What to do about brake dust on rims

Have you noticed black flecks on your wheels? You might have brake dust. While brake dust can make your wheels a little unsightly, your brakes are probably just fine.

If you see brake dust on your wheels and you aren’t familiar with it, you might worry your brakes are wearing, or, worse, not working. If you’ve just invested in shiny new wheels, you might not like how brake dust can make your wheels look grimy.

Fortunately, brake dust is not a sign your brakes are failing. It’s simply the result of different materials being used on today’s brake pads and rotors.

What causes brake dust?

When your brake pads heat up, their metallic particles get a static charge as they wear off the surface of the pad. That static charge is how the dark, metallic dust sticks to the wheels, both steel and alloy, as well as other parts of your vehicle. Plus, those petroleum adhesives can turn into a film that hangs onto your wheels.

Brake dust is also caused by brake rotors containing cast iron. When your rotors wear down, the iron particles also get a static charge as they wear off the rotors and cling to surfaces like your wheels.

Unfortunately, brake pad wear is unavoidable, and brake dust is a by-product of brake wear.

What can brake dust do to your vehicle?

For the most part, brake dust is an unattractive annoyance we can clean and learn to live with.

However, there is the possibility that brake dust can become corrosive. It’ll depend on which chemicals went into the make-up of your brake pads, but if the dust has a chance to corrode the aluminium in your wheels, the damage can be permanent.

What can you do about brake dust?

The best thing to do is clean your wheels regularly. Fortunately, brake dust can be wiped away.