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how do you stop discs from corroding?

hedgehogsdad

Well-known member
Joined
16 Sep 2013
Messages
275
Hi all,

I had my car washed last weekend at a local hand car wash. The drive home is about 6 or 7 miles, and after giving it a final polish, it went into a garage where it has been all week.

I started it yesterday and found that the brakes had stuck on, not completely, but enough to cause the dreaded "clunk" as I moved the car.

Has anyone got any tips on how to stop this from happening? I rarely wash the car at home in the winter as the roads round us are so muddy, that they stop me from taking it for a blast to dry it off.

All (sensible) ideas appreciated
 
Mine always do this. Never had it on any other car ive owned, but the discs on the 997 seem to get that surface coating of rust within seconds of washing it.
 
Same here - after a wash or even after a rainy day.

Clunk on starting as the discs free up - very disconcerting.

I reckon the only solution is to not stop driving it!! It is my "Daily driver" but I am lucky to work from home/an airport do my car does see regular week long breaks in usage.
 
hedgehogsdad said:
I had my car washed last weekend at a local hand car wash.

This is your problem.

They will have used wheel acid to clean the wheels, or alkaline traffic film remover on your cars.

These products bring the dirt off really quick and leave a nice shiny car, but the acid / alkaline continues to east away at your car accelerating corrosion.

Your discs are very susceptible, as are alloys - any paint damage and your wheels will be bubbling up in short order.

Wash any car you care about yourself by hand.
 
Never have someone wash your car if you don't know what they're using. If garaged, leave in gear with the handbrake off. Always at least drive a couple hundred yards to spin dry your discs and try and get some warmth in your discs and pads whilst doing so.
 
Good advice from Alex.

I get it if I wash the car on the drive and leave there over night.

Really nothing to worry about imo.
 
alex yates said:
Never have someone wash your car if you don't know what they're using. If garaged, leave in gear with the handbrake off. Always at least drive a couple hundred yards to spin dry your discs and try and get some warmth in your discs and pads whilst doing so.

+1
I park it in gear, handbrake off,.....and just to prevent battery drain, doors not locked!
Rick
 
wasz said:
hedgehogsdad said:
I had my car washed last weekend at a local hand car wash.

This is your problem.

They will have used wheel acid to clean the wheels, or alkaline traffic film remover on your cars.

These products bring the dirt off really quick and leave a nice shiny car, but the acid / alkaline continues to east away at your car accelerating corrosion.

Your discs are very susceptible, as are alloys - any paint damage and your wheels will be bubbling up in short order.

Wash any car you care about yourself by hand.

Problem is that I have the same issue if I do it myself. The reason why I used the local hand wash is that it gave me a chance to dry it off on the way home. This has helped in the past.

Looks like a problem we all have ...
 
I use Bilt Hamber Atom-mac. Just spray on, cost about £15 but diluted down to about 2%. Good if car is not used much (see below)
ilt Hamber Atom-Mac 300ml/1 Litre
atom-mac is a migratory and contact corrosion inhibitor that is diluted in water before use it provides protection against corrosion in both open spaces and hollow voids. The powerful migratory phase corrosion inhibitors are liberated from the product and are carried in vapour phase to form an invisible atomic shield against corrosion of ferrous metal.

300ml/1 Litre Bottle

Quick Guide
Protects vehicle undersides, water collecting voids, braking surface, suspension, bicycles, garden equipment and machinery - wherever corrosion may occur. Can be added to rinse water to prevent flash corrosion of grit blast or surfaces chemically cleaned with deox C or GEL for example. Safe on painted surfaces.

How To Use
Dilute from 2 – 5% in water and spray on surfaces to be protected. Atomise onto brakes discs and surfaces after washing the vehicles and allow to dry (use 1-2% in water on motorcycles and bicycles and 5% on cars with disc brakes). Atomise into voids to protect interior surfaces at a rate of 2ml (of neat product) per litre of space. atom-mac should be diluted to 2- 5% to neutralise corrosive winter road salt and sprayed liberally on vehicle undersides this rate also provides invisible protection to bicycles, machinery tools and equipment. To use post deox C or GEL, or blast cleaning treatment 2% added to the rinse water is sufficient to eliminate flash corrosion and protect the treated item. Sealing in plastic bag or container traps the migrating corrosion inhibitors and adds further protection. atom-mac can be used in pressure washers and can be applied to the entire underside where it will neutralise road salt and emit power corrosion inhibitors, it should be applied at the end of each wash. Even wet cars can be put into storage allowing the migratory inhibitors to protect the entire vehicle. Aim for 2% atom-mac strength from the pressure washer nozzle.
 
chicb said:
I use Bilt Hamber Atom-mac. Just spray on, cost about £15 but diluted down to about 2%. Good if car is not used much (see below)
ilt Hamber Atom-Mac 300ml/1 Litre
atom-mac is a migratory and contact corrosion inhibitor that is diluted in water before use it provides protection against corrosion in both open spaces and hollow voids. The powerful migratory phase corrosion inhibitors are liberated from the product and are carried in vapour phase to form an invisible atomic shield against corrosion of ferrous metal.

300ml/1 Litre Bottle

Quick Guide
Protects vehicle undersides, water collecting voids, braking surface, suspension, bicycles, garden equipment and machinery - wherever corrosion may occur. Can be added to rinse water to prevent flash corrosion of grit blast or surfaces chemically cleaned with deox C or GEL for example. Safe on painted surfaces.

How To Use
Dilute from 2 – 5% in water and spray on surfaces to be protected. Atomise onto brakes discs and surfaces after washing the vehicles and allow to dry (use 1-2% in water on motorcycles and bicycles and 5% on cars with disc brakes). Atomise into voids to protect interior surfaces at a rate of 2ml (of neat product) per litre of space. atom-mac should be diluted to 2- 5% to neutralise corrosive winter road salt and sprayed liberally on vehicle undersides this rate also provides invisible protection to bicycles, machinery tools and equipment. To use post deox C or GEL, or blast cleaning treatment 2% added to the rinse water is sufficient to eliminate flash corrosion and protect the treated item. Sealing in plastic bag or container traps the migrating corrosion inhibitors and adds further protection. atom-mac can be used in pressure washers and can be applied to the entire underside where it will neutralise road salt and emit power corrosion inhibitors, it should be applied at the end of each wash. Even wet cars can be put into storage allowing the migratory inhibitors to protect the entire vehicle. Aim for 2% atom-mac strength from the pressure washer nozzle.

Sounds like this might be the answer. What do you use to apply it?
 
I've found that just a drive round the block rarely dries the discs etc properly, even a 30 minute commute. Instead, I now make sure I include a couple of 'emergency' stops after washing, which seem to get the discs really hot (particularly at the back) and stop any corrosion.

As an aside, its noticeable how much more surface corrosion there is on the discs when using a wheel cleaner, even good PH neutral ones. I tend to try to avoid them and just use soapy water.
 
I just use a trigger spray bottle (just like detail spray bottle) got 3 from ebay for a fiver.
 
I have the same problem on my M4

Drove 600 kms home after christmas in the wet, parked up in the garage and took the 4x4 to go to the snow

6 days later the brakes were well and truly stuck and to make it worse there was a depopsit of brake dust on the rear discs which created an incredible amount of thud, thud thud under braking.....

had to remove the discs to clean them up !!!!!!!
 
chicb said:
I just use a trigger spray bottle (just like detail spray bottle) got 3 from ebay for a fiver.

That's great, many thanks. I'll order some now!!
 

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