[tccox]

My 228I is ten times worse than my 128. Having car and wheels opti coated today

[horsepower_and_hounds]

Yea my 128 was disgusting....when I did the drilled/slotted rotors and ceramic pads......I never really have to clean the wheels

[Spitfi-r]

Has anyone swapped out to low dust pads?

I've been searching the f30 threads and various websites and have not found much choice.

I had some Akebono's ceramics on my e46, they were great and lasted forever--I'd love to find somethings similar.

I'm more worried about dust than performance.

I guess porterfield will make r4-s pads for our cars if you call.

[NEUE02]

Centric PosiQuiet are great low dust, high performance street pads. I have them on my Carrera and will likely get them on my M235. I get them at Zeckenhausen, BMW brake specialists.

[G4Z808]

I noticed the large amount of brake dust. Im not planing on changing pads though. Any suggestion on how to keep the wheels clean? i dont have a hose so i cant wash them regularly, i guess i can wipe them with a MF towel often, but i dont want to have to go through rags so fast

[overcoil]

Originally Posted by G4Z808

I noticed the large amount of brake dust. Im not planing on changing pads though. Any suggestion on how to keep the wheels clean? i dont have a hose so i cant wash them regularly, i guess i can wipe them with a MF towel often, but i dont want to have to go through rags so fast

You can use P21 spray gel, a spray bottle of water and then you'll need to toss about a bucket of water on each wheel.
Ideally it's nice to uses a pad or brush to wipe the barrel, tricky parts
and calipers- no self service car washes where you can sneak in a bucket wash ?

[NEUE02]

If you coat your wheels (inside and out) with a heat resistant sealant, and wash every week or so, you won't need to use wheel cleaning chemicals at all. And the dust will stick less.

No expensive products are required. (Resist the marketing hype) If you use a sealant on your paint, use it on your wheels, too. Even the cheapest polymer/nano sealants on the market are perfectly fine and you will see the results.

Carnauba-based waxes don't have the durability or heat resistance to be of real long term value so skip them.

Wash your wheels with the same car wash you use on your paint. I put a bit of it in a spray bottle and just squirt it on. If you use wheel cleaners you will just degrade the sealant you so lovingly applied to the wheels.

As a detailing fanatic I shoot for perfection. And this process will make your life so much easier. And save you some money on wheel cleaners you can apply elsewhere on more fun car stuff.

[bman6074]

Originally Posted by NEUE02

If you coat your wheels (inside and out) with a heat resistant sealant, and wash every week or so, you won't need to use wheel cleaning chemicals at all. And the dust will stick less.

No expensive products are required. (Resist the marketing hype) If you use a sealant on your paint, use it on your wheels, too. Even the cheapest polymer/nano sealants on the market are perfectly fine and you will see the results.

Carnauba-based waxes don't have the durability or heat resistance to be of real long term value so skip them.

Wash your wheels with the same car wash you use on your paint. I put a bit of it in a spray bottle and just squirt it on. If you use wheel cleaners you will just degrade the sealant you so lovingly applied to the wheels.

As a detailing fanatic I shoot for perfection. And this process will make your life so much easier. And save you some money on wheel cleaners you can apply elsewhere on more fun car stuff.

+1 works like a charm. Best is to take you wheel off to get the back side as well. Clean, dry, seal, then reinstall on car. do this about twice to 3 times a year and it makes cleaning the wheels a breeze.

[overcoil]

I don't know that sealants have greater heat resistance then carnuba. Many times organic matter is added to inorganic's to provide UV and heat protection.

P21 is a quality surfactant and lower surface tension is more relevant then nanotechnology for wheel care.

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by G4Z808

I noticed the large amount of brake dust. Im not planing on changing pads though. Any suggestion on how to keep the wheels clean? i dont have a hose so i cant wash them regularly, i guess i can wipe them with a MF towel often, but i dont want to have to go through rags so fast

Easiest to clean is Sonax full effect and then just rinse.... but you would need a hose to rinse it...

they even have the full effect plus they say it's 30% stronger....

the beauty about this stuff is that you just spray, wait, rinse and the dust is gone..no wiping or brushing...

[mvallido]

Originally Posted by FunRevn

Now we now why they only offer Grey wheels

I have not noticed at all maybe because I live in the desert country of Bahrain LOL!

[hoppy6698]

Originally Posted by pikcachu

Easiest to clean is Sonax full effect and then just rinse.... but you would need a hose to rinse it...

they even have the full effect plus they say it's 30% stronger....

the beauty about this stuff is that you just spray, wait, rinse and the dust is gone..no wiping or brushing...

+1 - Sonax Full Effect is powerful. Just agitate with a boar's hair brush and a EZ detail brush on the barrels while it is eating the dust away. Rinses right off.

If you have a coating (opt-coat, UK quartz, etc), do not use Sonax! It can may affect the treatment.

[mikeyymonster]

Originally Posted by hoppy6698

+1 - Sonax Full Effect is powerful. Just agitate with a boar's hair brush and a EZ detail brush on the barrels while it is eating the dust away. Rinses right off.

If you have a coating (opt-coat, UK quartz, etc), do not use Sonax! It can may affect the treatment.

Do you have to wait until the Sonax finishes changing color before brushing the wheels or can you do that immediately?

[pikcachu]

brushing will accelerate the color changing activation... i think you can do either way....just don't let the fluid dry on the wheel

[hoppy6698]

Originally Posted by pikcachu

brushing will accelerate the color changing activation... i think you can do either way....just don't let the fluid dry on the wheel

Definitely do NOT let it dry! For heavy dust, I wait about 30-60 seconds, then agitate with a brush. Spray off immediately after, rinse completely.

[racerx5]

Armor All Wheel Protectant works great until the wheels get wet. I have the brake dust issue on both my X5 and Jaguar XK. Dust-free until the next wash.

Swear by the stuff.

Amazon sells it for about the same price as Walmart.

Meguiar's makes something similar
Hot Rims Brake Dust Barrier

Haven't tried that yet.

[gaijin]

Originally Posted by Lazee 1

Do you have to wait until the Sonax finishes changing color before brushing the wheels or can you do that immediately?

check this out:

[bman6074]

Originally Posted by gaijin

check this out:

Has anyone used sonax with a regular hose and not a power washer. I feel like the power washer helps with removing the brake dust because of the high pressure. I would think most of us just use a regular hose to wash are cars and wheels.

[overcoil]

Originally Posted by bman6074

Has anyone used sonax with a regular hose and not a power washer. I feel like the power washer helps with removing the brake dust because of the high pressure. I would think most of us just use a regular hose to wash are cars and wheels.

Some tire manufacturers warn against having strong psi from a power washer hitting the sidewall of a tire for any kind of duration.

Anyway a sponge will knock out whatever a power washer might have dislodged.

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by bman6074

Has anyone used sonax with a regular hose and not a power washer. I feel like the power washer helps with removing the brake dust because of the high pressure. I would think most of us just use a regular hose to wash are cars and wheels.

regular hose will do just fine..... it's just to rise... the product does all the work as long as you apply it where the brake dust is....

[gaijin]

+1 with both ScottSinger and pikcachu. I should have stated my personal belief too about the use of high pressure washers on the car period. A garden hose with a nozzle of sorts is plenty. With that said, be aware too that if you use car washing stations (self or full-service), not to use the high pressure mode or ask the attendant not to use their pressure washer on your wheels.