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      02-07-2013, 03:20 PM   #133
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Porschefile View Post
+1. Spend a couple hundred bucks to get them repainted, it isn't the kind of thing to dedicate countless hours bitching about. I would feel the opposite if it was a mechanical issue, but faded paint?

They still look better than those awful OEM ones
I hear ya - I don't want to waste a bunch of time on it but I needed some help getting it fixed right / rebuilt correctly.

Happy to pay for paint. Not happy to pay for rudeness and crappy customer service.

It's surprising that they won't help me resolve this. Fortunately, the distributor I bought this from is looking into it. Will keep you posted.

Thanks for your comments - trying to get this resolved
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      02-07-2013, 03:29 PM   #134
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I think it has more to do with the crappy customer service the OP experienced with Stoptech
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...1#post13443961

Exactly - Even getting the parts and getting it fixed has been a pita. Notice the other guy that actually did get some help from them was also not pleased with their customer service.

It's shame for such an expensive, premium product.
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      02-11-2013, 01:07 AM   #135
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What could be applied to the bolts before the calipers are installed to prevent the rusting? Also, is Sonax wheel cleaner safe to be used on these calipers?
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      02-11-2013, 09:01 AM   #136
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Too many variables to give a definitive answer to that one. Based on what I read on the manufacturers web site, that coating should have withstood the cleaning compound. Not knowing what was actually used and doing some tests to try and repeat the corrosion experienced your only safe bet is to use mild soap and water and never use any kind of spray chemical cleaner on after market brakes like that.
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      02-11-2013, 11:12 AM   #137
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Quote:
Originally Posted by inandout View Post
What could be applied to the bolts before the calipers are installed to prevent the rusting? Also, is Sonax wheel cleaner safe to be used on these calipers?
The Trophy caliper bolts come with a protective Geomet coating. After several years, the bolts on my Trophy calipers (Corvette C6) have no corrosion.

I do NOT use any wheel cleaners. I wash my wheels and calipers with the same soap I use on the car's finish - Griot's Garage car wash. For the occasional touch-up, I use Speed Shine. So far, so good.
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      02-12-2013, 01:23 PM   #138
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In my case, I never used anything other than a hand-sprayed car wash.
Also, my brakes were less than 6 months old and never even got dirty - why would I need a hardcore cleaner? I didn't.

There were less than 5 times that I had the car hand-washed and I am not 100% sure exactly what may have happened then - maybe they used something a bit harsher but I wouldn't think that most car washes would use harsh cleaners?

It is a bummer - However, I am refinishing the calipers with powder coat and will figure out what to do for the rotor hats.

I would not buy this kit again, unless I raced the car regularly (which I don't) and of course I would choose a company with better customer service.
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      02-12-2013, 01:46 PM   #139
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It's pretty obvious, since ALL your bolts rusted and the caliper faces were discolored, that something acidic was applied that attacked the finish. The parts didn't care who applied the harsh cleaner. I'm sure you were careful, but clearly your car wash used something strong. Our local car wash uses a very strong wheel cleaner and, on my rare visits, I ask them to skip that step.

The September 2012 issue of European Car Magazine has an excellent article on wheel cleaning - "How to Clean and Protect your Rims" on page 120, with input from Mike Pennington and Mike Stoops from Meguiar's. They make a range of wheel cleaning products and give the following advice:
You also need to be aware of what's behind the wheel, because strong cleaners can damage the finish on aftermarket brake calipers, rotor hats as well as suspension components.

Even the center caps need to be considered, plus the lug nuts and some inner wheel barrels are occasionally left uncoated. It's a minefield out there!

It's essential to always address the most sensitive material when cleaning. So, while chrome is the toughest material that withstands the strongest cleaners, a chrome cleaner could ruin the finish of uncoated aluminum or powdercoated calipers, for example, turning them an unpleasant milky white.


Here's the complete article - WHEEL CLEANING

Hope this helps!
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      02-13-2013, 09:31 AM   #140
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Originally Posted by DZeckhausen View Post
It's pretty obvious, since ALL your bolts rusted and the caliper faces were discolored, that something acidic was applied that attacked the finish. The parts didn't care who applied the harsh cleaner. I'm sure you were careful, but clearly your car wash used something strong. Our local car wash uses a very strong wheel cleaner and, on my rare visits, I ask them to skip that step.

