Wheel pitting on 08 ISF (with solution!)
08-03-12, 02:10 PM
#46
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08-13-12, 11:38 AM
#47
My brake dust is absolutely insane. I cleaned my wheels the day before a meet, and after getting to the meet people though I hadn't even washed my wheels....The worst part is that you can't clean the wheels when they are hot, after a drive for instance. So the brake dust gets caked onto the wheels if you let it sit.
So I think I'm gonna give IronX a shot... Autogeek has a BOGO deal... 2 for the price $34 shipped:
http://www.autogeek.net/iron-x-soap-gel-cleaner.html
So I think I'm gonna give IronX a shot... Autogeek has a BOGO deal... 2 for the price $34 shipped:
http://www.autogeek.net/iron-x-soap-gel-cleaner.html
Last edited by VtotheJ; 08-13-12 at 12:01 PM.
08-13-12, 12:17 PM
#48
Tech Info Resource
iTrader: (2)
I bought some last week. I'll be cleaning the wheels this weekend. I'll post before and after shots.
08-13-12, 12:26 PM
#49
Lexus Test Driver
I had the same problem with my '08. It was determined to be bad clear coat on the wheels. The dealer refinished all four wheels on a one-time, no-charge basis and I had no problems thereafter. Lexus Corporate is aware of it and should be prodded into action.
08-13-12, 01:43 PM
#51
Driver School Candidate
My 2011 F has some pitting in them but it seems like it might just be on the surface. They look better and better with each wash. It will be getting a killer detail next week so I will spend some time on them to see how much I can get off.
Wouldn't ceramic pads stop a good bit off the brake dust?
Wouldn't ceramic pads stop a good bit off the brake dust?
03-12-13, 09:38 PM
#53
Tech Info Resource
iTrader: (2)
After my first track weekend in the car - this is the worst the wheels ever got
This is many miles later, after the car wash had done as thorough a job as they normally do (by hand):
Shot 1 detail - pre-Iron-X
Shot 2 detail - pre-Iron-X
Shot 3 detail - pre-Iron-X - the iron content of the dust is pretty obvious in this shot.
Shot 1 detail - first pass Iron-X
Shot 2 detail - first pass Iron-X
Shot 3 detail - first pass Iron-X
Shot 1 detail - second pass Iron-X
Shot 2 detail - final Iron-X
Shot 3 detail - final Iron-X
Whole wheel ready to put back on the car
I took the front wheels off only because I didn't want the rest of the car getting wet, and it made it easier to go all around the wheel quickly with the gel. I used 20% of the bottle on these wheels, and the final pictures were after the fifth round of spot treatments to get even the spots you could barely see (but the gel immediately turns from clear to purple when it contacts iron so it finds even the tiniest of iron spots). When I saw all clear gel, I knew the iron was out of the paint. I used a acid brush to spread the Iron-X around after applying a bead at the top edge of the wheel and letting it drip down into the barrel. I also cleaned the back of the spokes and where the wheel mounts to the disc. It did an amazing job of getting the rust off the inside mount pad where the wheel contacts the disc and usually transfers a lot of cast iron.
Unfortunately as you can easily see, removing all the pad material reveals all the scratches from previous scrubbing with ineffective tools. I'm glad they need to be refinished anyway, and if I take them in to be fixed when they are really clean it will make it easier for the wheel guys to focus on getting a good repair with a clean finish instead of focusing on cleaning up dirty wheels before they can do anything else.
I'd say the proof is in the pictures. Iron-X delivers exactly what they claim, and the gel is pretty economical when you consider how bad my wheels were and how little it took to get them truly clean again. Pitting? No, not at all. Iron melting into the paint on the wheels is the culprit, and three sets of track pads were stuck on my wheels...
Last edited by lobuxracer; 03-12-13 at 09:42 PM.
03-13-13, 01:23 PM
#54
Instructor
getting ready to do this when it warms up. thanks for the pics. also, what exact brush did you use with the Iron-X?
