Brake Dust

[rajeevx5]

After washing the car and driving only 2 miles i noticed that my wheels are already covered in a fair amount of brake dust. Ive done 1000 miles on my car now so the brake pads must of been broken in? Is anyone else having this issue? I find cleaning the wheels every 3 days a pain

 

[Schizophonic]

Wash the wheels proper and then apply some form of sealant and wax. Spend a couple house one evening or on a weekend and then you won't end up washing your wheels every 3 days.

My motto is to do it properly on the first go and don't spend any more time later. I've applied some gtechniq on my wheels. Had to leave it to seal for 12 hours each time but now when I wash up or top up my wheels I spend less time because the break dust does not sit and stay on.

 

[rajeevx5]

I have applied autoglym wheel sealant. I even took the wheels off and sealed them properly. Is gtechniq sealant any good?
Thanks

 

[mjcourtney]

I too used Autoglym alloy wheel sealant, its a silicon based spray. In my experience it lasted 3 to 5 days if you were lucky.

I applied Gtechniq C5 to the wheels 2 months ago, and it is certainly excellent. I wouldn't say it keeps the wheels cleaner for longer, but it does make washing them very very easy. Last time I just pointed the pressure washer at the wheels and all the caked on brake dust just washed straight off!

If you do use C5 make sure you read the instructions. Prep time is around 1 hour per wheel, and you can't drive it for 6 to 12 hours after applying it (it has to cure). About £30 for a bottle, which is enough to do a car 3 times in my experience.

 

[rajeevx5]

I too used Autoglym alloy wheel sealant, its a silicon based spray. In my experience it lasted 3 to 5 days if you were lucky.

I applied Gtechniq C5 to the wheels 2 months ago, and it is certainly excellent. I wouldn't say it keeps the wheels cleaner for longer, but it does make washing them very very easy. Last time I just pointed the pressure washer at the wheels and all the caked on brake dust just washed straight off!

If you do use C5 make sure you read the instructions. Prep time is around 1 hour per wheel, and you can't drive it for 6 to 12 hours after applying it (it has to cure). About £30 for a bottle, which is enough to do a car 3 times in my experience.

I will try it out. Thank you very much!

 

[T-800]

I've just started using Swisswax Autobahn wheel wax, been told by polished bliss it'll take a few coats every wash to start seeing good results.
Got to be better than the SlickRims which I thought was a waste of money.

 

[ConS3]

Nanolex if you guys can get it over there. This stuff is tops, but is alot pricier than things like Autoglym

Nanolex Ultra Paint and Alloy Sealant | nanolex

 

[Daveotto]

Wonder Wheels Alloy Sealant (ca. £8 a can) seems to work as good as anything, does not stop build up but makes it easy to clean off brake dust build up with a pressure washer in a matter of seconds, I apply every couple of months, single spray coat without removing the wheel itself and allow a few hours to dry....and just add a decent cone brush to gently ease away the build up from the many awkward and hard to get to spots on the standard s-line alloys for nice shiny alloys in a few mins

 

[0B1001001]

I too used Autoglym alloy wheel sealant, its a silicon based spray. In my experience it lasted 3 to 5 days if you were lucky.

I applied Gtechniq C5 to the wheels 2 months ago, and it is certainly excellent. I wouldn't say it keeps the wheels cleaner for longer, but it does make washing them very very easy. Last time I just pointed the pressure washer at the wheels and all the caked on brake dust just washed straight off!

If you do use C5 make sure you read the instructions. Prep time is around 1 hour per wheel, and you can't drive it for 6 to 12 hours after applying it (it has to cure). About £30 for a bottle, which is enough to do a car 3 times in my experience.

I'm hoping to do C5 this weekend and I'm hoping to do it without taking the wheels off (S3 alloys are pretty open!) - did you take your wheels off?

 

[mjcourtney]

I'm hoping to do C5 this weekend and I'm hoping to do it without taking the wheels off (S3 alloys are pretty open!) - did you take your wheels off?

Yes, as it was really the only way to ensure the whole wheel was fully cleaned.

My procedure was:

1) Wash wheels with Billberry Wheelcleaner and pressure washer (pw).
2) Loosen any stubborn dust by re-applying Billberry and agitating with an alloy wheel brush. Rinse with PW.
3) Jack up the car and take the wheel off (I placed the wheel on a workbench to make it easier)
4) Clean all surfaces of the wheel with Tar-X or Tardis (don't leave this to dwell for more than 5 minutes).
5) Rinse the wheel off with the PW.
6) Dry the wheel and apply Iron-X
7) Wipe down and rinse with PW.
8) Dry the wheel and clean with IPA (I used Halfords Panel Cleaner) to remove any remaining grease
9) Apply C5 - a little goes a long way. Use the applicator pads provided and be damn careful not to knock the bottle over!
10) Re-fit wheel - don't drive it for at least 6 hours to allow the C5 to cure.
11) Sit back and admire your shiny clean wheels, you'll notice water beads straight off once fully cured (a couple of days in my experience).

 

[0B1001001]

Well it's more work than I hoped for but I guess it'll be worth it...!

 

[NHN]

Just be careful with C5, too not let it sit too long that it crystallises, as then you'll need to reapply to remove the original coating, its a learning curve.

 

[rajeevx5]

Is it true as c4 is the same stuff as c5?