Carbon ceramic brakes

Discussion in 'Car Detailing Product Discussion' started by Keenan T, Jul 5, 2010.

  1. Keenan T

    Keenan T Any Rag Vehicle Washer

    Hi guys a new client of mine phoned me up today to ask me if i would go down an detail his Carrera Gt, New gt3rs and his cayenne turbo which all have carbon ceramic brakes.What wheel cleaner wont ruin those brakes i was thinking p21s but please correct me if im wrong.
    Thank you
     
  2. Ynnekdude

    Ynnekdude Any Rag Vehicle Washer

    I wouldn't even touch them with P21S. I suggest just using some gentle wash soap. From what I've heard, those ceramics are very very delicate.
     
  3. JonM

    JonM Guest

    Yes I've heard not to use any kind of wheel cleaner, at all.
     
  4. detailjohn

    detailjohn Detailers Advertising Scheme

    P21S works. I prefer the Sonax, but just be aware, it won't turn red on ceramic brakes.
     
  5. 911Fanatic

    911Fanatic DB Pro Supporter

    I had a client with a Turbo cab and I used AG Powermax 3 all the time with no issues. P21S, Sonax etc should be fine. The ceramic brakes produce virtually no dust so don't be surprised if soapy water is all you need.
     
  6. Keenan T

    Keenan T Any Rag Vehicle Washer

    The thing that i do my cousins turbo s it just pressure wash the carbon ceramic brakes out. would the armor all wheel protection spray be ok to spray on those wheels.
     
  7. calypso

    calypso Any Rag Vehicle Washer

    I would br scared of the Armor All touching the carbon disc. Not quite sure of composition of Armor All, but I know carbon brakes really dislike silicone.
    Would be nice if a list of known allowed and prohibited products for carbon brakes gets drawn up.
     
  8. domino

    domino Welcome to Detailing

    you wont need a wheel cleaner on wheels with ceramic brakes anyway - they hardly dust up

    having said that i still spray my P21S on the wheel face and let it soak while i clean inside the barrels - but my P21S is cut about 4:1
     
  9. togwt

    togwt Nuba Guru

    Detailing Ceramic Brakes

    Any diluted car wash concentrate, d-limonene (citrus) based cleaner (P21S Total Auto Wash) or pH neutral wheel cleaner (P21S Green Gel) should be fine to use on ceramic brakes as they produce very little brake dust (being non-metallic) they just attract normal road dirt and grime
     
  10. Emile

    Emile Welcome to Detailing

    Dave (dsms) does cars with ceramic brakes all the time and all he uses is a quality car wash soap.

    togwt, P21S Gel is not pH neutral, it has a pH of 9.5.
     
  11. EbbeJ

    EbbeJ Jedi Nuba

    I recently worked on a CGT and used P21S TAW and shampoo. So far I've heard of no-one having problems with using good non-acidic wheel cleaners on carbon ceramics.



    Kind regards,

    Ebbe
     
  12. togwt

    togwt Nuba Guru

    Interesting, I had assumed they were both pH neutral, with one being a liquid and the other with thickeners added to produce a gel
     
  13. HPIA4v2

    HPIA4v2 Birth of a Detailer

    A couple of things here,
    Did you use PH meter, I might have access to litmus strip to check if either P21S (green gel) either alkali or acidic. PH 9.5 is alkali like any other soap.
    Emile can you check Sonax PH reading, thanks.


    BTW, are we talking rotor or pads being creamic here? I've used P21S w/o ill effect on cars with steel rotor and all kind of pads (ceramic included).
     
  14. P1et

    P1et Official DB Moderator

    I doubt you will need anything aggressive when cleaning ceramic brakes. Just some gentle soapy water should be plenty to get them clean.
     
  15. Emile

    Emile Welcome to Detailing

    Sonax R2000 MSDS states pH of 7-7.5 which is completely neutral. Doesn't mean you can just do whatever you want. Directions on back of bottle say not to use on hot wheels, and not to allow the cleaner to dry on the wheel.

    P21S TAW and P21S Gel both have pH of 9.5. Bottles of both products state "pH-controlled." According to the P21S USA representative, pH-controlled means it follows the guidelines of several major automotive manufacturers for exterior cleaners, the "control" limit being a pH of 10. P21S doesn't provide MSDS for end users, but I got the statistic straight from the P21S representative.
     
  16. Keenan T

    Keenan T Any Rag Vehicle Washer

    The thing is that he races the cgt and gt3rs all the time so maybe just soap and water will do the trick.
     
  17. Wolfs Chemicals

    Wolfs Chemicals DB Certified Manufacturer

    Yes, Sonax is 7/7.5:thumb:. No wheel cleaners should be used on hot rims, but Sonax could possibly stain the rims if left to sit once the iron has started to dissolve.

    I've been using a wheel cleaner that's about 5.5-6 for about 4 months now and I do quite a few cars with ceramic brakes and have not experienced anything negative. I use mine for other reasons besides cleaning (it leaves a layer of protection behind also) but if not for that I'd probably be using a pH neutral cleaner or soap and water.
     
  18. Emile

    Emile Welcome to Detailing

    P21S Gel, Sonax, or P21S TAW should work just fine.
     
  19. gt3racerich

    gt3racerich Virgin Detailer

    I use P21S Bodywork Conditioning Shampoo on mine all the time. It is the only thing I have used. It does a great job and I have never had a problem.
    What are you going to do to the Carbon Fiber wing on the GT3 RS? I am going to seal and wax my RS this weekend and I was wondering what to do with the carbon fiber, if anything.
    Rich
     
  20. Keenan T

    Keenan T Any Rag Vehicle Washer

    What i did with the zr1 that i did that had the carbon fiber side skirts and lip i took them off and did a layer of z2 on them. i will probably do that too.
     

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