Chemical Guys Diablo Gel Rim and Wheel Cleaner Product Reviews
Professional Detailer Reviews
Mixed at a ratio of 3:1 Diablo Wheel Gel easily cut through and left the wheels looking great with very minimal effort. Not only is it a great value and smell great, it works very well and is safe on all surfaces which is extremely important to me. This product contains no harmful chemicals and is completely bio-degradable. With the types of cars I'm working on day in and day out, the last thing I need to worry about is damaging any wheels.
The main reason I tried Diablo is because it's safe for all wheel finishes, which is the most important thing to me in a wheel cleaner. It's also very effective. Another great thing about it is the smell, which is so good and sweet that you can easily mistake it for a tropical drink or bubble gum :). Makes cleaning wheels a bit easier as I at least don't have to smell anything bad.
Customer Reviews
Reviewed by George W. on 10/13/2021
Would they buy this item again? No
Poor product. Didn't work on very dirty wheels at low or high concentration, nor with longer dwell time. Combination of high concentration and long dwell time, despite not cleaning well, seemed to dull the rims. One of the worst car products I've ever used. DI sells many good ones--buy one of them instead. (My favorite so far for very dirty wheels is Sonax Wheel Cleaner Plus--works amazingly well!)
I bought Diablo Gel after purchasing the watered down version at Wally World (never heard of it before). I figured that the average results I got could be improved if I controled the dilution ratio. I have black rims so grime shows up as a dull black residue.
After using Diablo Gel at a 3:1 ratio, I would say the results were still average. I still had to scrub as I did with the Wally World offering.
It does very little at removing old tire dressing but the rims turned out great. It has a very pleasant "bubble gum" scent. So it performs well on rims but minimally on tires. I didnt get ripped off but will be getting P&S Brake Buster to try next time.
After using Diablo Gel at a 3:1 ratio, I would say the results were still average. I still had to scrub as I did with the Wally World offering.
It does very little at removing old tire dressing but the rims turned out great. It has a very pleasant "bubble gum" scent. So it performs well on rims but minimally on tires. I didnt get ripped off but will be getting P&S Brake Buster to try next time.
Tried different dilution ratios from 6:1 to 1:1 and does not do anything. Thought maybe I wasn't letting it dwell long enough, but still no effects. Only good thing about I can say about this product is what a nice smell it is, but that's about it, just like any other CG products.
If this product worked well enough, would've been great money savior, but it was another let down. The worst CG product I've tried.
If this product worked well enough, would've been great money savior, but it was another let down. The worst CG product I've tried.
This is absolutely worthless products.
IMO chemical guys make terrible products but I did like their soaps and I had some hope for this product.
It was also cheap, but it's not even worth $5.
diluted 1:3 per direction and it clinged pretty well.
However result was terrible, it did terrible job lifting baked brake dust and grime.
This will not clean your wheels unless you do heavy scrubbing, it was washing with regular car soap.
Diluted APC works better.
DO NOT BUY.
IMO chemical guys make terrible products but I did like their soaps and I had some hope for this product.
It was also cheap, but it's not even worth $5.
diluted 1:3 per direction and it clinged pretty well.
However result was terrible, it did terrible job lifting baked brake dust and grime.
This will not clean your wheels unless you do heavy scrubbing, it was washing with regular car soap.
Diluted APC works better.
DO NOT BUY.
I followed the instructions when I bought this. I used this on the inside of my rims and on the Brembo's. It looked like it cleaned it inside really well after washing it. Once the wheels dried, it went back to the caked on brake dust. I even used a wheel brush to scrub at it. It took some dirt off but not what I was expecting. I ended up buying CarPro Iron X. That works like a charm. I may not buy this again. The only + about this stuff is that it smells great. But smell isn't going to clean them rims.
It works great for maintenance cleaning. I diluted 3:1 agitated with a soft brush and rinsed. The wheels came out great. A 16oz bottle will last a while when diluted.
Finally tried this wheel cleaner, and I'm impressed. I diluted it a bit more than suggested and it still cut right through the brake dust. I paired it with the DI EZ Detail brush for a perfect clean. This stuff smells great and cleans wheels with little effort.
Reviewed by Robert A. on 10/24/2014
Would they buy this item again? Yes
Great wheel cleaner!! Creates a lot of suds and when paired with the right brushes, it is a perfect product. I diluted it according to the directions on the bottle and have so much product. It is going to last me at least 2 years. I clean my wheels with this occasionally. Other times I use diluted ONR. This product is great for anyone not wanting to break the bank on wheel cleaner. Has great cleaning ability and last a long time. Thumbs up.
Reviewed by Robert A. on 10/24/2014
Would they buy this item again? Yes
Great wheel cleaner!! Creates a lot of suds and when paired with the right brushes, it is a perfect product. I diluted it according to the directions on the bottle and have so much product. It is going to last me at least 2 years. I clean my wheels with this occasionally. Other times I use diluted ONR. This product is great for anyone not wanting to break the bank on wheel cleaner. Has great cleaning ability and last a long time. Thumbs up.
