The dirty low down about dirt

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Blade-Runner

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Okay, so this may seem a bit elementary but where I live it rains most of the time expect summer. Last week I washed and quick waxed my SUV, got it shining up real nice and it rained all week. I only drive about 10 miles a day in the city. By the next weekend my SUV looked like I had taken it off road. Dirt clinging to it everywhere. No driving through puddles. It was parked in an open lot and garaged when I got home. I would say by the 3rd or 4th day the exterior cleaning job was shot.

Why does it get so dirty in just plain 'ol rain? I understand there are such things as acid rain, and smog and pollution in rain drops as it falls, but from my understanding rain doesn't carry dirt. Yes, my auto gets actually dirty in just a few days of rain. Now, the water beads on the paint but could I possibly have an inferior wax applied that isn't allowing the dirt to roll off properly? Is there such a thing as a static charge making dirt stick to a certain automobile more than others? Are there any products that help repel dirt better than others? Or perhaps even though it's still beading, maybe this is a sign I need to reapply a good paste wax again?

If you live in a rainy climate what do you do to keep your auto looking nice.

:autowash:
 
I don't know what to say except that where I live it rains dirt when it's not raining and it rains dirt when it does. Whatever's in the air when it rains, probably a lot of it is smoke from the nasty wood that some clueless neighbor burns, the rain catches it and by the time it hits my cars it's not clean, pure rainwater anymore.

Funny thing is I grew up about 30 miles from where I live now. Back in the 80's I washed and waxed my car fairly often, but not religiously so in the rainy months. Rain back then, out there, it washed the car. Car would get rained on, parked or driving back and forth to school, it looked clean when it was wet and it looked and was clean and smooth as a baby's butt when dry. It's just not fair. Pisses me off too.
 
Don't know if this is the answer, but here are some thoughts. The past couple days it has been quite windy here in PA. So there is dirt, dust, pollution in the air and the rain brings that down. Also depending on location and season you have pollen, dirt from exhaust, smog from industry, brake dust, and if you live near a rail line iron and dirt from train wheels friction against the rails. This is all the stuff that your Clay Kit tells you it is removing. There is also agricultural dirt and dust from fresh plowed fields or harvesting. Just recently I detailed our car for a funeral. It's a dark green Volvo. We stayed in a Motel by a highway and rail line. Next morning the car was filthy in just 10 hours. So there is a lot of dirt in the air unless your in the boonies somewhere. IMHO.
 
I've noticed that carnauba waxes, in particular, do seem to be more attractive to dust than would be the case on unprotected paint, or with certain sealants (particularly noticeable when I applied CG Blacklight on the car, then applied a carnauba on some panels and left others with just the Blacklight - the difference was very obvious).
 
For me it's the dust that settles on the car, just gravity holding it on the vertical surfaces so when it rains the rain makes a slurry of dirt and when the water beads, the dirt forms pools and drys out as a mess.

Also, when driving in the rain, the dirty water sprayed up from the rain makes the car filthy in no time.
 
Thanks for the replies. I guess we all suffer the same fate in our attempt to keep our ride shiny and new in the unforgiving mucky rain.

Ya know, I was also thinking about this.. I always do a final polish with a very fine, high quality microfiber towel. I'm wondering if rubbing is creating static charge and static cling. Sort of like when you take your socks out of the dryer and they cling to everything from the friction. Hum, maybe that's why just one sock out of each pair vanishes. ;)

The microfiber towels do build up a static charge. I notice they collect lint from the washer and cling to everything in the dryer. And this one company uses the static properties of the microfiber as a selling point. Microfiber Cloths

I also found this thread that talks about this very same thing. I guess other people are having a problem with static charge build up after a detail.

Static cling after detailing [Archive] - LS1GTO.com Forums

I was wondering if there is something that can be invented that, let's say you attach to the frame of the car, let's say under the hood and gives off a signal which makes the protons and electrons on the cars surface neutral, so they don't build up and cause dirt to cling. I think I may have just invented a million dollar idea. Static electricity - What creates static charge & static shock? Learn how to create & eliminate it

If I spray this static guard product on my microfiber towel prior to the final polish will it eliminate or at least keep down the static charge? It got good reviews. Don't know if it will strip away the wax.. hum.. I might just try it.

Amazon.com: Static Guard Static Cling Spray, Fresh Scent, 5.5 oz.: Health & Personal Care

Okay, So I just washed and scrubbed and spray waxed my car Sunday. I'll report on how it looks by Friday and how many days it rained.
 
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Matt said:
Also, when driving in the rain, the dirty water sprayed up from the rain makes the car filthy in no time.
Click to expand...

I think this is it more than anything.

Think of all the crap on tha roads- oil drips, anti freeze, brake dust, dirt, mud, etc. Your car gets sprayed with this wet mixture when it rains, and killing all that hard work.

The good news is it usually sprays off pretty easily for us since we spend so much time protecting our paint :props:
 
One thing I have noticed is that when i use KlasseAIO on afew things inside my house, suchas the gloss plastic on TVs, the dust is kept to a minimum. As for the static Ive ordered some Dryer Balls that you put in the dryer with your items; supposeably it drys faster and cuts down on static. Anyone with experience with these things?
 
Try rinsing it off every couple of day @ a DIY wash. Also, don't bother dressing the tires/wells. Not only is it a waste of time and money, dressing also attracks dust/dirt

I just drove by a place that Cremates ppl this morning and there was smoke shooting out of the stack. This left me wondering if any got on my paint?
 
Stang Man said:
Think of all the crap on tha roads- oil drips, anti freeze, brake dust, dirt, mud, etc. Your car gets sprayed with this wet mixture when it rains, and killing all that hard work.

The good news is it usually sprays off pretty easily for us since we spend so much time protecting our paint :props:
Click to expand...

The other thing is just splash when your car is parked. If there is dirt on the ground it can be splashed up by a heavy rain.
 
Contaminates are everywhere you see them and where you do not. The weather and our actions as a society moves things around purposefully as well as inadvertently. Weather is another factor of course. Particles we call "dirt" coalesce in the air and on the ground. Where water creates puddles over time, so will dirt. It is non-discriminatory.

The act of cleaning for all intents and purposes is a futile exercise. When BFWD is curing and all that cross-linking is happening, yeah.... the car is getting dirty unless you are working in a cleanroom. That being said, protecting helps tip the scales a little so we can feel good about ourselves and hopefully save some time as we maintain our vehicles.
 
Okay so Monday and Tuesday it didn't rain here so my SUV stayed relatively clean. There was dusty dirt that was clinging to the vertical surfaces. but wasn't that noticeable until I ran my fingers across the car. I guess there is no way to prevent that unless all the the static charge could be eliminated altogether but then maybe the molecular bonding of synthetic waxes may not adhere as well. It's supposed to snow this week, we shall see how it holds up.

One cool thing though.. there is a newer, self wash and wax place right down the street. I can take it in there and pressure wash and wax it for about $3.00 bucks. Get all the dirt and grim off to help keep it clean between a complete wash and wax. I'm starting to like that self car wash place.
 
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