Ash from forest fire--bad for paint?

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prr

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When ash from a nearby forest fire ends up on your car's paint--does this do any damage to the paint itself?

I'm just talking about a few flakes, not being totally smothered in the stuff.
 
No firsthand experience of ash deposits on car but I'd think ash is non reactive in dry state and can be dusted off. Mix it with water, it can become like cement.

How much ash are we talking?
 
I had bbq ash land on my car before, rinses off easily with a little soap. no known effect that i observed.... I do not believe there is a difference between a forest fire ash and bbq hard wool charcoal ash. I had a few specs rest on my car for a while since I didnt see it, but again no effect to my paint for the duration of a 2 weeks, I recommend cleaning it off with a soapy solution so it doesn't cake if its an sever amount.. YMMV.
 
Yes, it can be bad for paint.

First:
Rinse the vehicle with a strong
stream of water. Do not let it dry.

Next:
Immediately follow-up with your
two bucket car washing process...
rinseing/re-wetting as you go along.
(Doesn't hurt to wash it twice in
this manner, IMO.)

Then:
After completely and thoroughly drying
the vehicle...apply your choice of LSP.


Bob
 
What about ash would require this much work? I have read that bird poop has a lot of uric acid, which would eat through layers of wax and paint. But what is it in ash that would require anything more than lightly brushing it off?



FUNX650 said:
Yes, it can be bad for paint.

First:
Rinse the vehicle with a strong
stream of water. Do not let it dry.

Next:
Immediately follow-up with your
two bucket car washing process...
rinseing/re-wetting as you go along.
(Doesn't hurt to wash it twice in
this manner, IMO.)

Then:
After completely and thoroughly drying
the vehicle...apply your choice of LSP.


Bob
Click to expand...
 
FUNX650 said:
Yes, it can be bad for paint.

First:
Rinse the vehicle with a strong
stream of water. Do not let it dry.

Next:
Immediately follow-up with your
two bucket car washing process...
rinseing/re-wetting as you go along.
(Doesn't hurt to wash it twice in
this manner, IMO.)

Then:
After completely and thoroughly drying
the vehicle...apply your choice of LSP.


Bob
Click to expand...

So much shenanigans for some fly ash? :)

I am glad I don't live near Eyjafjallajokull or Hekla in Iceland.

My science tells me dry ash is non reactive and should be safe to dust off. But once you add water to that ash in form of rain/snow/dew, that can turn into a reactive chemical slurry that will wreak havoc..not just on auto paint.
 
ArnoldLayne said:
So much shenanigans for some fly ash? :)

I am glad I don't live near Eyjafjallajokull or Hekla in Iceland.

My science tells me dry ash is non reactive and should be safe to dust off. But once you add water to that ash in form of rain/snow/dew, that can turn into a reactive chemical slurry that will wreak havoc..not just on auto paint.
Click to expand...
1.)
-Wood ash is not only alkaline by
nature, it is also very gritty. Not
really paint-safe safe to just "dust off".

-Ergo:
You don't know my science very well.
It differs vastly from yours.
I'm so glad it does.

2.)
-Whenever your vehicles have some
wood ash upon them...feel free to care
for them in any haphazard manner you
so desire.
-I won't object.


Bob
 
FUNX650 said:
1.)
-Wood ash is not only alkaline by
nature, it is also very gritty. Not
really paint-safe safe to just "dust off".

-Ergo:
You don't know my science very well.
It differs vastly from yours.
I'm so glad it does.

2.)
-Whenever your vehicles have some
wood ash upon them...feel free to care
for them in any haphazard manner you
so desire.
-I won't object.


Bob
Click to expand...

Given Bob's vast array of knowledge (some of us here think he's a robot/computer customized by AGO to answer threads and is powered by Wolfram Alpha https://www.wolframalpha.com/), I would probably heed his advice. :)
 
prr said:
What about ash would require this much work? I have read that bird poop has a lot of uric acid, which would eat through layers of wax and paint. But what is it in ash that would require anything more than lightly brushing it off?
Click to expand...
•I didn't realize that washing a vehicle using
a "Best Practice" method would be perceived
as being too much work for an AGO-ian.

•Alkaline substances can also eat through
numerous layers of Wax and paint.
-Wood ashes are highly alkaline...
and very "gritty".
-Mix them with any type of moisture,
even dew, and you're looking at the
paint incurring alkaline etching: just
as detrimental as acid etching!


For example:
•If the wood ash contains potassium
carbonate...when wetted: it will become
potassium hydroxide---a highly alkaline
substance---with more than enough
potential to etch vehicles' paint.


•The instructions I listed may seem OCD...
-But it all boils down to how interested you
are in taking the 'extraordinary steps' as the
means to care for your, and others, vehicles.


Bob
 
Yes.

Instead of acid rain you get alkaline rain and this can cause water spot etchings in the paint.

Ash that has settled on your car's finish when mixed with water like rain or morning dew can also cause a negative chemical reaction that causes damage to your car's paint.



:)
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Yes.

Instead of acid rain you get alkaline rain and this can cause water spot etchings in the paint.

Ash that has settled on your car's finish when mixed with water like rain or morning dew can also cause a negative chemical reaction that causes damage to your car's paint.



:)
Click to expand...

OK, thanks for the info.
 
