We all know how crucial it is to ensure your brakes are regularly cleaned and maintained to help them function at peak performance. You may be wondering, “what is the best way to clean break rotors” – and that’s where we come in.
WD-40 are experts when it comes to automotive products and have developed a range specifically to keep your vehicle working in top condition.
The road can be a dirty place; mix that with high friction, brake dust and some old brake fluid and you could be faced with a lot of built up gunk which can wreak havoc on your vehicle. As such, a good brake cleaning product is essential to free up any excess contaminants around your brakes, and also helps to ensure nothing is getting in the way of your braking system.
Cleaning the brakes is usually part of the brake inspection and should be carried out using an effective brake cleaner. If doing from home or for any touch ups, we recommend using WD-40 Automotive Specialist Brake & Parts Cleaner – safe to use on brake drunks, pads, lines, discs, and clutch parts.
When brakes and all their associated parts are kept clean, they last longer and work a lot smoother. So, what’s the best way to clean brake rotors?
What’s the Best Way to Clean Brake Rotors?
Let’s discuss the best way to clean brake rotors. To ensure you get reliable, consistent, and powerful stopping from your brake rotors, it is crucial that you keep them thoroughly cleaned and maintained.
Brakes are, by far, the largest volume repair in most independent repair shops today. Depending on how the vehicle is driven, proper brake repairs should last anywhere from 65,000 to 95,000 kilometres plus.
Rust and corrosion can build up on the surfaces between the hub and rotor. Removing the wheel can loosen corrosion, constantly changing contact areas. Cleaning the corrosion from the wheel, rotor and hub is also important to prevent “wheel offs”
How do you know when your brake rotors need to be cleaned? Strange noises, stains, and reduction of braking standards are common indicators that your brake rotors might need to be cleaned.
To do so, ensure you put down a tray to catch any runoff and then spray the rotor with WD-40 Specialist Automotive Brake & Parts Cleaner. Once the rotor is dry, wipe it down with a clean rag or cloth. If stubborn rust or grime remains, apply more Brake & Parts Cleaner, and use steel wool or a wire brush to work the surface further. Then, wipe down the rotor again and finish with a final spray of cleaner.
Can You Use WD-40 to Clean Brake Rotors? No.
WD-40 Specialist Automotive Brake and Parts Cleaner is a powerful, fast-acting cleaner that works with your cars moving parts and will get the job done quickly and easily – without leaving any residue!
This special formula is a fast-drying, super powerful spray designed to dissolve grease, oil and dust from brake and parts which can wreak havoc on your vehicle. It works fast to dissolve residual oil, grease and brake fluid in minimal time to help leave your brakes shiny and clean. Regularly using WD-40 Specialist Automotive Brake and Parts cleaner can prolong the life of brake discs and pads, helping to cut out brake noise for a smoother ride.
WD-40 Specialist Automotive Brake and Parts Cleaner is safe to use on clutch and brake assemblies, brake discs, callipers, brake drums, brake pads and brake linings.
Why Use WD-40 Specialist Brake and Parts Cleaner?
WD-40 Brakes & Parts Cleaner from the Automotive Specialist range has many benefits that makes it different to the original WD-40 Multi-use Product, also making it the best way to clean brake rotors.
The formula is a fast drying, super powerful spray that is designed to dissolve grease, oil and dust from brakes and parts. Leaving your brakes shiny and clean, WD-40 Brakes & Parts Cleaner also works super-fast to dissolve residual oil, grease, and brake fluid in minimal time!
In summary:
- Removes oil, grease, dirt, and brake fluid.
- Cleans without having to disassemble the unit.
- Safe to use on brake lining pads and drums.
We all know how important it is to maintain the integrity of your brakes, but don’t neglect the rest of your car! WD-40 Automotive Specialist Brakes & Parts Cleaner can be used on many parts of your car and brakes including:
- Clutch and brake assemblies
- Brake discs
- Callipers
- Brake drums
- Brake pads and linings
The Importance of Using a Specialised Car Brake Disc Cleaner
For something as important as your vehicle, you want to use products that not only work as a car brake disc cleaner, but also provide specialised results and maintain the integrity of your brakes.
