02Impressor

Ok i've been slacking off for a month and my brake dust looks like I hit the side of the car... it's literally all black over the left wheel... anyway, I used WD40 but it was hard to scratch off even the littlest marks... what to do with the massive one?

Thanks

DCX Engineer

I would use Castrol Super Clean All Wheel Cleaner and a sponge/brush. Or have you already tried conventional wheel cleaners?

Buellwinkle

The best thing is to avoid brake dust in the first place. Replace those factory pads with ones that don't dust. The little dust my Porterfields create after 2 weeks I can just hose off, no chemical, no scrubbing.

Fuzzo

i asked the same question a while back and one of the suggestions was to use tru green... i'm not really sure what that is but it appears that some people used it... to be safe.. you can use mcguires tire cleaning products..... or a lot of elbow grease....

02Impressor

My car is leased and I promised myself I wouldn't touch anything. Unless brake pad replacement is like changing floor mats, I'm not sure i'd like to get anything "modded."

Also, in response to Fuzzo and DCX's comments, are you saying that any wheel cleaner will do? BTW, is WD40 good though?

Fuzzo

i dont know about WD40.... not too sure what that will do to your finish....

i would do a search for brake dust and see what others have said about it....

Buellwinkle

Brake pads are not a mod, they are a maintenance item like changing tires, winshield wiper blades and such. The factory pads typically last about 15-20K depending on the type of driving you do. You will end up changing the pads probably twice during your lease. If you buy Porterfields now, they will probably last the life of your lease. Upon lease return they typically require at least half life on the pads, put the original pads in and your are done. You save the money of multiple pad replacements, you save money buying expensive wheel cleaners, your car looks better and less mess to clean up.

Enze6997

How much are the stock pads cost wise to replace?

schwarz c230

P21s makes a great wheel cleaner that will not harm your wheels, I think the gel they make is what you need http://www.p21s.com/

phattbam

be careful, the chemicals that it contains may be harmful to your finish.... i know that stuff gets your skin...

Buellwinkle

The parts department told me $88 for the factory pads (not installed), certainly cheaper than Porterfield but if money is a concern, get the Pagids for about $49. I would never get the factory pads and gave mine away. The dealer charged me $48 to slap the Porterfields on but I would imaging that a full brake job, turning rotors, repacking wheel bearings is much more, possibly double that.

christian655321

what i did was wax my wheels after i cleaned them with car wax. They are much much easier to clean now, i just soap and water.

phattbam

i have commented on this before, but from a MINI board suggested to use PAM cooking spray as it is non-sticky, it should allow you to spray off the dust without any problems...

MarkL

As schwarz C230 already mentioned, P21S is the recognized wheel cleaner in Germany. It is sold by my M-B dealer and is highly regarded. I also bought it through carcareonline.com. The gel formula is good because it sticks to the wheel better and can be left on for a long time if necessary. P21S will not harm wheels. Be very careful of products with harsh acidic components -- they will damage the finish on the wheels.

MB-BOB

I have 13,500 miles on my "stock" pads, and they are less than 5% worn. At this rate they should last 75,000 mi or more... IMO, replacing pads to cure dusting is total overkill. Some people here must own Porterfield's stock...

It's called "Simple Green" and is available at any K-Mart. It's called "green" partly because it is (green), and because it's completely bio-degradable... (a "green" product).

Spray undiluted on wheels, let sit a minute, then use plenty of water and a soft sponge to (easily) wipe dust off, no elbow grease required. Works like a charm.

The purists will say that since it is not primarilly made for car use, (even though K-Mart stocks it in the Auto Dept.) that it can harm the clear-coat on your wheels. But since it's completely bio-degradable, I don't see how this can be. I've been using it for a year, with no affect on the wheels at all.

(I've tried Eagle-One wheel cleaner... completely worthless)

Lynn

For those of who are worried about using Simple Green on their wheels, there is Simple Green Wheel Cleaner Foam.

02Impressor

Let me get one thing straight, though. Most of you are saying clean the wheels with _____, however my biggest problem is the brake dust that builds up atop the tire cutout (front side of the car). By cleaning inside the wheels, that brake dust would build up less, but how about cleaning with the solutions mentioned on the actual car exterior?

Buellwinkle

MB-Bob, have you ever used your brakes? How can they only be 5% worn, no wonder you don't have severe dust problems. The dealer told me 15k miles is normal and a friend had his replaced at 18k miles on his C320. I only mention Porterfield because that's what I have but I also mentioned Pagid, EBC and Mintex in the past for those what want a more cost effective pad that still gets the job done.

MB-BOB

Buell, I have the same dust problems others mention here. My C320 is my daily driver to work, 34-miles roundtrip each day at an average speed of 31 mph (equal mix of Interstate highway at HWY speeds and city stop and go). After a week of driving, my front wheels looks as dirty as every other MB in my area.

Unlike in CA, we have yearly state safety inspections here in TX. I use the opportunity to ask the tech how my brakes are holding up. This last round, (at 11,000 miles) he said my brakes "hardly looked used, 5% or so." Since he's not an MB dealer, I'm not sure he knows the benchmark on which to compare, except his opinion that I have plenty of pad material left. To be conservative, I guesstimate I have about 90% of my brake pads left at 11,000 miles.

My rush hour here on a normal day is not as intense as I remember from my few occassions with rental cars in CA, where you often ride the brake in 5-10 mph creeping traffic. Maybe that's the difference. I don't do many panic stops, but I don't baby the brakes, either.

OEM pads on my wife's Dodge minivan lasted about 50,000 miles in the same environment (but hers are short, stop and go trips)

phattbam

my brake pads (OEM) lasted me only 22k miles, i replaced them with OEM as some aftermarkets were said to "squeal"...

02Impressor

schwarz c230

P21S is the best product for cleaning wheels, it is made in Germany so it is formulated for brake pad dust for Mercedes, and Bmw, they have a paintwork cleaned that is very good also, claybar will clean the paint of your car, I would not use anything on your paint but products like these, many will damage you paint forever,my last car was white, I allways used the paintwork cleaner before waxing, if you dont you could allways see a dirty film around the exhaust and wheels.I just switched to Zaino products because they last longer, I still use the P21S wheel cleaner

Buellwinkle

They don't squeal, they speak to you

DCX Engineer

Thanks for the input. I just read the bottle and it does irritate skin. I will only use this with a brush or start using something else. Maybe just car wash soap/water/sponge. I usually wash the car every week so the build up is easily removed.

MB-BOB

Buellwinkle...

I'm very curious about this brake wear thing, so I called two local dealers here in Dallas. One said the brakes should be good through 20-25K miles. The other said 20-30K miles.

So, to me this means two things. 1) I'll start watching my brake pads sooner, and 2) maybe you folks in CA do experience more rapid pad wear than here in the midwest. (The theory again is that So.Cal. traffic is more slow-speed stop-and-go where you ride the brakes more in 5-15 mph traffic.) Maybe (?) that explains the 15-20K estimates that your dealer tells you.

This is not fact, SoCal240/6... not even an opinion... just a guess.