Just finished up my first stint behind the wheel of an X5 since they were actually a novelty, just beginning to roll out of the BMW plant in South Carolina, and have to hand it to the boys from Bavaria (by way of Spartanburg) – except for the overkill on electronic accoutrements, they still do it good.
After 1,295 miles that included a few hundred on back roads in Northern California's Russian River wine country and a run down the state's scenic Highway 1, I can report that the ride, handling, power and comfort of our long-term 2008 X5 4.8i left nothing to be desired. Even the iDrive wasn't too obnoxious once I ran through its various permutations a few times.
But (there's almost always a "but") I couldn't believe how much greasy black brake dust the 19-inch alloys collected.
Here's a picture of a clean wheel.
And one after 1,200 miles.
I had to use half a can of hand cleaner to get the stuff off after checking the air pressure in all four tires.
A relative who's a longtime BMW mechanic says filthy wheels are a way of life with Bimmers. "They use hard pads and soft rotors," he tells me. In addition to making lots of dust, they also stop on a dime, but wear out rapidly. "I can't tell you how many four-wheel pad and rotor changes we do," he said.
I can't believe the people who pay $68,000 for one of these things – or a mere $55,000 without all the options -- haven't lobbied the *&!@ out of BMW to change the brake pad composition or install brake dust shields as standard equipment so they don't get their hands dirty (of course, most probably never touch the wheels, but that's another blog) and the wheels – which are designed to be seen -- stay shiny.
John O'Dell, Senior Editor @ 6,028 miles
tlcruz says:
05:08 PM, 04/ 8/08
With all the vehicles that we get in here @ my work (detail center for toyota/scion/lexus/bmw), I've never seen any Bimmers come in looking like that!
SubyTrojan says:
05:24 PM, 04/ 8/08
When I worked at a BMW service department, it was uncommon for vehicles being serviced to have front wheels without brake pad dust on them.
plazomatic says:
05:30 PM, 04/ 8/08
No need for wheel cleaner... the dust is voluminous, but it comes off easily with a few wipes of a damp microfiber cloth.
That's been my experience with two E46s and a MINI, anyway.
desmolicious says:
05:33 PM, 04/ 8/08
Lemme get this straight, you drove 1200 miles and are surprised the wheels are dirty?!
And yeah, all Bimmers (mine included)dust up the wheels. The solution? A weekly wash.
Did you really use half a can of hand cleaner, or is this just exaggeration for effect?... I get some black smudge on my hands after checking the pressures on any one of my cars or motorbikes. One wet wipe and it's all cleaned up.
ahightower says:
06:49 PM, 04/ 8/08
I'd expect the TPMS to have actual psi readings for each tire somewhere in iDrive, for that kind of money.
elfjon says:
07:13 PM, 04/ 8/08
if you have to get them replaced soon, its no big deal. its free from BMW anyway...
70ss454_man says:
07:41 PM, 04/ 8/08
I have a friend with an '06 4.8is and it does the same thing.
autoboy16 says:
08:15 PM, 04/ 8/08
Moms Z4 has it bad!! I washed it, moved it... And it was slowly appearing...
After she was hit for $132 in labor for an oil change, she refused in any way possible to get her rotors changed by the same place. I feel for her when its time for her to replace the runflats... BMWS are EXPENSIVE!!
-Cj
speeder31 says:
08:49 PM, 04/ 8/08
Ah, yes...I can vouch for that...my '87 325i has a penchant for accumulating mass amounts of dust on its front wheels (which measure a glamorous 14" all around).
arm51 says:
12:00 AM, 04/ 9/08
The wheels on the 328i that I drive get just as dirty, if not dirtier in less time. It seems that I'm cleaning them once a week in the summer. However, the brakes always make it so I can stop on a dime!
bradyholt says:
03:50 AM, 04/ 9/08
BMW owners: have you noticed less brake dust accumulation if you avoid hard braking?
dougtheeng says:
05:40 AM, 04/ 9/08
I've had my Mini for a month, and I have also noticed excessive brake dust on the front rims.
jaguar36 says:
06:46 AM, 04/ 9/08
This is stupidly easy to clean off with the right stuff. All it takes is a few squirts of wheel cleaner, and a hose. Takes about 30 seconds.
Although I sure would be happy if BMW found a way to keep the brake performance and keep the wheels clean.
sylvialegacy says:
07:19 AM, 04/ 9/08
The brake dust won't be nearly as bad if you put some kind of sealant on the wheels. If the brake dust wont stick as easily it wont look like that in 1.2k miles.
kratas101 says:
08:28 AM, 04/ 9/08
I've always noticed BMWs featuring high levels of brake dust just by observing them during my daily commute. Now I know why...
vvk says:
09:28 AM, 04/ 9/08
Brake dust is a function of brake performance. Every car with really good brakes will generate lots of brake dust. It is not European specific issue, too. My sister's Lexus IS250 generates huge amount of brake dust.
I will take superior brakes over clean wheels any time.
darthbimmer says:
09:54 AM, 04/ 9/08
The chrome wheels on my M3 gather almost no brake dust.
louiswei says:
09:54 AM, 04/ 9/08
"My sister's Lexus IS250 generates huge amount of brake dust."
There is a TSIB for that, she should go get it done. It doesn't reduce the braking performance what-so-ever.
bimmerjay says:
10:22 AM, 04/ 9/08
I can attest to the BMW curse of brake dust accumulation on the wheels. However, as wk and others mentioned, the braking performance is consistently excellent(60-0 in 109 ft on my car!) so it's one of those compromises. I can also attest to their ability to haul you down unbelievably quickly from 150 mph.
The dust is easy to clean - my car gets a bath once a week and a microfiber cloth is all it takes to add that final detail of perfectly clean wheels. I don't use any wheel cleaner.
bradyholt: I do notice less dust from my usual easy commute where I tend brake lightly versus after a day of hard carving in the mountains.
speedingclass says:
11:20 AM, 04/ 9/08
Our E350 does this too! Every month, there is so much dust on the alloys and other parts of the car. It's so hard to wash too! You can't even hose the dust off of the alloys even with a pressure hose! Instead, you have to lovingly go to every nook and cranny so that you can remove the dirty stuff, and then hose it off. :( It looks like BMWs and Mercedes have these annoying features.
estreka says:
04:24 PM, 04/ 9/08
Brake dust isn't the sole indicator of brake pad performance. Some pads work great and don't dust as much. Ceramic pads are a great example. With any set of pads, you're sacrificing something (cost, wear, fade, dust, etc).
porschecarrera says:
05:23 PM, 04/10/08
I don't think it's BMW-only problem. I had a '99 Porsche 996 and a '79 Alfa Romeo GT that collected brake dust like it was going out of style.
hondacura4 says:
10:14 AM, 04/14/08
"Brake dust isn't the sole indicator of brake pad performance. Some pads work great and don't dust as much. Ceramic pads are a great example. With any set of pads, you're sacrificing something (cost, wear, fade, dust, etc)"
100% corect as its boils down to the pad material and how aggressive it is. I have Porterfield R4-S pads on my Civic and my wheels stay dusty. But when I stomp the brake pedal my teeth are in the windshield!
erik10 says:
08:26 PM, 05/ 6/08
My BMW service rep suggested using small bucket of warm water and a little liquid dish washing soap. The crud melts off and wheels sparkle in about 5 minutes.