Brakes - Aftermarket Dust Shield Problems

Group 34
Brakes

Bulletin Number
34 05 88 (1755)

Woodcliff Lake, NJ
November 1988
Technical Dept.

SUBJECT:
Brake Dust Shields

MODELS:
All

Situation:
A number of aftermarket accessory brake dust shields are being offered with advertising directed at the BMW owner.

It should be noted that BMW does not recommend any brake dust shields, and that one or more of the following problems may be encountered with aftermarket shields:

^ Due to the compressibility of the material that some shields are made of, the proper wheel bolt tightening torque may not be maintained, which can lead to loosening of the wheel bolts.

^ Some shields can cause brake temperatures to rise beyond design levels due to the restriction of cool air flow.

^ Some shields may interfere with proper wheel centering causing excessive wheel runout with all its related problems.

^ Failure of the dust shield itself can cause balance problems as well as damage to other components.

Due to the above, installation of brake dust shields on BMW vehicles is not recommended.