TOPiX info regarding wheel and brake cleaners

Disco_Mickey and DG on the D3/D4 and RRSport forums has posted this that has appeared on TOPiX today regarding discoloured brake calipers and alloy wheel cleaning products

Quote:

Disco_Mikey Wrote:Copied from D3/D4

DG Wrote:This appeared on TOPIx today ...not sure if rust is considered a discoloration or if there is some other reaction ...

[quote]Reference SSM55097

Models Defender / L316
Discovery 3 / L319
Discovery 4 / L319
Freelander 2 / L359
Range Rover / L322
Range Rover Evoque / L538
Range Rover Sport / L320

Title Brake Caliper Discoloration

Category Chassis

Last modified 05-Jan-2015 00:00:00

Symptom 301000 Service Brake System


Issue: Brake caliper discoloration.

Cause:
Damage to the caliper finish while cleaning the vehicle and, or the road wheels.

Action:
When using a propriety wheel cleaner, please read and adhere to the manufacturer's instructions prior to use. Note that the detergent should NOT be left on the wheel beyond the specified time and is thoroughly washed off all components after use.


Make sure the vehicle brake caliper is not warm/hot when the detergent is applied as this practice will significantly accelerate the chemical reaction and may result in damage to the finish of the caliper even within the manufacturer's recommended time.

NOTE: Approved wheel cleaner now available. Bulletin No: LRHUB1099

JLR Chassis engineers and Autoglym have worked together to develop and rigorously test a unique high performance wheel cleaner formula specifically for Land Rover vehicles to help reduce the high brake dust concerns without damaging the surrounding brake or wheel components.

The dedicated JLR wheel cleaner is the only wheel cleaner that JLR has approved as compliant with its exacting technical requirements and recommended for all Land Rover vehicles. (JLR approved wheel cleaners have been communicated as part of other vehicle launch programmes previously but not formally communicated as available for all Land Rover vehicles, wheel cleaner not available in USA / Canada).

There are two sizes available: a 500ml Retail pack for customer purchase, complete with spray nozzle, and a 5 litre workshop pack for Dealer use.
· VPLSW0066 : 500ml Bottle – Retail customer size
· VPLDW0067 : 5L Container – Dealer workshop size
The wheel cleaner is available to order via the normal accessory supply routes.

That will apply mostly to those folk who are duped by the £5.99 price tag outside the local foreign scratch-O-matic hand car wash who use all those nasty cheap products (And methods).

I doubt this will apply to the Discovery Sport as everyone I have seen has rusty callipers anyway. I suspect cheap metal has been used for these!!

I suspect the wheel cleaner they are referring to is the Autoglym ""Custom Wheel Cleaner"" If so that has been around for at least 7 or 8 years.

Funnily enough several owners with three year old cars have suffered with wheel corrosion. On my car I ended up with a full refurbishment. I wonder if JLR are locking the stable door after the horse has bolted!

What I think Land Rover is saying is that their cars look so much better with corroded alloy wheels, faded calipers and rusty discs that they no longer consider it worth their while paying out on all these warranty claims. They can save a fortune by supplying cheaply made parts and then telling the customer that they used the wrong cleaners so have invalidated their warranty, and then we ask them to prove that they have used our recommended and hugely expensive cleaners that can only be bought from a dealership accessory shop...............

I've looked closely at the Autoglym alloy wheel cleaning products, including their chemical composition from the SDS sheets. I don't think their retail 'Custom Wheel Cleaner' is exactly the same as the JLR recommended product (Range Rover Alloy Wheel Cleaner VPLSW0066) which is also made by Autoglym. The latter is available from JLR dealers, but is naturally quite expensive. However, a cheaper source is from 'shop4landrover.co.uk', £9.90 for 500 ml, postage free.

http://www.shop4landrover.co.uk/product/..._VPLSW0066

The same JLR approved product is also sold to the trade as Autoglym Professional Wheel Cleaner and is available from trade distributors in bigger (e.g. 5L) quantities, and presumably at much lower cost. You can find out about this product, and search for a trade distributor in your area on the Autoglym Professional web site http://www.autoglymprofessional.com/en/p...el-cleaner

Hope this helps

This won't apply to Discovery Sport's, well the calipers anyway because the first time it rains they rust anyway. Compared to Freelander & Evoque unpainted they are absolute rubbish.