Brake dust ruining the paint on my yaris

[gesiquea]

Hello! I bought my new '08 Yaris not quite two years ago. I wash and wax it regularly and think I do what I can to keep it in the best shape possible. Wednesday I was preparing to wax my car after washing and noticed TONS of brown, rusty looking spots on the paint starting from around the front wheels, running down the sides of the car, wrapping around to the back on the bumper and trunk and also in the door jambs. The spots range in size from pen-tip to sesame seed size. I took it in to the dealership to have a look. Basically what the guy told me is that it's not rust, it's from the break pads. He explained that when I break, microscopic bits of super heated break dust and metal shavings hit my car and that's what's causing the spots. He said that if it wasn't taken care of, in the long run those spots would start to rust. He also told me that every single new car gets these spots, it's unavoidable, even with the best exterior car care. I'd have to pay every year to have them remove the spots.

My question is, does this truly happen to every single new car? Is anyone here having the same problem? I'm not buying that excuse. The guy told me that it had to do with new paint manufacturing. I've spoken with a couple Toyota customer service reps and they have never heard of it happening. Also, I know there are products like Claybar that are supposed to be good at removing this kind of stuff, but is there any other way that anyone knows how to prevent this problem? Prevention is key for me! I don't want to have to deal with this year after year.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or advise!

[john21031]

Sounds like bogus to me.
The brake dust is nothing other than that - dust. And it's not heated. There is too much air there and it's too tiny to carry the heat, let alone damage the paint.

Now the chemical action of brake dust does sound more plausible. Especially if there are some corrosive and toxic substances in the brake pad material (1), the paint is thin, lacks clear coat, or is soft and easily reacted with other substances (2); and third factor is prolonged contact that will increase the effect, so if you wash the car less often than say once every 3 weeks or even less frequently.

I've never seen paint being affected by brake dust.

Maybe those are rock chips? (is the pain physically damaged? Do you drive on gravel roads?) Do you use any auto chemical products on your paint at all? (shampoo and wax?)

[PerfectoII]

Originally Posted by gesiquea

Hello! I bought my new '08 Yaris not quite two years ago. I wash and wax it regularly and think I do what I can to keep it in the best shape possible. Wednesday I was preparing to wax my car after washing and noticed TONS of brown, rusty looking spots on the paint starting from around the front wheels, running down the sides of the car, wrapping around to the back on the bumper and trunk and also in the door jambs. The spots range in size from pen-tip to sesame seed size. I took it in to the dealership to have a look. Basically what the guy told me is that it's not rust, it's from the break pads. He explained that when I break, microscopic bits of super heated break dust and metal shavings hit my car and that's what's causing the spots. He said that if it wasn't taken care of, in the long run those spots would start to rust. He also told me that every single new car gets these spots, it's unavoidable, even with the best exterior car care. I'd have to pay every year to have them remove the spots.

My question is, does this truly happen to every single new car? Is anyone here having the same problem? I'm not buying that excuse. The guy told me that it had to do with new paint manufacturing. I've spoken with a couple Toyota customer service reps and they have never heard of it happening. Also, I know there are products like Claybar that are supposed to be good at removing this kind of stuff, but is there any other way that anyone knows how to prevent this problem? Prevention is key for me! I don't want to have to deal with this year after year.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or advise!

Funny...the guy at my dealership told me it was due to de-icer on the roads. I said...funny since there hasn't been de-icer on the roads since I bought it (benefit of working for the city)...he then had the service manager tell me it was regular wear and tear...yeah, right. I remember seeing a thread here that touched on the poor paint the Yaris has. Every time I wash I seem to find another pin hole, scratch, blemish, or something that just eats me up!!! They did offer to touch up the paint in those spots...for $475. Nah...no thanks, I'll be getting the whole car repainted this summer...

[HTM Yaris]

Brake dust is not the cause of your dilema ( If it were ,every car on the planet would have this problem ) . There are however some other causes. Do you use amour all or tire shine ? If you do ...STOP . Another cause is a freshly paved road . The new asphalt/tar will cause the spots you described . Also the rubber door seals , if not properly moisturized ( with armour all ) , will cause the brown streaks . The main cause I suspect would be treesap . This is the time of year when trees emit sap and it floats in the air and sticks to the road . De-icer probably plays a part as well . ( I live in the South so I'm not very well versed on the de-icer )

[yarrr]

+1 it is absolutely without a doubt, not brake dust

Are the spots eating IN to the paint, or are they ON TOP of the paint? If its eating in to the paint, most likely rust(especially since you say its brown). If its on top I agree with HTM, tire shine done improperly(although that usually wipes off pretty easy), debris/wet asphalt on the street, tree sap, would all be my guesses long before brake dust. For rust, your looking at sanding and touch up paint, for anything on top, if regular cleaners and elbow grease doesn't get it, a clay bar might be your only option.

Prevention? Wax it better, and wipe any spots you see with quick detailer before they become a problem. For at least 2 months after I wax I can just spray quick detailer on anything that dares land on my paint and it wipes right off.

[nazier]

i get it alot after i visit the car wash, they use to much tire shine, then u need to polish the car again. so now i put tire shine myself on, i found if ii wash and polish the car every week then i need to spray the car every yr, so now i only polish once a month, i also added another clear coat to the car, when they did they last respary

[dmfang]

intertesting... i'm noticing paint issues on my 07 liftback and I'm psycho about waxing it regularly. was planning on taking it to the toyota dealer this week to ask.