03-13-13, 02:26 PM
#55
Tech Info Resource
iTrader: (2)
I used a brush just like this one - they're called acid brushes:
03-13-13, 02:46 PM
#56
Instructor
thanks lobux!
03-13-13, 04:29 PM
#57
Lexus Fanatic
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OK, so it took awhile longer than I thought. Here's the story - the wheels need to be refinished anyway because they've been abused at the track and had an incident while the wife was driving. I'll start with the ugliest pictures to give you an idea where it all started:
I took the front wheels off only because I didn't want the rest of the car getting wet, and it made it easier to go all around the wheel quickly with the gel. I used 20% of the bottle on these wheels, and the final pictures were after the fifth round of spot treatments to get even the spots you could barely see (but the gel immediately turns from clear to purple when it contacts iron so it finds even the tiniest of iron spots). When I saw all clear gel, I knew the iron was out of the paint. I used a acid brush to spread the Iron-X around after applying a bead at the top edge of the wheel and letting it drip down into the barrel. I also cleaned the back of the spokes and where the wheel mounts to the disc. It did an amazing job of getting the rust off the inside mount pad where the wheel contacts the disc and usually transfers a lot of cast iron.
Unfortunately as you can easily see, removing all the pad material reveals all the scratches from previous scrubbing with ineffective tools. I'm glad they need to be refinished anyway, and if I take them in to be fixed when they are really clean it will make it easier for the wheel guys to focus on getting a good repair with a clean finish instead of focusing on cleaning up dirty wheels before they can do anything else.
I'd say the proof is in the pictures. Iron-X delivers exactly what they claim, and the gel is pretty economical when you consider how bad my wheels were and how little it took to get them truly clean again. Pitting? No, not at all. Iron melting into the paint on the wheels is the culprit, and three sets of track pads were stuck on my wheels...
I took the front wheels off only because I didn't want the rest of the car getting wet, and it made it easier to go all around the wheel quickly with the gel. I used 20% of the bottle on these wheels, and the final pictures were after the fifth round of spot treatments to get even the spots you could barely see (but the gel immediately turns from clear to purple when it contacts iron so it finds even the tiniest of iron spots). When I saw all clear gel, I knew the iron was out of the paint. I used a acid brush to spread the Iron-X around after applying a bead at the top edge of the wheel and letting it drip down into the barrel. I also cleaned the back of the spokes and where the wheel mounts to the disc. It did an amazing job of getting the rust off the inside mount pad where the wheel contacts the disc and usually transfers a lot of cast iron.
Unfortunately as you can easily see, removing all the pad material reveals all the scratches from previous scrubbing with ineffective tools. I'm glad they need to be refinished anyway, and if I take them in to be fixed when they are really clean it will make it easier for the wheel guys to focus on getting a good repair with a clean finish instead of focusing on cleaning up dirty wheels before they can do anything else.
I'd say the proof is in the pictures. Iron-X delivers exactly what they claim, and the gel is pretty economical when you consider how bad my wheels were and how little it took to get them truly clean again. Pitting? No, not at all. Iron melting into the paint on the wheels is the culprit, and three sets of track pads were stuck on my wheels...
Awesome..!!!
But I do strongly feel the pitting damage would / could be much worse if you had the OEM Pads installed all this time...
Seems like the issue with wheel finish has been isolated to 08'-09' wheels...
So either wheel finish material has improved from 10' up or brake pad content has changed
(or both)
If I remember correctly there are new updated part numbers for both Front & Rear OEM Pads.
~ Joe Z
03-13-13, 05:03 PM
#58
Tech Info Resource
iTrader: (2)
I kind of think the three sets of XP-12s I've burned through at the track did far more damage than the OEM pads could ever do. I'm running OEM Jurid pads right now with cryo treated rotors. Not even in the same realm as XP-12s at 900C as evidenced in this picture:
