Vantage Brakes - Excessive Residue on Alloys

[jonamv8]

Hi,

I finally have my Vantage back, so far so good, fingers crossed. I noticed a little residue on the wheels when I got it back so went to work detailing them. Cleaned a couple of times, clay bar a few heavy spots off, Autoglymn metal polish and then some further metal polish for a second go. Took me a fair bit of time, they looked stunning, not a mark on them.

Took the car out, probably a 6 mile round trip, nothing overly excessive on braking, got out looked at my alloys and I can see quite a lot of residue already.. Sort of rust coloured brown/orange specks. The sort of specks that look to me like if you leave them on then you will have trouble cleaning them off!

It had new brakes at the dealer so I presume they would put the factory pads on, are these Pagid? Anyone else suffering with this problem? Would a change of pads do the trick, if so any suggestions? I'm a bit of a clean freak but dont fancy cleaning my wheels every 5 miles.

Here some photos, apologies about quality, taken on my phone but you should get the idea:

My new car:



Wheels before:



Dirty Wheels after 6 miles:



Any advice?

[Dan1heMan]

Very nice Jon,

I have the same issue with my DB9 its just one of those things which ive just come to accept, You press the brakes, It creates lots of dust and it covers the alloys.

I heard of other pads that dont produce as much brake dust but i've also heard that because they are meant more for the track the brakes dont feel like there working until you've driven a few miles, which to be honest i've rather put up with brake dust on the alloys than rear end someone.

One thing i would suggest to allow the dust to come off easily is to use some alloy polish which doesnt allow the dust to stick on as much. I've got some Autoglym Alloy seal and i just have to run a damp cloth over them to fetch the dust off.

Cheers

Dan.

[jonamv8]

Cheers Dan.

Funny you mentioned AutoGlym Wheel Seal, I forgot to specify that in my post, I applied that as my final product so hopefully it should wipe off pretty easily it's just annoying - will have to get used to it.

I agree with what you say about the track pads so will be sticking to road orientated pads! Just wasn;t sure wheteher someone could recommend a road pad which they have experienced less residue with.

[GTDB7]

Metal polish on Wheels???

Would this not score the laquer finish and make it easier for dirt to become ingrained?

Wheels would need a bit of Bilberry, non acidic cleaner, maybe tar remover for stubborn spots, rinsed and wiped etc.. and for protection some good sealant or wax.

Metal polish is for metal not painted finishes.

That is assuming like many Aston's your wheels are painted and clear coated.

[Dan1heMan]

GTDB7 said:

Metal polish on Wheels???

Would this not score the laquer finish and make it easier for dirt to become ingrained?

Wheels would need a bit of Bilberry, non acidic cleaner, maybe tar remover for stubborn spots, rinsed and wiped etc.. and for protection some good sealant or wax.

Metal polish is for metal not painted finishes.

That is assuming like many Aston's your wheels are painted and clear coated.

Its not Metal polish, its Alloy wheel polish. It protects the alloys from the brake dust clamping onto the alloys paint.

See below.

[jonamv8]

Dan - I think GTDB7 may have been referring to my post where I did use some metal polish but I checked that it was suitable for wheels beforehand

[alevine]

I have had excellent results with Armor All Wheel Protectant. Link is listed below.

http://armorall.com/products/view_product.php?prod...

I purchased a can over the summer and I have applied it twice. The product is amazing. It keeps 95%+ of the brake dust off for about 3-4 weeks. Now, I don't drive my car in the rain so I cannot comment if it works as well after the wheels have gotten wet, etc. but to me it is a miracle product and works as described in the video. If I had to guess you can get 150-200 miles on the car before it starts to degrade but I haven't done any tests like that to verify.

Adam

[bogie]

armor all works ok

or just having the wheels coated in polymer sealant helps too ...with the cleaning you just need a wipe with soapy water, Ive never used anything more harsh on mine

on the last few cars, ive gone for the real easy option; matt anthracite grey finish, so they always look errrrr....grey and dirty ..near maintenance free

[Mako V12V]

I got fed up of cleaning brake dust off alloys, even after a few miles only..............so i bought myself a V12 Vantage!

[jonamv8]

Alevine - I may give it a go when my current wheal seal runs out - I've searched for it online and can't find a stockist? Where did you pick up yours from?

MAKO - Btw I absolutely love your V12, I want one already... I take it they run ceramic brakes or something if you no longer have this issue?

[3rtt]

I have to recommend Swisswax autobahn. I have used from new on my 2010 V8V. Once applied the brake dust just falls off with a hose. It's worth spending the time to take each wheel off, clean inside and out, remove any other wax and give a good coating of Swisswax Autobahn then polish off. it's the best product on wheels I have ever used.

Cheers,
Ian

[stanwan]

alevine said:

I have had excellent results with Armor All Wheel Protectant. Link is listed below.

http://armorall.com/products/view_product.php?prod...

I purchased a can over the summer and I have applied it twice. The product is amazing. It keeps 95%+ of the brake dust off for about 3-4 weeks. Now, I don't drive my car in the rain so I cannot comment if it works as well after the wheels have gotten wet, etc. but to me it is a miracle product and works as described in the video. If I had to guess you can get 150-200 miles on the car before it starts to degrade but I haven't done any tests like that to verify.

Adam

The wheel preotectant is one of the best I have seen and actually repels the dust properly - instead of sticking it actually causes the dust to form into little granules which just fall off the wheel. I've searched all over the place and can't find it in the UK. Usually armorall products aren't all that, but the alloy seal is something else entirely....

[Mako V12V]

jonamv8 said:

MAKO - Btw I absolutely love your V12, I want one already... I take it they run ceramic brakes or something if you no longer have this issue?

Hey Jon - yeah carbon ceramics produce a minimal amount of dust over a much longer period and make the wheel a delight to clean!
The only disappointment from owning a V12 Vantage is that you'll never be in the Market to change your car again..... Its a keeper for sure

[alevine]

jonamv8 said:

Alevine - I may give it a go when my current wheal seal runs out - I've searched for it online and can't find a stockist? Where did you pick up yours from?

MAKO - Btw I absolutely love your V12, I want one already... I take it they run ceramic brakes or something if you no longer have this issue?

I live in Chicago and it Armour All Wheel Protectant is sold at most auto parts stores. I think the stuff is amazing! I should also state that earlier this summer I used Meguires #6 Cleaner/Wax to polish my wheels. I'm sure this has helped too.

I don't know if Amazon will ship outside the U.S. but it is listed on their site. Link is below.

http://www.amazon.com/Armor-All-Wheel-Protectant-o...

Adam

[polar8]

Mako V12V said:

jonamv8 said:

MAKO - Btw I absolutely love your V12, I want one already... I take it they run ceramic brakes or something if you no longer have this issue?

Hey Jon - yeah carbon ceramics produce a minimal amount of dust over a much longer period and make the wheel a delight to clean!
The only disappointment from owning a V12 Vantage is that you'll never be in the Market to change your car again..... Its a keeper for sure

Absolutely correct! The only downside - no more cars to fantasize about - that and fuel. Brake dust almost non existent.