Petep

My 2010 E550 sport sedan is a beautiful thing -- there is a God. I could find a (short) list of things to whine about if I tried hard enough but overall, this car makes virtually everything else I've owned seem inferior.

Then there's the brake dust 'situation' that has plagued me and possibly every other Mercedes owner for all of eternity. My '97 E320 had the issue as well and on that car if the brake dust wan't cleaned off regularly it had a corrosive effect on the wheels. The '10 E550 has an even more prolific dust production problem but the corrosive effect is TBD. Compounding the problem is that I like to keep my car clean and neat -- don't we all? After a loving hand bath it takes all of 5 miles of driving to lay down a new layer of oily grime.

Spent some time on both email and telephone with the good folks at Akebono to find out why I can't purchase ceramic disk brake pads for my specific vehicle. Learned that the E350 owners have ceramic pads available but apparently the population of E550's (Sport in particular) is too small for them to manufacture ceramic pad for this model. S.O L.

Does anybody out here know of brake pad options for this model that would reduce or eliminate the dust problem? Ceramic, abestos, metallic, fiberglass -- I don't care I just want cleaner wheels.

BTW, I acknowledge and understand that Mercedes has chosen the pads and materials in them for a reason. I can live with any resultant change in braking performance if I could trade dust for money.

Any suggestions are welcome. Please save me and all of us from this plague.

mikemargolis

Dude, it's a little dirt on your wheels?

You say you're willing to have inferior braking performance in exchange for clean wheels?

Do you really mean that?

steelgrey

Just checked Tire Rack. They have Centric, StopTech, and two models of Akebono ceramics listed for the E550 Sedan. They do not give you the option of selecting the sport model. Might be worth a call!!

newyorktoLA

"BTW, I acknowledge and understand that Mercedes has chosen the pads and materials in them for a reason. I can live with any resultant change in braking performance if I could trade dust for money."

thekurgan

Newer pads don't seem to dust as much. My 2011 model has near zero dust after a month of driving an 50/50 city/hwy mix. Maybe check with MB and see if the part numbers have changed from '10 onward.

mikemargolis

amaycg, I know that's what he said. I was being nice. Really wanted to say:

"Are you so stupid that you would actually sacrifice braking power to keep your wheels clean?"

Still shaking my head on this one.

BenzMan369

Agreed!

The AMG wheels on my 2012, stay cleaner than any other car I've ever owned. They are surprisingly easy to maintain.

There is an old thread somewhere here where it is mentioned MB changed the pads, I believe in '11 - not sure.

With my last Benz, the wheels were black in no time, especially the fronts.

No expert here but, perhaps it's possible to update your pads with the newer MB type.

thekurgan

I've got two bottles of Sonax wheel cleaner, looks like I will be using it once a year now

Funny, my parents have a '12 C250, those wheels get dark after one afternoon.

Arrie

All you say about the car is as I see it including the brake dust. I had a 2011 E350 and that car had minimal brake dust but the 2010 E550 sport that I now drive has a serious issue with it especially in the front. I asked my MB dealer parts if they have a better pad option but according to them they do not.

So, I went to AutoZone and ordered ceramic front pads, only front as they did not have rear. They came in in two days and the problem is gone with no loss in braking performance.

The cost of the pads was a whopping $65 with 5 year warranty. It is their own brand name Dura...something.

Put them on myself. Super easy job, no bolts to open. Just punch two pins out and that is it (with squeezing the pistons back in).

I highly recommend these pads for performance, no dust and cost.

Just want to mention here that I would have preferred MB to install new pads in my car but they won't install other than their own parts so to fix the dust issue I had to do it myself.

One more thing. There is only one brake pad wear sensor per axle, i.e. only passenger side pad has it. If sensor is not tripped it is super easy to take off of the old pad and install in the new one, i.e. no need for new sensors.

