A car is a big investment for most people. It’s also one of the largest investments you can make in your life, not counting your home.
If you want to protect that investment, then you need to take care of it and keep it looking good at all times. One way to do that is by using an iron remover product on your car paint every few months to remove any rust or stains from the vehicle’s surface before they permanently damage the finish.
In this article, we’re going to review six popular iron removers for cars and give our opinion on which one is best! Stay with us!
Top 6 Best Iron Fallout Remover for Car Paint:
1. CARPRO IronX Iron Remover – 500mL Spray Bottle
Carpro’s never disappointed us with their lineup of cleaning products, and everything we checked out about their IronX Iron Remover tells us we’ll be equally happy with their Iron Remover.
The best part is that when it comes to removing rust, it provides over-the-top performance. Spray the iron remover, wait about 5 minutes, and rub with a brush to remove any spots of dirt, iron, or brake dust within minutes.
Unlike some strong iron removers, we also love that you can apply the Carpro IronX Iron Remover on wheels, gloss paint, polished metal, glass, chrome, and even paint.
You’ll find the product available in several quantities, but the most commonly available for us was the 16.8 Fl. Oz. bottle, the 33.81 Fl. Oz. bottle, and the larger 135. Fl Oz. bottle.
Pros:
- Removes rust spots and brake dust in minutes
- Reacts with ferrous metal particles and turns purple for clear visibility
- You can sponge it down easily after it turns purple.
- Smoothens auto body surfaces and removes contaminants you didn’t even know were there.
Cons:
- It doesn’t smell good. Like, ran-over-skunk bad.
- You should also remember that this Iron Remover will inevitably cause clear-coat failure after a few applications.
2. Adam’s Iron Remover Gallon – Iron Out Fallout Rust Remover Spray
The Adam’s Iron Remover Spray might come in second, but in terms of performance, it’s an Iron Remover that can give the CARPRO IronX a run for its money.
Both of the products are phenomenal iron removers when you get down to it, but they come with one significant point of difference: the Adam’s Iron Remover needs much less scrubbing and brushing overall.
From our research, it’s not as chemically strong as the Carpro product but works just as well for removing below-surface deposits of ferrous iron, making it the perfect companion to your clay bar.
Pros:
- The product acts quickly and efficiently to get rid of iron spots.
- Doesn’t stain your trim immediately on first contact
- Very easy to wash off with a hose after it turns purple
- Removes dirt spots and other contaminants as well as iron, rust, and brake dust
Cons:
- Even if used sparingly, the 128 Fl. Oz. pack (the largest size available) proved too little for larger vehicles like trucks.
- Applying the Adam’s Iron Remover on warm room temperatures has a chance of staining black paint.
3. GYEON Quartz Q²M Iron 1000 ml – Iron Remover
If value for your money is what you’re looking for, we’d say it’s hard to do better than the GYEON Quartz Q²M Iron 1000 ml – Iron Remover, which we thought was among one of the best performing iron cleaners we saw.
Unlike some iron cleaners that need to be applied in generous amounts, this small 1000-ml bottle will last you several cars, or even most of an SUV or RV if you use it judiciously.
The Quartz Q²M Iron Remover is a heavy-duty cleaner that gets rid of years of caked-on brake dust, rail dust, and rust spots in one go, but we thought we should warn you that it smells even worse than the CARPRO IronX, if that’s possible.
If you’re going to use this iron remover, we’d recommend an open area instead of your garage.
Pros:
- Safe for use on wheels since it doesn’t affect tires
- It gets to work in just a couple of minutes, so you don’t have to wait too long.
- Excellent for use as a wheel cleaner
- 500ml bottle comes with a GYEON hand sprayer
Cons:
- Horrible smell that lingers around even after use
- Pricey when compared to other iron removers
4. Griot’s Garage 10948 Iron & Fallout Remover 35oz
We couldn’t have finished off this list without a Griot’s Garage product, could we? The Griot’s Garage 10948 Iron & Fallout Remover is a well-performing iron remover that, thankfully, doesn’t smell anywhere near as bad as the GYEON Quartz Q²M Iron Remover.
It’s less acidic than both the GYEON and CARPRO products, so while it won’t be as penetrative, the Griot’s Garage Iron Remover will also preserve your clear coat longer. Surprisingly, this iron remover worked better than most at removing under-surface deposits.
After being sprayed on, the product is clingy to all surfaces, so the purple run-off sticks to your car and doesn’t coat your floor instead.
