I'm in the same boat. When I have the time to wash my vehicles, I plan on at least a half day of work to wash/dry/wax and detail. Just make sure you wax(often) with a quality wax and your paint should be fine. lots of great products out there to use. Mac

 

Keep a California Duster in the boot. They work miracles.
The only way dust will damage the finish is if you let people touch, rub up against or even climb on the body. Before you wax, as suggested, give it a good bath with Dawn detergent. Then, clay bar and if you have access to a random orbital, a finest grit polish then a liberal application of carnauba wax.

 

If you have dust, you also have all the pollutants floating around in the air. Not doing your clear coat any good, but then again I'd be more worried about my lungs.

 

 

The answer is yes! Rain and dust cause an acidic mess, that eats paint finishes!

 

one thing about car covers ....

they can do damage too

when they get wet and lay on the car and the sun comes back out they can create a sauna and further cook the paint.

there isn't a good simple answer

but there IS

http://carcapsule.com/

 

I've been using a wax called liquid glass for years. Its an amazing paint protectant and beads up for about 6-8 months (through winters!). Clean the car well, apply it by hand, bake it in the sun and you're good to go. This is my other car showing water still beading up - the last time I waxed it was before winter! Liquid glass also has a solvent in it that assists in removing tar and bugs while you wax, but you'll want to clean it well with soap before you apply it.



With dust like yours, its pretty much just a hose it off type deal if you've protected the paint underneath the dirt.