Boys and girls I need your advice on Dust / Sand. I live just on the outskirts of the desert, by the time i return to my car at night a full layer of sand is on it or first thing in the morning. Now the air is full of the stuff and I was wondering:

Will I cause Engine problems by installing V-Ram or will it filter the sand out?

Given the conditions would you bother to polish and wax your car regular? If so what do you recommend. I become obsessive about cleaning when i start! I can on the other hand employee someone to dust the car daily. If so what cloth etc would you use.

I need to laugh at polish etc that says dont apply in such a temp, i went to the airport a few nights ago at 3am and it was 40degrees lol. I refuse to send the car to be polished as they will just wash it badly, apply too much wax and machine scratch the sand thats on the car into it blah blah.

The engine bay is always covered in sand, will i cause any problems by power washing the Engine bay? What would you use to clean it?

What machine can you buy to aid with the polish, and what speed etc to use to get that mirror finish!

I polish the wheels with a chrome polish, however by the time i brake in the first corner on the way to work my good work is removed - anything you can do in this regard?

Cheers

Off to nurse my Cleaning OCD

 

I would not put a varam on your car and get a calif duster to pre dust before hand washing and get those micro fiber towels for cleaning. I use my power washer on my engine bay, just not up close and no issues at all. When I lived in Vegas I just used a paste wax and had to wax every other week during the summer, but then I did not have a garage

 

Good advice. Whenever I spray into the engine compartment I also use a plastic bag to cover the alternator.

 

In conditions like that, if I were you, I'd stay with the stock air cleaner and change it out fairly frequently. As far as keeping the car clean, if things are really as bad as you say, I'd get a high power electric leaf blower and primarly use that on it between washings, rather than wiping it with anything, even a California duster, as that would scratch it fairly rapidly. Those tiny scratches would be especially visible on a darker color car.
Ed

 

When did you lived in Vegas

 

While serving our country as an AF member for 3 years, getting closer to 10k are you

 

Stock air clearner would be best. A high flow filter usually sacrifices filtering ability for that higher flow.

A duster would also scratch the paint if there was a significat amount of sand particles on it. I think it would be better to just run water over the car and let the particles sheet off. That way you wouldn't be physically moving the particles all over the paint, like a duster/towel or anything else would.

I think a leaf blower, while the car is still dirty... may have an unwanted sand blaster effect.

 

There are a lot of filters that do a better job of filtering particulates than the stock paper filter. The Blackwing comes to mind, and it can be washed re-oiled and reused time and time again.

I know the military uses Donaldson filters on their vehicles in the desert. Also - there are a lot of heavy industrial dusty applications that use the same kind of filters. Donaldson was the company that originally designed the Blackwing and a couple of years ago sold that line only to SLP. But the filter media remains the same.

 

Mine used to get covered in sand when I lived in Vegas

I used a California Duster. One light rub down and it was good as new. A weekly wash and wax rinsing off with a hose before washing and Bobs Your Uncle..

 

No leaf blower / sand blaster please

The sand really is a pain, I washed the car today and then headed for the Maguyers polish... by the time I was at the back right panel the front of the car was dull was sand lol.... By that time the sun was up and I had to stop applying because it was drying in lol.. .

Finished it off with ICE decal spray and it looks just the same as when i wash it lol.

 

Have you looked into Rejex? That may help keeping the particles off.

 

I sure don't envy you and that sand. Good luck with that.