21 years of MB brake dust - time to refurb!

[Slik560]

I knew that the wheels on my ’87 560SL were not in very good condition when I bought the car last year. The car overall is in great shape, but it’s obvious that the previous owners were from the “wash it and put it away� school of car care. I made a valiant effort on the exteriors, using an assortment of products [P21S, Griot’s Garage, Meguiar’s] and brushes to try to clean those infernal 15-hole wheels to a presentable state; taking care not to use anything too harsh so as not to further damage the 21 year old finish. The goal was to make them somewhat presentable until I could get them refurbished by a local company. I finally bought an alternate set of wheels and tires and when I removed the originals it became obvious that anything short of a full re-furbish would be a waste of time. Out of sheer embarrassment I tried to clean up the back sides of the wheels before taking them to the refurbishing company, and not even a full-on, undiluted degreaser would make any headway. So, just to illustrate what 21 years of Mercedes Benz brake dust looks like, I submit herewith:

Not too bad from the front:

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z119/slik560/DCP_0135-1.jpg



But turn them over – GAAK!!!

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z119/slik560/DCP_0138-1.jpg



http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z119/slik560/DCP_0140-1.jpg



Even after the degreaser scrubbing:

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z119/slik560/DCP_0139-1.jpg

Sad



At least before mounting the new wheels I had the chance to clay them up like new and applied two coats of Poorboy’s sealant. Now I can wipe off the brake dust with some QD and a microfiber – which is a daily task when I drive the car. When the wheels are refurbished I may post up the results, but I just had to share what two decades of unattended brake dust looks like!



New wheels in place:

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z119/slik560/DCP_0132-2.jpg



All photos were taken with an old Kodak digital – I wish I would have taken my Nikon out of the bag!

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z119/slik560/DCP_0134-1.jpg

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z119/slik560/DCP_0133-1.jpg



Thanks – and don’t let brake dust get away from you!! :cooleek:

[DigitalN.]

wow, those were originally silver? That is an incredible amount of dust.

[charlesaferg]

Hm, my wheels will be like that in realistically 2 months even if I clay, prep, and protect them with Rejex - inside and out.



OEM pads on these German cars are notorious for it, particularly those older generation cars from the 80s-90s. This can`t possibly be 21 years, at some point it probably crusts off, because I`m not kidding about the amount of dust.

[Slik560]

Maybe the first few coats of dried dust kept any more from accumulating over the years :). If they made ceramic pads /rotors for this year and model, I`d switch. I don`t believe anyone makes an aftermarket ceramic kit for the older SL`s. When the refurbished 15-hole wheels go back on, I`m going to get some of those brake dust shields.

[imported_Totoland Mach]

GREAT Job on the wheels Young Man! You get extra dessert for that LOL!



Seriously, brake dust is one of those nasty, on-going maintenance chores with today`s disc brakes.



See Ya around Sir



Toto

[Irkie500]

every BMW i see come into Delta Sonic (my current place of employment) has awfull brake dust problems. Mercedes are bad too, did a rim wax on one where the wheels were all black.

[Envious Eric]

i like the replacement wheels better anyway

[Slik560]

i like the replacement wheels better anyway



Thanks. In truth, SO DO I :chuckle: I`ll keep the original wheels just in case my heirs ever decide to sell the car after I`m gone.