Iron Remover

An iron remover is a handy product to have in your arsenal. An iron remover, as the name implies, removes loose iron particles that shouldn't be there. This could be anything, fly rust, industrial deposits, brake dust, and so on. These end up on your paintwork because of daily traffic or simply because of where you park your car. You will find that if you regularly drive near train tracks or near industrial parks that you will get much more fly rust on your car than when driving around small towns. The type of brakes you have on your car will also affect this. In fact, some sports cars have special brakes that create more dust and therefore will suffer more from fly rust.

An iron remover reacts to these iron particles stuck in the paint of your car. When you spray the iron remover on these spots, you will see that after a certain time it will turn dark red purple. This means that the product is doing its job and is loosening the iron particles so that it can be safely removed. This is the same action that many rim cleaners use. This is because the rims also often have a buildup of iron particles due to the brake dust released when you drive your car. Although much of the formula and action is the same, they are still 2 different products. This is because a rim cleaner has other chemicals in its formula that are made to remove dirt from your wheels. It foams and it is usually runny so there is a good glide when you work dirt loose with a brush and that the dirt can run off.

The formula and action of an iron remover is different. It is made such that it has maximum concentration to remove iron particles, so it will work better than a rim cleaner. In addition, it is also formula that stays on the paint better so that it can do its action without immediately sliding off door panels, for example. You get maximum performance from the iron remover because of this. Often because the formula is also more concentrated, the typical smell of the iron remover will also be more present than with a rim cleaner. Although this is not always the case with modern products anymore.

You can also choose to use the ice remover as a touchless rim cleaner if time is short. This is mostly done on wheels that have a coating. Since that coating already prevents dirt from adhering to the rims, usually embedded brake dust is the most difficult to remove. We say hardest now, but this is compared to street dirt on coated rims. In fact, rims that have a coating are super easy to clean. But the brake dust, out of all the dirt, is the hardest to remove, which is why it is chosen during a touchless wash to clean the rims with an iron remover. When you spray the rims with this and then let it soak in and then hose them off again with a pressure washer, you will find that they are 99% clean if your coating is still working well.

Therefore, an iron remover is a necessity when maintaining coatings. This is because coatings have small pores. They are good at repelling water and dirt, but stubborn dirt such as iron particles and tar can build up after a few months to the point where you will find that the water and dirt repelling properties begin to deteriorate. This is because the pores begin to be full of this ingrained dirt that you can't simply remove. When you treat these with an iron remover and a tar remover, you will find that the water and dirt repelling properties will be restored, if there is still a coating present. We do recommend using a pH-neutral iron remover. Since some iron removers are acid-based, that can also harm the coating.

It is recommended anyway to give a car a clay treatment before sanding or polishing. But it is also recommended to use an iron remover before you clay. By using an iron remover first, your clay will have much less work and you're also going to have less “marring” scratches during the claying process. There are also some iron removers that can be used during claying so you can remove fly rust while claying. Although we do not fully support this as we often find that these products do not glide as much that clay lube.

So an iron remover is a product that everyone who would like to get their car shiny again needs. Even when you think that there is no fly rust on the car, you will find that if you inject the car with an iron remover there will still be considerable fly rust coming off. You can easily hose these off with a pressure washer or garden hose. In extreme cases, you can also rub the paintwork with a microfiber cloth during treatment to give the product additional effect. Although we recommend avoiding this as much as possible. You will notice that after a treatment with an ice remover the paintwork will have more shine and reflection because the pores are opened again and the varnish layer is no longer covered with ingrained dirt. You can buy both pH neutral and acidic iron remover at Custom Car Care. The acidic iron remover works a little better and is often cheaper, but it can also be harmful to plastic parts. Always use it on a cool surface and never in direct sunlight. Also, never let the iron remover dry.