What's the best way for me to remove fine dust from my car witout scratching the paint? I purchased the Califronia Feather Duster today but I haven't tried it yet. I have t he Z6 but I don't want to use that to remove the dirt for fear of scratching. Any suggestions?

-Brett

 

you need to wash your car, that is the only way to do it minimizing making swirl marks.

 

Definitely wash your car with good soap and a good lambswool mitt before doing any polishing/waxing.

The trick to using the California Car Duster is to let it sit on some newspaper for a day or two for the excess coating on the duster to run out. Shake it thoroughly before wiping down a panel, and let the duster do the work, no need to apply pressure.

My car sits under a carport all day and picks up a fine layer of dust. I'll dust it in the 2-3 minutes I give the car to warm up.

 

Well it just got a detailed Zaino wash/polish Saturday. I have no place to wash it up here on a college campus and I refuse to go to any car wash around here.

 

My man, you need ProtectAll Quick and Easy Wash. You can wash your entire car using 2-3 gallons of water safely, no rinsing. I've done it many times in the winter (didn't want to bust out the hose).

Basically, it's soap without suds. You wet a mitt in the solution, wash a small area (one swipe per side), then dry. Repeat for the whole car. You're done. (All you need is a parking lot space.)

Check this tutorial here.

Sometimes like to use QEW even when it's warm out because by not rinsing, I don't get tons of water in the brake vents and other spots, so drying is less of a hassle.

Make sure you use a high-quality drying towel (e.g. ExcelDetail Monterey Waffle Weave towel or Sonus Ultimate Drying towel) and a high-quality mitt with plenty of nap (e.g. a good sheepskin mitt).

Here's a shot of my car being washed with QEW (top half done). I used 2 gallons of water for that entire wash. (Make sure your bucket has a grit guard at the bottom!)

 

After dusting your car with the california car duster go over it with some detailing spray. A little goes a long way when you use detail spray. I like Mothers California Gold or Meguiars makes good detail spray.

If you can afford it get you a bottle of Z8 spray from Zaino and use that once or twice a month it really adds incredible shine and leaves the paint super slick.

 

Damp a microfibre cloth and go at it.

 

Don't just use water, 'cause water doesn't have any lubricating properties. At least use a quick detailing spray.

One of the better things for that is http://www.poorboysworld.com/spray-wipe.htm , which is better than a quick detailer in terms of its cleaning ability (but has no wax..)

 

If ya want to spend the time You can give your car a acid bath, then wash your car then re apply the wax on your car. I do car details but if you are not sure how to do a acid bath then i would not try or you can really screw up your paint, and make sure to wear gloves or your hands will get a nice feeling.

 

If you are using any products, you might as well wash the car again. Just get a damp cloth, let gravity apply the force on the surface and drag the cloth very very slowly along the paint surface, no streaks and no dust.

 

Why would you might as well wash the car again?

Without lubricating properties of a QD or a spray wash, you're going to introduce marring as you drag the dust and dirt across the surface of your car.

 

I was under the impression that he meant removing dust which accumulated overnight after a car wash.

Sorry but I never have problem with my paint by dragging them across with a damp microfibre slowly, maybe different kinds of dust particles over your side of the globe.

 

just use the car duster and make sure not to apply any pressure. Be gentle...

If there's any dust left over, you can use Z6 just make sure you are applying little pressure and not going in circular motions.

 

I have a black RX-8 and use Speed Shine (http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?&SKU=11146) and a Micro Fiber cloth to remove dust. Only dust, not caked on dirt and road grime. For that you'll have to wash the car.

Ive used the Speed Shine for quick dust clean ups since I have bought the car and have never left swirl marks.