The September 2012 issue of European Car Magazine has an excellent article on wheel cleaning - "How to Clean and Protect your Rims" on page 120, with input from Mike Pennington and Mike Stoops from Meguiar's. They make a range of wheel cleaning products and give the following advice:
You also need to be aware of what's behind the wheel, because strong cleaners can damage the finish on aftermarket brake calipers, rotor hats as well as suspension components.

Even the center caps need to be considered, plus the lug nuts and some inner wheel barrels are occasionally left uncoated. It's a minefield out there!

It's essential to always address the most sensitive material when cleaning. So, while chrome is the toughest material that withstands the strongest cleaners, a chrome cleaner could ruin the finish of uncoated aluminum or powdercoated calipers, for example, turning them an unpleasant milky white.


Here's the complete article - WHEEL CLEANING

Hope this helps!
Thanks. However, all of the bolts did not rust. About 1/3,of them are fine. Caliper finish varies greatly as well.
My Klassen wheels have had zero issues with the finish. They look as new

Dzeckhausen, are you a retailer of these kits?
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      02-13-2013, 09:34 AM   #141
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Mine are fine at 10k miles. The trophies look as good as new after light washing.
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      02-13-2013, 11:49 AM   #142
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Yes, I've been in the brake business since 2002 and ran brake clinics for various car clubs long before that. Looking at the original photos, as best I can tell, all the caliper through-bolts and bridge bolts on the front ST-60 calipers had surface rust. The rear ST-40 calipers look to be in better shape. That's consistent with spending more time and using more chemicals on the front wheels than the rear, which makes sense as there's almost always more brake dust in front.

I can't address the customer service issues you had. I like to think, if we had been in the middle, you never would have had to contact StopTech and we would have taken care of you, one way or another. But I don't know all sides to what transpired. I'll stay out of that one!

My goal here is two-fold. First, I want to see your kit fixed and looking great again, so you can enjoy your car. That's why I suggested contacting Mike Golding at ThePowdercoaters.com. He does amazing work and you may end up with better looking brakes than new. Second, I want to help others maintain a good finish on their calipers, hats, wheels, and suspension. That's why I posted a link to the wheel cleaning advice from Meguiar's. They know their stuff.

Hopefully, you'll end up with an even nicer looking car and a few less folks will have to go through anything like this in the future. Good luck and keep us posted!
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      02-13-2013, 05:56 PM   #143
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Just to share - I've been running the Stoptech kit as well for almost a year now - been through snow, rain, and power washes and I've yet to see them rust or corrode.
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      02-13-2013, 06:52 PM   #144
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DZeckhausen View Post
Yes, I've been in the brake business since 2002 and ran brake clinics for various car clubs long before that. Looking at the original photos, as best I can tell, all the caliper through-bolts and bridge bolts on the front ST-60 calipers had surface rust. The rear ST-40 calipers look to be in better shape. That's consistent with spending more time and using more chemicals on the front wheels than the rear, which makes sense as there's almost always more brake dust in front.

I can't address the customer service issues you had. I like to think, if we had been in the middle, you never would have had to contact StopTech and we would have taken care of you, one way or another. But I don't know all sides to what transpired. I'll stay out of that one!

My goal here is two-fold. First, I want to see your kit fixed and looking great again, so you can enjoy your car. That's why I suggested contacting Mike Golding at ThePowdercoaters.com. He does amazing work and you may end up with better looking brakes than new. Second, I want to help others maintain a good finish on their calipers, hats, wheels, and suspension. That's why I posted a link to the wheel cleaning advice from Meguiar's. They know their stuff.

Hopefully, you'll end up with an even nicer looking car and a few less folks will have to go through anything like this in the future. Good luck and keep us posted!
Thanks Dave,

I did contact Mike - Nice guy.
Thanks for your help and info.
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      02-13-2013, 06:58 PM   #145
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Originally Posted by e60cs5 View Post
Thanks Dave,

I did contact Mike - Nice guy.
Thanks for your help and info.
And talented! Please, if you have him do the work, especially if he does a custom color scheme, post photos.
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      02-13-2013, 07:08 PM   #146
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Quote:
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Mine are fine at 10k miles. The trophies look as good as new after light washing.
We have had Trophy Sport kits on our 335i for 30K miles, 135i for 15K miles and now the 1M for about 10K miles. Three different kits and no issues to speak of. Our washing process is quick and easy with just car wash soap and water with light to medium water pressure(high pressure will actually scratch painted finishes). Wash your wheels often and NOT use harsh chemicals.
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      02-13-2013, 11:19 PM   #147
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DZeckhausen View Post
The Trophy caliper bolts come with a protective Geomet coating. After several years, the bolts on my Trophy calipers (Corvette C6) have no corrosion.

