Hello,

I purchased a 2012 C300 Sport in August 2016 and the one thing that has been annoying me a ton with the car is the insane amounts of brake dust these OEM pads give off. Braking capability is fantastic on this car but I'm having one hell of a time cleaning the wheels (the brake dust have practically ruined the center caps). Heck the only thing that works is an acid based cleaner (which I'm not even sure I should use) and a good wheel brush but cleaning the wheels alone takes me 20 mins or more every time I wash the car.

Since my rear brakes are due for pad/rotor change I plan on getting Textar pads/rotors as I installed them on my previous C280. The thing is the pads/rotors in the front are pretty much new as they were installed by the dealership as part of safety. Can I just install a set of Textar pads on the OEM front rotors or do I have to change out the rotors as well in the front? Also, does anybody have any other pad/rotor brand recommendations for low brake dust?

Also, whats a good wheel cleaner? I used to get away with using car soap on my previous car's wheels and that made them good as new.

Thank you.

 

Khan28, I think you're doing it wrong.

I bought a thing from Autoglym which is a dust repellent. It is the ONLY one that works wonders. I even paid $20 once for OEM MB dust brake repellent and that was CRAP. The armor all one was even worse. What the latter two would do is basically absorb the brake dust to the rim and the only thing you can do to clean it is to use brake cleaner and elbow grease. YUCK!!

Meguires I believe was one that I used to use which was OK but they stopped making it.

BUT HOLY JESUS - the Autoglym one is amazing. First you have to ensure your rims are SPOTLESS. This means elbow greese, towel and brake cleaner. Once it's done, apply the Autoglym brake repellent product and after wards, have your mind blown. I went a solid week and a half with NO BRAKE DUST.

And even after that, my rims were spotless just by rinsing them with a garden hose.

Here's what I refuse to do

I refuse to use ceramic brakes after I crapped my pants in a panic stop situation when it was -20'C out. The brakes barely bit when they were cold.

Since then I will stick with OEM rotors and pads, and yes, brake dust is a *****, but try the Autoglym product. I can't speak highly enough of it**

** I am not affiliated with Autoglym and get ZERO commission from endorsing their products

 

Apprciate the reply. I'll look into purchasing the Auto Glym product as I've used some of their polishes and waxes in the past with decent results. I've been reading lots of mixed reviews with ceramic pads. Some love it and some prefer the OEM pads so I'm a bit conflicted. I found the Textar pads/rotors really good on my previous car so I'll put a set on my rear brakes since I'm in need of it but I'll still try the Auto Glym product to see if it even lessens the brake dust issue in the fronts.

 

I see you're from Toronto! - eh? Always happy to help out another Canuck.

Partsource has had a discount on it. Canadian Tire sometimes has a discount. Anyway, the product I was referring to is: https://www.autoglym.com/wheel-protector

Canadian Tire will take back a product if you have the receipt, or give you a store credit at the lowest selling price if you don't. So if you don't like the product, keep the receipt and get a full refund. No harm in trying, eh?

Follow the instructions to a T though. The rims have to be CLEAN, and after you apply them, leave them overnight to cure and bond to the alloy surface. If you drive your car immediately afterwards, the brake dust may just glue itself to your rim and it's a ***** to get off (trust me..)

I highly recommend against ceramic pads given the weather that we live in. It's great in the summer, but you don't want to be slamming your brakes doing 145km/hr on the 407 in the dead of winter. Trust me, it's a great way to empty your bowels but the downside is that you may die.

I always stick to OEM rotors and pads.

Check out http://exoparts.com/ - it's not far from where you live. I always buy my stuff there. They only sell OEM parts (they are a wholesaler) and I find them over 20% off of what the dealerships charge.

The main upside that you're thinking about (I think) is the amount of brake dust ideally is less than ceramic, right? If so, let me ask you this - is it worth decreased braking performance? I mean, sure, 99% of our driving is stop and go, but then again that same logic can be applied to buying cheap tires, but is it really worth your life?

I would argue - no! Safety first my friend, safety first.

 

When you go to replace the pads go with Akebono Eur pads. I run them on my 911 as well as my C350 and wife's C300. Brake dust is 90% less and the same amount of grip. as before on the benzes and maybe 80% on the Pcar

 

How do these function in the extreme cold?

Came across this too:

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...1#post21395981

 

Great replies guys! I'll do a tad more research on the brakes mentioned and will get the Auto Glym product. I'll check out the parts place but TBH I deal with German Parts located in the Finch/Weston Road area and they have good prices and top quality stuff. I always buy oil, filters and others parts there.