Does brake dust affect a car's quality? J.D. Power thinks so (w/POLL)
When wheels are covered with brake dust, the entire car looks dirty and in many cases, a basic wash will do little to rectify the problem. Most associate brake dust as a mere nuisance, but others actually see the sight of pad particles as a fundamental problem with the functionality of a vehicle's brakes. That may sound a bit strange to some, but J.D. Power seems to agree that brake dust is indeed a quality problem.
The long-running quality survey added brake dust as one of its 228 quality concerns back in 2006 in response to several survey-takers filling in "brake dust" as a write-in complaint. David Sargent, vice president for automotive research at J.D. Power, told The New York Times that brake dust is given the same weight as serious mechanical malfunctions. The reason, says Sargent, is that customers don't feel that brake dust is "trivial," and while malfunctions can be repaired, brake dust lingers for a very long time.
When asked by The Times why brake dust is even on a quality survey, Sargent mentioned that the survey gauges consumer perception, adding "the purpose of the study is to report back problems as defined by consumers."
Conversely, Consumer Reports does not use brake dust as a quality issue. Vehicle testing head Mark Champion admitted to the Times that cleaning brake dust is annoying, "but it is not actually a failure of the brakes." What say you? Hit the jump to take part in our poll.
[Source: NY Times Wheels Blog]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
FishingCrue 11:37AM (7/14/2009)
If I were a conspiracy theorist I would think this is included to knock BMW down a few pegs. Brake dust isn't the problem, failing to wash it away is and could be indicative of deeper maintenance related issues.
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zamafir 11:43AM (7/14/2009)
BMWs? Try any European automobile or anything designed to be driven enthusiastically. What a bunch of trash. what next, weaker pads to reduce brake dust for higher jd power ratings? great.
AZZO45b 12:22PM (7/14/2009)
Just another reason NOT to take JD Power results with any high regard!!!
Any car manufacturer might want to buy that new Eagle One brake dust product (the one that allows honey to just slide off...) before sending their cars for the vaulted JDPower circle jerk (GEEZ- shakes head)
Rick 12:28PM (7/14/2009)
Yea, not just BMW, my Audi does it as well. If you look at any really good pads on Tire Rack for performance cars, they all dust somewhat. The low dust pads don't offer the same bite in most cases.
airswingman 12:38PM (7/14/2009)
just relaxxx , its a media...... wi al know it
audi_arena 12:54PM (7/14/2009)
Right on. A couple years back Audi contracted 3M to produce a wax-like product for the wheels that would limit the ability of the dust to adhere to the wheels specifically for this reason.
Keep in mind, that JD Power doesn't measure quality, it measures consumers PERCEPTION of quality. Very, very different things.
roadkillrob 3:24PM (7/14/2009)
My first BMW had terrible brake dust, I ended up buying some low dust ceramic pads to make my life easier cleaning the wheels. After about 2 weeks, I put the dusty organic pads back on and chucked the low dust pads!
Nothing stops like a European car and nothing gets as much brake dust either - you can have one or the other it seems and I would take the brake feel and performance anyday over having to clean my wheels a little more.
The people complaining about the dust are the same people that complain when the engine seizes due to low oil or the car crashes because of bald tires - the problem is between the seat and the steering wheel in most cases!
some1 3:08PM (7/14/2009)
**The reason, says Sargent, is that customers don't feel that brake dust is "trivial,"**
And people dont feel its trivial, because the massive majority of them are LAZY and cant take the time to clean off their nasty breaks...
Maybe we should add in dirt on paint as another problem with cars... because no one wants to see their car get dirty...
the4thheat 12:04AM (7/15/2009)
This is just another way JD Powers can doctor the ratings of whatever manufacturer it wants to do well. Like if the engine exploded on a Volkswagen but it didn't have brake dust problems it now rates the same as if your Chevy/Ford/Toyota/Honda had zero engine problems but had brake dust on the wheel.
They probably just add as many categories as needed until magically that Passat is now Lexus reliable.
FThorn 11:38AM (7/14/2009)
Having customers report problems is fundamentally flawed. Go ask 10 random people questions about their cars. More than just the color. And tell me if YOU feel they adequately could analyze and discuss with you anything scratching the surface of detail about their car.
Now, tell me you think asking a bunch of owners if aggregating their replies makes the data even the least bit valuable?
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why not the LS2LS7? 11:40AM (7/14/2009)
There is always some merit to listening to the people who hold the pursestrings. Even if their complaints are stupid, if you can fix them you will increase the chances of repeat business and/or turn them into someone who will recommend others buy from you.
why not the LS2LS7? 11:38AM (7/14/2009)
I don't think brake dust is even avoidable, especially on heavier cars which have larger brakes.
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Raghu 12:39PM (7/14/2009)
Drum Brakes!!
kcaz1900kcaz 3:27PM (7/14/2009)
Hey, that was my line.
KeatMP 4:03PM (7/14/2009)
Yes it is. Its mainly in the wheel design getting the air to flow a certain way as to not make the dust stick to the wheel.
Mr.Oak 11:39AM (7/14/2009)
Good for them, it's about time someone did something about this annoyance.
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zamafir 11:45AM (7/14/2009)
Are you being sarcastic?
Greg 12:00PM (7/14/2009)
The best way to rid yourself of the problem is to remove the brake pads. You will increase your stopping distance somewhat, but someone will find some nice shiny wheels in the junk yard.
Rocketboy 12:36PM (7/14/2009)
It's Mr. Oak. Either everything he's ever said in life was sarcastic, or he's been dead serious all his life.
I'm betting dead serious.
Alex 11:39AM (7/14/2009)
This is going to hurt JD's credibility. You can get brakes that are "low" or "no" dust but they tend to have poor stopping performance and less feel. Look at competition brake pads, noisy and dusty but they work exactly as they should. This is like complaining that your motor oil is black when it is drained.
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