California Duster:

http://www.calcarduster.com/originalDuster.asp

 

hmmm it saids it removes it....I wonder if that's true but most people here say it just "moves" it

 

Wow... There are a lot of "opinions" here. Unfortunately, a lot of them are not correct.

First, lets establish some base truths:

1) swirl marks = fine scratches on paint surface. Caused by dust scraping surface.

2) Dust is attracted to your car by static electricity or some sort of adhesive/oil that is located on the car.

There are two ways to get dust off of the car.

1) break the surface tension.
2) use physical force.

Washing the car, and using a california duster are two ways in which dust is removed by breaking the surface tension. The soap is formulated to eliminate static cling, as well as clean with detergents, which elevates the dust off of the paint, and allows it to be washed off.

The california duster breaks the surface tension by applying it's own static electricity to the dust, and therefore drawing the dust into the fibers. The duster works much like the static dusters you use for your mini-blinds and such. The fibers used create static electricity, pulls the dust off and into the duster. One of the nice things about static electricity, is that it pulls towards the center, much like gravity. So the inside of the duster contains the most dust, and the outside, the point that comes in contact with your car, gets dirty last. semi-frequent washing of your duster will help in it's function.

As for using physical force... Well, this is a bad idea. Wiping any sort of rag over your car introduces the possibility of scratching it. It's simple physics. Force + dirt + paint = scratches.

Chamois are a terrible, terrible thing to use on your paint. Let's just think about what exactly a Chamois is. it's a piece of processed, smooth animal skin. Skin, by nature, is not pourous, nor does it absorb things well. Disagree? Pour some water on your arm. Did it soak in? No? Now pour some sand on your arm. Still there? Ok. So, when you wipe this piece of animal skin on your car, and it comes in contact with a piece of dust, where exactly does the dust go? It stays on the surface. Then, as you continue rubbing the car, what's the dust doing? it's also, rubbing against your car. This is a baaaad scenerio in my opinion. I don't like it. Even if your Chamois is clean, unless your car is spotless, you're gonna pick up some dirt, then you're in trouble.

It's for this reason, that I don't like drying my car with things like 'The Absorber' either. Same principle. No place for the leftover dirt to go. I've found the best thing to use is a big waffle weave microfiber towel, and instead of dragging it across, lay it on a panel, let it soak up the water, then pull it up.

At any rate, swirls will happen, then you need to find a way to hide/remove them. This is where polishing, compounding and waxing come in. But that's a whole 'nother post.

 

jared_IRL:

What do you think of those touchless car washes like the Laser 4000 that Exxon stations have? I know they might not get every nook and cranny but I really think they're convenient. I also assume they are safe because the only thing touching the paint is soap and water.

- Eric

 

guru,

They're not my think, to be honest, but that's because my last car was a convertible, and the pressure blew right through the seal for the top...

But in winter time, or in a pinch, I think they'd work quite well. Especially if your main goal, is to get the bulk of the road salt and mud off of your car. This winter, I'll definitly be in line to blast the salt off of the xB if i'm not able to do a proper wash...

I don't think they, nor any water pressure only wash system can compare to a well done hand wash though.

My secret for washing:

Get 2 buckets. FIll one with soapy water, one with clean water. Make sure to use an auto wash soap, as they don't remove wax, and often aid in keeping the paint shiny.

I use a natural wool wash mitt, and get it soaking wet before I do anything.

Then, you spray down the car really well. Get it soaking wet. The more dirt you either wash off or loosen up with the water, the better.

Put the wool mitt in the soapy water, and let it soak in it for a minute, then wash one panel at a time. The best way is to use washing strokes going WITH the direction wind travels over the panel. The thing you want to avoid most is moving in circles. The swirls that most people see, commonly referred to as 'spiderwebs' are caused by hundreds of tiny little circular swirls. Concidently, because these swirls are circular, they reflect light from more directions, and are more visible.

Then, after you hit each panel, rinse the wool mitt in the clean water. Be thorough, your goal is to get all of the dirt out into the clean one, and not to contanimate the soap water bucket.

Then repeat.

After you're done, take the nozzle off of the hose, run the open nozzle over the car, let the water sheet off, then dry by laying your microfiber drying towel over a panel and let it absorb the water.

This alone should greatly minimize the swirling on your car.

 

:-( I just used a microfiber towel trying to wipe off the water spots and it gave me some minor scratches! AHHH how do I fix it....I mean it's not noticable but Im pretty ____ed off :/

Omg...Im so ____ed right now. And I found out the Power Window button for the Passenger side does not work on the Driver Side...ahhhh

 

hehehehehehhe...


Dxallydx... You've just crossed over into a whole new world...

www.autopia.org

 

well first.. get yourself some Meguair's Scratch-X and use a TERRY CLOTH TOWEL this time..

secondly.. the power switch, if you've disconnected your battery recently you'll have to re-initialize the switch.. see the FAQ's in the forum for help.. if you haven't disconnected the battery, then you may have locked out the passenger side (see X button on drivers side).. if none of that, see dealer..