Everyday there's so much pollen on my car. So I put some meguiar's UQD on the car with MF, and I end up with little fine scratches. WTF is it safer just to wash the car? I have to detail my car again step by step because of these damn scratches... HELP..........

 

You can dust your car with a California Car Duster. Apply no pressure. Let it glide over the paint.
Using a Quick Detailer with a microfiber towel ON TOP of pollen will only rub the pollen into your paint, scratching your clear coat.

When you wash, you should rinse it well, then cover the car in suds with a good foam gun. Let the suds remove loose debris and rinse again.
Then wash using proper wash methods, keeping your mitts clean and using plenty to soapy water as lubrication to prevent dragging debris across your paint.

 

Use an air compressor or leaf blower to blow off the pollen dust.


+1 on Fish in regards to letting the MF glide over. Use very little pressure.

Pollen and dust in general is a paint in the rear. I love using my compressor to get rid of things like that.


Cheers,
Nick

 

Thanks guys....

 

Great advice from FISHRFun and nikku, pollen can be very abrasive at times which is why you are seeing the scratches. Your best bet is to perform a full wash using a foam gun so that the shampoo can start releasing the pollen from the paint without the need to touch it. Then using the two bucket wash method along with quality wash media, that's going to be your safest bet to remove the pollen without adding imperfections.

George

 

two bucket method wash is always a most... You guys are the best....

 

I hate pollen it get all over the inside somehow..

 

You can just rinse it with water and then do a quick QD.

 

Removing Pollen

[: Micro gametophytes (pollen grains]

The yellow fines to coarse powders you see in the air is made up of small sperm 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 grains of pines, firs, and spruces are winged.

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 allergic pollen is also very abrasive (due to its exine or barbs) and slightly acidic dust, especially when mixed with moisture and should therefore be removed from paint surfaces as soon as is practicable.

To remove heavy dust (do not use a California Duster as the pollen exine will cause surface marring) instead 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 the pollen is removed.

No wax or polymer sealant can provide a permanent shield against: Micro gametophytes (pollen) Collinite 845 Insulator Wax is probably the most durable Carnauba wax product; but this may only provide enough of a barrier to enable it to be removed quickly before causing too much damage to the paint film surface

An extract from one of a series of in-depth detailing articles © TOGWT ™ Ltd Copyright 2002-2008, all rights reserved.

 

^^^ Wow props....

 

pollen expert

 

Cough, cough, sneeze, sneeze – not quite

 

stupid trees jizzing all over my car!