FUNX650 said:
1.)
-Wood ash is not only alkaline by
nature, it is also very gritty. Not
really paint-safe safe to just "dust off".

-Ergo:
You don't know my science very well.
It differs vastly from yours.
I'm so glad it does.

2.)
-Whenever your vehicles have some
wood ash upon them...feel free to care
for them in any haphazard manner you
so desire.
-I won't object.


Bob
Click to expand...

Hmm YOUR science? Ash is safe to dust off in dry state. Only when it is mixed with water does it cause chemical reaction (unless of course you were sick the day they taught that in chemistry in high school).

Dry ash is perfectly safe to be dusted off with a Car duster and all the other 8 step process is totally redundant and unnecessary.

I am not sure where you are going with the 'Wood ash is alkaline' statement. The water you wash your car with is alkaline. But of course you already knew that :) Most of the stuff that falls on your car everyday are either alkaline or acidic. There is no such thing as distilled water rain.

But of course your science involves a 12 step process and at least 6 products and 4 hrs of work and by now me and some people on here get that :)

Confucius says 'Don't use a cannon to kill a mosquito'

But I reckon you might use a hydrogen bomb ...cannon be damned.

Oh I will be sure to dust off ash and get on with life if it happens to me. I certainly won't be doing a 'auto detox' routine involving 4 hrs, 8 products and 12 steps to find a solution for a simple problem. I neither have time nor have the inclination to waste my time to reinvent the wheel on everything.
 
I'd just vacuum these ashes. It's not rubbing against my car nor touched by water :cool: Cheers :)
 
vacuuming..there you go...that is a practical quick solution to suck up the fly ash flakes that does not involve a car cleansing routine with a Shaman, sacrificing 10 chickens to the car gods and smoking some peyote afterwards. :)
 
Mike Phillips said:
Yes.

Instead of acid rain you get alkaline rain and this can cause water spot etchings in the paint.

Ash that has settled on your car's finish when mixed with water like rain or morning dew can also cause a negative chemical reaction that causes damage to your car's paint.



:)
Click to expand...

I am not the OP, but I have the same problem. The fires are close enough now that the ash is really starting to be a problem. It's snowing ash .. and there is no end in sight for a while. My problem is that if I wash the car, the ash is continuing to settle on the surface before I can even get it into the garage and dry it. What then? I don't want to try wiping it with anything because it's never totally clean. Am I better off to just leave it as long as it is dry or is it still better to try wash it?

Also, I can't hose down inside my garage... not enough room and no drain. Suggestions please!
 
runnerchicki said:
I am not the OP, but I have the same problem. The fires are close enough now that the ash is really starting to be a problem. It's snowing ash .. and there is no end in sight for a while. My problem is that if I wash the car, the ash is continuing to settle on the surface before I can even get it into the garage and dry it. What then? I don't want to try wiping it with anything because it's never totally clean. Am I better off to just leave it as long as it is dry or is it still better to try wash it?

Also, I can't hose down inside my garage... not enough room and no drain. Suggestions please!
Click to expand...

Maybe vacuum or blow it off on a regular basis until the ash stops falling?
 
ArnoldLayne said:
Hmm YOUR science? Ash is safe to dust off in dry state. Only when it is mixed with water does it cause chemical reaction (unless of course you were sick the day they taught that in chemistry in high school).

Dry ash is perfectly safe to be dusted off with a Car duster and all the other 8 step process is totally redundant and unnecessary.

But of course your science involves a 12 step process and at least 6 products and 4 hrs of work and by now me and some people on here get that :)
Click to expand...

I can't speak for the entire forum, however, you will probably find that most "geeks" are hesitant to take dry media (I know... a ca duster is primed with carrinuba wax) to a vehicle. Especially one that has been highly polished and coated. I for one wouldn't do it and you won't win me over on that subject.

That being said, I'm sorry for those that are burning in CA and Montana, and for those that lost everything in Texas. Thoughts are also with Florida with the pending hurricane Irma. There isn't much we can do about Mother Nature or natural disasters.

I respect Bob's opinion and approach. He is one of the most informative and informed members on this forum. And with 18,111 forum posts, he is certainly a major contributor of knowledge, skill, and yes science. When you have both Mike Phillips and Bob (FUNX60) participate in your thread, there is generally no reason to continue searching for answers, especially when two answers corroborate.


Runnerchicki - Welcome to AGO! I see it's your first post. One thing you can do is as Bob and Mike suggest, rinse the vehicle down thoroughly then do either a rinsless or waterless wash once you pull it into the garage. If you choose waterless, saturate the vehicle with the waterless solution, such as McKee's N914. In your case I'd make the mix a bit more concentrated (heavy on the product side) and be sure to use lots of microfiber towels. Mike Phillips has videos describing this method and others call it the Gary Dean method.

Hope this helps!
 
My car is pretty well covered in ash right now. Big fire burning about 20 miles away. (Some idiot kid with firecrackers started a fire that is burning up some of the most beautiful scenery in the U.S.) Burning right at Multnomah Falls and the surrounding 10,000 acres. It also jumped a mile-wide river and is burning in Washington as well. 0% contained.

My hood this morning. It was worse this afternoon.
DHEw1aal.jpg



Pic of the fire from earlier today.
CoVcmZkl.jpg
 
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