leonardl

Best Duster Brush to dust your A6 - Ming Blue gets dusty after only 2 days ?

DWC_2.7T

I've used a "Beverly Hills Auto Duster" (bought it at the LA Auto Show) for years and never have had any visible sign of scratching on white and silver vehicles.

Jim Will

they are a very bad idea. Reason: dust is small particles of dirt. No matter how hard you try, when you wipe the duster over the surface, you will drag these small particles across the paint. Over time, you will see the small scratches appear. If you don't belive me, try this.
One night, when your car is dusty (I can tell by looking at the 1/4 panels or hood in those lights at the gas station) walk up to an inconspicuous spot on the car. Take your index finger and place it on the paint. Just very lightly pull your finger towards you. (don't use much pressure at all) you will see the small scratches that your finger caused by sliding the dust against the paint.
I too have Ming Blue (oh look, I rhymed) I tried a california duster mop type thing myself. On the very first try it left minute scratches on the finish. I now use it to dust my wheels.
When your car gets dusty, wash it. This is the advice that I've gotten from my detailer.

pablo1

I have a California Car Duster which is treated with parafin and works very well attracting dust on my ming blue 4.2. You can buy one from the companies that advertise in the back of car mags (www.autoanything.com is one I think). I rarely use it now though. I keep my car in my garage when I go to my country-beach home and cover it if it is clean when I leave it in my monthly garage spot in NYC. If it's dirty I wash it. Covering it is a better alternative IMHO.

mpuzach

I always figured I was better off dusting off my car before washing it, on the premise that using a California Duster to remove the dust was less likely to give me those tiny scratches than washing the car with the dust intact. It sounds like you disagree.

If I wash my dusty car without first dusting it, why wouldn't the act of washing it (with a wet, soapy cotton cloth ot mitt) produce the same scratches as dusting?

bostonma

...you start the wash by rinsing the car with a hose before applying the wet, soapy cloth!

mpuzach

If my assumption is correct, then the dust is still there (under the mitt) during the wash process, and the finish is still vulnerable to scratching. Am I mistaken?

Please don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to be a jerk about this. I'd love it if I could eliminate putting the god-awful little scratches in my car by simply doing a thorough pre-rinse and skipping the dusting. Unless the rinsing actually washes off the dust, though, I don't understand how it can be a solution.

(By the way, I'm using only soft, U.S.A.-made 100% cotton cloth on my car.)

JP

with anything, prior to a thorough rinsing/washing with high-pressure water. I do not rub with anything, unless it is needed to remove a stubborn film, and then only after the particles (dust/etc.) have been blown off. I see the dry "dusted" cars all day long with the swirling bright haze (scratches) from using that method or washing cloths claiming to be soft. When those cloths are used to wash before rinsing off the particles, they act as soft sand paper. Some scratching is inevitable regardless of method. The film I spoke of requiring wiping or chamois drying will leave some, but are removed at Zaino time.
..../jp

Jim Will

you are supposed to use loads of suds in the mitt, and a heaping of water. This will "float" the dirt away when you move your mitt. What I usually do is squeeze the mitt just above the car to get a nice amount of suds/water onthe car so not to do as much damage.
BTW, I used to use 100% cotton towels on the car, but I found that The Absorber is more delicate on the surface.
Bottom line is, anytime you touch anything to the surface of your car, you will scratch the paint. It's inevitable. That's why I usually do a quickie wax with each washing (usually 1 or 2 body panels at a time) Even with me being particular about washing/waxing, my car still has slight swirls on it. I also believe in a detailing at least once per year. A good detailer will do much better than any Zaino job I've seen. I've actually seen a Zaino'd car, and mine looked better. Surprise, surprise..

JP

Now, I supposed Ming Blue is the fastest AND shiniest color ! :-)