Brake Dust

[aespablo 0]

Hi. My E46 generates a relatively large amount of brake dust on the front mags as compared to my Toyota. The mags already look dirty after only a week of using the car. Is this normal for an E46 or is there something wrong with my car? I have to clean the front mags once a week and it's quite stressfull on my back. I spray WD40 on soft paper towels and use this to wipe away the brake dust. Does anyone know an easier way? Cheers.

[thorburn 120]

Yes it is normal.

I'm no good with cleaning. I'll either use a waterblaster or paint the wheels black

[zenetti 0]

WD40 is probably not such a good idea as it will more than likely allow the brake dust to cling to the wheel. Has your car recently been imported? I would say that it has a cheap aftermarket brake pad in it. It is best to look for a better quality low dust brake pad.

The best thing to clean wheels is just to use car wash and a sponge - that way it won't do any harm to the paint.

[M5V8 337]

I think what you maybe experiencing is just a BMW OEM pad thing.

I noticed the same thing and was constantly cleaning my wheels.

research showed BMW OEM pads are relatively soft and known for dust. I sourced and fitted a set of AXXIS deluxe pads and dust has been reduced 50% (at least!).

Bite & feel at OEM if not slightly better.

Highly recommend.

[aespablo 0]

Thanks guys, appreciate the info.

[Neal 512]

I still use the BMW pads. I give the rims a good coat of car polish once a year which makes washing the stuff off easier.

The dealer seems to also pressure wash the rims during servicing / warrants , but this ended up lifting the clear coat on my old Type 1's so wouldn't recomend doing this too often .(wife's car factory painted rims where fine with this)