Being that it is major pollen season right now, I've been using a CA duster to lightly remove the yellow crud during the week (2x). It always gets a bath by Friday!

I've noticed just lately that in strong florescent lights (light at the Mobil station) I am seeing a lot of swirl marks that I never noticed were there before.

I wonder if using this CA duster to remove the pollen is causing this?

I barely let it ride along the surface when I use it. I just cannot imagine that it's so abrasive.

BTW: I use Z5-Pro with CS. I have a PC-DA but have not yet had a reason to use it on the '01 as it's finish is (was) factory perfect.

Any thoughts?

 

I cannot answer for the duster, but you mention it gets a bath every Friday. What do you wash it with and dry it with?

 

When you say "I barely let it ride along the surface when I use it" do you mean the duster itself or just the tips of the threads. If the duster is actually resting on the surface, even with no pressure, this could be the cause. Pollen can be very abrasive. I've never had a problem with just letting the tips of the threads touch and then Z-6 afterwards.

 

Pollen is very abrasive and contains acid, do not use a duster on that, it will leave scratch marks over time. The duster was great for what it was made for, that was removing dust from sitting, not to remove road grime and debris, the duster will cause scratches if used for this too. I would wash your car in pollen season, it's safer.

 

Pollen is very abrasive. Under a microscope it looks like tiny fish hooks. It will definitely scratch.

 

Pollen [:Baccharis Pilularis] :
The yellow dust you see in the air made up of small cells from blooming plants and are one of the most common allergy triggers. The pollen from trees are the main concern, vehicles get hit with pollen laced trees that include: oak, western red cedar, elm, birch, ash, hickory, polar, sycamore, maple, cypress and walnut (which also leaves an oily residue).

Pollen must be strong to protect the male gametes on their journey. The outer wall of the pollen grain, called the exine, is composed of a very unusual substance called sporopollenin which is very tough. The inner layer is made of cellulose and is similar in construction to an ordinary plant cell wall; pollen will literally ‘wear’ away wax or polymer sealants. Pollen isn't removed by air friction as you drive because it adheres to a surface with microscopic barbs that can attach to even a very slightly uneven surface, and adheres to a natural wax better than a synthetic polymer

As well as being an allergic pollen is both an abrasive and a corrosive type dust especially when mixed with water and should therefore be removed from paint surfaces as soon as is practicable. To remove heavy dust use Optimum No Rinse (ONR) a quick ‘wash’; formulated with surfactants to keep dirt in suspension, avoiding surface contact, it also provides surface lubrication, thereby avoiding surface marring. As soon as is practical, thoroughly rinse the vehicle with a hose and clean water to ensure all acidic pollen is neutralized / removed.

 

Your all probably right, this is where it's coming from. Damn pollen, I hate it! It's freakin' all over the place right now. Heck in some areas it piles up so thick it actually looks like seaweed on the beach.

Never had these issues when I lived out west.

Oh I use Z-7 to wash. Guess I'm going to have to tolerate it in-between washes and step up washing every couple days now until this nasty gawd forsaken stuff goes away.

It's amazing what seems so harmless can actually scratch the hard clear coat of a vette.

And I was hoping to hold off on the PC-DA process, guess I'm going to have to do this in a couple weeks now.

Thanks!

 

Damn I'm impressed. I learned more about pollen then I have right to know.

 

Yeah nothing like plants and trees spewing their sex all over our vehicles and up our noses!

I knew pollen was bad news, I thought that duster would take care of it in the interim. As stated, it's a duster.... dust, not pollen.

 

I must be missing something as I doubt you are running your duster in circles I would suppect that it is not causing your problem. If you had long scratched maybee. I would say more caused during Fridays wash? Just a guess.

 

I could agree with you, except whether I'm washing, drying, polishing or buffing; I always use full length strokes (i.e., top of hood to the front and back up to the top). I never use circular motions.

I also use only top quality Sonüs towels. A different mix of them, all microfiber. I just got a new wash mitten (its a microfiber super soft/absorbant mitten). Albeit an expensive process, I cycle through towels with fresh ones. I use a special cleaning agent (Sonüs Towel Washe) in the washer specifically for these towels.

Same thing when I used this duster gizmo.

I can't really see them except in just the right florescent light or nearly noon sunlight at angles. Either I've been missing them or it's this duster thing with the heavy pollen causing it.

