I came across a blog that explained that cleaning products should be avoided on Carbon brakes. Since my V12S has carbon brakes, this is something that the dealer should have made crystal clear when I first picked up the car. I asked the service rep at Morries (the local AM dealer) about it, and he explained they made the same mistake on a Bentley and had to eat the cost of 4 new carbon discs. This would have been a very easy mistake to make, and an incredibly expensive one. In this group, how many of you have carbon brakes and know of this problem that should be explained on every delivery?

 

My local AM dealer makes it clear what to use on carbon brakes, but that is them...

 

I went there last night to talk to some of the sales staff (most on on a visit to AM) and they had no clue, yet they sell a few exotic brands that would have carbon brakes.

 

Do you mean on the wheels or calipers that may get on the CCM discs? It's not like I'd ever clean the discs, but I do the clean the calipers.

 

Yes - apparently if your using a chemical to wash the car and it gets on the carbon discs you might be totally screwed... it would be nice to be educated by the dealers. You better believe when the managers get back from their Aston Martin training I'll have a good talk with them about educating their customers about those brakes.

 

I experienced first hand what an aggressive rim-cleaner does on a Carbon disc. It costed me around USD 1,500.00 and 2 months of no-driving in total to have one of the front 398mm rotor on my DB9 re-made in Germany (cheapest option at the time).

This guy only washes his wheels off the car

 

Well, as usual, RTFM...

"Road Wheels:
To avoid possible damage to the ceramic brake discs, when
washing the road wheels with products / materials other than
a mild soapy water solution always remove the wheels from
the vehicle."

Yes, it isn't up front in the manual and isn't in the brakes section, but there is a warning. I was aware of this problem before I got my car from reading the Corvette forum (when I had one).

 

Always remove the wheels? WTF... Unlikely to happen for the majority of owners...

 

Don't get overly dramatic...it's only if you use something other than soapy water. That's all I ever use, so no problem.

 

Yes I have mentioned this in a few posts and its in my Special Vehicle Care threads

1. NEVER use any type of degreaser or All Purpose Cleaner on Carbon Ceramic Brake Discs.

Again, NEVER....... enough said.

Proper maintenance is to wash the wheels with warm soapy water (ph neutral car shampoo) and the same for the calipers. After that rinse well and be done.

From time to time you may have to use a APC on the tires themselves. Our once a week driven garage cars you can get away likely with several months of not having too. I do.

BEST OPTION------ get a coating (ceramic(which is just the same as any other silica based coating) glass etc....) applied to the barrels and outside of your wheels. Also to the caliper itself. Then from there on out, you only need soapy water to wash your wheels. They stay cleaner longer and its tons easier to wash. Makes it not a pain.


Also----NEVER let someone else wash your car, they will more than likely have no clue.

 

Dealer Plan----

I am working with a Aston dealer and building a program to completely change the way car washing and detailing is done. From the initial prep of a new car, to maintenance washed on the lot, to final delivery.

Program is going to include:

1. Educating the detail shop workers how to properly wash a car to minimize marring.
2. Educating them on how to dry a car to minimize marring/

Did you know 25% of scratches, swirls, and marring comes from washing the car?
Did you know 75% of scratches, swirls, and marring comes from drying the car?

3. Then the sales group needs to be aware of what not to do. Preferably I would like to swat any hand or fingers that touch a cars paint with a stiff switch. Then they wouldn't do it any more. NO MORE wiping showroom cars unless care is taken when doing so.

4. Educating the customer during delivery. Part of the maintenance cycle. Documents provided to them explaining the various processes and what to use and not use.


If all that is done, then people would not mess up with damaging a part, or ruining the finish of thier new car.

 

Unnecessary with CCM discs. The wheels and calipers clean up just fine with soapy water since they don't get 1/10th as dirty was with regular iron rotors. You can even clean them with a dry shop paper towel.

I feel for you guys driving around with (unintentional) black wheels...

 

While true, very little. You still get road grime and dirt, which the coating will protect the wheels. Waxes work the same, however dont last as long and wheels are a pain to do. Regardless, to keep the finish nice on the wheels for years, the coatings help protect them. So its not just for ease of washing. Will shows pics next week of wheels all marred up just from washing.

 

Was aware of this issue long before taking delivery of my first car with CCMs ('12 V12V), probably as I was interested in detailing and hanging out on detailing forums.

There is an additional issue to be aware of. This has been raised over on Pistonheads and has generated some controversy, even derision from some posters, but FYI:

Don't get the discs soaking wet (and definitely don't pressure wash them) before establishing a transfer layer from the pads. This is most applicable to new discs but I never pressure wash mine, as reportedly saturating the disc will create an abrasive paste on the surface that will strip off your transfer layer and possibly damage the disc if driven while still wet.

Pistonheads link: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/...&t=1464244&i=0

This issue is also mentioned in Aston's service bulletin for bedding in CCMs, in case people are still doubtful.

BTW, I was never told any of the above at the time of delivery of either my V12V or V12VS, so you're not alone.

 

I applaud you for attempting to change ingrained behaviours, although I fear it will be an uphill battle.

That being said, I still won't be getting my cars washed by dealers anytime soon. Dealer car washes are all about rapid throughput. If the car looks clean and shiny to them from 10 paces away, job done.