Rotor/hub rust

[Eich]

Not on the brake surface but on the inside of the hub. Both of my rears look like this.

My car is a brand new 2011 with less than 500 miles on it. Is this fairly normal or is mine worse than normal? Anyone have any good remedies that will last?



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[55Designs]

your getting this most likely from the cleaners your using to wash the wheels at home or at your local car wash.

I had the same issue with my CTSV it looked terrible because my local car wash uses a hard acid for the wheels which strips the coatings off rotors even the zinc and cad platings get taken off. I was due for new rotors and bought 2 piece with anodize hats. second day my dealer washed the car and sprayed something on them and they left faint marks I freaked out.

Here is what we did for customers.

Remove the rotors, mask off braking surface, Also label your pads inside, and outside so they go back the same.

Use a Media blast cabinet if you have one or you can use a wire wheel on a drill just be careful and get the rust off that way, painting over rust will only peel.

Get some High Temp paint and a couple of light coats and its done, remove tape and install. the heat from driving will cure the paint fully. Just be careful on the cleaning products you use for the wheels.

[55Designs]

funny forgot to mention the Camaro SS and CTSV use the same rear rotors they rust exactly the same.

[The Stig]

Originally Posted by 55Designs

your getting this most likely from the cleaners your using to wash the wheels at home or at your local car wash.

I had the same issue with my CTSV it looked terrible because my local car wash uses a hard acid for the wheels which strips the coatings off rotors even the zinc and cad platings get taken off. I was due for new rotors and bought 2 piece with anodize hats. second day my dealer washed the car and sprayed something on them and they left faint marks I freaked out.

Here is what we did for customers.

Remove the rotors, mask off braking surface, Also label your pads inside, and outside so they go back the same.

Use a Media blast cabinet if you have one or you can use a wire wheel on a drill just be careful and get the rust off that way, painting over rust will only peel.

Get some High Temp paint and a couple of light coats and its done, remove tape and install. the heat from driving will cure the paint fully. Just be careful on the cleaning products you use for the wheels.

seems like a way to squeeze that last few cents out of a customer

Originally Posted by 55Designs

funny forgot to mention the Camaro SS and CTSV use the same rear rotors they rust exactly the same.

Rotors are made cast iron (Wikipedia). Meaning that if you let them sit for a while, could be as little as over night in a humid area, you will see surface rust forming on the rotor. it is NOT something to worry about. If you drive the car around the block once or twice the rust will be gone.

[55Designs]

Stieger your clueless sorry the rotor hubs are not supposed to rust when manufactured properly. Gm uses this stupid coating that comes off from any wheel cleaner on the market making the hub area exposed to corrosion. It looks horrible

driving around the block takes the rust off the braking surface not the hub, please realize your wrong.

guess it doesn't bother you but it bothers me and a majority of guys who have nice cars.

And your comment on squeezing money from customers is quite wrong because we have customers who will spend $2,000 for new rotors (on euro cars) not to have the hubs look nasty, its just what separates a car guy from an average guy.

[Eich]

Originally Posted by stieger

seems like a way to squeeze that last few cents out of a customer




Rotors are made cast iron (Wikipedia). Meaning that if you let them sit for a while, could be as little as over night in a humid area, you will see surface rust forming on the rotor. it is NOT something to worry about. If you drive the car around the block once or twice the rust will be gone.

The brake surface of the rotors isn't where the rust is. It's the area closer to the middle of the rotor. I can drive around the block 400 times and the rust won't go away. It's not where the pads hit the rotors.

The car was this way when I purchased it.

[55Designs]

Originally Posted by Eich

The brake surface of the rotors isn't where the rust is. It's the area closer to the middle of the rotor. I can drive around the block 400 times and the rust won't go away. It's not where the pads hit the rotors.

The car was this way when I purchased it.

ignore this guy please, and take my advice it works.

[Eich]

Originally Posted by 55Designs

ignore this guy please, and take my advice it works.

Oh, I'm sure your advice works. Just wondering if anyone has the problem as bad as mine in a brand new car. It looks rather embarrassing.

Although incorrect, Stieger seemed to be trying to help. No need to ignore him.

[The Stig]

Originally Posted by 55Designs

Stieger your clueless sorry the rotor hubs are not supposed to rust when manufactured properly. Gm uses this stupid coating that comes off from any wheel cleaner on the market making the hub area exposed to corrosion. It looks horrible

driving around the block takes the rust off the braking surface not the hub, please realize your wrong.

guess it doesn't bother you but it bothers me and a majority of guys who have nice cars.

And your comment on squeezing money from customers is quite wrong because we have customers who will spend $2,000 for new rotors (on euro cars) not to have the hubs look nasty, its just what separates a car guy from an average guy.

Ah that would be my mistake then. I thought the rust was on the actual rotor. I personally have never seen rust on the rotor hub, and I've used a variety of cleaning products on my wheels (though now I stick with adam's green wheel cleaner). A good person to ask would be Dylan from Adam's Polishes.

Also, it does bother me. Hence why I took the time to respond with what I though was the correct answer. If I didn't care then I wouldn't take the time to help the OP out.

EDIT: If the hubs were already rusted when you bought the car I would take it back to the dealer and tell them to fix it. Because it seems that the only way to fix this is by spending thousands of dollars Just my .02 is all. If I knew that a $2,000 repair bill was because of something the dealer did you bet I'd be making them pay it.

[cheech4235]

Did this over the weekend. Used a sanding sponge (someone else suggested this in the forums) and some paint. Will see how it holds up after next winter.

[Adam's Polishes]

I did what Cheech did back when I had my TBSS... exact same problem. There was rust at the hub almost immediately after I drove it off the lot in some areas and by the first 3,000 miles they were completely covered.

Pulled the wheels off eventually, taped off the face of the rotors, wire brushed the rust off, sanded, then painted with a high temp enamel. Never had the issue again.

I don't think its a serious issue, not like your wheels are gonna fall off or anything, but it is ugly thats for sure.

[chevy 3]

I painted mine with heat paint three years ago and still looks fine.

[CamaroDreams07]

That's weird, my hubs have never rusted in 30,000 miles. The only wheel cleaners I've ever used on my car are Sonax and Adam's, and neither of those have touched it. So for 55designs to say every wheel cleaner on the market will do it is obviously wrong.

Stieger misunderstood, 55Designs was actually wrong.

[Adam's Polishes]

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

That's weird, my hubs have never rusted in 30,000 miles. The only wheel cleaners I've ever used on my car are Sonax and Adam's, and neither of those have touched it.

I'd have to agree here as well. The TBSS I sited in my example was factory ordered, I was there when it was unloaded off the truck and no wheel cleaners had touched it to that point... it had rust on them shortly after taking delivery and the only water it had seen to that point was the rain it had been hit by in transit and then the rain when I drove it home (buying a new car in a rainy March sucked!) and the water I used when washing... no cleaners used as the wheels were not dirty.

I'd had the same issue on every new vehicle I'd ever bought, mostly trucks, so I didn't think of it as all that unusual.