Am I the only one with dirty wheels?

[JonP01]

In every photo I see here of a Polo the wheels (and everything else) is immaculate. Now I am honestly a gentle braker but I find that even after a couple of hundred kms, my wheels are badly stained by brake dust. Infact, I would be wanting to clean them twice a week to keep them presentable. I could understand if I rode the brakes or applied them heavily, but I am a pretty sedate driver both in acceleration and de-acceleration.

Is this sort of caking in brake dust normal? I love the feel of the VW brakes and they are definitely the best feeling brakes I have had on any car I have owned (though this is my first car with discs at the back lol).

Anyway, I just wanted to know if there might be something wrong somewhere or whether VW use "dusty" pads but this contributes to the nice feel of the pedal? I thought the brake dust might reduce as the brakes bed in, but they produce just as much dust as when the car was new.

[Tigger]

how many kms have you done so far, and do you do mostly city or highway driving?

[wai]

Look at it this way. The braking system relies on friction and wear. It is preferable to have the pads wear rather than the discs

[Gumpf]

When I first got my Polo, the wheels got super dirty at first from brake dust. They have seemed to eased off a bit in terms of the amount deposited on the wheels, but they do require cleaning often to keep them looking awesome
Some people on here have used products like wheel sealents to help minimise the brake dust and other contaminents from sticking to the rim. Nanolex I think has been a popular one. I wash the car weekly (try to anyway) so I've chosen not to go down that path.

[VWplo]

the fact is that most of the pics you see on here are just after the car has been washed, or close to it. i try wash mine once a week. keep it nice and shiny

[Transporter]

Re: Am I the only one with dirty wheels?

Just ask for the ceramic brake pads to be fitted the next time your brakes are due for replacement and your wheels will be cleaner than your car, when you going to wash it. I have them on our 2 Tiguan, fit them from new and after more than 6 month I didn't have to touch them with hand, just hose them off with the high pressure cleaner.

They cost just a bit more than std pads. I use ATE which are factory fit. The cost is on average $30 more than std pads.

Sent from my GT-N8000

[Hail22]

Just ask for the ceramic brake pads to be fitted the next time your brakes are due for replacement and your wheels will be cleaner than your car, when you going to wash it. I have them on our 2 Tiguan, fit them from new and after more than 6 month I didn't have to touch them with hand, just hose them off with the high pressure cleaner.

They cost just a bit more than std pads. I use ATE which are factory fit. The cost is on average $30 more than std pads.

Sent from my GT-N8000

Where abouts can I find these brakes (may buy a set of 4).

[brad]

Look at it this way. The braking system relies on friction and wear. It is preferable to have the pads wear rather than the discs

Except VWs seem to wear the rotors at the same rate as the pads


To the OP: Unfortunately, heavy brake dust is common on VWs & many other European cars. You can fit low dust pads (talk to GSL rallysport on these forums).

In the meantime, try claying your wheels (inside & out) and using a good wheel wax or sealant. Weekly washes with a PH Nuetral wash will help as well.

[ill0gitech]

My Denvers get filthy. Almost think it might be easier with Detroits, as they are black where I get most grime, but will also look at moving to ceramics.

Also - like everyone else, I tend to wash before I take photos. which is why there's been so much rain in Sydney lately

[Diesel_vert]

Yes, due to the amount of visible dust the pads shed, you'll have to wash them every week.

But not to worry. After about 1-3 months of constant weekly washes, apathy will set in quite quickly, and you'll come to your senses, realise that no one gives a **** about dirty wheels and do more productive things with your life. Been there, done that.

[brad]

The other alternative is to repaint the wheels in a dark silver graphite / dark grey / matt black & let them get dirty

[Ryan_R]

Look at it this way, you get two wheel colours for the price of one (silver - clean, and dark - dirty)

[RoknRob]

Yes, due to the amount of visible dust the pads shed, you'll have to wash them every week.

But not to worry. After about 1-3 months of constant weekly washes, apathy will set in quite quickly, and you'll come to your senses, realise that no one gives a **** about dirty wheels and do more productive things with your life. Been there, done that.

My sentiments exactly...

[wai]

The only downside is that when you go to check the tyre pressures, you fingers get quite black

[JonP01]

Thanks for all the replies. Good to know there is nothing abnormal. My car has only done 1800 kms and I had the outside (i.e the gloss metallic silver) finish of the wheels ceramic pro coated, so actually cleaning them is not that hard - it is just the bother of doing it at all when the rest of the car is still clean. Whilst I agree about priorities in the scheme of things I do like the car to always look pristine just as I do my house which I built a decade ago. As I say, the brakes really feel great and are one of the best features of these great cars. I might look into ceramic pads next time though, so long as there is little to no sacrifice in terms of feel or noise.