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  #1  
Old 04-26-2002, 04:13 PM
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Brake dust....what to do.

I've never had a car before that produced such volumeous quantities of brake dust in all my car owning history.

I could clean them perfectly and not even a week later they would look like total crap. As far as I know, the pads on the car are OEM.

Ist question is: Is this kind of brake dust production typical?

2nd: Is there anything I can do to limit the amount of dust like using dust shields (I realize that these shields also are detrimental to brake cooling).

...just looking for ideas.

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1985 300SD - 'Grace' (198K mi.)
2018 Honda Civic Sport
2018 Honda CRV LX
2010 Honda Fit Sport (RIP)
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1996 Lexus LS400 (Retired)
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  #2  
Old 04-26-2002, 04:55 PM
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I bought "Textar" brand pads from Mercedesshop.com and they are like night and day regarding the amount of dust! The wheels were only clean immediately after washing before - after the first drive I'd be able to see a haze of dust on the fronts. Now the front wheels stay almost as clean as the back! Highly recommended! (I called the 800# and they were very helpful and recommended this brand and had applications that are NOT in the fastlane inventory).

I wish I had "sprung" for the wear sensors, I saved a couple bucks but the old ones were a little brittle. I advise you to go ahead and get the sensors.

Lastly, I discovered that the Meguiar's "Hot Wheels" wheel cleaner is the ONLY substance I have found that actually gets brake dust off WITHOUT SCRUBBING! It is amazing!! Try it, you'll be glad you did! It looks chintzy because it comes in a hot pink bottle but don't let that fool you.

-Tom
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  #3  
Old 04-26-2002, 04:55 PM
rebootit
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or you can just not use your brakes as much
I know the feeling here. Am always fighting black wheels. Wax does help, but they still get dirty in a week of city driving.
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  #4  
Old 04-27-2002, 12:23 AM
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I hear ya ck, amazing isn't it. I do know that you do not want the shields. Heats the brakes up too much. Mercedes wheels are designed like a huge fan that is continually pulling air out and away from the brakes. That is one reason they build up so much dust on the outer surface. Heck it even gets on the side glass and body of the car. The other pads are one thing that would help but at a cost. Rotors. I have thought about trying them myself but never have. Such great brakes on the car I hate to mess with success.
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  #5  
Old 04-27-2002, 01:26 AM
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I have the brake dust shields on both my cars and I've not noticed any problems with heat related brake fade. I certainly get lots of chances to try it out on the hills around here too! One thing to note though, there is a definite left and right on the shields. If you install them on the wrong sides or rotate your wheels and forget to change the shields you likely will have a overheating problem.
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  #6  
Old 04-27-2002, 01:32 AM
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I agree with LRG. I bought a pair of Kleen Wheels dust shields a while ago and have had no problem with them. The only annoyance is that I have to swap them from wheel to wheel when I rotate my tires.

Alex
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  #7  
Old 04-27-2002, 07:53 AM
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There are some type of shields on my 300D and they do a good job of keeping the dust off and I have not had any brake problems. I would not feel bad at all about putting them on an early 80's diesel.
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  #8  
Old 04-27-2002, 11:51 AM
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Hmmm...I might look into the Kleen wheels shields then...only on the fronts of course.

I already understood that one of the major issues with using shields is that they also "shield" the brakes from cool air. But, with the car being driven like a granny, I don't see brake fade becoming an issue.

....like I said, I may *try* them and see what happens.

thnx for the usual great responses everyone!

EDIT:

Just read the FAQ/Info on the Kleen Wheels site. I feel a little better about these things not being a problem now.
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1985 300SD - 'Grace' (198K mi.)
2018 Honda Civic Sport
2018 Honda CRV LX
2010 Honda Fit Sport (RIP)
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1996 Lexus LS400 (Retired)
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Last edited by ck42; 04-27-2002 at 12:03 PM.
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  #9  
Old 04-27-2002, 01:06 PM
rebootit
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I will say this about benz brakes compared to any other car, they work! I have got into so many close calls in the wifes 2000 olds van that I don't feel comfortable driving it anymore. It has anti-lock brakes, etc. and the van and my car are very close in weight, but my car will stop in what seems 1/2 the distance on dry roads and highway speeds. One factor not in the gas van is the diesel braking from the motor, but I have noticed severe brake fade in the van that I never seem to get in the benz. So if you drive like me 95/5 (95% benz, 5% american car) watch it! The only time the benz brakes have felt bad is at highway speeds and heavy rains. They would get wet and cold and feel like they were gone for the first 5 seconds of braking.
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  #10  
Old 04-27-2002, 03:48 PM
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hmmm, I was under the impression that you don't get any "braking" effect from diesels. I think there is something called a "Jacobs Brake" which makes it become a brake engine.
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  #11  
Old 04-27-2002, 05:20 PM
rebootit
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When you let off the fuel on the 300d the high compression does indeed slow the car. You let off the gas on an auto 4 speed overdrive gas 6 banger and it does not slow at all. I'm not talking about the jake brake on the big rigs which does help to slow them down, I am talking about the 3x compression the 300d has over the 8 to 1 gas. I can drive in traffic and by watching what is going on several cars ahead almost never touch the brakes. The newer benzes that have overdrive 5 and 6 speeds may not have the same effect, but the older 4 speeds which are geared like a gas three speed, do. What it comes down to is the far superior brakes on the German cars. My wifes van has front disk, rear drum, and the front disks pads are smaller than whats on my car by a good 1/3. With factory pads and good tires it will stop on a dime.
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  #12  
Old 04-27-2002, 06:00 PM
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rebootit:

I can def. attest to this. In fact, I was going to post a thread regarding the *rapid* decel upon letting off the gas on the hwy compared to my other gas car. I was thinking it was because it is a diesel but I wasn't positive.
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Chris
1985 300SD - 'Grace' (198K mi.)
2018 Honda Civic Sport
2018 Honda CRV LX
2010 Honda Fit Sport (RIP)
2013 Honda Accord Sport (Sold)
1996 Lexus LS400 (Retired)
1995 Ford Contour SE (Retired)
1976 Porsche 914 (Sold)
1972 Datsun 240Z (RIP)
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  #13  
Old 04-27-2002, 06:06 PM
dweller
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When I bought my 300CD, I didn't know it had dust shields on it. At one point, I had the tires rotated, and the dork who did it moved the dust shields to the back tires. I was amazed at how dirty the front alloys immediately got.

I've never seen any braking problem from the dust shields. It is kind of hard to tell, of course, since the MB brakes are generally superior to all other brands I've owned.

It's hard to see why they would cause heating problems. My 240D has the standard steel wheels and hubcaps, and there's not air getting through the wheels to the brakes at all. The brakes seem to work just the same as on a car with the alloys with air holes.

I don't know what brand my dust shields are. They're plastic rather than metal, though, so they're probably not kleen wheels.
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  #14  
Old 04-27-2002, 09:36 PM
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Wink

Chris, What do you mean " I drive the car like a granny"?? Drive the car like you just stole it ! It's a Mercedes Diesel not a Powerstroke!!!!
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  #15  
Old 04-27-2002, 09:46 PM
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Somehow, flying around in a 300SD just doesn't feel right to me.

I don't actually drive it like a granny tho....just much tamer than my other car.

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Chris
1985 300SD - 'Grace' (198K mi.)
2018 Honda Civic Sport
2018 Honda CRV LX
2010 Honda Fit Sport (RIP)
2013 Honda Accord Sport (Sold)
1996 Lexus LS400 (Retired)
1995 Ford Contour SE (Retired)
1976 Porsche 914 (Sold)
1972 Datsun 240Z (RIP)
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