Pros:
- Cost-effective but very efficient product
- It comes with a high-quality sprayer with excellent spray control.
- Light citrus smell that doesn’t attack your nostrils
- 35 Oz. bottle is enough for most cars and small SUVs if used sparingly
Cons:
- It’s a little less concentrated, so you’ll need to clay-bar your surfaces after you wash this iron remover off.
- We also noticed that the sprayer is sometimes delivered with a defective nozzle that makes it hard to use.
5. Chemical Guys SPI21516 Decon Pro Iron Remover and Wheel Cleaner
The Chemical Guys product was one of our absolute favorites in terms of performance and overall convenience, but after the hundreds of phenomenal products this company has put out, well, let’s say we’re not surprised.
The Chemical Guys SPI21516 Decon Pro Iron Remover is a low-acidity, pH-balanced formula for comprehensive iron removal from all of your car’s surfaces.
And that’s not it. Like the CARPRO IronX Iron Remover, it’s safe for application on all types of surfaces like glass, chrome, polished metal, clear coat, and paint.
A neat little feature of the Chemical Guys SPI21516 Decon Pro Iron Remover is that it’s an effective wheel cleaner at the same time. If you’ve got this, you can skip on buying a different cleaner.
Pros:
- Pairs perfectly with a simple clay bar for complete decontamination detailing
- Can replace your wheel cleaner product
- It’s a heavy-duty cleaner that surprisingly doesn’t damage your clear coat much
- It doesn’t require anything more than light scrubbing on bad rust spots.
Cons:
- Like always, the Chemical Guys product is a little expensive.
- It’s also heavy-duty, so we wouldn’t suggest using this product for regular maintenance.
6. Car Care Iron Remover X
The Car Care Iron Remover X provides the same performance as most iron cleaners on this list, but it comes at no more than a fraction of the cost in a surprising twist.
If you want a cheap, effective product, look no further than this one right here.
We’re going to talk about the smell first because this was a shock to us. It’s pleasant, unlike every iron remover out there, so you can use this in the privacy of your garage.
We also noticed that this product doesn’t use the formula that reacts with ferrous metal to turn purple, which was good and bad at the same time. It makes it a little hard to see where you haven’t sprayed, but it also means that you won’t be washing purple goo down the drain.
Pros:
- Pleasant and fruity smell that doesn’t bother the user
- The 32 Oz. bottle is more than enough for most medium to large cars.
- Very cost-effective in comparison to more expensive products
- An easy-to-use nozzle that sprays in a straight line without leaking
Cons:
- It’s a lightweight product, so if your car’s been neglected for years, you’ll want something else.
- Requires multiple coats to completely get rid of rust spots, which takes a fair amount of time.
Best Iron Remover For Car Paint Buying Guide
There are some key things to check in an iron removing product when you intend to use it on the car paint. These include:
Effective and Fast Cleaner
The product should be strong enough to remove iron and other stains from the car paint effectively. You don’t want one that’s going to take hours or even days to work!
You don’t want one with a very short contact time, but equally some products may require up to 60 minutes of soaking in order to work. You need a balance in the time so that you can have enough time to get rid of the cleaner so that it doesn’t pose any risk for the paint. At the same time, you won’t love to spend a couple of hours cleaning a small part of the car.
Safe on Car Paint and Clear Coat
Look for a car paint remover with specific instructions as some products may not be suitable for certain types of finishes such as matte, satin or metallic. Make sure it doesn’t have any chemicals that are likely to damage the car’s paint.
Easy to Use and Safe for You
The product should be easy enough for you to use, even if you’re not a professional detailer or car washer. If it’s too complicated with multiple steps then you’ll probably end up using it incorrectly and potentially damaging your paintwork further! At the same time, make sure that this product is safe to use and doesn’t come with any harmful chemical substances.
Iron Remover Price
The last thing to check is the price of the iron removing spray. You want to find one that is affordable for your budget. At the same time, don’t go too cheap as they are often not effective and may pose risks to your car paintwork!
Final Verdict
A winner? We’re happy to say that something impressed us so much this time we don’t even have to think about it: The CARPRO IronX Iron Remover – 500mL Spray Bottle!
We checked out a lot of iron removers for this buying guide, but the CARPRO product stood in every single field you could think of. It provides excellent, over-the-top performance and gets rid of all rust spots on your car while still being relatively cheap, and unlike the GYEON Quartz Q²M Iron or the Adam’s Iron Remover, it doesn’t stink up the entire room.
