AMG Brake Dust

German vehicles of a higher-performing trim level are a detailer’s worst nightmare. they are some of the most beautiful vehicles to work on but it comes at a cost. we will discuss the cons of owning a high-performance car with big brakes and how to properly maintain them so that they will never have to be replaced.

The dirty truth

the truth is, having a high-performance brake system in your vehicle is very good for many reasons. It allows you to slow down at a faster and safer rate, they are eye-catching and make the car have an aggressive tone to its side profile. The true price of all of this is not in the form of money, it actually comes in the form of maintenance.

At our shop, we get quite a wide variety of sports cars and they are fun, but when it comes to the brakes, if the client drives the car how it’s meant to be moved, those brakes are disgusting! the brake pads slam against the rotor to create a high amount of friction thus slowing the vehicle, now when two items rub together like that constantly, there is bound to be some bi-product of contamination. brake dust is mainly made up of ferrous metal otherwise known as iron/steel, these elements when exposed to the outside will start to oxidize and turn the notorious rust orange we are all familiar with. when those rust particles sit, heat up, and keep adding to the pile inside your rim, it forms a layer of metal that is nearly welded to the wheel.

once it’s too far gone the only real solution worth everyone’s time is taking the wheels off and refinishing them. sure as detailers we can make anything look better but the issue is that the rust has now embedded itself so deep into the rims clearcoat that it has left irreversible damage and the rims will likely start to become pitted and rotted. Acids, degreasers, iron remover, all of these chemicals will put on a good show but the rust will just laugh at it, but there is a way to avoid this

How to keep the rust away

Detailing in 2023 has come so far since we started in the field, the true saving grace has been the chemicals that companies can work with now. every day there is a new product on the market making our lives that much easier so today I will name some of them that personally enjoy.

iron remover

iron remover is the modern-day acid or wheel brightener, it has an active ingredient called ammonium thioglycolate, it has a rotten egg smell and turns purple when it touches rust particles. this chemical has changed how detail for its incredible cleaning abilities. using an iron remover as a wheel cleaner (not for tires) every 1-2 months will keep any rim regardless of the condition in top shape. pair it with a detail brush, EZ detail barrel brush, and microfiber towel or mitt, and your rims will look brand new after!

Gyeon Wet coat

for an added bonus protection can now be just sprayed on and rinsed off, Gyeon wet coat is a water-activated Si02 spray sealant. we use this style of product on every set of rims we clean due to its ability to protect the clean and bare surface from contamination forming. its not bulletproof but if you have any AMG Mercedez this is a must

Give it a shot!

we hope that this article helped you in your search for a easier way to maintain your rims, thank you!