Oh Cool

Did anyone notice if your lug nuts and/or Calipers are starting to show signs of rust?

I wash my car regularly and I have strong signs of rust showing on all my calipers, maybe using wheel cleaner sprays caused the coating to wear off and allow the rusting to start. Nevertheless this appears to be a quality issue so I brought the car to my MB Dealer and they had a factory rep look at it. I wanted them to replace the calipers but they are going to remove the rust from the calipers and re-coat them and replace the lug nuts which are supposed to be galvanized all under warranty.

joshg1001

rusting brake calipers arent normal, but rusting brake discs are considered okay. just thought id throw that in

Oh Cool

Yeah and then the rust from the rotors drips ugly rust stains on the inside of wheels after you wash them.

RLE

The cure for this is to drive the car a few blocks after washing it and before drying it. This dries out the brakes and eliminates the rusty disc behind the brake pads in the morning. I do this every time unless it's raining or snowing.

C300Sport

+1
If you have a blower and no dust/dirt around the car, that works pretty well also but nothing compare to putting it on the road for a mile or two. I use to live close to the interstate and instead of drying, would drive about 100mph for about 2 miles between exits and that would do an amazing job of drying the entire car...only problems there are the cops and the bugs...

jrct9454

I never use anything but water to clean the wheels and the brakes, and have no problems. I agree that the wheel cleaner may be contributing to your problem. Once the car is restored to new, I recommend doing away with "products" around the wheels and brakes - water and elbow grease are the only things you should be using.

AMGTestDriverNJ

Its under warranty just go get them replaced, common problem but, not supposed to happen.
Sorry, thats the lug nuts that will get replaced under warranty, your brake rotors may have surface rust from water sitting on them for a day or so but as soon as you brake it comes right off its just on the surface. No worries.

maverickvii

Just be careful of those rusted lugs. I had one snap on me when I went to put on my summers....It's a huge pain to try and extract a broken rusted lug.

Oh Cool

That would be an unpleasant situation, so it appears that lug rusting may be a hidden problem and go deep into the threads. I noticed mine visually since only the facing or tops of the lugs only showed spotting signs of rust. The MB Dealer is replacing all the lugs today.

C300Sport

If it is simply surface rust where the chrome plate was scratch or nicked from the air gun, no real problem, just not pretty. If it was rusted threads, that can really be dangerous after it has time to eat away at the bolt.

Oh Cool

Yes there are nicks from the air gun but also rust spots on the flat surface.

Carsy

I always grease my threads lightly to prevent rusting .Also a little grease where the nut & wheel surfaces contact. Prevents thread damage & makes the nuts easier to undo for the farer sex when doing a wheel change beside the road.

C300Sport

Never really thought of that one. I have started going to a tire shop that tightens the lug nuts with an actual torque wrench now instead of the impact drivers. Most impact drivers are set way to high. The last time I had to change a tire, it took all my weight (240 lbs) jumping up and down on the wrench to pop a couple of the lugs off. My girlfriend wouldn't have had a chance.

RLE

You may lightly lubricate the threads but you should never EVER lubricate the contact surface because you will get a false torque reading resulting in over tightening the lugs. Clean and dry ONLY.

I know you will argue this point so before you do, research the subject.

RLE

That is not it, unless you are using a non-approved cleaner. I have used P21S for years with no effect on anything except brake dust. The makers of the wheels recommend it.

Carsy

I tighten by hand & have never damaged the thead or a wheel. I have heard screeching metal to metal & seen torn out contact surfaces on unlubed wheel nut faces. which render the wheel unsafe & unusable.I understand your point & it is valid . Just torque a little less!!

nyca

P21S only on these cars.

RLE

P21S bought in those little jugs at the dealer is very expensive. I buy mine online in the five-liter refill jug and use my own spray bottle. Which I can make last 10-11 months, washing twice weekly.

One cleaner to avoid is Simple Green. Leave it on too long and the paint will be damaged. Personal experience.

Carsy

[QUOTE=RLE;3133289]P21S bought in those little jugs at the dealer is very expensive. I buy mine online in the five-liter refill jug and use my own spray bottle. Which I can make last 10-11 months, washing twice weekly.

QUOTE] I wash 3 monthly so have none of these problems.!! There is an old English saying "washing too often makes you weak"

nyca

Yes, I buy that refill jug too. simple green does work great on my BBQ grill however, I must say.

trippzstuh

does anyone know where ican buy the lug nuts for my car, thats not from a benz dealer?