about manufacturer's claims on the labels of their products. It does what it was designed to do, yet actually requires much more work than you are led to believe..