# 300 kms and front rims are covered in brake dust



## bwinavw (Jun 28, 2017)

I've been driving my Atlas for a week and I just took it into a mechanic because the front rims are almost black with brake dust. I'm curious if anyone else has rims twice as dark as they're supposed to be? The back rims are fine. 

The VW mechanic said nothing is broken but it's definitely odd. Apparently there's not much he can do about it until there are more on the road (I think I'm the first in Ottawa) and some more info is gathered. 

Not only does it cause concern but it just looks awful. You can clearly see a difference between the front and back rims already. It looks like it's been driven for years without a wash... but it's only been a week.


----------



## redzone98 (Jun 10, 2004)

some brake pad companies put a very soft initial coating to help bed in new pads... i wouldnt worry. but remember your stopping 2+ tons of vehicle, there is a lot of physics involved.


----------



## rodcosta (Apr 27, 2004)

Every single VW I've ever owned, five in total, always had a ridiculous high amount of brake dust. My Accord and Expedition can go months with clean wheels. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## mk5vr6 (May 27, 2016)

German cars always have dusty brake pads. You should see BMW


----------



## jkopelc (Mar 1, 2017)

I can vouch for the brake dust on my X5. Its a pain


----------



## jkueter (Feb 12, 2008)

I'm up to about 400 miles already. There's some dust, but not too bad.


----------



## nkresho (Aug 8, 2010)

I use chemical guys decon pro and a brush.

One of these:









Used to use sonax (which is amazing if you've never used it), and I get the same results from the CG stuff.

http://www.chemicalguys.com/DeCon_Pro_Iron_Remover_64_oz_p/spi21564.htm and http://www.chemicalguys.com/Easy_Reach_Wheel_And_Rim_Detailing_Brush_p/accs37.htm

Stinks, but gets the brake dust off.

2-3x a year, when I wax the car, I also seal the wheels. Been on a colinite kick lately, but jetseal works pretty well too.


----------



## bwinavw (Jun 28, 2017)

FYI: This is one week of dust after a finger rub!


----------



## Drive by (Mar 13, 2017)

Perfect reason to upgrade to the black rims 

kidding, this is crazy frustrating. Other brands don't' have this issue and they stop more weight. Poor choices in engineering :banghead:


----------



## justTJ (Apr 20, 2008)

Drive by said:


> Perfect reason to upgrade to the black rims
> 
> kidding, this is crazy frustrating. Other brands don't' have this issue and they stop more weight. Poor choices in engineering :banghead:


I remember my Toureg and Passat both creating a lot of dust. No biggie.


----------



## jspirate (Jan 15, 2011)

bwinavw said:


> FYI: This is one week of dust after a finger rub!



Seal the back and front at least quarterly.

http://www.chemicalguys.com/Wheel_Guard_Max_Coat_Rim_Wheel_Sealant_8_oz_p/wac_303.htm


----------



## IHC (Aug 15, 2011)

What you been driving ,a 50 year old car with drum brakes? All discs since the beginning have had the dust issue depending on the pad material ,perfectly normal. Wash and wax your wheels often.


----------



## Drive by (Mar 13, 2017)

IHC said:


> What you been driving ,a 50 year old car with drum brakes? All discs since the beginning have had the dust issue depending on the pad material ,perfectly normal. Wash and wax your wheels often.


Umm no, my 2006 HOnda and my 2008 ford do not have this issue at all. 4 wheel disk brakes on each.


----------



## vwbugstuff (Mar 27, 2004)

Hopefully, in about 6 months, the aftermarket will have a nice selection of pads in various compounds for those that wish to switch them out.


----------



## redzone98 (Jun 10, 2004)

Drive by said:


> Perfect reason to upgrade to the black rims
> 
> . Poor choices in engineering :banghead:



actually, no, its not poor engineering.....

Its use of pads that have a good initial bite. its a balancing act between heat and dust. Initial bite vs fade resistance.


----------



## vwbugstuff (Mar 27, 2004)

Front pad number is 3QF-698-151.

There may be a cross reference or fitment for other VW/Audi vehicles. Then you might be able to find something aftermarket.


----------



## mobidick (Sep 26, 2017)

Switch to ceramic brake pads once they become available i.e. Akebono
Did that on my merc e-wagon worked great no more visible brake dust


----------



## edyvw (May 1, 2009)

mobidick said:


> Switch to ceramic brake pads once they become available i.e. Akebono
> Did that on my merc e-wagon worked great no more visible brake dust


Akebono is reputable manufacturer. However, for me drop in performance is unacceptable to put on my BMW X5 which are dust monsters. Then, it brakes better then many sport cars. 
So, it is choice between performance or show for neighbors. 
VW did really good job with brakes on Atlas, and it will dust. Ceramic brakes like Akebono are derivative of much more expensive ceramic brakes available on cars like Mercedes AMG (Akebono), Porsche (TMD-Brembo), BMW (TMD-Brembo) etc. but, those brakes are ridiculously expensive. These aftermarket ceramic pads are geared toward visual effect and because of cheaper compound and nature of ceramic, has horrible cold bite. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## BsickPassat (May 10, 2010)

edyvw said:


> Akebono is reputable manufacturer. However, for me drop in performance is unacceptable to put on my BMW X5 which are dust monsters. Then, it brakes better then many sport cars.
> So, it is choice between performance or show for neighbors.
> VW did really good job with brakes on Atlas, and it will dust. Ceramic brakes like Akebono are derivative of much more expensive ceramic brakes available on cars like Mercedes AMG (Akebono), Porsche (TMD-Brembo), BMW (TMD-Brembo) etc. but, those brakes are ridiculously expensive. These aftermarket ceramic pads are geared toward visual effect and because of cheaper compound and nature of ceramic, has horrible cold bite.
> 
> ...


I disagree. I had ceramics, both Akebono and EBC Redstuff. They had good cold bite. I got rid of an older Hawk HPS because it had horrible cold bite.


----------



## edyvw (May 1, 2009)

BsickPassat said:


> I disagree. I had ceramics, both Akebono and EBC Redstuff. They had good cold bite. I got rid of an older Hawk HPS because it had horrible cold bite.


I have EBC redstuff now on Tiguan and had red and yellow stuff on CC. Redstuff is kevlar/ceramic and dust more then OE VW pads. 
I had Akebono on CC for 3,000 miles and decided to take it off since I do not want my child to grow up without father. 
Pure POS from performance standpoint.


----------



## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

Atlas2021SELPrem4-MD said:


> If you're not going to post useful information, just stay silent and keep playing Minecraft in your mom's basement😭


Who are you referring to?

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk


----------

