Brake Dust- do cleaners strip wax?
 

After trying to avoid using brakes and finding dragging my foot out the side was not really a viable option....

When I had a Mercedes, I lived with it by heavy coats of Carnuba wax.

I see a number of products aimed at breaking loose the dust so it rinses off, including of course one from BMW.

Do these products strip the wax?

It's easier to scrub off with just soap than it is to reapply a good coat of wax each time.

By the way -- this new X5 (sport, 19" wheels) seems MUCH worse than my old Mercedes SLK was. Or maybe I do not really remember. Or is it that the brakes are really new (still in first 400 miles). Does it improve any over time?

I avoided the whole warranty/rotors/fade/no-issues debate with the SLK by just living with it. Probably will here (it stops VERY well with stock pads). But it sure is a pain.

Axxis Ceramic Brake Pads!!!! I am installing mine next weekend!!

Try simple green when cleaning your wheels.

I would go with P21S Wheel Cleaner and put a layer of wax after each time you wash the wheels. The heat generated from the wheels will probably kill off the wax before the cleaner does.

some of the wheel wax products (mothers, american racing, Eagle one) work well they are a lot heavier then regular wax and I believe are made to be more heat resistant

Michelin has a product out now that you spray on and wipe off when wheels are clean of course, and that is supposed to help with the brake dust cleaning.. I just got it and havent used it yet though.. I will try it tomarrow.

Whats it called??

It is called Michelin Brake Dust repellant. It does help for the cleaning it washes away better with a hose rather than scrubing. Check out this link its step #3 read the FAQ's If your more interested??

http://www.pylonhq.com/michelin/faq.htm#g18

Thx. I am gonna get it today.

why use all of those expensive products when you just need a bucket of soap and a towel plus 10 mins of your time? i do this all the time, i dont buy wheel cleaners, i dont buy wheels wax because the brake dust is gonna build up anyway. a long time ago, i usually bought wheels cleaners, wheels wax every other week but then i realize that what the heck, thats just too much money and not even worth it. after that, i just wash the wheels with whatever car soap i have every couple of days.