# Brake Disc Spray?



## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

Did i imagine this, or is there a product that can be sprayed on brake discs after washing to prevent the surface rust?

I've not long had new discs fitted all round and wouldn't mind being able to keep the discs free of rust until the warmer weather comes and I can hammerite them.


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## wish wash (Aug 25, 2011)

Bilt hamber- atom mac


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## joe_con19 (Aug 1, 2015)

+1 for Atom Mac


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

Cheers, that looks like the one.


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

I recently bought some after being unsure about it.

Did a review on it - very impressed :thumb:

Bilt Hamber Atom Mac review
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...uk/forum/showthread.php?t=412078&share_type=t


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## Trix (Jul 1, 2006)

Seems like a good idea but how do you get the spray on the inner side of the disc?


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## dholdi (Oct 1, 2008)

I know we are all obsessive, but who looks on the insides of the disk ?


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## micksea (May 27, 2018)

dholdi said:


> I know we are all obsessive, but who looks on the insides of the disk ?
> 
> Show some commitment man


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## SunnyBoi (Apr 25, 2013)

You cant spray the backsides of disc anyway, its covered by the stone shelid.


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## Trix (Jul 1, 2006)

dholdi said:


> I know we are all obsessive, but who looks on the insides of the disk ?


Haha.. I've kind of got the wrong end of the stick here. I was thinking the spray was for stopping the rust forming which dusts up on the wheels when pressing the brakes. It's just aesthetics then :tumbleweed::tumbleweed:


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## blurb (Feb 13, 2008)

I spray with a foaming spray head and make a point of aiming at the brake shield to ensure that a fair amount get's to the back of the discs.
I have gloss black alloys and this significantly reduces the amount of rusty dust produced the first time I drive off post wash.


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## Mcpx (Mar 15, 2016)

Shiny said:


> Did i imagine this, or is there a product that can be sprayed on brake discs after washing to prevent the surface rust?
> 
> I've not long had new discs fitted all round and wouldn't mind being able to keep the discs free of rust until the warmer weather comes and I can hammerite them.


Just curious but what exactly is it you are going to hammerite?



Trix said:


> Haha.. I've kind of got the wrong end of the stick here. I was thinking the spray was for stopping the rust forming which dusts up on the wheels when pressing the brakes. It's just aesthetics then :tumbleweed::tumbleweed:


I might get shot down here but I think a lot of people have the wrong end of the stick. Firstly, the rust you see on brake discs is not primarily from the discs themselves, it is the residue of iron particles worn off the brake pads as the brakes are used. Brakes work on the friction between two surfaces, the friction wears both surfaces away (quicker on the softer pad material, which is why pads have to be changed more often than discs) creating a dust as it does so, which happens to contain iron, which then becomes visible rust as it oxidises. Unless you significantly change the material the pads are made from, and to a lesser extent the discs too (£4K+ carbon ceramic conversion anyone?), this dust will still be created whether you can see it as rust or not, so it will still inevitably get on your wheels.

Secondly, and this is in no way aimed at Atom Mac, there is absolutely no point whatsoever in applying any product to brake discs. The disc and pad surface are both constantly being worn away as described, anything you put on the surface today won't be there tomorrow because that surface will already have been worn away. Take a sharpie and draw a smiley face on one of your brake discs, see how long it lasts. If there were a miracle product that you could apply that would last any significant time, then it would have to be a layer that comes between the disc and pad surface, which would then prevent them coming into contact with each other and doing their job, which is generally a bad thing when it comes to brakes.

All it takes to remove rust from brake discs is a couple of seconds use, if the car was on show or in storage or wasn't being driven for any reason then yes maybe a rust inhibitor would be worth it, but otherwise it's a waste of time and excellent product.


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## Brian1612 (Apr 5, 2015)

Mcpx said:


> Just curious but what exactly is it you are going to hammerite?
> 
> I might get shot down here but I think a lot of people have the wrong end of the stick. Firstly, the rust you see on brake discs is not primarily from the discs themselves, it is the residue of iron particles worn off the brake pads as the brakes are used. Brakes work on the friction between two surfaces, the friction wears both surfaces away (quicker on the softer pad material, which is why pads have to be changed more often than discs) creating a dust as it does so, which happens to contain iron, which then becomes visible rust as it oxidises. Unless you significantly change the material the pads are made from, and to a lesser extent the discs too (£4K+ carbon ceramic conversion anyone?), this dust will still be created whether you can see it as rust or not, so it will still inevitably get on your wheels.
> 
> ...


