[fe7565]

I am posting here, because it's not F30 specific, not even BMW specific (mostly)....and after some "research" I was not able to find a conclusive answer or review on the best option(s).

With many using ceramic brake pads or "organic" vs the semi-metallic, etc legacy types, what ceramic brake pad lube do you recommend? I still read about the "old school" decades-old habits-die-hard lubes: "Uncle Jeb's mystery nose grease", "Smurf Jizz", "Mission" (gone?). etc

Preferably, want to use one lube that you can use on the rubber AND the metal to metal BRAKE parts at the same time.

I have been using ceramic wax on my car paint, and it seems to be superior in stay power eve after repeated washes/rain in comparison to the legacy waxes/polishes. So, is it a far stretch to assume that ceramic-based oil lube also has a much better staying power in rain/mud/snow? Or just a hype?

Obviously, cannot be petroleum based, if used on rubber/plastic.

The top contenders I found so far...are all about the same price.

Any 3M product is always a good bet. CRC seems to have an all around good car product line up. Then Permatex has a couple of applicable brake lubes and AGS Syl-Glyde is regarded well.

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...livery=PICK_UP

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...livery=PICK_UP

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...livery=PICK_UP

https://www.autozone.com/greases-and...8oz/826455_0_0

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

[cbpip]

Sly -Glide, been using it for years

[pbonsalb]

Silglyde is good though I have been using more of the Permatex purple ceramic stuff in the last few years.

[Brandoch]

Don't over think it. You are not going to notice the difference between x brand of brake lube. Get what ever is available, price or ease of use.
If you clean and lube the sliders every brake job, you'll never notice the difference.

[fe7565]

I would not call making an informed decision “overthinking”. Selecting the wrong lubricant and/or applying it incorrectly and/or in the wrong place 30-40 years ago with Uncle Joe’s nose grease or Smurf Jizz with asbestos pads may not have required much of any (over)thinking. But with BMW saying NOT to lubricate the pins, and the new ceramic pads working at higher temperatures...30-40 year old habits may also should re-looked and minimal efforts to educate myself is well worth my safety.

Should you apply ANY lube to BMW pins? Many argue: YES. How much and what type? Putting too much will prevent the pin from seating fully since you cannot compress the lube.
Applying petroleum based lubes will swell the rubber and seize the pins.

Permatex has three lubes that do the same, but the green is synthetic non-silicone, the purple is synthetic non-silicone with ceramic, and the orange is silicone with ceramic. The green was reported by some to swell rubber, and there are concerns about the purple drying out, even after it was reformulated by Permatex a few years ago. Is the orange pure silicone or contains "some" silicone?

Is the Average Joe going to keep two $20-30 lubes on hand to do a once in 30k miles brake job? One for "metal on metal" and another for "rubber" contact? Is the lubrication the same for an upstate NY car as for one in the Rust Belt or near the salty air of the ocean? Or the Average Joe will grab the first item off the shelves and go to town smearing it all over and call it a day...just to find it having boiled off, swollen the rubber, gummed up, dried out, dragging the pads and pulsating the steering when braking?

I made my decision. Bought the CRC Silaramic, because it’s pure 100% silicone with ceramic, so safe on rubber and should have the added staying power and the heat tolerance that the added ceramic provides, considering that I use Akebono ceramic pads.

The Sil-Glyde would be my second choice, because of the consistent and long term solid feedback/reviews, albeit lacking ceramic. And 3M silicone the third, because of the price.

Attached the "confusing" Permatex details taken from one of the Bob the Oil Guy posts...

[Brandoch]

Originally Posted by fe7565

I would not call making an informed decision “overthinking”. Selecting the wrong lubricant and/or applying it incorrectly and/or in the wrong place 30-40 years ago with Uncle Joe’s nose grease or Smurf Jizz with asbestos pads may not have required much of any (over)thinking. But with BMW saying NOT to lubricate the pins, and the new ceramic pads working at higher temperatures...30-40 year old habits may also should re-looked and minimal efforts to educate myself is well worth my safety.

Should you apply ANY lube to BMW pins? Many argue: YES. How much and what type? Putting too much will prevent the pin from seating fully since you cannot compress the lube.
Applying petroleum based lubes will swell the rubber and seize the pins.

Permatex has three lubes that do the same, but the green is synthetic non-silicone, the purple is synthetic non-silicone with ceramic, and the orange is silicone with ceramic. The green was reported by some to swell rubber, and there are concerns about the purple drying out, even after it was reformulated by Permatex a few years ago. Is the orange pure silicone or contains "some" silicone?

Is the Average Joe going to keep two $20-30 lubes on hand to do a once in 30k miles brake job? One for "metal on metal" and another for "rubber" contact? Is the lubrication the same for an upstate NY car as for one in the Rust Belt or near the salty air of the ocean? Or the Average Joe will grab the first item off the shelves and go to town smearing it all over and call it a day...just to find it having boiled off, swollen the rubber, gummed [...]

Silicon yes. Everything else is marketing. You're not tracking the car so heat is not a consideration.
It's the same as oil. Pick the oil that conforms to the required specs for your application. There is no secret recipe that x brand is better then everyone everyone else.
Marketing.

[Hit_Apex]

Originally Posted by fe7565

I made my decision. Bought the CRC Silaramic

Yay, success. BTW, link to Smurf Jizz? Asking for a friend....

[fe7565]

Originally Posted by Hit_Apex

Yay, success. BTW, link to Smurf Jizz? Asking for a friend....

I read about it from one of the old-timers in Bob’s the Oil Guy forum. Surprisingly, there is such a thing.

https://bevvy.co/cocktail/bloody-smurf-jizz/qbya

[Hit_Apex]

Not my style of cocktail. I’ll check BISTOG, it’s probably just slang for blue-dyed molybdenum grease.

[fe7565]

Originally Posted by Hit_Apex

Not my style of cocktail. I’ll check BISTOG, it’s probably just slang for blue-dyed molybdenum grease.

Yes, likely something similar to brake grease “purple paste”. It adds an ora of mystery and deep insider-wisdom to it.

[tdott]

I have been using Permatex purple ceramic stuff lately, but no long enough to have a long term opinion yet, so far it seems okay.

[ctcarbonari]

Originally Posted by fe7565

I would not call making an informed decision “overthinking”. Selecting the wrong lubricant and/or applying it incorrectly and/or in the wrong place 30-40 years ago with Uncle Joe’s nose grease or Smurf Jizz with asbestos pads may not have required much of any (over)thinking. But with BMW saying NOT to lubricate the pins, and the new ceramic pads working at higher temperatures...30-40 year old habits may also should re-looked and minimal efforts to educate myself is well worth my safety.

When doing the brakes on my 15' 535i (F10) I was very surprised to discover that BMW TIS specifically calls out NOT to lubricate the caliper pins. So, +1 to comments ^above^ and being humble enough to re-look at 30-40 year old habits.

I use Textar Hydratec Paste. I also keep a can of CRC High Temp Grease for other general purposes (like hubs).

All this smurf talk reminds me of an old joke:

What is smoreplay?
It's what smurfs do before they smuck.

[pbonsalb]

I just did the front and rear rotors and pads on my F90M5 and found grease on the rear sliders. I bought the car CPO with 23k and it now has 68k. It was worked on only at the dealer before I bought it and has been worked on only by me since.