Brake Dust?

I currently own an E90 that creates a great deal of brake dust. Does the new F30 create less dust? Also have a 2012 VW Golf that creates next to no brake dust.

This is actually one of those items that I've been very pleasantly surprised with (and never really thought too much about before owning an F30)...I have experienced almost no brake dusting on this car! Whereas I've been tempted to wipe them down every other day with other cars (and my own previous E90), I don't usually wipe them down anymore between washes. The color of the sport line rims also helps but there is still very little dusting on my car.

Actually the E90 got low dust brakes as a running change, around 2010. My 2011 model generates almost no brake dust. I would expect the F30 to continue with the low dust brakes.

Ok, just to clarify (I have high dusting), when people say low dusting, it's actually about the same amount of dusting, but just that the lighter color of the dust makes it appear to be less? I swear someone was saying something about that, but maybe it was about aftermarket ceramics in the e90 subfoum. These newer brake pads have a ceramic component, yes? If there truly was less dust, then you also have less braking power, yes? Honest questions, thanks.

There is absolutely less dusting than before. My '11 e90 has virtually none. My '12 F30 has virtually no dust. All of my previous BMW's required nearly daily wheel dusting to keep them clean. Note that there are different part numbers for the F30 328i brake pads for Europe and the US. My guess is the Euro cars get dustier brakes but they work better. If you look at the early reviews of the 328i you will find relatively long stopping distances being reported. That is likely attributable to our cleaner brake pads.

Personally I would prefer dusty pads that stop great. But it is understandable why BMW would make the marketing choice to use cleaner pads for the US market. I bet they have gotten a ton of complaints about dirty wheels over the years.

I have major brake dust on the X5 to the point that I need to clean the front wheels every week. I asked the dealer about this, they told me is normal.

It takes at least a week for any noticeable buildup of brake dust on my F30 335i. On my 07 e93 I wouldn't make it home from the car wash before the rims were getting darker. Much improved!

Originally Posted by GerryD

I currently own an E90 that creates a great deal of brake dust. Does the new F30 create less dust? Also have a 2012 VW Golf that creates next to no brake dust.

Most of the stock BMW pads dust quiet a bit, newer cars are coming with ceramic pads which help cut down on dust. One solution for your E90s dusting problem would be to go to an aftermarket low dust ceramic pad.

Originally Posted by windsor027

I have major brake dust on the X5 to the point that I need to clean the front wheels every week. I asked the dealer about this, they told me is normal.

The same thing was happening with my X5. I replaced the stock pads with aftermarket pads which have considerably less dust. It's a huge improvement. I highly recommend anyone who cares about the appearance of their vehicle to install less dusty pads. I don't know why I waited so long.

My '06 E90 has huge amount of brake dust even only few days after wash. But it has very low brake dust after I replaced with aftermarket high quality brake pad. For my '13 F30, I haven't noticed any brake dust yet after 2 weeks of delivery. Like someone already mentioned, BMW fixed the issue by using better ceramic pad around 2010

Originally Posted by White05X3

There is absolutely less dusting than before. My '11 e90 has virtually none. My '12 F30 has virtually no dust. All of my previous BMW's required nearly daily wheel dusting to keep them clean. Note that there are different part numbers for the F30 328i brake pads for Europe and the US. My guess is the Euro cars get dustier brakes but they work better. If you look at the early reviews of the 328i you will find relatively long stopping distances being reported. That is likely attributable to our cleaner brake pads.

Personally I would prefer dusty pads that stop great. But it is understandable why BMW would make the marketing choice to use cleaner pads for the US market. I bet they have gotten a ton of complaints about dirty wheels over the years.

Thank you for that interesting info.

When having brakes done at my indy which pads should I ask him to install? I am interested in reducing the dust from my original pads. The car has 75K, sole owner, and pad sensors have yet to thrown a wear indicator light. It's March build 2008.

I'm looking for the best of both worlds performance vs. cleanliness.

Originally Posted by jeffreyfu

My '06 E90 has huge amount of brake dust even only few days after wash. But it has very low brake dust after I replaced with aftermarket high quality brake pad. For my '13 F30, I haven't noticed any brake dust yet after 2 weeks of delivery. Like someone already mentioned, BMW fixed the issue by using better ceramic pad around 2010

Our 2010 535xiT makes a lot of dust. So if they made a change around 2010, I don't think it applied in this case.

Originally Posted by dr.s

Our 2010 535xiT makes a lot of dust. So if they made a change around 2010, I don't think it applied in this case.

I think the change to reduced-dust brake pads was phased in. Not all models got them at the same time. It may even be dependent on the specific assembly plant. Your BMW dealer should be able to tell you which pads you have, based on your car's serial number.

It is not only about pads. It is the combo rotors-pads.

Yellowish residue are rust steel particles from the rotors and they stick hard. On the bright side, my 2007 has 70000 miles on the original front brakes.

Originally Posted by GerryD

I currently own an E90 that creates a great deal of brake dust. Does the new F30 create less dust? Also have a 2012 VW Golf that creates next to no brake dust.

I owned a 2007 335i and I currently own a 2011 335i. I can tell you that there is virtually no dust from the pads on the 2011 model. I can also tell you that the initial braking feel has less bite than my 2007 335i. I prefer the braking confidence on my old 335i brakes much more than the low dust brake pads on my 2011 335i.

Originally Posted by rich8566

I owned a 2007 335i and I currently own a 2011 335i. I can tell you that there is virtually no dust from the pads on the 2011 model. I can also tell you that the initial braking feel has less bite than my 2007 335i. I prefer the braking confidence on my old 335i brakes much more than the low dust brake pads on my 2011 335i.

Everything I've read shows the two vehicles have the same stopping distance. Do you have any information showing the less dusty pads increase braking distance?

One of the first things I did when I took delivery of my F30 335i was to both seal the wheels with Optimum Opti-seal (did the entire car as well). What little brake dust appears on my wheels is easily removed - most of it comes off with a simple hose rinse and whatever remains slides off with a light pass with a soft wheel brush.

So - if you haven't already considered sealing / waxing your wheels - there you go. This obviously won't reduce the amount of dust that appears, but it absolutely will make it easier to remove.