The point of the Atom Mac on discs is it stops all that rust forming. That in turn means when you drive off in your freshly cleaned car, the first time you touch the brakes you aren't throwing a cloud of rusted iron particles all over the wheels/paint. Keeping the car looking cleaner for longer.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


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## Mcpx (Mar 15, 2016)

Brian1612 said:


> The point of the Atom Mac on discs is it stops all that rust forming. That in turn means when you drive off in your freshly cleaned car, the first time you touch the brakes you aren't throwing a cloud of rusted iron particles all over the wheels/paint. Keeping the car looking cleaner for longer.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


But you are, the Atom Mac doesn't prevent the particles from forming, that is an unavoidable side effect of braking, it only stops them from oxidising. As I said, if the car is going to be sat for a time after washing without being moved then yes it may improve the visual appearance. But as soon as you drive and use the brakes, the Atom Mac is gone just as the rust would be if it hadn't been treated.


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## Mikesphotaes (Jul 24, 2016)

Mcpx said:


> But you are, the Atom Mac doesn't prevent the particles from forming, that is an unavoidable side effect of braking, it only stops them from oxidising. As I said, if the car is going to be sat for a time after washing without being moved then yes it may improve the visual appearance. But as soon as you drive and use the brakes, the Atom Mac is gone just as the rust would be if it hadn't been treated.


Exactly, we go far too far at times!


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

I’ll be spraying (probably Hammerite) all the bits the pads don’t touch. Previous owner put boot polish on the hub on the previous brake discs and it actually did a fine job believe it or not. 

Washed the car and the hub has surface rust on the new brakes now. Plan to wipe off next time I wash it and then spray with the Atom Mac to keep it at bay. I’m not bothered about the face as the pads will clean that up, but want to keep the rest at bay. 

Car sits in the garage and I try to avoid wet days. I wouldn’t bother with it on my daily to be honest.


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## blurb (Feb 13, 2008)

The point is, for the purposes of cleaning, it doesn't matter where the iron particles which form the rust during washing come from, pads or discs, beyond a passing geeky interest I don't particularly care. What I do care about is the dislodged rust dust itself on initial drive post wash. On that point, atom mac does reduce the amount of rust being produced, and initially deposited on my shiny black wheels.

I fully appreciate that the moment I first hit the brakes, whatever chemical residue atom mac coats the discs in, will be removed, but by then it's done its job.

Edit:Just to say I do see the point that dust will be produced regardless during braking, but black/dark dust on black wheels is a much more appealing option than red rusty dust.


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## tosh (Dec 30, 2005)

If anyone has gloss black wheels, the point of Atom Mac is clear. Unless you drive your car immediately after washing your wheels, the inside of your wheels will immediately turn red/brown when you first press your brakes. More so if you've used fallout remover on the wheels.

Since we mostly wash wheels first, and the body last, something that stops rust even for the next hour is useful, as your lovely clean wheels will stay a bit cleaner for a bit longer.

If you can't see your inner barrels, or you don't clean/dry them, then yes, there isn't any point.


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

dholdi said:


> I know we are all obsessive, but who looks on the insides of the disk ?


The issue fella is the you get a film of rust on the discs and when the brake pads bite them on slowing a car down, it starts to disperse rusty powder that settles on a cars alloy wheels. It's a horrible sight. Especially when the rest of the car is clean.


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

I use atom mac, couldn't live without it.


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

tosh said:


> If anyone has gloss black wheels, the point of Atom Mac is clear. Unless you drive your car immediately after washing your wheels, the inside of your wheels will immediately turn red/brown when you first press your brakes. More so if you've used fallout remover on the wheels.
> 
> Since we mostly wash wheels first, and the body last, something that stops rust even for the next hour is useful, as your lovely clean wheels will stay a bit cleaner for a bit longer.
> 
> If you can't see your inner barrels, or you don't clean/dry them, then yes, there isn't any point.


From my review I did - this was my disc after a weekend of rain, snow and driving wind, having applied it when I parked the car up, normally would be rusty - this was 1 of my reasons for getting it, as well as trying to reduce rusting following a clean :thumb:


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## tosh (Dec 30, 2005)

I would never use it after driving, that’s taking things a bit far for me, but yes it does work as advertised. 

But during/after washing where it’s sitting there for a few hours or overnight, it’s perfect. 

