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Brake Dust


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So what's the deal with all the brake dust on my 2007 IS350?

Will it subside or at least slow down?

Do the 250's have a similar problem? I mean, I am amazed at the accumulation of brake dust.

I just washed my car over the weekend and really did a job on the rims and tires. When I was done, I took the car out for a "post wash celebration ride" and 10 minutes later, I could NOT believe the accumulation of dust on my rims.

I did not push the car to hard during that time and maybe came to a hard stop once. Is the unusual or the norm?

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Had my pads replaced a few weeks ago for free and there's hardly any brake dust and thed brakes feel about the same to me.

Well worth the change.

I had mine changed as well. As for how it feels... I definitely notice the difference. It stops just fine but it does not really bite down like the OEM dust prone ones that came with the IS 350. Then again, I would rather have a cleaner car over the extra stopping power since I don't drive that way most of the time. Just another perspective for those wanting to change their pads.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just had my 06 done last week. I'm very happy with the change. It's a lot less dust. The service guy told me, winking, that I had to complain that they were squealing bad. So he wrote that on the sheet. They actually replaced my rotors too. I have 40k miles and hey had worn down some. They wrote on the sheet that they were too worn down to turn. So I picked me up a pair of them for free also.

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I just had my 06 done last week. I'm very happy with the change. It's a lot less dust. The service guy told me, winking, that I had to complain that they were squealing bad. So he wrote that on the sheet. They actually replaced my rotors too. I have 40k miles and hey had worn down some. They wrote on the sheet that they were too worn down to turn. So I picked me up a pair of them for free also.

Right result, wrong way to get there. The TSIB is for brake dust, not brake squeak. They have to replace them for free per the TSIB, no matter whether they squeak or are worn down, or are brand new. Only need the customer to compain about brake dust.

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I originally complained about the brake dust, but the service manager hinted at me to complain about squeaking... so I did. It didn't really squeak, and all I really wanted was to get rid of the brake dust. All in all, I got new pads and rotors, For Free! So I'm happy.

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  • 1 month later...

I am going to take my IS250 in to have the brake pads replaced. There is an extreme amount of brake dust and the service technician said the pads were down to 15% and I needed to get them replaced. I found out about the TSB for this issue (that he didn't tell me about), but I wanted to know if this is going to be paid for by the dealer or me. Since he said the pads were down to 15% does this just fall under wear and tear or will I still get the pads under the TSB at their expense? Someone please help!

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I can't feel any difference. I seriously doubt anyone short of a pro/am racer could notice the performance differences either. Maybe some people who continuously wait until the last possible second to slam on the brakes at every stop light... :)

The truth is, brake handling is only partly made up by the brake pads. Tire traction, tire condition, suspension setup, weight distribution, brake calipers, etc... all determine how the car handles under hard braking. Plus, its not like they replaced the pads with granite. :)

Sometimes I wonder if Lexus didn't simply say it decreases brake performance just to stem the tide of swaps under the TSIB...

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Why would Lexus insist in using the "dirtier" brake pads (and continue to receive customer complaints) if the "cleaner" pads would eliminate the problem without any performance or "other" effect?

It makes absolutely no sense...

I am still convinced the "cleaner" pads are less effective.

Autocrossing does not test pads at all... just a one minute run with few, if any, hard braking...

Most braking in autocross is from 50-60 mph down to 20-30 mph and only three or four in one run.

Try that in a race track with braking from 120 mph to 60 or 40 and many, many times, with no fading, etc. and then tell me that again...

Yes, that is not real life, but you'll probably only need the higher efficiency of the better braking pads once in your life...

but that could be the difference, to put it mildly, between a fender bendr and nothing...

Once I had to emergency stop and ended up one inch behind the car in front of me... a lesser pad would have make a hell of a difference, for the worse...

It happened once, yes, but that is enough of a reason to stick to the better pads.

I agree, the best pads in the world have no influence if you are not wearing also a good brake fluid and a very good tire, plus many other issues, i.e., correct alignment, quick reflexes, good shocks, etc., etc.... all of that is part of good maintenance habits.

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Reasons Lexus would continue to use the dirty pad-

A) It's cheaper (and most people don't know about TSIBs to ask for the others)

B) They have a bunch of them already paid for and want to burn through them

I dunno if either is true, but both would be perfectly valid reasons they might still be using the "dirty" pads on new ISes even if the "clean" pads work just as well.

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I dunno if either is true, but both would be perfectly valid reasons they might still be using the "dirty" pads on new ISes even if the "clean" pads work just as well.

That's a good point...does anyone know if the TSIB has been updated to include the 2008 models? That may be an indicator if they are still using the "dirty" pads (although not necessarly tell us if the opposite is true). If I remember correctly, it took a while for the IS250 to be included, even though it is the same as the IS350. Perhaps it is only a TSIB item if a certaian number of customers complain. Just a thought.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Verbatim from Road & Track magazine:

"Recently we visited Roulands, a major brake-pad manufacturer, courtesy of Baer Brakes. There, we were strongly advised that brake dust is almost always a byproduct of performance brake pads, and that anything we could do to educate enthusiasts about the inevitability of dusty brakes on performance cars would be a good thing. That said, brake dust continues as a common complaint with owners, and hence low-dust is a requirement by most OEMs, even if it means braking performance is compromised. "

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I guess we need to define "performance" expectations. I just have to remind myself that I'm driving a Lexus IS, not a Porsche GT2.

Here's an honest question: If the anti-lock braking system kicks in during a panic stop, doesn't that mean that you are getting the maximum coeffecient of friction anyway? Regardless if they are "performance" pads or "dust-free" pads? Maybe the performance pads lock up quicker (time it takes from starting to brake to the point the computer engages the antilock)?

Unfortunately (or fortunately), I don't take my Lexus to track days. Brake fade is not an issue for me (dirty wheels were).

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