Cleaning Break Discs - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

PhilBH · 08-22-2005, 12:26 PM

I've recently bought my first Boxster (it was delivered to my home last week). Can anyone tell me how to go about cleaning the Brake discs, as they currently look nice, and I would like to keep them this way.

Thanks for any help

Phil

Rouser · 08-22-2005, 03:08 PM

Drive the car frequently (every day, not every month), brake often (at STOP signs, traffic lights, and seriously tight curves), and don't get too anal about stuff like that.

In the end, @ 80 MPH, nobody's going to care.

deliriousga · 08-22-2005, 05:20 PM

I use plain brake cleaner, but only with the wheels off. Spray it on and let it drip into a pan below. That's about all you can do for the discs.

PhilBH · 08-23-2005, 01:02 AM

I've probably driven it every day for the past week, I just love it. Never been a big car fan, but I just love the boxster. I've even had my hair cut so that I can travel with the top down more often.

Do I have to take the wheels off to clean them? Taking the wheels off is a bit advanced for me (I can just about manage to put the oil in).

deliriousga · 08-23-2005, 05:27 AM

Cleaners for the brake system will eat the finish on your wheels so you do need to take them off or just use a regular wheel cleaner that's safe for painted wheels.

Btw, never use wheel cleaner on the wheels when they're hot after driving. It can streak them permanantly.

Perfectlap · 08-23-2005, 05:45 AM

avoid washing wheels or brakes when they ar hot in general. This means letting your car cool off completely if you choose to take it to a car wash.
Wax your wheels regularly. Brake dust is like razor blades to the paint.

Ronzi · 08-23-2005, 07:49 AM

"Cleaning" the brake discs?
That's a new one on me, and I thought I had been over every millimeter of my car with everything from a toothpick and a Q-tip to an electric polisher in pursuit of the two concours blue ribbons I have won with it.
If you are talking about the discoloration that you sometimes see on the surface of the rotors, step on the brakes once (with the car in motion) and it will disappear immediately. The brake pads do a lot better job of "cleaning" the rotors than you will ever do with any kind of cleaning agent.
Maybe I'm not understanding what it is you are trying to accomplish.

Brucelee · 08-23-2005, 08:11 AM

I don't either. The brake rotor surface is cleaned by the pads each time you stop. If you are talking about the hub that the rotar sits on, that should be handled by whatever wheel cleaner you use.

Also, a pressure washer does a nice job on the innards of the brake system.

PhilBH · 08-23-2005, 02:44 PM

I mean the drilled discs that you can see through the spokes in the wheels. They have started to rust slightly in only a week, and I'd like to know how I can keep them looking good.

deliriousga · 08-23-2005, 03:23 PM

If you want to keep them from rusting, that's a whole other ball of wax.

You have to remove them, sand them down very well on the rusting hub part (do not sand the wear surface) to get all of the rust off and paint them with a high temp paint. That's the only way to keep them from rusting that I know of.

Ronzi · 08-23-2005, 06:30 PM

I must confess to a continuing puzzlement regarding the cleaning the brake disc issue.
The arrow in the picture points, as far as I can tell, to the actual friction surface of the rotor, and you do not want to be spraying much of anything on there, rusty or not. The first time you push on the brake pedal, the rust should be gone by the scrubbing action of the pads.
On my car, it is not unusual for a little discoloration ("rust", if you like) to develop if some water splashes on the rotor surface as there is, obviously, no rust protection on that portion of the rotors. Again, the action of the brake pads clean that up in a hurry.
I can well imagine that a damp climate would lead to quicker rusting of the rotors if the car is unused, but then that's another excuse to take it for a joy ride, eh?
"Sorry, honey, can't scrub the carpet today, I have to scrub the brake rotors on the Porsche instead."

PhilBH · 08-24-2005, 03:20 AM

But I've driven the car daily, and they only get worse? Ah well, I'll just have to take it out for another drive now. Oh, what a chore it is to HAVE to drive the Boxster.

donv · 08-24-2005, 10:05 AM

My rotors (brake swept area) "rust" up in 15 minutes during a car wash, esp. after cleaning with P21S. A quick drive and they are back to normal and stay that way for some time after.

PhilBH · 08-24-2005, 01:36 PM

I think I get it now. I've actually seen what you guys have been trying to tell me. This morning the discs looked very orange, after being on a 40 min drive, I had a look at them again, and they were practicaly back to how they were when it arrived last week.

I was worrying for nothing.

Thanks all for putting up with me.

Ronzi · 08-24-2005, 02:31 PM

No problem, Phil. Always glad to help the new owner.
The patron saint of Internet forums is, after all, Miss Information.