Kaboom, the final long term test...
06-17-2003, 09:57 PM
#1
AudiWorld Super User
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 4,444
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Kaboom, the final long term test...
Bahn Burner finally got around to completing the "last word" in long term testing of the bathroom cleaning product turned ultra wheel cleaner, Kaboom. If you don't know what I'm talking about read <a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/detail/msgs/16216.phtml">this</a>.
Since my discovery, many have used Kaboom this Spring to remove the yellowing/staining that Winter has laid down on their wheels with great results. Others have warned of the use of acidic cleaners on wheels, and their apparent damaging effects to the clearcoat/paint.
This is where my testing came into play. I wanted to see how damaging Kaboom bathroom cleaner could be to a painted wheel. My <a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/detail/msgs/16495.phtml">first round</a> of testing resulted in an ultra clean Avus wheel, with absolutely no damage to the clearcoat.
With this round of testing, I wanted to do another severe application of Kaboom to the wheel. I also wanted to see what Kaboom's effect would be on certain metals. Included in the test were <b>steel, galvanized steel, painted steel, chromed steel, brass, copper, iron, aluminum, and plastic with chrome paint</b>. All items were given an application of Kaboom, and left to soak in a sealed bag with Kaboom for <b>1 week</b>!
<b>RESULTS:</b>
<b>Steel-</b>
Steel reacted quite easily with Kaboom, within one day of testing, the metal had rusted badly. By the end of the week the steel was fully coated in rust.
<b>Galvanized steel-</b>
Galvanized (Zinc) steel did not react at all, and remained normal for the entire week with no corrosion or pitting.
<b>Painted steel-</b>
Painted steel did not react at all, and remained normal.
<b>Chromed steel-</b>
Chromed steel almost instantly tarnished with the application of Kaboom. By the end of the week the chrome had almost completely blistered away from the steel.
<b>Brass-</b>
Brass tarnished within a few days, and by the end had pitted & corroded badly.
<b>Copper-</b>
Copper dissolved and pitted badly, also turning bright green.
<b>Iron-</b>
Iron rusted mildly with no pitting.
<b>Aluminum-</b>
Aluminum did not react at all, and remained normal.
<b>Plastic with chrome paint-</b>
The chrome appeard to oxidize badly at the end of the testing. After another application to clean the chrome paint, the oxidation washed away quite easily, and left the chrome paint normal/undamaged. This finding was to help with my Avus wheel findings.
<b>Avus wheel-</b>
Here is a "before" picture of the Avus test wheel after the first testing was complete. There was no loss of clearcoat gloss, and the wheel just kept getting cleaner & cleaner:
<img src="http://lh3.google.com/bahnburner/R9F2TCnhz3I/AAAAAAAAAVk/TnUC-6M5w1c/s800/DSC04204.JPG">
Here is a picture of the Avus test wheel after 1 week of soaking in Kaboom, with a <b>second</b> application of Kaboom half way through the week (I cleaned and wheel waxed it for this picture):
<img src="http://lh6.google.com/bahnburner/R9F3Kynhz4I/AAAAAAAAAVs/-5VkbKFvhS8/s800/DSC04306.JPG">
Upon first inspection of the Avus wheel, the clearcoat appeared to be damaged & soft to the touch, almost sticky. It looked like I was able to scratch it with the tip of my nails. I thought it was over, and Kaboom had finally won the clearcoat war. But upon further inspection, and after cleaning with <b>another</b> application of Kaboom, it was apparent that the clearcoat/paint was extremely dry and had a layer of oxidized material on the surface, which is why I applied the wheel wax. After applying the wheel wax, the wheel's surface was as smooth and glossy as ever! There are some minor scratches all over the surface of the wheel, which were present before the testing.
So there you have it. Even after a week soaked in Kaboom, the clearcoat remains intact. It is certainly apparent that the acidity of Kaboom is only able to dry out the clearcoat, and unable to dissolve it.
Someone had posted a few weeks back of applying Kaboom to a wheel, then leaving it outside for two weeks exposed to the elements. They said the surface of the wheel was easily scratchable after. I can only assume the paint/clearcoat of whatever wheel they applied Kaboom to was extremely oxidized. And had they cleaned and waxed as I did, would have returned the wheel's surface back to normal.
Keep in mind that this is extreme testing of Kaboom bathroom cleaner, and is not exactly how you would go about cleaning any wheel ever. The few minutes that you will be applying Kaboom to your wheels, then rinsing off will cause absolutely no harm to anything ever.
So feel free to use Kaboom on those nasty stained/yellowed wheels in the Spring, and on extremely dirty wheels year round without worries. Just follow the rule of taking the wheels off the car (which is usually a Spring cleaning project for most) before cleaning. Other than that, look at the results of my testing and figure out what you should never apply Kaboom onto. Chromed metal is the big one to keep it away from & I would also consider anodized metal/aluminum another big no no, even though I did not test any anodized metals.
