Black dust on front wheels

[LuxoviaRS]

Hi i was wondering if i can get some advice. 

 

I've noticed that my front two wheels have had an accumulation of quiet a lot of black dust that isn't present on the back wheels .  I did a quick online search and it said that its from the wearing down of brake pads, etc. One of the website suggested that the brake pads most likely need replacing and should be done straight away.  Another said not to worry about it. The car has nearly 4000km on the clock and the car has been on the open road including some winding and hilly roads. Is this normal to have so much dust and is it time to replace the brake pads.

 

 

Edited 9 January by LuxoviaRS

[Paws4Thot]

2 hours ago, LuxoviaRS said:

One of the website suggested that the brake pads most likely need replacing and should be done straight away.  Another said not to worry about it. The car has nearly 4000km on the clock and the car has been on the open road

"brake pads most likely need replacing and should be done straight away" - Almost certainly male bovine excrement after 4_000 km.

 

You would be well advised to wash the wheels using a mild car shampoo and a proper wheel brush.

[SouthernComfort]

Perfectly normal. Most Euro makes exhibit the same thing due to their use of softer brake pad composites that are more  resistant to squeal. They will wear quicker than you might have been used to (but not that quick!), especially if you came out of an older vehicle or perhaps an Aussie or American make, or even Japanese. I gave my wheels a go over with car wax and the black dust washes off easily.

Your front brakes do most of the work, so less dust on the rears.

Edited 9 January by SouthernComfort

[TheUltraRunner]

Totally normal. And the car will tell you when you need to replace the pads. Pads have a wear sensor.

[LuxoviaRS]

5 hours ago, Paws4Thot said:

"brake pads most likely need replacing and should be done straight away" - Almost certainly male bovine excrement after 4_000 km.

 

You would be well advised to wash the wheels using a mild car shampoo and a proper wheel brush.

 

[LuxoviaRS]

 

 

. 

3 minutes ago, LuxoviaRS said:

You would be well advised to wash the wheels using a mild car shampoo and a proper wheel brush.

Yes true thanks.  Is it OK to pressure washing them. I just went to a car wash nearby day before yesterday and washed the car down. The black dust was there after

 

3 hours ago, SouthernComfort said:

Perfectly normal. Most Euro makes exhibit the same thing due to their use of softer brake pad composites that are more  resistant to squeal. They will wear quicker than you might have been used to (but not that quick!), especially if you came out of an older vehicle or perhaps an Aussie or American make, or even Japanese. I gave my wheels a go over with car wax and the black dust washes off easily.

Your front brakes do most of the work, so less dust on the rears.

2 hours ago, TheUltraRunner said:

Totally normal. And the car will tell you when you need to replace the pads. Pads have a wear sensor

 

Ok thanks for that. Yes,  I called the local skoda service centre and they told me that it is normal and that brake pads most likely won't need replacing until the 60,000 to 70,000 mark and that they do brake checks every service. Also said that vrs brakes are larger brakes and that happens.  

 

2 hours ago, TheUltraRunner said:

Totally normal. And the car will tell you when you need to replace the pads. Pads have a wear sensor

Yes thank you i learned that is true there will be a warning ⚠️ light indicating, nothing to worry about especially at just 4,000 km

[avi4tor]

It happens ever since they stopped using asbestos in the pads.  I use the accumulation as a reminder to wash the car.  Car washes never do wheels very well - on the few occasions I've used them I always go over the car afterwards with a bucket of water and a sponge to clean the bits that were missed.

Edited 9 January by avi4tor

[TheUltraRunner]

@LuxoviaRS just pressure wash will have a little affect since brake dust is quite stubborn to remove if you don't have some kind of protection applied to the wheels (wax or ceramic coating).

I would recommend using Koch Chemie Magic Wheel Cleaner (or any similar quality product dedicated for washing wheels). You just spray it on, wait a few minutes and then pressure wash the wheels. It does an excellent job without needing to touch/scrub the wheels.
https://www.koch-chemie.com/en/products/magic_wheel_cleaner 

[Mario_Delgado]

In my case, I am using Iron X CarPro with a soft brush. The product is effective but considering the geometry of the wheels, it's impossible to have a perfect result with just the product so 2 minutes after application I brush and rinse and ... perfect result! Rims as good as new.

 

[SteveTheElder]

Alloy wheels and brake dust  😡

 

They're always the first part of the car to look dirty and are the hardest part to clean! Thanks to @TheUltraRunner and @Mario_Delgado for recommended products to make the job easier 👍

[LuxoviaRS]

7 hours ago, avi4tor said:

It happens ever since they stopped using asbestos in the pads.  I use the accumulation as a reminder to wash the car.  Car washes never do wheels very well - on the few occasions I've used them I always go over the car afterwards with a bucket of water and a sponge to clean the bits that were missed.

