CarPro Iron X Fallout Remover: Hands-On Review 2023
Iron X is a high-quality iron and fallout remover from CarPro that we think is one of the best Fall Out removers on the market. The truth is, we think it is so great we actually use this product daily in our detailing business as our go-to fallout remover.
To give you the best idea if this is the right product for you, we hands-on tested Car Pro Iron X on a White Tesla 3 against prepmycar’s standard testing criteria to make this honest unpaid review.
It doesn’t smell great (although no iron remover does), and it is on the pricier side. But if you are serious about getting a high-quality result, Iron X Fall out remover is an excellent addition to your detailing arsenal. You can get CarPro Iron X here.
Read on to find out if it is the right product for you, how it performs against a real-world test, and how to use CarPro Iron X to get professional quality results.
Test Results Summary
Prepmycar Rating: 8.0/10
CarPro Iron X Iron Remover
- 9/10 Ease of Application
- 10/10 Fallout/Iron Removal
- 8/10 Wheel Use
- 6/10 Scent
- 7/10 Value for Money
- 8/10 Bottle Ergonomics
- 8/10 FINAL TEST SCORE
Pros
Cons
Against the testing criteria below, we rate CarPro IronX 8 out of 10. That a great result! It’s so good that we actually use chose this product for our shop against other products like Bilt Hamber Korrosol, Iron X LS, and Iron X snow foam.
We highly recommend it for its usability and its fantastic iron removal capabilities. It’s easy to use, but just make sure that you apply it properly to get the best results.
How to apply CarPro Iron X Fallout Remover
CarPro recommends you spray the product across the affected area to remove iron contamination from the vehicle.
The problem with that advice is that spotting the affected areas like that is nearly impossible.
Generally, it is only possible to see where iron has been after application.
As brake dust from the road or your own brakes are a common source of iron contamination, the areas with the most contamination usually are the hood, rims, and vehicle trunk.
You can just focus on those areas if you like. However, we typically recommend spraying down all painted areas of the vehicle with the product.
As part of our standard operating procedures, we use IronX after the wash process while the vehicle is still slightly wet and before the clay stage or mechanical decontamination process.
Here are the steps with some tips to best use fall out remover.
1. Wash The Car
Do a standard hand wash with a wash mitt to remove all oils and dirt first. Don’t dry the car, as you want the paint surface to remain wet for the application step.
2. Spray Down The Vehicle With Fall Out Remover
Spray the iron x product on the vehicle; you can be pretty generous with it. You do not need to agitate the product, just spray it on and wait.
3. Let It Dwell For 5 Minutes
You want the product to sit on the vehicle’s surface for about 5 min to break down the iron bonds embedded it in the clear coat. Note that this can vary depending on your temperature conditions, but typically five minutes of dwell time is ideal.
4. Don’t Let It Dry! Reapply If Required To Keep Wet
If the vehicle begins to dry before five minutes, spray a light mist of more Iron X over the vehicle.
⚠️ CAUTION: Iron X Fall Out Remover is a PH-neutral product. However, as it begins to react and turn purple, it becomes slightly acidic. Because of this, it is not recommended that you let the product fully dry on the vehicle’s surface. It is best not to do this job in the sun for this reason.
You do not spray too much water to keep the surface wet because you want the product concentration to be high enough to continue breaking down the iron particles.
5. Rinse It Off
After 5 minutes, be sure to thoroughly rinse all of the product off of the vehicle.
How does fall out remover work?
After application, the active ingredient of Fallout Remover, ammonium-thioglycolate, oxidizes the ferrous particles (iron) metallic contamination on the car’s surface and dissolves it.
During the reaction, the color of the solution changes to purple, which is a satisfying feature that shows you where the ferrous particles were.
The best part is that you can remove the iron without you ever needing to touch the paint.
Testing Process
We are a shop-based detailer, so we used IronX indoors with an average temperature of around 65 degrees Fahrenheit inside the shop for this test.
Fall out remover dissolves ferrous particles bonded to the vehicle’s clear coat on the paint surface leaving a purple by-product. To make it easier to see this, we chose a white car.
Our test subject for the day was is white Tesla Model 3.
Ease of Application (9 of 10)
90% of all iron removers are incredibly easy to apply. It is a basic, spray on and rinse off product which is far easier than iron removal techniques.
Fallout/Iron Removal (10 of 10)
This is hands down the best product I have seen regarding fallout removal. ✅
Depending on the overall contamination level of the vehicle, you will see results in as little as 30 seconds.
On heavily contaminated vehicles, you can repeat the process, although typically, one use is more than sufficient.
Wheel Use (8 of 10)
This product can be used on wheels. It works the same as it does on the paint of your vehicle.