Using specialised brake cleaning products is highly recommended for any brake maintenance as these products are specially designed to wash away any lingering dirt from key parts of the braking system which can disrupt normal function. However, it’s also important to note that not all brake cleaner products are created equally, and some are better than others – that’s why we recommend you bring in a Specialist.
In particular, WD-40 Specialist Automotive Brake and Parts Cleaner. To ensure you get quiet, reliable performance out of your brake system, you should make sure that rust and corrosion hasn’t taken its toll and clean your brakes effectively .
Regular use of WD-40 Automotive Specialist Brakes & Parts Cleaner can prolong the life of brake discs and pads and can even help cut out brake noise for a smoother ride.
How to Clean Bike with Disc Brakes
There are couple of steps involved and things to keep in mind when asking “how to clean bike with disc brakes”.
Firstly, make sure you know which parts to clean. There are four components to familiarise yourself with when it comes to cleaning disk brakes – the two-disc rotors, brake pads, callipers and brake levels and hydraulics. How often you should clean your bikes disc brakes will depend on how often you use it and where it is stored (whether that be outside or in a garage etc.). Keeping your bike inside will require far less attention than if kept outdoors for obvious reasons.
Secondly, knowing when to clean your bike. You’ve just come back from a bike ride and the last thing you feel like doing is spending some time cleaning your bike, but this is often the best time to clean it! This is to ensure that no dirt, grime, or salt has the chance to set in and do any further damage to the brakes.
How Do I Keep My Brake Rotors Shiny?
Most modern cars now come with really smart looking alloy wheels. Unfortunately, the downside to this is that their open-spoked design can often show off rusty looking brakes behind.
Unless you’ve got a very fancy and expensive car, your brake rotors will most likely be made of cast iron which is strong and durable, but also very susceptible to rusting.
The thing is, you can’t actually prevent rust on your brake rotors and the only way to remove it is to actually drive the vehicle and use the brakes. You can however keep your brakes looking in good condition with some high temperature paint – but be careful! The actual face of the disc where the pad meets the disc needs to be left alone and mist never be painted or sprayed with anything other than brake cleaner.
However, your brakes may also be in need of a good clean to remove any dirt, dust or oil that may be taking the shine off your brake rotors. This is best done with a specialised brake cleaning product designed to keep your brakes clean and well maintained.
Do You Have to Spray Brake Cleaner of Rotors?
Ensuring you understand the best way to clean brake rotors and the best products to use can ultimately work to maintain and extend the life of your braking system.
Maintaining the integrity of your brakes is so important for your safety and the overall working of your baking system. Typically, when manufacturers send out rotors they put a thin layer of grease on them to prevent rust build up. This layer should be cleaned off before you install the rotors to your car.
Spraying the rotor with brake clear and wiping it clean with a rag will help ensure the rotor can work at peak performance – make sure to spray both sides! If a rotor is simply installed without cleaning this rust off, it will not sit completely flush to the hub.
Keep Your Brake Rotor Clean with WD-40
We all know how important it is to keep brakes well-maintained. When brakes and all their associated parts are kept clean, they perform much more efficiently and last longer as well. As we’ve mentioned, cleaning and maintaining your brake rotor is essential to keeping your braking system working in top condition. As such, this task demands specialised products for the best results.
That’s where WD-40 Specialist Automotive Brake and Parts Cleaner comes in. With a specialised formular that is fast drying, super powerful and designed to dissolve grease, oil and dust from brakes and parts. It works fast, dissolving residual oil, grease and brake fluid in minimal time to leave your brakes shiny and clean.
Regular use of WD-40 Automotive Specialist Brake & Parts Cleaner can prolong the life of brake discs and pads, as well as help to cut our brake noise for a smoother ride.