 

Because of my penchant to include not just “How it works, but also “Why” it works, as well as an explanation of the scientific terminology. With that in mind I probably respond with more detail than some think is necessary. But try to write in a way that helps the reader to understand not only "How" to do something, but "Why" they are doing it.

I then considered how I could simplify things; however the only way to accomplish this would be to omit necessary information and that didn’t feel right to a perfectionist like me

 

I always enjoy your in depth comments. LOL, I feel like I should pay you though for the time it must take to find all of that info and write it up!!

 

Believe it or not 220 pages (Automotive Detailing; Inside & Out, A Knowledge Base for the Perfectionist – by Jon Miller aka TOGWT
Not just a How-To but a What & Why; everything you ever wanted to know about detailing your car is explained here. Has taken me four years thus far.Comments like yours make it all worth while...Keep on shining...

Blatant free publicity

 

There is something maybe it is pollen but it is yellow and it will embed itself into the paint if you leave it on too long. Is this pollen or an insect? I believe it may come off of trees but can't be sure as I have parked in places before where there is no tree and have got this spot into paint.

 

Aphid deposits:
When vehicles are parked under trees aphids fall on the paints surface and die due to the paints hot surface (200oF+) the body fluids evaporates leaving acidic minerals behind, which etches the paint surface, this residue is often mistaken for tree resin (sap) most of the time if you get a blanketed but very thin (yellow / orange) spotting like that under a tree it's not tree resin.

Tree resin (sap) is usually a thick hard sticky substance, whereas aphids leave many small and very thin spots, aphids have natural grease (fat) and minerals in their body and it resembles tree resin. Residue should be removed as soon as possible as they are acidic may compromise the clear coat.

Water contains 2- hydrogen and 1-oxygen atom and will acts as a catalyst and a carrier system for acid. Oxygen is an oxidizer; ozone is an allotropic form of oxygen (an oxidizer is any component that emits oxygen); many chemical compounds react to slight heating and an oxidizing process. Add water (dew, rain, car washing etc) so now you have an acid + water +oxygen + ozone all of which equates to a highly concentrated acidic solution, which causes a concave indentation (acid etching) to the paint surface, this should be neutralized by using an appropriate product (Product specific - Automotive International, A B C Decontamination/Neutralization wash system (http://www.autoint.com).

Do not scrub hardened/dried bug residue as it is very abrasive and will scratch the paint surface, once they are softened (re-liquefied) it enables their removal with less likelihood of damage to the paint surface

Take your time and be careful with its removal, pre-soak contamination with Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) or a (non-ammonia) type glass cleaner (soak a first aid gauze pad with the vinegar/ water solution, this will help it stay in place during the necessary dwell time) and/or use detailer's clay and a lubricant to remove any hardened residue. Then use an alkaline rinse of baking soda and water (to neutralize the acid) if the affected paintwork is not neutralized any remaining acid residue will be reactivated each time it comes into contact with water. If the paint or glass surface has been etched the surface should be levelled with a suitable polish and then apply a paint protection.

To remove deposits from a roadster’s fabric top use a (non-ammonia) type glass cleaner.
Do not use Bug & Tar remover as they use aggressive hydrocarbon-based solvent cleaners that will deteriorate the water repellent coating. (See also Tree Resin (Sap)

 

Those bug n tar remover aerosols sure do remove the black tar dots fast.

 

I don't park under trees. But we have oak tree's all over the complex/parking area. They dump tons of yellow pollen plus they dump these pollen tassles after the pollen is let loose. The tassles collect in the parking lot and resemble seaweed. It is a major mess, I try not to even drive over the mess.

The oak trees will spray your car with resin if you park under or near them which is why I don't.

On my '93 I use to wash it every couple days during this season, thought I'd try the duster on the '01 but I'm going back to washing it frequently now.

Last night I gave the vert a bath and used the RaggTopp products I just got for the vert top. After it dried, I applied the protectant. Sort of a hassle having to tape off/paper all the windows and cover the body to spray that stuff. I applied three coats through late last night. Tomorrow, it's suppose to rain all day, so it will be interesting to see how that stuff works. I've heard it makes water bead up on the top, that will be intersting since it's always just gotten soaken when its wet.

So another bath after tomorrow's rain and it'll be good to go for a great weekend.

 

Even if you don't park under trees somehow the stuff manages to blow onto car or the insects still drop by. The bird bombs now that's something else.

 

I tend to think it has more to do with your washing and drying routine than with the California Duster.