My 06 has almost 5k miles on it. Every time I clean it up (which is almost weekly) the next day or so I notice a lot of black crap on the wheels (which I am assuming is brake dust)...how long do the brakes put out dust? Is it forever? It cleans up real easy, though, but still.....

 

Forever....(or until you change them to a less dusty pad).

 

I'd say get used to it...

There is a spray specifically made to resist brake dust, but I'm not sure how well it actually works. I think Eagle 1 makes a version of this.

 

Yep, it is non stop with the pads BMW uses....

 

Just coast to a stop.

 

oh man..and the whole time i was hoping there was like a break-in type period for that. (for it to have less brake dust)
oh well..just gotta take extra care of my rims.

 

Aftermarket pads (like the Hawk ceramics) make a HUGE difference in this area. Always some dust - but much, much less, and what there is is lighter in color so it's less noticeable.

 

Detailing your wheels helps also - dust comes off so much easier

T

 

I've discovered the same thing about detailing the wheels...I use wheel shield from DP, and all I have to do is wipe the wheels off when I am washing and the black stuff comes right off....it's like having waxed wheels!

 

Yep - Wheel Shield plus ceramics plus occasional wipedown with QD = beautiful wheels.

 

Michelin brake dust repellent works--just sprays on. Sold at Auto Zone

 

i need to write this down.
time to go shopping!!

 

I'm very happy with the Axxis D+ pads that I got from Zeckhausen Racing online. I cannot stand the dust of the OEM pads. Moreover, at some point that dust will permanently stain you wheels if you don't regularly clean it.

The wheels stay immaculate, no noise and the braking is almost the same. At first, the pedal wheel was noticably softer, but I realize now that they need more breaking in. Braking now feels pretty much as good as stock (I don't have any real tests though). There may be just a little less bite, but any difference is more than worth it in my opinion. Now the wheels get no dirtier than the rest of the car.

I also changed them out myself. No special tools were required for the front pads - just a 7mm hex key on a ratchet and other sockets. It was a pretty fast job. The rear set will require a special tool to rotate the piston as it is pressed back, however.

I guess the biggest downside is that you lose the manufacturer maintenance value for your pads if your car is new. My car is an '06 and it's still worth it for me though.

 

I used EBS green stuffs on the little woman's 2002. At least as dusty as stock but immediately felt the difference in stopping power (dry). I only mention these because they were marketed as reducing dust and stopping distances...1 out of two isn't bad...

 

Just remember that if you go with after market pads &/or rotors the warranty on your calipers will be voided as I have just learned the hard way

 

I replaced my rotors with cross drilled ones at the same time, mostly just for looks.

If you replace only the pads, I can see an argument for voiding a warranty on the rotors, but I don't see why a different pad/rotor material would void the caliper warranty. I believe the dealer would need to draw a connection between the caliper failure and the particular pad/rotor material.

I guess if the different dust were somehow more harmful than the OEM dust that would be something. But I haven't seen anything more harmful than the OEM dust.

Is there a specific argument out there that BMW has made on this?

 

I called 3 dealerships about my caliper failure & they all said the caliper should be covered under warranty & then when I told them I had just installed Hawk HPS pads & Brembo rotors (all stock sized not big brakes) they all 3 said oooh sorry your caliper warranty is voided because you used aftermarket parts If it was a hugely expensive part I might try to fight it but for a cailper it's just not worth the effort.

 

We bought ours back in September of 2006. Since then I did 2 autocross events in January, 2 in February and by then the dusting had reduced by quite a bit from when the car was new. (no the pads didn't wear out, they still look the same thickness as new)

I think you'll notice it get better. But it will always dust some what. Also, the dust always looks alot worse when you have to drive in the rain.

I've noticed that it's a lot easier to clean the brake dust off when the wheels are cool. Hot = bad, when removing brake dust.

 

If your only concern is keeping the dust down and you don't want to spend a lot go with the Mintex Redbox pads for the front. Good replacement OEM pads and very clean, will stay as clean as the rear wheels do with oem pads. Obviously if you are racing the car or just want to improve braking performance above oem then you will have to look at other pads.

 

What did they say it was about the pads and rotors that led to the caliper failure?

The Magnusson-Moss act prevents a warranty refusal based solely on the mere use of aftermarket parts. They must at least suggest a relationship that caused the failure (although you may disagree). I just can't imagine what causal relationship they might suggest. I'm sure HPS brake dust doesn't have any effect on caliper seals.

I guess if I were the dealer, I would more likely argue that the caliper was mishandled and damaged when the the aftermarket parts were installed than it was actually caused by the parts. That's a different issue, but it gets the same result - they have a basis to refuse the warranty coverage.

I'm sure I would have probably just dropped the issue like you did, but I'd make them go through the explanation first.