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      05-12-2015, 10:48 PM   #1
F80M4ROCKS
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brake dust, best solution?

Whats everyone doing to battle brake dust, its a pain to clean all the time. cquartz, opticoat, wheel guard? whats the best thing to do? thanks in advance!
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      05-12-2015, 11:55 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by F80M4ROCKS View Post
Whats everyone doing to battle brake dust, its a pain to clean all the time. cquartz, opticoat, wheel guard? whats the best thing to do? thanks in advance!
Any of the above will help but unless you have the ceramic brakes then this will be an ongoing issue. This is my only dislike with my car, the wheels get dirty too quick and I'm sensible on how I drive to prolong it too.
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      05-13-2015, 12:40 AM   #3
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All you can do is washing the wheels frequently and wax them as much as possible. Brake dust will burn any other protection that you try. It can reach ~600 ºC (~ 1,100 °F). Good luck.
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      05-13-2015, 07:30 AM   #4
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The best solution is not to buy a BMW. They've always thrown lots of brake dust. But, barring that, I had my car coated with CQ Finest a couple of months ago. Wheels were taken off and coated as well. The dirt pretty much washes off with a hose. I wash it once a week, 2 bucket method. Only trouble spot is the little 1 inch area behind the spokes (I have 19's), where it's easy to miss and can build up. I use a little Wheel Woolie brush, effective and easy.

Of course, you may not be an OCD afflicted car care maniac like I, and dozens of others on this board are. If not, be appreciative. It's a sickness.

I'd highly rec having your wheels coated. Hope this helps.
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      05-13-2015, 08:51 AM   #5
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I used CQuartz UK. While it takes more than just a stream of water to clean them now, it's definately easier than my other BMW's, where the brake dust gets stuck pretty good.

I use iron-X for initial cleaning then follow up with a detailing spray to dry and remove any minor smudges.
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      05-13-2015, 08:54 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mauricio Palacios. MD View Post
All you can do is washing the wheels frequently and wax them as much as possible. Brake dust will burn any other protection that you try. It can reach ~600 ºC (~ 1,100 °F). Good luck.
I don't think brake DUST can reach that high. Maybe the pads and rotors get that hot at the contact interface on the track or after some serious street abuse, but brake dust particles are so small that they cool off almost instantaneously as soon as they leave the pad. By the time they land on the wheel, they are nowhere near that hot.

Of course, I could be wrong, so if anyone has any data on this, I'd be happy to learn something new!
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      05-13-2015, 09:18 AM   #7
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You could try getting some low dust brake pads. I believe Akebono makes some, but not sure if they have some for the F8X's yet. No idea how they perform, but there are many reports of much reduced dust.

Otherwise, getting the wheels coated with something will help, as will having the right tools to clean. Wheel woolies are great, and wheel cleaners that have iron-x type stuff in them work well. Quick detailers are good too.
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      05-13-2015, 09:56 AM   #8
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What about the orange stuff(rust) that forms after a wash and the brakes dry, this stuff looks awful on the black 19's.

I try to dry the rotors immediately with a microfiber. What a pain and doesn't work 100%.
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      05-13-2015, 11:18 AM   #9
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Thanks for the all replies, like most people here I am OCD about the rims. I use sonax and wheel woolies, but the brake dust is annoying. Guess ill try cquartz
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      05-13-2015, 11:41 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by Gstone View Post
What about the orange stuff(rust) that forms after a wash and the brakes dry, this stuff looks awful on the black 19's.

I try to dry the rotors immediately with a microfiber. What a pain and doesn't work 100%.
This is a huge PITA as well. I'm beginning to think the CCB's are worth it just to avoid the wheel cleaning hassles.
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      05-13-2015, 11:43 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by RocketBoots View Post
You could try getting some low dust brake pads. I believe Akebono makes some, but not sure if they have some for the F8X's yet. No idea how they perform, but there are many reports of much reduced dust.

Otherwise, getting the wheels coated with something will help, as will having the right tools to clean. Wheel woolies are great, and wheel cleaners that have iron-x type stuff in them work well. Quick detailers are good too.
I put the Akebono Ceramics on my ZHP. They are a bit softer than the stock pads on that car were, but after about 1500miles (3-4 weeks), there is zero brake dust on my wheels. So yes, they work, but you will notice a degradation in braking feel and performance even on the street.
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      05-13-2015, 01:02 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Racer20 View Post
This is a huge PITA as well. I'm beginning to think the CCB's are worth it just to avoid the wheel cleaning hassles.
Believe it or not, that was a really big draw for me. The giant size and cool looks too Couldn't swallow the $8000 entrance fee though. Not so sure now...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Racer20 View Post
I put the Akebono Ceramics on my ZHP. They are a bit softer than the stock pads on that car were, but after about 1500miles (3-4 weeks), there is zero brake dust on my wheels. So yes, they work, but you will notice a degradation in braking feel and performance even on the street.
I like the performance/feel of the stock; don't know if I'd be willing to do that trade. Maybe in a while, when I get sick of cleaning my wheels, which takes longer than cleaning the whole car, LOL. Good feedback on the Akebonos for your E46
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      05-13-2015, 01:13 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by F80M4ROCKS View Post
Thanks for the all replies, like most people here I am OCD about the rims. I use sonax and wheel woolies, but the brake dust is annoying. Guess ill try cquartz
Study up a little bit before you go with CQ Finest. Only an approved detailer can do it, and it probably will cost you at least $250 or so. I can't say for sure, because I had my whole car done. Racer20 said he used the UK version, which you can do yourself. And Opti Coat can be applied by you as well, and is a good product. There must be 10-15 threads on here discussing the different coatings, so maybe do some reading and figure out which is best for you.
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