If you had a car or motorbike laid up for weeks or months, it would also be ideal. I spray up the bike with ACF 50 but you can’t use it near wheels, but with Atom Mac you can. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## Brian1612 (Apr 5, 2015)

blurb said:


> The point is, for the purposes of cleaning, it doesn't matter where the iron particles which form the rust during washing come from, pads or discs, beyond a passing geeky interest I don't particularly care. What I do care about is the dislodged rust dust itself on initial drive post wash. On that point, atom mac does reduce the amount of rust being produced, and initially deposited on my shiny black wheels.
> 
> I fully appreciate that the moment I first hit the brakes, whatever chemical residue atom mac coats the discs in, will be removed, but by then it's done its job.
> 
> Edit:Just to say I do see the point that dust will be produced regardless during braking, but black/dark dust on black wheels is a much more appealing option than red rusty dust.


Glad you read and understood my post properly 

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

tosh said:


> I would never use it after driving, that's taking things a bit far for me, but yes it does work as advertised.
> 
> But during/after washing where it's sitting there for a few hours or overnight, it's perfect.


Oh I don't use it after driving on a regular basis  , but if I get home on a Friday night and the cars not going to move til Monday / Tuesday and it's forecast rain, then it's applied to help stop the discs rusting up and as in my photo, works :thumb:


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## \Rian (Aug 23, 2017)

Shiny said:


> I'll be spraying (probably Hammerite) all the bits the pads don't touch. Previous owner put boot polish on the hub on the previous brake discs and it actually did a fine job believe it or not.
> 
> Washed the car and the hub has surface rust on the new brakes now. Plan to wipe off next time I wash it and then spray with the Atom Mac to keep it at bay. I'm not bothered about the face as the pads will clean that up, but want to keep the rest at bay.
> 
> Car sits in the garage and I try to avoid wet days. I wouldn't bother with it on my daily to be honest.


On my new brembo disks the edges and hubs were painted black from the Brembo factory very nice touch

Not easy to see in the pics but its such a good idea


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## bigup (Jun 4, 2009)

whats correct way to use atom mac? i mean, a spray on each brake disc at start of the wash enough? wont this be washed away from pressure washer anyway?


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## \Rian (Aug 23, 2017)

bigup said:


> whats correct way to use atom mac? i mean, a spray on each brake disc at start of the wash enough? wont this be washed away from pressure washer anyway?


No as its drawn in to the metal on an atomic level, you will also need to use it after washing


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## tosh (Dec 30, 2005)

Spray it before you wash
And then again after you’ve finished the wheel. 
It should be the last thing on the discs after you rinse.


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

bigup said:


> whats correct way to use atom mac? i mean, a spray on each brake disc at start of the wash enough? wont this be washed away from pressure washer anyway?


I spray on each disc before I start, then as I've cleaned and washed each wheel, spray again :thumb:


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## bigup (Jun 4, 2009)

Thanks guys


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## sevenfourate (Mar 23, 2013)

I had my paint and wheels ceramic coated couple of months ago (On my garage queen).

Just used it for the 1st time and after just a mile; the dark orange dust on my freshly cleaned gloss-Black wheels was horrific.

Googled possible ‘solutions’ last night and ‘boom’ - plenty of references to here.

Atom-Mac promptly ordered - and looking forward to seeing it work......


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## James_R (Jun 28, 2007)

it works Shuv - you won't be disappointed. :thumb:

Just cleaned the LY200 this morning and the second I packed all my gear away it started raining 

As you know I have gloss black wheels, and I spray the discs and around with Atom Mac before washing each individual wheel.

Wheel 1,2,3,4
Apply Atom Mac to discs.
Allow to penetrate for a few minutes.

Wheel 1
Rinse
Surfex HD, light degrease
Shampoo BH Autowash
Barrels cleaned with wheel woolies
Rinse
Apply Atom Mac
Wipe wheel dry

Move on to Wheel 2, repeat as above.
Move on to Wheel 3 etc


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## sevenfourate (Mar 23, 2013)

James_R said:


> it works Shuv - you won't be disappointed. :thumb:
> 
> Just cleaned the LY200 this morning and the second I packed all my gear away it started raining
> 
> ...


GUTTED MATE :wall:

Yea i saw you were at the forefront of these discussions !

So basically: apply A/Mac first, wash as normal, apply A/Mac after....for each individual wheel.

****Do you clean / dry all 4 wheels as above before then doing bodywork ? Are you then especially careful washing (Snow-foaming beforehand ?) so as not to get the wheels / discs wet again whilst doing bodywork ?

Cheers.


