Even on dry days, the back of my Clubman gets dusty. The rest of the car stays clean. I have a new bench brush from Harbor Freight, so I used it to dust off the Clubman's back, it works great and it took less than a minute!

http://www.harborfreight.com/general-merch/paint.html

Dave

 

They do that. We use the California Duster, Target!

 

I just drive around until the dust falls off the back of my clubman.
I figure once you reach the proper speed, the coefficient of friction between the dust and the door is reached, the dust will lose adhesion and fly away.

Never works, but at least I have fun trying.

 

+1 California duster...was a life saver at MOTD this year.

 

Fig, I like the way you think

 

Yup. Ive got 2 of them lol. One at home and one at the parents place

 

One more...California Duster.
It's a mop with a small handle and may set you back 10 bucks.

 

Just beware that using a duster to remove the dust and debris off the boot will induce swirls and scratches in your paint over time. Most people don't even realize the damage they cause every time they brush against their paint. Having a good coat of wax before it gets dusty will help reduce the damage however and make dusting it easier should you still use the duster.

 

That's what I figured, so I have resisted the temptation, so far. Sure does keep swirls to a minimum.

 

so, if not a duster ....should we not dust off our cars at all? -or is there some other method? (I like to use a car cover on my cars even when in the garage ..I have thick car covers to prevent dings from the kids bikes and such) -hence why I like to get the dust off (before I put a cover on).
thanks,

 

I am very maticulous with my car's paint, and use Ziano as my primary paint sealant/treament. Not cheap, but works fantastic. And was very leary of this product for years....But as pollen was really bad out here last two years, I finally pulled the trigger on one.

For over a year now between washings when I only have pollen or road dust accumulation on the roof and boot/hatch area it works great. Before, I would have done a full wash and shine enhancer spritz....

In the some 50+ times I have used it. I have no swirl marks, scratches or other problems associated from using it. And we live on the coast where sand is on both sides of the road and often accumulates on the boot....

+ for California Duster. Get's two thumbs up as it has been an excellent product.

Remember to follow the directions in the sleeve card. It has wax in the strands. Before use they recommend that it be wrapped in newspaper for a period of time to remove the excess wax in the mop head.

 

There are a number of methods to cleaning the dust off the paint, but knowing that MOST people, MINI owners included don't know how to properly evaluate paint, and look past swirls in their paint thinking that's a normal part of owning a car, I'm just passing on what I see from a daily basis.

Dusting a car with a car duster is fine if:

1.) the duster is clean
I've seen people using dusters that are very well used and look like they've been dusting their wheels for years with it.

2.) the paint isn't excessively dirty, just the light coat of dust you get after washing your car and your car is garaged, but not the kind of dirt you get from washing your car and leaving it to sit outside overnight, and dusting it the next day.

3.) Gray Raven is meticulous with his paint, so that extends to the tools and processes he uses. Unfortunately not everybody is like this.

4.) You don't have a black car.

5.) You aren't a detailer and see what simple things such as improper washings, contamination in a microfiber towel wiped across your bonnet do to your paint, lol. No I don't use a duster on my MINIs.

6.) Some people wax their cars once a year, but drive their cars only once a week, leaving it covered in the garage most of the time. Your wax will last far longer this way, and so be default, so will your protection.

Using a car cover is fine as long as the paint is clean when you cover it, otherwise dragging the cover which happens as you position the cover or reposition it because you put the wrong side first will abrade the surface and instill scratches and swirls in the paint.

Alternatives to the traditional Car Duster
1.) Air from a compressor. A 10 or 15 gallon air compressor doesn't cost much for the garage and has many uses from filling your tires to running air tools to dusting off your paint. An air gun costs only a few $$.

2.) Letting the dust accumulate and doing a regular wash

3.) The wool car duster that uses static electricity to lift dust from the paint

4.) If the paint is waxed, an electric gardening blower MIGHT help remove dust, but the air compressor works better.

Just some ideas.


Richard

 

as always, excellent advice OctaneGuy,
-I do use a air compressor, ...it works pretty well. Yet also use a duster (micro-fiber type), -that I either wash occasionally and/or replace every 4 months or so.

..got to go (kids are crying, -wife's working, I am watching them)

 

+1 california duster, make sure not to push down let its own weight, and no more, do the dragging (very light dragging, mostly just wooshing dust away).

Although I should get a new one...