m1964

Hi,
The intruder is the brake dust.
Until now, I have been using Armorall wheel protectant that I sprayed onto the rims after washing them. The Armorall spray prevented brake dust from sticking onto the rims so the dust would come off easily the next time I washed the rims.
I used to buy it at Autozone but none of the 3 stores that I checked had this spray. Looks like they stopped carrying it.
What do you guys use to protect the rims from the brake dust?
PLEASE, do not reply with the advice to use ceramic pads- I tried them on 3 different SUVs and found braking power lacking so eventually I would go back to OEM pads.

thanx

Bob Petruska

I hope that you know how to use Google search! One quick click and it shows it is available from Amazon to Walmart.............

And yes Audi puts ceramic pads on the Q5 from the factory. My Q5 wheels are extremely dust free.

m1964

Hi Bob,
I ordered two cans from Wallmart but I hoped I could get something locally because my order will be here "before Jan.31".
I believe Audi started installing ceramic pads on Q5 in 2012-13, after they changed the front calipers to 2-piston design. On 1-piston calipers my experience was not good. I tried ceramic pads from different manufacturers on Volvo XC90, Land Rover LR2 and on Q5- after a few thousands miles the braking power would diminish requiring much more pressure on the pedal and I would not get the linear braking response anymore like I get from the OEM pads.
So I chose to deal with the dust.

Bob Petruska

I used Hawk ceramics on my previous 2 Audi A4's and they worked very well and I was a very aggressive driver. They also lasted the life of the car. One set was on for 60K miles and still looked very thick when I trade it in.

m1964

Hi Bob,
I tried Hawks pads once when I had the XC90. If I remember well, after I installed them the vehicle started making "knocking" type noises. I took it to the dealer because it was still under the 4-year warranty and the dealer found that the pads were loose inside the caliper and were making noise. I replaced the Hawks pads w/ OEM and the noise was gone.
So I removed them. After that, I tried Akebono and EBC ceramic pads- I liked having no dust at all from Akebono but, as I said previously, the brakes lacked power and response.

BTW, it happened recently again - the aftermarket brakes would not fit properly. I recently changed both front and rear brakes on our Q - in the front I used trusted Textar pads and for the rear I bought Bosch pads (they were slightly more money than Textar/Pagid). Bosch claims these pads are made from combination of metallic and ceramic compounds so I thought they may produce less dust than the OEM pads. The Bosch pads came with the wrong anti-rattle springs- they were too big/wider then the caliper. The dusting is the same as OEM.

Anyway, thanks for your help.

shokhead

This stuff?
SPARE ME THE DETAILS ? Product Review Armor All Wheel Protectant - The Truth About Cars

Redd

While you can buy six pump bottles for $40 on Amazon, it looks like ArmorAll are trying to move you into a more modern, convenient, and expensive choice of products.

Armor All 17889 Outlast Brake Dust Repellent Aerosol - 11 Oz " target="_blank">Armor All 17889 Outlast Brake Dust Repellent Aerosol - 11 Oz

Armor All 17889 Outlast Brake Dust Repellent Aerosol - 11 Oz ">Armor All 17889 Outlast Brake Dust Repellent Aerosol - 11 Oz " /> Armor All 17889 Outlast Brake Dust Repellent Aerosol - 11 Oz ">Armor All 17889 Outlast Brake Dust Repellent Aerosol - 11 Oz

Automotive Parts And Accessories Product

On brake pads, Akebono totally unimpressed me. They'd been recommended to me (on a previous car) and I tried their web site, email, and telephone, all receiving no contact and no reply. So after a week I said, even if they burned down? Folks who knew what they were doing, could have responded. I'm a hard customer.(G)

1stQ5

I bought myself JetSeal from Chemical Guys to seal the car. It can be used on windshield, paint, plastic trim and even wheels. Did my wheels and dirty of all sorts comes off pretty quick with just a pressure wash.
Bottle cost me about $50 (Canadian Dollars) and it will last me at least 2 years.