I do NOT use any wheel cleaners. I wash my wheels and calipers with the same soap I use on the car's finish - Griot's Garage car wash. For the occasional touch-up, I use Speed Shine. So far, so good.
My experience with Stoptech has been less than great. I got the first production runs on the ST Trophy and the painted logo washed off in chunks on the first day on all 4 calipers. After several emails and phone conversations with Stoptech they simply stopped responding and I just gave up. The customer support is beyond terrible although the product work works well.

As for the rusting bolts, you may be the only one who does not have them. Geomet is not a suitable material for this application FWIW. Cadmium plated or a equivalent performance specification would be better suited. The brake dust and water make a fairly nasty cocktail that will enhance rusting. The problem with the rusting bolt really has to do with the Allen head bolts. The sharp edges of the Allen head wrench shape penetrates the plating surface when the bolts are tightened leaving a very small amount of exposed steel. After time, the rust starts from this point outwards which corrodes under the plating. This is a know issue with Allen head bolts. In my case, the rust is very small after 3 years but it looks like crap nonetheless. Torx bolts with suitable plating will eliminate the problem completely.

The type II/III anodizing is another issue. It is fairly well known that anodizing will easily stain if not sealed with an appropriate material for its given environment. There is a long list of sealing materials that would prevent the staining of the finish.

The blame the customer game only goes so far so would suggest you stop projecting this. The customers who purchased this product that have problems will not be buying the product again and for good reason. Fixing the problem will regain the customer.

Last edited by Orb; 02-14-2013 at 12:12 PM..
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      02-14-2013, 12:28 AM   #148
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So as far as I know, all stop tech kits have allen bolts. AP and Racing Brakes also have allen bolts. Yet only a couple of people have seen corrosion. Why?
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      02-14-2013, 11:54 AM   #149
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Superfly_M3 View Post
So as far as I know, all stop tech kits have allen bolts. AP and Racing Brakes also have allen bolts. Yet only a couple of people have seen corrosion. Why?
chemistry.

If you use a cleaning solution that strips the plating of the bolts, the bare steel underneath will rust. I'll go out on a limb here and say that everybody does not use the same solution to clean their wheels/brakes, and different brake manufacturers use different plating types on their bolts.
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      02-15-2013, 02:02 PM   #150
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Orb View Post
My experience with Stoptech has been less than great. I got the first production runs on the ST Trophy and the painted logo washed off in chunks on the first day on all 4 calipers. After several emails and phone conversations with Stoptech they simply stopped responding and I just gave up. The customer support is beyond terrible although the product work works well.

As for the rusting bolts, you may be the only one who does not have them. Geomet is not a suitable material for this application FWIW. Cadmium plated or a equivalent performance specification would be better suited. The brake dust and water make a fairly nasty cocktail that will enhance rusting. The problem with the rusting bolt really has to do with the Allen head bolts. The sharp edges of the Allen head wrench shape penetrates the plating surface when the bolts are tightened leaving a very small amount of exposed steel. After time, the rust starts from this point outwards which corrodes under the plating. This is a know issue with Allen head bolts. In my case, the rust is very small after 3 years but it looks like crap nonetheless. Torx bolts with suitable plating will eliminate the problem completely.

The type II/III anodizing is another issue. It is fairly well known that anodizing will easily stain if not sealed with an appropriate material for its given environment. There is a long list of sealing materials that would prevent the staining of the finish.

The blame the customer game only goes so far so would suggest you stop projecting this. The customers who purchased this product that have problems will not be buying the product again and for good reason. Fixing the problem will regain the customer.

Yeah- resellers chiming in with perfect luck stories are fine -

IMO, the real issue here IS their customer service. Not answering e-mails - (why this post happened in the first place) - yeah, I'm sure the power was out and no internet for 2 weeks? pshh... And just generally, no matter what happened, it's a premium and expensive product. Not only did it feel like they drug their feet the whole way (until I pressed the issue) But also in the end, they wouldn't deliver on the little bit of help they did promise. Even recently, they have not even called back the distributor I bought the kit from.

I'm not an unreasonable guy and I didn't have unreasonable demands... It just feels like they never really wanted to help and just wanted me to go away.

