Ok so my big plan is to deflower my PC this weekend & do a full major detail. I have no covered area where I can do my work. I was planning on trying for partial overhead tarp cover or to pull in my backyard where it is shady (plus the weather prediction os for mostly cloudy).

Then what happens? I notice a fine layer of dust on my windshield this morning. Dang pollen During the heavy falling pollen time here in AL my car will be yellow 2 min after I wash but right now it is early so the pollen is still light. Am I going to be able to acomplish my full polish/wax task if there is pollen falling around & on me? Please detail geeks help me out.

 

We get plenty of it here too in the (real) spring. While washing, rinse often. Once you're done washing, the best thing is a duster like this one to remove dust and pollen for the first few days.

 

Shoot... there is so much pollen here that I could wash my car with the dripping from my nose! EWWWww!

You have an air compressor?

 

I'm not worried about the pollen over a few days. I am wondering how pollen floating thru the air & accumulating on the Mini will effect me while I am using the PC to polish & wax during my 4+ hour detailing day. Will I be rubbing pollen into my finish (so to speak)

 

California Duster is your friend. As are tissues for the detailer.

 

We have stupendous amounts of yellow pine pollen here. I have never tried to wax the car during that time, so I don't know for sure if it will cause swirls or not. I usually use the california duster to knock it off and I have never noticed it scratching then, so you are probably OK to wax. I guess just try and see what it looks like. However, since it is in the air, the tarop overhead will not help much.

 

bamatt- my advice...it's time for you to move.

 

Air Compressor is your best bet. Helps out a ton while drying too.

 

I was curious about the pollen too...we are getting it really bad here. Mine is combined with tree sap so there is no dusting off. I have been trying to hose her off ever day. There isnt much point in trying to wash right now unless I did it every hour. I hope this doesn't last too much longer!

 

Ohhhh no I love the South (I just hate my neighbors pine trees, you know the ones they refuse to cut down like I did ) but dammm I said yesterday the pollen had just barely started coming down. What a difference a day makes. This morning I had a full blanket of yellow on the Mini that was so bad I had to use the windshield wipers before I started driving . I may have to slap another quick coat of carnauba on & wait for the pollen to subside before I break out the PC. I will see how bad it is falling on Saturday.

vargasgal, unfortunately, I think pollen season lasts 3-4 weeks.

 

My advice, teresa... don't leave your windows open. That applies to your home as well as your car. I did that once when stationed in Germany and when I came home from work, EVERYthing in the house was covered in a layer of yellow pollen. Talk about a mess... took me days to clean that up.



Of course, in Germany, they don't use window screens so it may not be as bad over here in the States. But still... I wouldn't take a chance.

 

The only prob CR/PW, is that I have a vert & now is the season when I want the top down every day. Most of the yellow inside the Mini blows away when I drive but I always have to give the inside a good thorough cleaning when the pollen subsides.

I used to have & my neighbors still do, front & back yards full of 60+ foot tall pine trees. I hate pine trees They are tall, skinny, & ugly They drop sap, pine needles, & pine cones everywhere They serve no purpose in peoples front yards except for being imminent threat to snap in 2 & come crashing down on roofs & cars Pine trees should not be allowed within 100 yards of a residential structure
<pine tree rant over >

 

I'm with you on the pine tree hate, tt. Germany is full of them and that's a big reason why I had that major problem.

I don't have a single pine tree on my property. My landscape designer was insisting I needed 6 White Pines for privacy. I told him I'd sooner plant eat one of those things than plant it on my property. Ehhh... I'm a bit of an exhibitionist anyway.

My neighbors have some Leland Cypress trees but I'm hoping they don't produce too much of that nasty yellow stuff.

 

Not many NAMers have seen CR/PW in person, but lets put it this way...that gives a bad mental image

 

Hey now... for someone who just turned 46, I'm not all THAT repulsive !! Let's see what YOU look like in 32 years (do the math).

 

Why do we compare you at 46 and me at 50? That seems a little unfair

 

you hate pine trees as much as i hate birds.

all edible birds (by the westen culture standard) can stay. others are to be removed from the planet. (i wanted to note 'western' cause i know some
Asians eat sparrows. )

 

Yes, after my 1st Spring of raking pine straw into I dunno MBE 35 HUGE lawn & leaf bags (from the front yard only) I had my pine trees cut down the next fall. Now, while I enjoy sitting in a lawn chair having a cold one while watching my neighbors rake, I still have to worry about their 60' pines crashing into my house or the Mini

 

hummm.... maybe you can buy that tree from them and kill it?

 

OK love ya guys but nobody has really helped me with my problemo I think I didn't phrase it correctly so here goes...

How abrasive do you think pollen is? I mean my plan for tomorrow was to break out the PC & try to polish away all my clearcoat scratches. Should I give it a whirl? The Mini will be pollenfree after I wash but I will be out there for at least 4 hours claying, polishing, & waxing with major pollen falling. No matter what I do the pollen will float thru the air down on the Mini while I am polishing & I would imagine a slight amount will get embedded in my PC pad (even if I can't see it). Will the pollen actually create more scratches as I am polishing? or am I just being a paranoid OCD detailing freak?

 

No advice I am feeling ignored & abandoned by my detailing geeks

 

OK even though I was abandoned by most of my fav detailing geeks. OG has stepped in via my annoying, AMVIV interrupting PM to him & steered me right. My PC shall remain a virgin for 3 or so more weeks, til the damndamndamn pollen goes the hail away It's dissappointing but probably for the best. Silver cloud... Now I can strive for a mirror perfect finish at MOTD5 & deflower my PC in late April

 

So what did OG tell you? Guess it must have been "wait". I did just what you were planning, but I beat the pollen by about 10 minutes, I think. Now it falls on the car while I am drying it, even if I do it in the garage. BTW, including masking the trim, it takes more than 4 hours.

 

Poor tt, whom I barely recognize these days with her new siggie that appears to be an advertisement (accent on the second syllable for effect), we abandoned her in her time of dire need. Instead of offering concrete advice, we opted for the light-hearted jesting for which we are so known.

Okay...time to retrieve our beloved Teresa from her moment of despair and provide her some solid guidance which she so desperately seeks. Here goes:

Beats the hell out of me, Hon. But if I were you, I would rather be safe than sorry. The beloved MINI and it's new friend, the PC, can wait just a few more weeks until they become blissfully wed in Holy Detailmony.

In the meantime, spritz her up with some Hydro or some Griot's Speed Shine. That'll hold her.

 

You counting the days to pop your PCs cherry CR/PW ?