RNBRAD

Man I don't know if I'm extremely lucky or what but my 2010 E550 has absolutely no dusting whatsoever. I have AM rims and the inside of the barrel is very noticeable and never see even a hint of dusting. I have ceramics on my w211 and they dust way more than my E550. I was so pleased on my purchase because it didn't dust like my w211 with oem pads. I wonder if somehow I have a different pad material?

mnje350

++I have the same experience with my 2010 E350. No dust whatsoever. My wife's '08 clk, now that is a different story. I will replace with the stock parts when the tie comes. No complaints.

K-A

My W211 = MASSIVE brake dust.

My 2010 E350 = NO brake dust.

My 2011 E350 = Some brake dust (not terrible, not great).

Petep

Thanks everybody for your comments especially Arrie for recommending a specific answer to the question about who and where to pursue an alternative brake pad option. The "dust" sticks to everything it touches because there is a petroleum product fabricated into the pad's material so it's not only a cosmetic buzz killer, but a greasy, persistent mess. And to everyone who has Akebono (or alternative ) ceramic pads, I've never heard about anyone feeling compromised with regard to the braking performance. My assumption is that for this 2010 E550 sport sedan there is a lower dust or dust free option that will fix the mess and brake the car.

Thanks again Arrie I'll pursue the Auto Zone suggestion and I'm still interested in hearing about any other options you have found.

hofb99

Agreed--that was very helpful input, Arrie... Everyday I'm impressed w/ those who step up when called upon to lend a helping hand. There are very knowledgeable M-B owners out there who understand the value of sharing that knowledge, vice the alternative... Kudos to those who recognize this and are willing to provide positive feedback to help fellow forum members push through their various challenges/issues.

EDIT: Oh, and for the record, Petep, my '12 E350 doesn't seem to produce a lot of dust either...but I do keep her clean; haven't let it go more than a week w/o a bath... I echo others that mentioned to check on pads that come on the more current models. That may be your answer! (unless they're the same dern pads!)

turbotony77

Sonax wheel cleaner works like a champ ! great at getting brake dust off !

Arrie

I stopped looking for other options as the dust issue now is solved. The rear brakes always had very minimal dust and right now I don't see the need for replacing them but will look for ceramic pads for rear too when it is time to replace them. It just seems the rear pads will last easily twice as long as the front.

paulybagadonuts

I enjoy cleaning my wheels daily. It's like a ritual. I get a dry cloth or chamois and just wipe them down, it takes about 3 minutes and the wheels always look spankin clean as the dust comes off very easily.

It's also a way for me to bond with my baby. No cleaner needed btw if you keep on them. Good Luck.

Kar don

Please don't put Autozone pads on the car. This is what I do and my rims stay clean for 4 weeks+ on my BMW and Mercedes (W203 and W212).

I wash my wheels with meguairs gold class soap and some wheel cleaner (only used wheel cleaner on first application). Blow the wheels off dry with a leaf blower or towel. Then use Armor-All Wheel Protectant. It is an aerosol that you spray on just like you are painting the rim. Be liberal with the application and best to let them dry in the garage overnight. Once dry you will get no brake dust build up for weeks and it keeps the car looking cleaner.

Esm86

Working on a Mercedes repair shop in Norway, and the brakes on w/s211 hold much longer than the brakes on w/s212. When I bought my S212 I mounted EBC Green Stuff all the way around. Works really well. Not much break dust at all!!

T.H.Carrera

I use the same "Armor-All Wheel Protectant' on all my new cars right after first wash and this just makes the brake dust not stick to wheels. I can go without wash for 4 weeks and wheels still looking nice and clean.

Kar don

I took my BMW to the dealer and hadn't washed it for a month and they commented on wow your wheels are so clean! LOL

I also used it on my W163 and W203 which made significantly more dust than the W212 and F10 (BMW) and they would last at least 2.5 weeks before showing any build up of dust. Even at 4 weeks they still looked relatively clean.