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

tosh said:


> I spray up the bike with ACF 50 but you can't use it near wheels, but with Atom Mac you can.


You can absolutely use ACF50 on motorbike wheels - spray it on an old MF cloth to apply..

Don't use it on brakes and tyres though... 

:thumb:


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## James_R (Jun 28, 2007)

sevenfourate said:


> GUTTED MATE :wall:
> 
> Yea i saw you were at the forefront of these discussions !
> 
> ...


No depends what mood I'm in.
I sometimes Atom Mac the wheels, allow to penetrate, then wash and dry all the bodywork.
Then do each individual wheel last.
Then you can dry the wheels nicely with a touch of QD on a MF or a spray sealant to add protection.

I understand what you're thinking.
If you dry all the wheels nicely, when you wash the car - you'll get them wet again.

This morning I did all the wheels, then washed all the car, then dried the wheels off last.

However the whole thing is wet again now - it's not stopped raining since 11am, the minute I hung the drying towel on the washing line. 

I don't worry too much about getting snow foam or a bit of rinse water on the wheels, whether I've cleaned them or not.


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## sevenfourate (Mar 23, 2013)

James_R said:


> This morning I did all the wheels, then washed all the car, then dried the wheels off last.


Cheers James.

This sounds a plan !


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## bigup (Jun 4, 2009)

How much of the do you put in say a 1l spray bottle?


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## sevenfourate (Mar 23, 2013)

bigup said:


> How much of the do you put in say a 1l spray bottle?


Comes in a 300ml bottle minimum.

At max strength dilution: 50ml of Atom Mac to make 1 litre of spray.

So small bottle will make 6 litres minimum...


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## bigup (Jun 4, 2009)

sevenfourate said:


> Comes in a 300ml bottle minimum.
> 
> At max strength dilution: 50ml of Atom Mac to make 1 litre of spray.
> 
> So small bottle will make 6 litres minimum...


Is 50ml of atom the recommended amount for brake discs ? Or can you get away with using less?


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## sevenfourate (Mar 23, 2013)

bigup said:


> Is 50ml of atom the recommended amount for brake discs ? Or can you get away with using less?


2.5 - 5% is the recommended dilution.


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## James_R (Jun 28, 2007)

bigup said:


> Is 50ml of atom the recommended amount for brake discs ? Or can you get away with using less?


From www.bilthamber.com

*How To Use*

Dilute from 2 - 5% in water and spray on surfaces to be protected. Atomise onto brake discs and surfaces after washing the vehicle and allow to dry (use 1-2% in water on motorcycles and bicycles and 5% on cars with disc brakes). Atomise into voids to protect interior surfaces at a rate of 2ml (of neat product) per litre of space. atom-mac should be diluted to 2- 5% to neutralise corrosive winter road salt and sprayed liberally on vehicle undersides this rate also provides invisible protection to bicycles, machinery tools and equipment.

atom-mac can be used in pressure washers and can be applied to the entire underside where it will neutralise road salt and emit power corrosion inhibitors, it should be applied at the end of each wash. Even wet cars can be put into storage allowing the migratory inhibitors to protect the entire vehicle. Aim for 2% atom-mac strength from the pressure washer nozzle.


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## sevenfourate (Mar 23, 2013)

First time out with newly purchased Atam Mac..........on the daily.

Really bought it for the weekend toy; which has gloss black wheels though; and suffers terribly with the dreaded 'Orange haze' on first braking after a wash.

*So:*

1./ Put 50ml into a new 1L spray bottle; and topped up with water.
2./ Sprayed brake discs. Went and got all gear, jet-wash, hose etc ready.
3./ Sprayed iron out on wheels - trying to avoid discs if at all possible.
4./ Cleaned all 4 wheels, jet-washed them off and sprayed with Atom Mac again.

5./ Snow foamed bodywork.
6./ Washed bodywork.
7./ Dried bodywork.
8./ Dried wheels.

*Here are all 4 discs:*





































****Must clearly be me as i'm in the absolute minority getting these results. Literally can't see any difference to normal (ie: Without using Atom Mac).

What am i doing wrong ? (Sorry pics so big - using imgur and cannot seem to shrink them).

Cheers.


