Avoiding a Brake Dust Horror Story Is Simple – Here’s How

If you own or lease a BMW, Lexus, Infiniti or other luxury vehicle, you expect it to look and perform at its best wherever the road takes you. After all, you’re paying for a premium product; you deserve nothing less.

Sadly, “nothing less” is the reality facing all drivers – BMW, Lexus, Infiniti and other luxury drivers included – and it comes by way of damaging brake dust.

Each time your brakes are applied, tiny brake dust grains – essentially metallic particles – fly off the brake pads and rotors at high temperatures and land on wheels. This happens on all makes and models of vehicles—but it’s a particular problem with high-performance braking systems in BMWs and other luxury vehicles. When hot brake dust makes contact with your wheels, it sears into their top/clear coat finish. And over time, when enough brake dust is collected on the finish, it compromises that finish to the point where it penetrates through it and down to the alloy. At that point, brake dust effectively has removed your wheels’ protective finish. This makes the alloy look unattractive, which no luxury car owner wants. Yet, it also leaves it vulnerable to corrosion, which could potentially ruin the wheels themselves.

What to do? As we see it, there are three possible options:

• Stop driving altogether and admire your brake dust-free wheels as the vehicle sits stationary at the location of your choice. (OK, this isn’t really an option.)
• Visit an internet forum or auto enthusiast website where brake dust victims share tips and strategies for removing the stuff with a litany of concoctions. Some examples:
• “Try a phosphoric-based acid wheel cleaner.”
• “Use chemical gel and a good scrub brush. Give that a shot; if it still doesn’t get it out, you can try an iron extractor—this stuff is magic!”
• Follow a four-step process of (1) blasting the wheels with high-pressure water; (2) spraying on a wheel-safe cleaning solution; (3) agitating the solution to reach all sides of the wheel; and (4) applying a protective wax coating to the wheel.
• Acquire the Wheel Craft luxury PVD Chrome^™ finish of your choice, eliminate the problem of brake dust completely and save yourself time, money and enormous amounts of dirty manual labor. In fact, it typically takes only one minute per wheel to clean your PVD Chrome-finished wheels.

Think about it: Would you rather spend your hard-earned money on degreasers, wheel wax and iron extractors, then waste hours of precious time on your hands and knees manually scrubbing your wheels (and risking scratches and clear-coat damage in the process)? Or, would a better option be to invest in beautiful and durable Wheel Craft PVD Chrome finishes, have beautiful, brake dust-resistant wheels all year round and occasionally use soap and water with a soft car wash cloth or sponge to clean them?

We think the answer is obvious—and our customers agree. Their words speak volumes about the tremendous value and protection Wheel Craft PVD Chrome finishes provide for BMWs and other luxury brands:

“I LOVE THE PVD Chrome RIMS! I am not only the owner of just one set for my BMW 740, but also for my new Ranger Rover HSE. They are a must for anyone who is looking for great wheels that are resistant to brake dust. They will not pit; they are so easy to clean; and they give such a tremendously sharp look to any car. I used chrome rims from another source and did not come close to having the same results as I have received with my rims from Wheel Craft. Ed Hollinshead and his professional staff took me through each and every step of preparing my original equipment (OE) wheels through delivery and even followed up with a phone call to ensure that I was SATISFIED! I will never go anywhere else for wheels for any of my vehicles again. Got to LOVE the PVD Chrome! Thank you so very much!”

− LTC (Ret.) Brian McGlothan, U.S. Army Special Forces 

“I had the wheels from my 2018 BMW 3 series finished by Wheel Craft. I chose the Black PVD Chrome^™ option. I was told beforehand that brake dust would not be an issue. Having owned other BMWs prior to this one, I wasn’t sure I believed this, but I was sold on how great they looked so I had them put through the process. I am very glad I did. These wheels pop like no others on the road. I have had numerous compliments and even had a friend get a set for himself in Bright PVD Chrome^™. Brake dust is truly not an issue. I have not had to use any chemicals when cleaning the wheels. Most of the time I run a microfiber towel over the wheels, and they are as good as new. When the car is getting a wash, I just use soap and water with a sponge wipe-down and they look great. I’ve put close to 15,000 miles on my 3 Series since installing these wheels and I could not be happier. I recommend Wheel Craft to everyone. This product is top-notch.”

− Jon Pack

At Wheel Craft, our exclusive PVD Chrome ultra-thin finish technology connects with the fiber of the underlying alloy; it ties right to it, as opposed to a coating that merely sits on it. Moreover, our PVD Chrome finishes are no thicker than a piece of paper, which creates an inseparable bond across the entire surface of the wheel. This protective glove provides ultimate protection from:

• Brake dust burns
• Alloy wheel corrosion
• Car wash chemicals
• Seasonal street chemicals and salt

Wheel Craft finishes also are fully guaranteed under our exclusive five-year warranty.

We hope this blog helps you understand the damaging effects of brake dust, and the best way to avoid the time, expense and labor associated with removing it from your wheels. If you’re looking to Arrive in Style wherever the road takes you, visit wheelcraft.com or contact us for more information on our custom wheel and rim finishes for factory-installed luxury car wheels. For dealers, we welcome the opportunity to discuss how Wheel Craft can deepen customer loyalty and drive unit sales, productivity, revenue and CSI.

Please contact Wheel Craft at 833.639.4231 or email Ed Hollinshead, company President.