Brake dust headache

[andycai]

I've had 2 Ms before but never seemed to notice this issue. The rims are like brake dust magnets. I wonder if I plasti dip the rims matte black, will it hide the dust? Anyone done this before? It's not like I'm lazy or anything but I'm in California so hand washing is not an option.. Thx

[chimp]

You are not alone. I have a F82 with the black wheels. I wash my car religiously once a week. Within 3 days, the front wheels are already coated in brake dust. The rear wheels are marginally better. I was hoping I could blow the dust off with my compressor. That didn't work. I tried all types of wheel sealants. That didn't seem to help either. Finally, I had the wheels removed and had Opticoat Pro put on them. Now, a majority of the brake dust comes off easily with just a strong stream of water but the brake dust still collects quickly so the Opticoat didn't really repel it rather just made it easier to remove. That is a good thing because I have found that if you breath too heavily on the black wheels, you get light surface imperfections so the less I am touching them with wheel whoolies etc, the better. Wow they look awesome when clean though.

[Racer20]

Originally Posted by andycai

I've had 2 Ms before but never seemed to notice this issue. The rims are like brake dust magnets. I wonder if I plasti dip the rims matte black, will it hide the dust? Anyone done this before? It's not like I'm lazy or anything but I'm in California so hand washing is not an option.. Thx

Brake dust over black wheels ends up making them a dull brownish color. Not as obvious, but still pretty unattractive. Assuming you have silver wheels now, have them opticoated or Cquartz'd, and that will at least make them easier to clean.

Also, black wheels are a HUGE PITA to keep clean, they show every scratch and pit and swirl just like black paint.

[gthal]

Originally Posted by Racer20

Brake dust over black wheels ends up making them a dull brownish color. Not as obvious, but still pretty unattractive. Assuming you have silver wheels now, have them opticoated or Cquartz'd, and that will at least make them easier to clean.

Also, black wheels are a HUGE PITA to keep clean, they show every scratch and pit and swirl just like black paint.

Like a black car... beautiful when clean but a PITA to keep that way

[jose_sonictuning]

Originally Posted by gthal

Like a black car... beautiful when clean but a PITA to keep that way

I will second that! Even worse if you live in an area that snows! Then you have brake dust, dirt, and salt to deal with!