clkcadet

Hey guys, i have an 04 clk302 coupe (with appearance package) and i am having a weird problem with my wheels and/or tires (besides the brake dust giving me hell there has to be some sort of solution!!)
Anyways i was trying to do a search to save time but havent found anything.Basically after driving and inspecting the rims for brake dust (a regular routine) i am seeing black marks where the tire meets the rim...it looks as if i have curbed my rims but when touching it i realize it is a black grease and i dont know where it is coming from...i also see straight lines of grease on the spokes sometimes
does anyone know where this is coming from or how to stop it??

tampaclk

it's probably the tire shine & brake dust combined.

clkcadet

could be, but i do use the tire shine (with applicator) and not the foam type it may be that but then again it is a really black grease and my tires (michelins) have this small lip covering the rim(would have to take pics to explain) so i dont know if its coming from the tire shine any other ideas?

W0n6_3d4n

Could be just some road grime, happen to me a lot, it soil not just my wheels but my car's body too.

W0n6_3d4n

You won't believe how much oil on the road's surface these days. That's wat make them shine during and after rain.

pewterclkcab

Its brake dust + tire shine that gets settled in that groove. The same happens in my car and I did spend some time to see what it actually is.....nothing to be alarmed about.

clk55fan

Regarding the brake dust, check out:
ForMyMercedes.com He sells porterfields brake pads.
performanceplusbrakes.com they sell rotex brake pads.

I have not yet ordered, I'm waiting to get an estimate on
what the mechanic will charge for the install.

Good luck.

scorchie

You should change the pads yourself. For someone who is slightly experienced with mechanical stuff (like myself), you can do the fronts in 30 minutes, maybe a tiny bit more because on the W208 you need to remove the calipers. For someone who doesn't know what he's doing, with the instructions out there and going very slow, it can be under two hours.

I've had Porterfields on my CLK for a couple years, and instead of getting dusty rims every two days, now it goes three or four days before they look all dirty.

Luckily, despite still being very dusty, at least the Porterfields also add a whole bunch of brake squeal. This makes it worth it.

-s-