You simply want to spray it on, make sure the product stays wet, allow it to dwell, and then thoroughly rinse off after 5 minutes.
Iron X Fall Out Remover is PH-neutral and completely safe for chrome wheels, trim, or bare aluminum wheels.
Fall Out Remover will discolor wheel weights as they are made from lead. However, a simple, quick agitation cleaning will restore any color change.
It is also risky to use fall-out remover on brake calipers.
⚠️ CAUTION: It is not recommended that you spray the product on your brake calipers, as depending on the quality of paint on the calipers, the product has the potential to discolor them.
We would not recommend this product as strictly a dedicated wheel cleaner.
It will take care of the iron contamination on your wheels, thus opening up more options to choose a dedicated wheel and tire cleaner from, but it is not recommended as a stand-alone wheel cleaner.
Scent (6 of 10)
It is not good. All iron removers have traces of sulfate in them which does give off a rotten eggs smell. Yuck.
To IronX’s credit, it is one of the better-smelling iron removers on the market.
There is a lemon-scented version in which CarPro attempted to cover up the smell. However, even that one still smells pretty bad. As long as you never have to open the bottle, the smell is pretty manageable.
Value for Money (7 out of 10)
IronX, compared to other iron and fallout removers, is on the pricier side. To be fair, the main component of all iron removers, ammonium-thioglycolate, is a very expensive chemical.
Your usage will vary if you want to decontaminate the entire vehicle or only focus on specific targeted areas.
We cover the entire vehicle and are quite liberal with the product so typical usage for us is around 125 ml per application. So that means in a 500ml bottle, you are only getting about 4 uses out of it.
Now I know that does not sound like much, but depending on your needs, a little can take you a long way. You do not need an iron remover every time, especially on maintenance washes. One bottle could last a year, depending on how many vehicles you want to maintain.
Here are some rough costs per application depending on what size you get.
- 500 ml bottle $19.99 = $4.99 USD cost per application
- 1 L bottle $31.99 = $3.99 USD cost per application
- 4 L bottle $107.99 = $3.37 USD cost per application
Bottle Ergonomics (8 of 10)
The bottle performs fine – It is not terrible – It is not great.
You can certainly get a little trigger fatigue from how often you pull the trigger during application.
Interestingly enough, CarPro uses full plastic trigger heads because normal trigger heads contain metal springs inside. So if they used the trigger heads with metal springs, IronX would react and degrade those springs.
About Brand and their specialist area
CarPro was started in 2009 by Avi Moradi. Their two staple products are IronX and CQUARTZ ceramic coating. The majority of their products come from South Korea.
CarPro very quickly garnered a reputation for quality products. They have several different options when it comes to iron removers. In addition to IronX, they have IronX LS (lemon scented) to try and make the smell a little more bearable.
They have IronX snow foam. From CarPro’s admission, this does not have the same fallout removal capabilities that the regular IronX does. They also do not recommend this as a traditional wash soap, just strictly for a foam cannon, either diluted 1:1 or just used straight.
They also make an IronX paste version. This can be used for stubborn spots that may not be removed with the liquid IronX. Since it is a paste, it is a gel-like substance. Having this consistency allows it a much longer dwell time before it dries on the surface. The smell is also greatly reduced compared to its liquid counterpart.
Final Thoughts
IronX is a fantastic overall iron remover.
Does it smell bad? Yes, but all do. Is it on the expensive side? Yes, but all iron removers are a little more expensive compared to other detailing chemicals.
Outside of those cons, which can be argued whether they are cons in the grand scheme of things, the product does everything you would want it to.
Chemical decontamination is a crucial step of any high-level detail and IronX has amazing fallout removal capabilities. Out of all of the iron removers we have tried, we consistently use this product for our shop.
Buy It Now
FAQ
Can it be used on PPF (paint protection film)?
Yes. IronX can be used safely on PPF. The same general use rules apply. It is important not to let the product dry on the surface.
Will it strip a wax?
Yes and no. If you are using a highly organic carnauba-type wax, then yes, iron fall out remover can strip that type of wax.
Carnauba waxes traditionally have always struggled with chemical resistance. If it is something along the lines of synthetic wax, then no. In that case, you can use this product without fear of it stripping your protection.
Does it stain plastic?
No. Now, it is not meant for plastic so you should not spray it directly onto any plastic pieces.
However, if you get some overspray on the plastic trim of your vehicle while you are spraying the product, it is no big deal. Again, just make sure the product does not dry on the plastic.
Do you apply before or after washing the vehicle?
For best results, you want to apply after you have done your wash process.
IronX is designed to cut through iron particles and fallout, not dirt. If you apply the product before your wash process, you are inhibiting the product from working to its full potential.