Since my discovery, many have used Kaboom this Spring to remove the yellowing/staining that Winter has laid down on their wheels with great results. Others have warned of the use of acidic cleaners on wheels, and their apparent damaging effects to the clearcoat/paint.
This is where my testing came into play. I wanted to see how damaging Kaboom bathroom cleaner could be to a painted wheel. My <a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/detail/msgs/16495.phtml">first round</a> of testing resulted in an ultra clean Avus wheel, with absolutely no damage to the clearcoat.
With this round of testing, I wanted to do another severe application of Kaboom to the wheel. I also wanted to see what Kaboom's effect would be on certain metals. Included in the test were <b>steel, galvanized steel, painted steel, chromed steel, brass, copper, iron, aluminum, and plastic with chrome paint</b>. All items were given an application of Kaboom, and left to soak in a sealed bag with Kaboom for <b>1 week</b>!
<b>RESULTS:</b>
<b>Steel-</b>
Steel reacted quite easily with Kaboom, within one day of testing, the metal had rusted badly. By the end of the week the steel was fully coated in rust.
<b>Galvanized steel-</b>
Galvanized (Zinc) steel did not react at all, and remained normal for the entire week with no corrosion or pitting.
<b>Painted steel-</b>
Painted steel did not react at all, and remained normal.
<b>Chromed steel-</b>
Chromed steel almost instantly tarnished with the application of Kaboom. By the end of the week the chrome had almost completely blistered away from the steel.
<b>Brass-</b>
Brass tarnished within a few days, and by the end had pitted & corroded badly.
<b>Copper-</b>
Copper dissolved and pitted badly, also turning bright green.
<b>Iron-</b>
Iron rusted mildly with no pitting.
<b>Aluminum-</b>
Aluminum did not react at all, and remained normal.
<b>Plastic with chrome paint-</b>
The chrome appeard to oxidize badly at the end of the testing. After another application to clean the chrome paint, the oxidation washed away quite easily, and left the chrome paint normal/undamaged. This finding was to help with my Avus wheel findings.
<b>Avus wheel-</b>
Here is a "before" picture of the Avus test wheel after the first testing was complete. There was no loss of clearcoat gloss, and the wheel just kept getting cleaner & cleaner:
<img src="http://lh3.google.com/bahnburner/R9F2TCnhz3I/AAAAAAAAAVk/TnUC-6M5w1c/s800/DSC04204.JPG">
Here is a picture of the Avus test wheel after 1 week of soaking in Kaboom, with a <b>second</b> application of Kaboom half way through the week (I cleaned and wheel waxed it for this picture):
<img src="http://lh6.google.com/bahnburner/R9F3Kynhz4I/AAAAAAAAAVs/-5VkbKFvhS8/s800/DSC04306.JPG">
Upon first inspection of the Avus wheel, the clearcoat appeared to be damaged & soft to the touch, almost sticky. It looked like I was able to scratch it with the tip of my nails. I thought it was over, and Kaboom had finally won the clearcoat war. But upon further inspection, and after cleaning with <b>another</b> application of Kaboom, it was apparent that the clearcoat/paint was extremely dry and had a layer of oxidized material on the surface, which is why I applied the wheel wax. After applying the wheel wax, the wheel's surface was as smooth and glossy as ever! There are some minor scratches all over the surface of the wheel, which were present before the testing.
So there you have it. Even after a week soaked in Kaboom, the clearcoat remains intact. It is certainly apparent that the acidity of Kaboom is only able to dry out the clearcoat, and unable to dissolve it.
Someone had posted a few weeks back of applying Kaboom to a wheel, then leaving it outside for two weeks exposed to the elements. They said the surface of the wheel was easily scratchable after. I can only assume the paint/clearcoat of whatever wheel they applied Kaboom to was extremely oxidized. And had they cleaned and waxed as I did, would have returned the wheel's surface back to normal.
Keep in mind that this is extreme testing of Kaboom bathroom cleaner, and is not exactly how you would go about cleaning any wheel ever. The few minutes that you will be applying Kaboom to your wheels, then rinsing off will cause absolutely no harm to anything ever.
So feel free to use Kaboom on those nasty stained/yellowed wheels in the Spring, and on extremely dirty wheels year round without worries. Just follow the rule of taking the wheels off the car (which is usually a Spring cleaning project for most) before cleaning. Other than that, look at the results of my testing and figure out what you should never apply Kaboom onto. Chromed metal is the big one to keep it away from & I would also consider anodized metal/aluminum another big no no, even though I did not test any anodized metals.
06-18-2003, 09:20 AM
#6
so what was the residue left behind?
I doubt it was just the cleaner itself, and it's hard to say the clearcoat was undamaged when there's a mystery gunk left on the surface (possibly composed if dissolved clearcoat)