I diluted 3:1 per instructions on the bottle. Sprayed it on and left it for 10 minutes. Though it is a gel there is still some runoff but it sticks enough so there is no problem. I was impressed with how well it cleaned the wheels (haven't done this in a while). Brushed it off and the wheels shined. I polished and put on a coat of Poor Boys Wheel Sealant so I don't know how often I will have to use Diablo. I tend to spray it on pretty thoroughly so I used a third of the diluted bottle. Works well and don't think I'll need to use it often.
Great for maintenance cleaning! Smells great and cleans well. Also a plus that you can dilute it - great bang for your buck! I use it at 4:1 for typical maintenance washing and wheels that are not heavily soiled.
This stuff is worthless. I used a 3/1 ratio and it has very little cleaning power when sprayed directly on my rims. I compared this to just spraying CG Ecowash using same type of spray bottle and the Ecowash removed all the brake dust while the Diablo didn't do much at all. I'm going to try an ONR mix next time I clean my rims, bet it does better than Diablo too.
Reviewed by Grant P. on 10/6/2011
Would they buy this item again? Yes
Great CG product as always. I dilute 3:1 and it helps breakdown dirt/grime on wheels. It is definitely no P21S or Sonax but for the price, it is a great pH balanced wheel cleaner that is great for everyday washes.
I use this wheel cleaner very frequently. The value is great, I cut it 3:1 and it works great. I only use something stronger like P21S when I clean wheels that haven't been cleaned in months.
I received a bottle courtesy of DI. Following the "instructions" and dilluting 6:1 it's pretty watery and needs a brush or cloth to really remove any dirt. Going to mix it at 3:1 and see how that works.
Does it work as well as P21S or Sonax? No. Is it much more cost effective and just as safe? Yes. I use this wheel cleaner on wheels that are in decent shape. Dirty, but not terrible. The terrible wheels get the expensive Sonax or P21s because they just plain do a better job. That being said though this is a great wheel cleaner for the price as long as you don't expect miracles. My favorite aspect of this product is how well it sticks to the wheels. It is a true gel even wheel diluted which allows a longer than normal dwell time.
I bought this product because of its saftey on all wheel types, but the more I use it the less I'm impressed with it. I really need to try P21s to compare, but I dont think I am going to purchase this anymore.
I have gone through 2 gallons of this Diablo Gel Wheel Cleaner and I can say that it is safe on all wheels like P21S Gel, but is nowhere near as powerful. It is good for maintenance cleanings, but it will not strip durable tire dressings the way P21S Gel will. Diluting it 3:1 is really the best bet...any weaker and it just becomes too watery. Any stronger and most sprayers will not suck the product out evenly. While I would recommend this product to someone looking for wheel safety, the cheaper Sticky Gel is significantly more powerful at the equivalent dilution ratios.
I mixed some in a bucket with water, and applied with a brush, gently. After letting it work for a few minutes only, all the dirt and brake dust just washed off. No scrubbing needed.
Im on the fence with this product. Seems the dilution ratio needs to be closer to 2:1 to be effective in my eyes. Still requires a fair amount of scrubbing. Does nothing for cleaning tires in my experience.
For the Ferrari and Maserati wheels, Im not ready to repalce P21s gel with this just yet.
For regular maintenance use, soap and/or a 10:1 diluted degreaser seems to do the same thing for me.
For the Ferrari and Maserati wheels, Im not ready to repalce P21s gel with this just yet.
For regular maintenance use, soap and/or a 10:1 diluted degreaser seems to do the same thing for me.
I diluted it 3 to 1 and I'm not impressed. Lots of brushing to get the wheels clean. It doesn't work nearly as well as p21s.
I diluted it 2:1. sprayed it on,dwelled for three minutes,and rinsed. On real dirty wheels it needed a brush.
Still, the best for really bad wheels is Meg's WB.
Still, the best for really bad wheels is Meg's WB.
I tested with 1:4 and 1:5. It both worked well. much like P21s wheel cleaner. But still it is more cheaper than P21s. I just love it. by the way it smells good too. :)
The last 3 opportunities that I have had to clean my car, I have used Diablo for the wheels and tires on my Acura TL-S. I have been very happy with the results. The product has a great bubble-gum scent. I diluted it 3:1 like the instructions recommended, and it worked great to remove all brake dust and gunk that had built up after a week of rainy weather. It suds up nicely, rinses off easily, and I like how it lasts longer than some other wheel/tire cleaners that can only be used at full strength. This is a very satisfying product to use, and it is one that I would recommend highly. Gallon purchases are in my future.
This stuff is great. I used it at 4:1, sprayed it then walked away for a couple minutes and when I came back the rim looked clean. I still had to use a brush for some parts but the grime all came off pretty easy. I will definitely be buying some more.
Reviewed by Matt B. on 10/27/2009
Would they buy this item again? Yes
I purchased diablo the day it was released from CG. I actually did a head to head comparison to the 'green stuff' and found that they work equally well. I would not mix diablo 6:1 though it becomes to 'watery' I mix 3:1 and it is great, plus you still get a great value compared to the other ph neutral cleaners. 3x more product for the same price.
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