Good News vs Bad News... I entered my 599 HGTE in last month's San Marino Motor Classic's Concorso Ferrari judging and won a Gold Award. The bad news: I could've received a Platinum Award but the judges found rust in some of the CC Brake bolt heads on all four wheels! F-SB Service Manager said those bolts cannot be R/R unless the entire disc/pad assemblies are replaced. However, he recommended using rust removal solution applied carefully on the bolt heads without spraying the CC brake disc surfaces and wire brushing the rust away. Have any of you gents encountered this problem and have alternative more effective solutions? Thanks. Image Unavailable, Please Login
A small buffing wheel with stainless compound on a drill or Dremel will do the trick. You need to coat the bolt after buffing or it will immediately rust again. High temperature clear coat like that used on brake calipers should do it.
Sounds like a simple, inexpensive but time/labor-consuming refurbishing procedure. Thanks Taz. PS: I do wonder how these bolt heads got rusted up. I don't drive the car in the rain, s So it must've happened when my car wash detailer (comes to my home every three weeks) would spray liquid cleaner solution on the wheels and brake assemblies (told him thereafter that it's unnecessary since CCB doesn't produce much dust). Probably insufficient rinsing with 'soft' or deionized water led to the remaining soapy solution attacking whatever coating Brembo applied to the bolt heads. Though I also wonder why stainless steel materials were not used by Brembo in the first place.
How about just replacing them? Quicker than polishing. Not to mention if they figure out you polished them they will deduct!
George, unfortunately my F-SB Service Mgr confirmed they do not break apart the Brembo CCB assemblies; probably too laborious and time consuming. Each brake bolt also must be torqued as specified by Brembo and they do not want to assume warranty claims if someone goes wrong.
Would suggest a product called "naval jelly" on the tip of a q-tip. Would be time consuming, but it does do a good job of actually eliminating rust.
Sorry, and in full transparency...I haven't tried this solution on these parts, just have used it on other "rusty things" in the past.
Sounds like your detailer needs to up their game, bring a hair dryer (leaf blower does not provide heat...) and use it to dry the bolts and other parts that retain water, or, go for a nice drive after detailing, that will dry out things nicely
I appreciate all of your suggestions yet I'll wait if there are others with brilliant ideas to share before proceeding with the needed refurbishing. Thanks much. PS: I did research how Naval Jelly can be applied on rusty items but for a duration not longer than 10-15 minutes; otherwise it'll start attacking the good base metal itself. Then the jelly has to be rinsed off completely (without spilling anything on the CCB surface) and the bolt recoated with rust-proofing paint, like Rustoleum or Hi Temp clear coat paint, as Taz suggested.
Try making a paste with baking soda. Put on a clean rag and go to it. I’ve used this to clean rust spots off stainless steel.
Ed, Thanks. Your suggestion with baking soda is probably the most environmentally-friendly yet. I just wonder how it'd work on rusted carbon steel nuts wherein the surface (and probably below that) had chemically converted to ferric oxides. Regardless, it'll be easier to try that first before resorting to using Naval Jelly or abrading the rust mechanically. FYI - Most folks don't know or can't understand that stainless steel under the wrong conditions can indeed suffer from rust/corrosion, especially if the base metal did not undergo a proper or correct passivate process (renders the parts surface as 'inert'). Likewise rust will occur if the passivated surface had been damaged or eroded or exposed for long periods to certain chemical solutions. Having worked in the aerospace/space industry for almost three decades, I've actually seen a 316L manufactured part that was exposed in the passivation fluid too long and after cleaning in deionized water immediately corroded within an hour (looked like it contracted "measles")!
Water, paste makes a mild abrasive that is great for cleaning toilet bowls, but I doubt it is going to do much to rusty steel.
100% replace them, regardless of what the "experts" at your main dealer say. If they're afraid to do it, then find someone more competent.