Anyone spending in the ballpark of 8 grand for a set of brakes deserves better customer service than this.
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      02-15-2013, 02:11 PM   #151
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Another data point, I'm having the same issues. The anodizing is failing, the calipers are showing chalk like streaks and stains. I've used the same detailer for years, they don't use anything other than auto specific soap and nothing on wheels. The bolts are showing rust, anodizing on the hats are very faded.

The Brembo GT kit I had on another car had none of these issues. Even the anodized OEM calipers on my Spec Boxster didn't look this bad this quickly.

Stoptech said it had to be a harsh chemical my detailer was using. After taking it up with him I'm convinced it's a manufacturing issue, the finishes just aren't up to task.
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      02-15-2013, 06:22 PM   #152
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This is ridiculous.
Do you think spraying the caliper with clear high-temp brake paint will prevent the discoloration and rusting?
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      02-16-2013, 12:42 AM   #153
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Quote:
Originally Posted by e60cs5 View Post
Yeah- resellers chiming in with perfect luck stories are fine -

IMO, the real issue here IS their customer service. Not answering e-mails - (why this post happened in the first place) - yeah, I'm sure the power was out and no internet for 2 weeks? pshh... And just generally, no matter what happened, it's a premium and expensive product. Not only did it feel like they drug their feet the whole way (until I pressed the issue) But also in the end, they wouldn't deliver on the little bit of help they did promise. Even recently, they have not even called back the distributor I bought the kit from.

I'm not an unreasonable guy and I didn't have unreasonable demands... It just feels like they never really wanted to help and just wanted me to go away.

Anyone spending in the ballpark of 8 grand for a set of brakes deserves better customer service than this.
There are more than a few stories about Stoptech support in this forum. My issue with paint flaking was a process error during manufacturing.

The issues are easily fixable but the real problem lies with the company lack of QC or even corrosion testing. Some of the pictures I seen in this thread seem to be a process issue with the anodizing. The anodizing staining could be reduced if not eliminated with good process/QC and the use of a mid temperature sealant like nickel acetate for example.

The use of Geomet which is zinc/aluminum based material is a real bad choice for the bolt plating. No point in replacing them as this will just happen again. The catalyst is the water so if you live in a dry area then you are not likely not to have much problem with rusting bolts but it will happen. The rusting bolt is not a chemical attack from some cleaner LOL.

If one is making an assumption that the problems are due to chemical attack then they should know which chemical is the problem. Maybe someone should ask the real questions?
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      02-18-2013, 01:08 PM   #154
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I want to add to this thread because I know this thread is being read by a lot of potential buyers. I actually read this thread before I bought my Trophies and after reading this thread I decided I didn't want to risk the possibility of spending $6K on a set of Trophies and having these problems.

THEN I found out I would have to wait 3-4 months for Brembos in the color I wanted SO I went back to the Trophies and rolled the dice.
I bought mine from Harold at HP and talked to him in depth about my concerns.

I REFUSE to put something on my car that I have to baby the shit out of or worry about taking my car though a car wash (or) spraying some type of wheel cleaner that will make the bolts rust. That would drive me crazy. So I figured I'd install them and live life as normal and see what happens.

Because of the climate I live in, my car gets quite dirty quick so I take my car through a brush-less car wash at least 2 times per week. I was concerned that some of the chemicals they use for the car wash might cause problems but I wasn't willing to BABY a set of brakes that are suppose to be "HIGH END RACE BRAKES"
So I used several types of wheel cleaners, including the spray foam that you rinse off and many other wheel cleaners.
The Trophies were on my car for 6 months and I put about 5,000KM on them without issue.

I was extremely HAPPY with these brakes and they looked almost as good, after 6 months as the day I installed them. I would HIGHLY recommend these brakes and IMO these are the best brakes you can buy for $6,000.00

I recently bought I set of Brembo GTR's so I sold the Trophies.
These pictures were taken before I shipped to buyer.

I think stoptech has figured out the problem and fixed it.

REGARDING CUSTOMER SERVICE: IMHO AND MY EXPERIENCE BOTH Stoptech and Brembo (Race Technologies USA) have equally shitty customer service. These are companies that sell a commodity and they know they have somewhat cornered the market so they don't NEED to supply the level of customer service that consumers expect. I really don't think they give a shit if you buy their product or not.

Stoptech would never returned multiple phone calls, VM, emails...

Brembo/Race Tecnology USA is the same. When I did happen to get someone on the phone, they are nice guys and seem to want to help and answer questions but they make promises to follow-up and never do and this is not one isolated incident.

This is why it's important to deal with a reputable vendor that does give a shit, and will care enough to help if you run into an issue.
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