Fair enough,  i have never noticed it on any other car I've been driving,  probably wasn't paying any attention...

 No, not an automatic car wash that you drive in, it's one of those that you do the work yourself. Noted though. 

7 hours ago, TheUltraRunner said:

just pressure wash will have a little affect since brake dust is quite stubborn to remove if you don't have some kind of protection applied to the wheels (wax or ceramic coating).

Could be,  i have had applied 4 layers of Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic 3 in 1 Detail Spray Waterless Wash applied weeknky since before we left for this trip from the time of purchase. Car looked immaculate including the wheels like new. Now being away from home didn't bring the products. i have only hosed down i haven't applied a sponge or cloth etc just noticed front wheels had black dust 😐 

 

4 hours ago, Mario_Delgado said:

 

 

 

7 hours ago, TheUltraRunner said:

I would recommend using Koch Chemie Magic Wheel Cleaner (or any similar quality product dedicated for washing wheels). You just spray it on, wait a few minutes and then pressure wash the wheels. It does an excellent job without needing to touch/scrub the wheels.
https://www.koch-chemie.com/en/products/magic_wheel_cleaner 

Thanks for the recommendation and the link.  Will look it up. Much appreciated 

 

4 hours ago, Mario_Delgado said:

In my case, I am using Iron X CarPro with a soft brush. The product is effective but considering the geometry of the wheels, it's impossible to have a perfect result with just the product so 2 minutes after application I brush and rinse and ... perfect result! Rims as good as new.

 

Awesome thank you as well. 

 

3 hours ago, SteveTheElder said:

Alloy wheels and brake dust  😡

Yeah quiet annoying  😑 

 

3 hours ago, SteveTheElder said:

They're always the first part of the car to look dirty and are the hardest part to clean! Thanks to @TheUltraRunner and @Mario_Delgado for recommended products to make the job easier 👍

Absolutely 👍

[mday]

They all do that sir.....in fact all cars since the introduction of disc brakes..!

Edited 9 January by mday

[mday]

Just be thankful you don't have to replace the car as the ashtray is full....!?

[TheUltraRunner]

I would also strongly recommend ceramic coating the car, wheels and windows to anyone who likes to have their car clean. It's soooo much easier to clean a car which has been ceramic coated compared to wax or anything else.

[SC03OTT]

5 hours ago, Mario_Delgado said:

In my case, I am using Iron X CarPro with a soft brush. The product is effective but considering the geometry of the wheels, it's impossible to have a perfect result with just the product so 2 minutes after application I brush and rinse and ... perfect result! Rims as good as new.

 

You don’t really need/want to be using IronX every weekend wash. It’s for dissolving the iron deposits. Every six months is fine for that, along with the rest of the car. 

[SouthernComfort]

I've never been a fan of car washes as I'm sceptical about the detergents they use, therefore I only ever wash my cars by hand usually with Autoglym and sometimes Turtle Wax. My car is well waxed, including the wheels which are washed at the same time. It's more than enough to keep the car looking like new year round, especially as we don't have salted roads to contend with. I use a microfibre wand for the wheels, not a bristle brush, and the brake dust washes off easily.

@LuxoviaRS, if you're interested you can buy the microfibre wands at Autobarn or Supercheap Auto here in Aus. 

[LuxoviaRS]

4 hours ago, mday said:

They all do that sir.....in fact all cars since the introduction of disc brakes..!

Yes 👍

 

4 hours ago, mday said:

Just be thankful you don't have to replace the car as the ashtray is full....!?

Haha the old ash trays. Had coins in them mostly lol 😆 

 

4 hours ago, TheUltraRunner said:

I would also strongly recommend ceramic coating the car, wheels and windows to anyone who likes to have their car clean. It's soooo much easier to clean a car which has been ceramic coated compared to wax or anything else

I agree. That's what i was using just haven't done it for a while now.

 

2 hours ago, SouthernComfort said:

if you're interested you can buy the microfibre wands at Autobarn or Supercheap Auto here in Aus. 

Thanks, yes i have 3 microfibre wands or cloths at home.  Just didn't bother bringing one with me on the trip.  Can always pop into one locally and buy one 

[Mario_Delgado]

14 hours ago, SC03OTT said:

You don’t really need/want to be using IronX every weekend wash. It’s for dissolving the iron deposits. Every six months is fine for that, along with the rest of the car. 

 

Well … I've using it for quite a long time now and only to clean rims. Of course I am not using it every wash, but six months I would say it's excessive as a time period for that particular application. The average in my case I would say is 1,5 months and always respecting user manual, specially what's related to temperature and exposition to sun when applying. And so far so good, for both rims and brake calipers paint coating.