2011 Highlander... Brake Dust?

[meteng]

Hi all.

2011 Highlander SE. 1500 miles so far. Love it. This weekend, I noticed a TON of brake dust. The wheels get enough that they turn very black very quickly. Yesterday when I washed it... realized I already had the brake dust junk stuck to the lower body / doors. I know I can get this stuff off with a clay bar... but its a pain.

Anyone else notice more brake dust than usual? Does this mean it has "good" brake pads, or "cheap" brake pads?

I'd even consider replacing front brakes.

appreciate the input.

THANKS!

Chris

[joeyo]

Really?? My wife's Highlander Limited wheels always look clean...even after a month without washing it. My Audi on the other hand, is the KING of brake dust and the wheels are black in a matter of 2 days, the rest of the car is dirty from the brake dust a few days later.

[05Moose]

That sounds excessive, and I've never seen excessive brake dust with Toyota OEM pads.

[jgayman]

Originally Posted by 05Moose

That sounds excessive, and I've never seen excessive brake dust with Toyota OEM pads.

I've not seen ANY brake dust on my '11 SE (700 miles) or from my '01 Limited (140K miles).

This is one area that has always turned me off to Mercedes and BMW products. You see these nice fancy vehicles with expensive wheels and the front wheels are always black with brake dust.

[kcmo]

Sounds strange to me too as I have 960 miles on my 2 month old SE and have yet to see any brake dust accumulate.

[05Moose]

Originally Posted by jgayman

This is one area that has always turned me off to Mercedes and BMW products. You see these nice fancy vehicles with expensive wheels and the front wheels are always black with brake dust.

I always assumed it was because they don't wash their vehicles themselves. They take them to the car washes which have the brushes that don't go over the car but nothing to clean the wheels. That brake dust is an indicator of the type of person driving it, not the vehicle. It just so happens that those purchasing the Mercedes and BMW vehicles typically don't do manual labor (stereotyping here from experience, but there are exceptions to that generality).

At least that's my experience of the people in the areas where we used to live.

[arabianobsession]

Originally Posted by 05Moose

I always assumed it was because they don't wash their vehicles themselves. They take them to the car washes which have the brushes that don't go over the car but nothing to clean the wheels. That brake dust is an indicator of the type of person driving it, not the vehicle. It just so happens that those purchasing the Mercedes and BMW vehicles typically don't do manual labor (stereotyping here from experience, but there are exceptions to that generality).

At least that's my experience of the people in the areas where we used to live.

+1

95% of Mercedes, Porsche, Audi, BMW cars around here have DISGUSTING front rims, looks like they never wash the dang things.

I haven't heard of a lot of brake dust with the new Highlanders, but I know sometimes with new brakes you can get quite a bit of brake dust while breaking them in. I've had that happen pretty often on my previous cars.

[dennydp]

No abnormal brake dust on our Highlander

[JMSinMD]

15k and not a significant amount of brake dust to notice. Whomever said Audi, etc have noticeable amount of brake dust is spot on, I always thought it was due to the brake compound with some of the more aggressive compounds creating more brake dust.

To the original poster, I would call your local dealership service manager and explain to them your situation and your driving style. Something doesn't sound right.

[joeyo]

Originally Posted by JMSinMD

To the original poster, I would call your local dealership service manager and explain to them your situation and your driving style. Something doesn't sound right.

x2.

[DavidHB]

i have 1000 miles on my 2011 limited and the wheels are clean.

[nickhl]

Minimal brake dust 8000 miles with my HL 10 SE and excellent brake performance/feel .