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## blurb (Feb 13, 2008)

Possibly the iron out is interfering.
I do the same as you and get a fraction of the rust you have there.
Just to add, I give it a few seconds after rinsing the wheel with water to allow the excess water to run off before applying the atom mac.
Also, I apply the last shot of atom mac after cleaning each wheel. I don't wash all four and then go back to spray the atom mac.
HTH


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

sevenfourate said:


> First time out with newly purchased Atam Mac..........on the daily.
> 
> Really bought it for the weekend toy; which has gloss black wheels though; and suffers terribly with the dreaded 'Orange haze' on first braking after a wash.
> 
> ...


Apply as you did, before you do anything and allow to penetrate / dry.

As you do anything to the wheel - you then reapply afterwards, so after you applied fallout remover and washed, you need to reapply before going to next wheel...

You'll still get some rust appearing, but doing it this way for me, means I get significantly less...


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## tosh (Dec 30, 2005)

Doesn’t matter how much atom mac you use before you wash, iron remover will turn your discs purple no matter how careful you are. 

If you’re just doing the faces, you could pour some iron remover into a aerosol lid and apply it with a paint brush, perhaps. 

If it’s a weekend car, I would find a milder wheel cleaner; I’m thinking brake buster cut 5:1 in a foamer as it has some corrosion inhibitors in there (but haven’t tried it yet)


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## James_R (Jun 28, 2007)

@sevenfourate

I'd concentrate on one wheel at a time, before moving on to the next one.

Atom Mac is so cheap to use, even if you have to apply it 3 times per wheel during a wash it would still only be pence.

Be interesting to see how you get on next time mate.

I really rate the stuff.
Don't get me wrong, its not going to leave your discs looking like new ones, you'll always get a bit of rust marks on them, but mine don't look anything like yours.

I'll try and photo next time if I remember.


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## sevenfourate (Mar 23, 2013)

James_R said:


> @sevenfourate
> 
> I'd concentrate on one wheel at a time, before moving on to the next one.
> 
> ...


Cheers James. I sprayed the disc with Atom Mac a couple of times during; as per my above 'method'. The cost issue never entered my head.....

Do you use iron out / Dragons blood etc ?

I understand your methodology completely. I think what i've used to clean the wheels is the main issue though (Autofinesse Iron Out).

Looks like i need to use iron out less, and use a milder day-to-day cleaner wheel cleaner as per Tosh's suggestion.

Ta again.


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## James_R (Jun 28, 2007)

I don't often use anything other than shampoo with the wheel woolies mate.

BH Surfex HD sometimes, and I don't suffer poor results from the Atom Mac.


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## tosh (Dec 30, 2005)

If I’ve read this right, you have Gtechniq something on your wheels. Which means you shouldn’t need an iron remover every week, more like every month. 

Perhaps your coating has failed and you need to reapply your wheel coating? Do you have any left?

It doesn’t look like your wheels are pitted or rough, so not sure why your coating appears to have failed?


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

Well i've just ordered some Atom Mac and will see how it goes. 

I've since found out there was option to to pay a bit extra and the discs come pre-coated in a choice of colours. Doh. 

I'm still going to need to treat and paint the parts that don't come into contact with the pads, but it is a case of finding time at the moment.


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## sevenfourate (Mar 23, 2013)

tosh said:


> If I've read this right, you have Gtechniq something on your wheels. Which means you shouldn't need an iron remover every week, more like every month.
> 
> Perhaps your coating has failed and you need to reapply your wheel coating? Do you have any left?
> 
> It doesn't look like your wheels are pitted or rough, so not sure why your coating appears to have failed?


Hello ! This for me ?

Wheels are fairly newly powder-coated and are smooth as can be. Had two coats of heat-resistant FKP1000 before being fitted; and bead like crazy.

Not sure what you mean by, or the possible link is with 'coating failure' and rusty discs - but i agree: My biggest failing is using iron out every time. Not needed most likely and far from helping my Orange disc issue 

****Off to research 'best frequent use wheel wash".

Cheers.


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## tosh (Dec 30, 2005)

I thought you had a ceramic coating on there. 

Try using a diluted APC to wash your wheels, and save the iron remover for when this doesn’t work. Or a wheel shampoo. 

Autoglanz have an offer on at the moment. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


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## sevenfourate (Mar 23, 2013)

After trying AtomMac for the first time last week - whilst also using Iron out............and not going very well (Iron out still stained the discs - and the Orange haze was still a bit naughty when i first braked) ; had a chance to try AtomMac this morning whilst just using OKD Rotate at 10:1 dilution.

Different World !! Impressed.......

****Just one pic of a front and one pic of a rear disc:*


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## James_R (Jun 28, 2007)

Lovely!!!

Loads better mate :thumb:


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