If you’re looking for a concentrated wheel shampoo for your precious alloy wheels, then British brand Auto Finesse have a wheel soap for you. Revolution Wheel Soap is the latest in the line-up of Auto Finesse car cleaning products. In this Auto Finesse review, we take a deep dive into a bucket of Auto Finesse Revolution Wheel Soap to see how well it performs.
Auto Finesse Revolution Wheel Soap Product Description
Revolution is an advanced deep cleaning wash solution designed to break down brake dust and road grime. This ph neutral wheel shampoo is tough on dirt but gentle on painted, polished, anodised and other specialist wheel finishes.
You can be dilute it to differing strengths and use it as a wheel soap, wheel cleaner and undercarriage cleaner. It has a clean, fresh scent which is boosted when the product is foamed using warm water.
The ingredients in this wheel soap include pH neutral cleaning agents, blended with degreasers, deep cleaners and active surfactants. High-foaming anionic cleaning agents lift and encapsulate particulates and the degreasing agents emulsify oil-based contamination into the solution.
About the Auto Finesse Brand
The Auto Finesse brand was originally born in 1999. Then named JB’s Valeting Service, the company covered the Grater London area valeting and detailing high end luxury and sports vehicles. It was only in 2005 that the Auto Finesse moniker became the official company name with their first product range launching in 2011.
At first, Auto Finesse offered just seven products. However, a programme of continual product development saw their range expand and global distribution follow just two years later in 2013. Auto Finesse products are on sale throughout Europe, Asia and the United States. Recently, markets in Thailand, Mexico and Australia have opened up to the British brand, cementing them as global players in the car care sector.
Brand awareness in the UK was boosted with UK retailers Halfords and Euro Car Parts stocking the range at over 1,000 locations. Producing over 4,000 products per day, Auto Finesse have grown to meet both UK and global demand. In 2019, the company launched a detailing academy at their flagship store and expanded their manufacturing facilities during 2020.
How to Use Auto Finesse Revolution Wheel Shampoo
Wheel Shampoo Mixture Ratio
This Auto Finesse ph neutral wheel shampoo is gentle enough that you can use it during regular maintenance washes. The best way to use Auto Finesse Revolution Wheel Shampoo is in the traditional way. Simply pour 20ml – 30ml (depending on water hardness) of the wheel soap into a 5 gallon or 20 liter bucket. Fill the bucket with water, preferably warm water. Warm water will increase the cleaning power.
PRO TIP
Always read the manufacturer instructions before using any chemical product.
Using your pressure washer lance, froth the mixture and create thick, slick soap suds. To maximise the soap suds, place the tip of your pressure washer lance or garden hose below the water line in your bucket. Then spray a jet of water into the bucket to create even more, wheel soap suds.
Auto Finesse Wash Wheels
Clean your wheel using a generous amount of the soap mixture and agitate with a range of suitable wheel brushes, wheel woollies and/or microfiber wash mitts. Working the wheel soap mixture in and around the wheel isn’t done just to clean off the dirt, grime and brake dust. It’s done to ensure that the wheel soap is worked into all areas, allowing it to breakdown and encapsulate any contamination.
Once you’ve thoroughly cleaned every facet of your wheel face, inner wheel barrel, brake calliper, tire sidewall and wheel arch/fender liner, rinse with clean water.
PRO TIP
Dilute in warm water to increase the cleaning power.
If you live in a hard-water area, or need more cleaning power, simply add more wheel shampoo to your bucket and re-froth the mixture with your pressure washer lance.
Ease of Use of Auto Finesse Revolution Wheel Shampoo
Auto Finesse Revolution is a simple to use, concentrated wheel shampoo. You use it just like any other regular car shampoo. Simply dilute the soap to strength in a bucket of warm water. It foams up nicely and does a good job of cleaning alloy wheels, wheel arches and fender liners.
If your wheels are regularly maintained, therefore requiring less cleaning power, increase the dilution ratio to weaken the mixture. If your wheels are heavily soiled, then decrease the dilution ratio, adding more soap to make a stronger cleaning solution.
Benefits of Using Auto Finesse Revolution Wheel Shampoo
Auto Finesse Revolution is a high performing concentrated wheel shampoo. It has a clean, fresh fragrance and foams up well, creating thick suds.
The suds aren’t particularly long lasting but this is an issue which most wheel shampoos suffer with. Wheels are often the dirtiest, most heavily contaminated area of any vehicle. If your dirty wash mitts, wheel brushes and wheel woollies are returned to the wash bucket, this dirt will kill the suds and pollute the wash bucket.
On a positive note, being a concentrate, you only need around 20ml of soap for each wash. A 500ml bottle of Auto Finesse Wheel Soap will last the average home user for quite some time.
Revolution Wheel Soap is pH neutral and gentle on painted, polished, anodised and other specialist wheel finishes.
Value for Money of Revolution Wheel Shampoo
Revolution Wheel Soap is an ultra-concentrate formula which you dilute to strength. With a cost of around $12.00, a 500ml bottle of Revolution Wheel Soap represents excellent value for money. The cost of application, based on an average of 20ml of product per application, is just $0.50.
This seems like great value but we we’re initially dubious about the recommended dose of just 20ml (2-3 capfuls). So, is 2-3 capfuls of wheel soap enough? For cleaning well cared for alloy wheels, then yes, this dilution is sufficient. If you live in a hard-water area, or need more cleaning power, you may need to add more wheel shampoo to mixture.
Auto Finesse Packaging
All of the current range of Auto Finesse cleaning and detailing products come in standard 500ml ‘Boston Roll Top’ plastic bottles.
Many of the Auto Finesse product bottles, Revolution included, feature a pop-up ‘disc-top’ dispensing bottle lid. This is handy if you want to accurately dispense and measure out precise doses. Personally, I like this type of lid and bottle combination as it’s easy to squeeze out just the right amount of product.
Occasionally, these disc top bottle lids can become clogged. You can clean these clogged lids easily. Simply remove the lid and clean it with warm water.
The labelling is clean, crisp and includes clear user instructions. The labels are printed on tough, chemically resistant polyester type labels.
Conclusion
If your car is well cared for and harsh chemical wheel cleaners aren’t regularly required, then a gentle wheel shampoo is a good option. Dedicated wheel shampoos like Auto Finesse Revolution are an important tool in the arsenal of both the professional and amateur detailer alike.
Revolution Wheel Soap is a good addition to your detailing toolbox. Our experience with it has shown that it’s not the most powerful wheel soap we’ve tested. However it doesn’t really need to be if your wheels are regularly maintained. Auto Finesse Revolution does a great job of safely removing dirt, grease, grime and brake dust from wheels that are cleaned regularly. It’s a ph neutral wheel shampoo, safe to use on almost every wheel finish and concentrated, which means a little soap goes a long way.
If you need to clean unloved alloy wheels that are looking well past their prime, then this isn’t the right product. But if you need a wheel soap to keep your well-loved wheels looking their best – this could be the wheel soap for you.