I found a quick way to remove brake dust!

KenSilver said:
The only thing that worries me is the brake dust. What's in it? Asbestos? Just in case, I'm going to keep safe by wearing a dust face mask and doing the cleaning in the open.
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I think brake pads generate so much dust because they don't have asbestos in them, for environmental reasons.
 
Clutch Cargo said:
I think brake pads generate so much dust because they don't have asbestos in them, for environmental reasons.
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~One manâ€â„¢s opinion / observations~



Asbestos was used due to its heat resisting properties and later discontinued due to environmental and personal concerns. Asbestos produces about the same amount of dust but its non-metallic and therefore non-magnetic (it doesn't stick to vehicle body panels and itâ€â„¢s not as black as metal brake dust so itâ€â„¢s not as noticeable



Iâ€â„¢m sure that ceramic being a harder material will cause the rotor to wear at a slightly faster rate, but maybe the â€Ëœsealershipâ€â„¢ doesnâ€â„¢t recommend ceramic discs because MB donâ€â„¢t manufacture them?



~Hope this helps~



Knowledge unshared is experience wasted [each one / teach one]

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ JonM
 
I would be very concerned about the dust that gets past your mask. I found a great solution." Kleen wheels ": I have used them on my 01 CLK, 04 330Ci, and 00 Jetta with no problems. Makes brake dust a non issue. I have not had trouble due to heat, or extra wear.
 
Okay I have to ask. When you flush out the brake dust doesn't it settle over the car? Isn't that where the rail dust on new cars comes from? I'm thinking I'd rather scrub it away or maybe use a vacuum at the same time?
 
If you were spraying the dust away, there is a risk it could settle elsewhere but most of the dust would be carried away suspended in liquid
 
az57chevy said:
Okay I have to ask. When you flush out the brake dust doesn't it settle over the car? ...
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I did wonder too. There is a cloud of dust when I blow the wheels from the outside in, but it gets blown under the car. When I've inspected the ground later after I move the car, it shows nothing. Perhaps the dust is so fine it disperses easily.



Ken Silver

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1999 Mercedes SLK, 1999 Suzuki Grand Vitara, 1993 Mercedes SL500, 1991 Daimler (Vanden Plas). Finish detailing, then start all over again...
 
Why not just use a good rim cleaner? I have been using the Sonus rim cleaner on my polished alloys. It does a pretty good job of getting them nice and bright, and seems fairly gentle.
 
I've been wanting to buy an air compressor for a while but didn't think of it for use in auto detailing. What would you guys suggest for around $200? I've seen the one's at Costco. Are those any good?
 
The Uncle said:
Why not just use a good rim cleaner?...
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The wheels are just hard to get in to. They're quite wide - 235 front and 275 rear - with not much clearance between the inside rims and the oversize rotors. Where the calipers are, there's even less room.



When I dry cleaned them with a terry towel I kept missing bits, and usually only shifted dust from one part to another. The air gun changed all that.



Ken Silver

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1999 Mercedes SLK, 1999 Suzuki Grand Vitara, 1993 Mercedes SL500, 1991 Daimler (Vanden Plas). Finish detailing, then start all over again...
 
SDLexus said:
I've been wanting to buy an air compressor for a while but didn't think of it for use in auto detailing. What would you guys suggest for around $200? I've seen the one's at Costco. Are those any good?
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Don't know about those, but my Craftsman AC has been a workhorse, along with other friends I know who own one.



Sears has a sale Fri & Sat on them:

15 gal, 150 psi: $199

33 gal, 150 psi: $299 (with some free air tools)



If you can swing it the 33 gal would be best. It's a nice size fitting between a large unit and the smaller units. It was one of the best investments I've ever made.
 
KenSilver said:
The wheels are just hard to get in to. They're quite wide - 235 front and 275 rear - with not much clearance between the inside rims and the oversize rotors. Where the calipers are, there's even less room.



When I dry cleaned them with a terry towel I kept missing bits, and usually only shifted dust from one part to another. The air gun changed all that.



Ken Silver

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1999 Mercedes SLK, 1999 Suzuki Grand Vitara, 1993 Mercedes SL500, 1991 Daimler (Vanden Plas). Finish detailing, then start all over again...
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Thanks for responding, Ken. In a way, that was sort of a silly suggestion. Obviously, if a good rim cleaner would have worked, a thoughtful fellow like yourself would already be using it!
 
The Uncle said:
...Obviously, if a good rim cleaner would have worked, a thoughtful fellow like yourself would already be using it!
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Not necessarily. There are probably a dozen excellent cleaner products, but they all need H-2-0 to make them work. All I'm interested in is reducing death by rust, and I consider the less water I can throw at my vehicles the better.



Ken Silver
 
brake dust will fly on the fenders and side panels and eat your paint to create rust. Especially in cracks, ex. fender mets the fender. I've talked to painters and they tell me when it builds up it gets kicked on your car and when you go to the car wash and use the brush. All your doing is rubbing your brake dust and somebody elses on your car. Giving you swirls, scratches and faded shine.
 
Eliot Ness said:
Don't know about those, but my Craftsman AC has been a workhorse, along with other friends I know who own one.



Sears has a sale Fri & Sat on them:

15 gal, 150 psi: $199

33 gal, 150 psi: $299 (with some free air tools)



If you can swing it the 33 gal would be best. It's a nice size fitting between a large unit and the smaller units. It was one of the best investments I've ever made.
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Thanks for the suggestions. I went out and picked up the 15 gal compressor :up
 
Apart from metal, most pads these days contain carbon rich resin, which replaces the asbestos content of old.



*Most* of the black dust produced is carbon resin, not metal, and the resin dust will stick.



Every detailer should dress the wheels with a synthetic sealant - any will do. Wheels will wash off easier and if the dust is left on too long, apart from looking ugly, it won't damage the wheels clearcoat.



This applies to ceramic pads as well, but much less so.
 
For day to day cleaning I use the small california duster (the one you can use on the interior). It does a great job of cleaning the brake dust that accumulates daily on your wheels.



-Bob
 
rdvt4me said:
For day to day cleaning I use the small california duster (the one you can use on the interior). It does a great job of cleaning the brake dust that accumulates daily on your wheels.
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Nice, but...



I would exercise caution if you were to use the duster on any other surface unless it could be THOROUGHLY cleaned thereafter. One would not want to transfer any contaminants to other surfaces.:scared
 
I only use it for the wheels. I have another one that is used on the interior.





It would be a major mistake to use it on anything else.
 
rdvt4me said:
For day to day cleaning I use the small california duster (the one you can use on the interior). It does a great job of cleaning the brake dust that accumulates daily on your wheels.



-Bob
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Bob,



My wheels have been Zainoed (Z2) and are nice and slick. To keep them clean daily, I started using an extra mini-CCD. The good news: it worked VERY well. The bad news: I stopped because it got truely filthy very quickly.



Then I switched to a Swiffer Duster. The good news:It works pretty well and I can just throw away the swiffer duster when it get's too dirty after 3-4 wheel dustings. The bad news: Is that it doesn't work as well as the mini-CCD.



I'm searching for options. How do you keep your CCD clean?



Regards,



Dan.
 
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