[gesiquea]

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/album.php?albumid=433

Here's a link to view some pictures of some of the spots. There are hundreds of these spots that run the length of the car. It's definitely not tree sap or from any snow removal (SD doesn't use chemicals to remove snow during winter, only gravel.) I have never had this problem on any car I've owned, and I'm still not buying the "it happens to every new car" excuse from the dealer. Still working on trying to resolve the issue with Toyota and/or the dealership.

Thanks for the suggestions!

[WeeYari]

I get tons of these myself. Always baffled by them, but a little claying takes them off. No need for actual clay bar, as liquid clay does the trick for me. There is no evidence of the spot ever being there after it's been rubbed off.

[JetfireK]

[QUOTE=gesiquea;475535]Hello! I bought my new '08 Yaris not quite two years ago. I wash and wax it regularly and think I do what I can to keep it in the best shape possible. Wednesday I was preparing to wax my car after washing and noticed TONS of brown, rusty looking spots on the paint starting from around the front wheels, running down the sides of the car, wrapping around to the back on the bumper and trunk and also in the door jambs. The spots range in size from pen-tip to sesame seed size. I took it in to the dealership to have a look. Basically what the guy told me is that it's not rust, it's from the break pads. He explained that when I break, microscopic bits of super heated break dust and metal shavings hit my car and that's what's causing the spots. He said that if it wasn't taken care of, in the long run those spots would start to rust. He also told me that every single new car gets these spots, it's unavoidable, even with the best exterior car care. I'd have to pay every year to have them remove the spots.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++

I have 08 Yaris Liftback with no Brake Dust. Only pin chips on hood from road travel.
Your dealership saying every new car has Brake Dust must apply only to Toyotas simply because Toyota paint is thin and soft.( Ford has the best paint)
Wish I could help. Just wash and wax or repaint. I like Nu Finish because its an acrylic.....Best of Luck

[cali yaris]

It's not brake dust.
I wish we could do something with dealers that will lie to your face.

[JetfireK]

Look at RaptorRacing post of detailinng. His auto looks like Hurricane Katrina's mother came in and then he detailed his Yaris. Aside from being coming out gorgeous he does not appear to have any BRAKE DUST...I never heard of Brake Dust??? and RaptorRacing auto will show that after he washed waxed detailed and all else he has no sign of anything pitting or harming his paint..

Originally Posted by gesiquea

Hello! I bought my new '08 Yaris not quite two years ago. I wash and wax it regularly and think I do what I can to keep it in the best shape possible. Wednesday I was preparing to wax my car after washing and noticed TONS of brown, rusty looking spots on the paint starting from around the front wheels, running down the sides of the car, wrapping around to the back on the bumper and trunk and also in the door jambs. The spots range in size from pen-tip to sesame seed size. I took it in to the dealership to have a look. Basically what the guy told me is that it's not rust, it's from the break pads. He explained that when I break, microscopic bits of super heated break dust and metal shavings hit my car and that's what's causing the spots. He said that if it wasn't taken care of, in the long run those spots would start to rust. He also told me that every single new car gets these spots, it's unavoidable, even with the best exterior car care. I'd have to pay every year to have them remove the spots.

My question is, does this truly happen to every single new car? Is anyone here having the same problem? I'm not buying that excuse. The guy told me that it had to do with new paint manufacturing. I've spoken with a couple Toyota customer service reps and they have never heard of it happening. Also, I know there are products like Claybar that are supposed to be good at removing this kind of stuff, but is there any other way that anyone knows how to prevent this problem? Prevention is key for me! I don't want to have to deal with this year after year.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or advise!

[jpmck03]

I've got the same thing going on with my 2010... Washed it and waxed last Saturday night in my garage and had is parked there for a week while I waited for the then expired registration to come in the mail.

Took it out to get some gas and noticed that there were a ton of those spots primarily below the crease on the doors down to the rocker panels. Not what I was expecting to see when I finally she finally saw the light of day.



I'm going to my dealer to pick up some fog light shrouds at the end of the week; I'm going to have ask him what the hell is up with those spots...

[Altitude]

Any road resurfacing projects on your daily commute? Kinda looks like tar splatter. Either that or you slather on the tire dressing too thick.

[jpmck03]

I can't speak for gesiquea, but there haven't been any road projects on my commute, and I haven't used any treatment on my wheels. That stuff looks like sap or tar from a distance, but when you get up real close it looks like little flecks of rust...

[Kaotic Lazagna]

I don't have that, and I have tons of brake dust on my rims from my CarboTech pads.

[jpmck03]

Talked to my dealer, who in turn spoke to the detail manager after...

The detail manager confirmed the problem as rail dust. When the cars are on the train, tiny particles of metal get on the cars when the trains use their brakes. These particles rust as time goes by. There are two ways to remove them. One is by rail dust remover, a toxic chemical. The other is by using light rubbing compound. Either solution should be followed up with some wax.

Sounds like a confirmation to what we suspected. The real bummer was they offered to have me come in and they'd take care of it, but I'd already left town.

[ChilliwackGuy]

My 2010 Yaris is a month and 2 weeks old - and I get the same "brake dust" spots - as well as some black streaks (much like a tiny crayon streak - most prob from driving on semi-fresh asphalt) - anyway - I commute 250KM total a day - so every 2 days I plunk a $2 coin (toonie to us CDNs!) at a local wand wash and spray the car down for 4 mins - and it keeps the crap off