bob m

Ok, wheels were caked with brake dust. Took me almost an hour, after repeated soaking/washing/scrubbing/towel wiping to get that $^%&*brake dust totally off. Taking the longest time was getting to the juncture at which the spokes join the rim, making sure there wasn't hardly a speck left. Dried the wheels with the leaf blower to ensure the ARMOR-ALL wheel protectant would properly adhere. Moved the car 1 foot - NO MORE THAN THAT to apply the tire dressing all around the tires; so far so good.
This AM there's small - ok very small, amounts of brake dust in that juncture. There was zero last night. I am not crazy, but I didn't even drive the car and the brake dust appeared. Again, I fully expect to see brake dust appear, but at least wait until I drive the car! Ceramic pads are starting to sound good to me.....

Bob

sjuhawks19

That does sound a little crazy, but I agree on the brake dust problem. I just don't understand how they can't find brake pads that perform just as well that have less brake dust. I've been happy with the brakes I had on my last few VWs, and they had nowhere near the amount of brake dust as the Q5. It's the same family, maybe they should talk more. It's absurd to have a luxury vehicle that constantly looks dirty because the vehicle causes the dirt.

bob m

Agree, but I WAS FANATICAL LAST NIGHT - getting into every little nook and cranny, ensuring a pristine surface - and there wasn't a lot, but certainly some bd in those crevices!


Bob

palumbo3284

Meguiar's Hot Wheels rim cleaner really works nicely on the rims. Cuts the overall hand cleaning time by 60+%. Spray the product on, let it sit for 30 seconds, hose it off, then go in with your rim brush and sponge to get the really caked on stuff...rims shine like new, and totally safe.

DrV

I agree that initially it's a real pain, however the break dust problem does become less after a few thousand miles.
Armourall wheel protectant works extremely well and has become one of my new best friends
Something else I do is when I change from winter to summer wheels and vice versa, twice a year, is to put the wheels on a little table so that I can clean them comfortably at waist-hight and when they are pristine again,spray on wheel protectant or a high quality wheel polish. Makes cleaning during the season quite easy.

springsteen

I've seen a number of posts recommending Armourall. But is it the regular stuff or as you note, the wheel protectant? Just spray on after washing and that helps deflect the brake dust?

bob m

Damn, just made a long reply, hit the wrong button and lost my response/experience with this product. The short answer is yes, it is the WHEEL PROTECTANT - comes in a spray can. Main tip - clean your wheels thoroughly and DRY THEM COMPLETELY. Any water left on the wheels - around the lug nuts and/or behind the spokes, where-ever, will affect adhesion of the product. Two coats recommended.
Basically gives me about 2-4 weeks of protection, as opposed to less than a week w/o the protectant.

Bob

bob m

Do agree 100% about Armourall. However,I have 20,000 miles on my car, and though it may be somewhat less than the first couple of thousand miles, there is still an incredible amount of dust generated. One 50 mile roundtrip will be enough to be very noticeable, within a week's driving - 150-250 miles and they are pretty dirty.

Bob

jons2art

Took the Q5 to one of the do-it-yourself car washes and the pressurized hose rinse took the dust away surprisingly easy without a lot of work.

jtie

I use my pressure washer. Takes about 10 seconds per wheel to get clean.