[mentalboy1]

Hi all,
I heard a strange rubbing noise recently and after investigating I found it to be the rear break dust shield had rusted away and was loose and rubbing. So I removed it before it caused major damages. I looked at the other rear wheel and that one has completely gone (been removed by previous owner I guess)

My question is are these really important? I had the car personally for approx. 2 years (maybe little less) and had unknowingly had no guard on one side so do I really need to get new ones? Also as they were welded on is this going to be a major job to replace??

Many thanks!

[tw2005]

probably handy to replace them. They're there for a reason. Manufactururers generally don't waste money fitting items unnecessarily, it's money.

The shields will help in keeping foreign debri out, also help shield water awy from the rotors as well and in particular salty water in areas with snow. Sounds like that may be you if these have corroded away.

Imagine the rotor being red hot and hitting a puddle where the shield  would potentially stop water hitting the rotor, sudden cooling wouldm warp the rotor.

Also water would act as a lubricant and potentially reduce braking initially.

Here's some quotes from a web page on their thoughts.

https://www.carsdirect.com/car-repair/is-it-bad-to-remove-brake-dust-shields

Winter Concerns
Winter driving in areas with extensive snow and road salting can be incredibly hard on your car, its braking system included. Your braking system must be able to smoothly operate in order to function properly, and by removing the dust shields either due to brake modifications or because of brake noise, corrosive road salt and mud can more easily enter the braking system. Because of this, corrosion is far more likely, resulting in safety concerns and increased chances of brake malfunction. In addition, should your brakes become extensively heated due to heavy use, icy water and snow from the road surface can be splashed up directly at the back of your brake rotor, resulting in potential warping or cracking in severe cases.

Maintenance Concerns
Because dust and grime can more easily make its way into your braking system, prolonged use without a dust shield can lead to accelerated buildup of road grime and dirt. In severe cases, this can lead to malfunction and increased difficulty with maintenance. Brake dust is relatively easy to clean from a braking system, but dirt, sand and road grime can be substantially more difficult.

In relatively clean, dry areas with mild weather, removing your dust shields will not immediately cause any problems with your brakes, nor will it significantly shorten their lifespan. The same however, does not hold true in areas with extensively harsh weather or seasonal snowfall. In areas with heavy rain, dust or snow, removing your dust shields can accelerate corrosion and potentially lead to premature failure, so it's best to leave them equipped whenever possible in these cases.

[tw2005]

I was wondering about this, do you have rear discs? Rear plate is also the mounting area for the handbrake so what shield are talking about?

582511H000 ,    
582521H000





Replacement will involve disassembly of the entire rear brake system including hand brake plus removal of the hub assembly.

[Dazzler]

Excellent posts Gerard. Thanks! Scary what salt does isn't it!

Although in Europe and other places where salt is used on the roads you would think they would make them out of something rust resistant. Amazed it isn't more commonly reported if this member has had them go that badly! 

[mentalboy1]

Yes disc breaks here they are

[tw2005]

Yes disc breaks here they are

Awesome thanks, now can we have a decent file size uploaded , try imgur then copy paste BB code.

Because the image is about a thumbnail that enlarges into nothing but pixels 

[Dazzler]

Yes disc breaks here they are

Awesome thanks, now can we have a decent file size uploaded , try imgur then copy paste BB code.

Because the image is about a thumbnail that enlarges into nothing but pixels 

Or just click on the add an image to this post option which is even easier. 

[mentalboy1]

.

[tw2005]

  its 1.45kb in size.  Too small

[mentalboy1]

sorry having a mare attaching pictures it keeps saying size is too big? 

[Shambles]

sorry having a mare attaching pictures it keeps saying size is too big?

just below the post area is a link that says "Click here to add an image to this post"

Try clicking that

[mentalboy1]

[CraigB]

You need to attach the full size photos, anything in the kb size is going to be to small.