theraj2

Is it just me or does the 2 back wheels give almost 200% more brake dust than the two fronts, and the driverside rear gives off the most.
Right after you wash it, and take it out for a spin brake dust ends up getting on the car it self.

How do you clean this right away?
Is is safe to use the absober cloth with a little water?
and finally how do the guys with the stock 17's sport pkg wheels clean their black rims(after the brake dust builds up on the rear wheels)?

newtonlaw

same here....more brake dust on rear wheels! I use Turtle rim cleaner for cleaing my rims, they are among the best i used! and i always let my rims dry before i drive the car so the leftovers (black stuff) wont get onto the car itself!

oblu

Welcome to the world of german cars.

Rear brake dust is probably coming from the anti-dive; rears get used more under normal to moderate braking to counter act weight transfer dive.

At least it's the same on the Audi's where the rear brakes put out more dust than the fronts which was confirmed for me by the Audi techs at our dealership.

Anybody know, does MB make their own brake systems or do they spec it out to a vendor (usually Bosch) like BMW and Audi do?

ohlord

akebono low dust pads.
Clean the rims with eagle1 rim cleaner and apply a coat or two of menzerna fmj to ease cleaning next time.

itcrashed

i think that's typical with most german cars.

the next time you get it all clean, be sure to give it a good wax...any old wax should do. it will make cleaning the rims easier in the future.

wingless

Try to limit usage of traction and stability control, which kicks in with heavy throttle in low traction conditions. That will also increase brake pad life.

theraj2

could it be that the fronts dont get as much due b/c they are crossed drilled? and even if i leave my car to dry over night, i still find brake dust on the car it self. lots of it! on maybe a 10 min drive, using the brakes maybe 4 times not hard!

narky

I'm curious: why can't the Germans make cars that don't make this much brake dust in the rears? Is there a reason for this that I don't know?

st13phil

The brake system is made by Bosch.

mac911

Do rears have to be replaced more often (pads)?

wingless

It is likely the rear pads will wear out first.

Remember that the rears are wearing every time the "!" indicator illuminates while accelerating, so back off the throttle under those conditions, or clean the rear wheels and replace the pads sooner.

tanktube67

this is normal for German cars

jrct9454

I'd like to have a dollar for every time this topic comes up.....

Mercedes has always believed in soft pads and hard rotors. If anything, the W204 makes noticeably less dust than any of our recent German cars, including an '02 C240.

Yes, the rears seem to work a bit harder than the fronts, but in our case, the difference is extremely marginal - barely noticeable.

You just work to keep them clean, or switch pads and risk shorter rotor life. I've always chosen the former, but then my car is always clean before I put it away, washed daily on long trips, as necessary. In any case, this goes with the breed.

Baron Samedi

My rear wheels also show more dust than the fronts. I've owned German cars since the mid-eighties and have never seen this before. My E320 certainly doesn't do it. The fronts on that car can be black and the rears still look clean.

mac911

Yeah, I've never actually seen the ! come on, since I drive it easy. ha-ha.

So yeah I guess we can expect to see the rear pads need changing first. However, on the previous Cs, didn't the fronts require more frequent changes? That is what the dealer told me.

ShoremNJ

I believe there are tons of brake dust on the roads already and the wheels heat up and attract it to the rims in addition to the dust the car it self creates....

oblu

Please tell me you're joking. Please?

wingless

This is along the proven theory that it is possible to keep the rest of a garage clean by parking a nice motorcycle or car within the volume, to attact the dust.

RLE

<<I believe there are tons of brake dust on the roads already and the wheels heat up and attract it to the rims in addition to the dust the car it self creates....>>

Oh, so it's "them" and not us, then?

Someone will pay for this!

narky

I've seen this happen.