How 2 remove "static" and white dust ?

tradertt · 03-05-03, 09:38

Hi, when I was washing and polishing my car yesterday, I came across a problem. It seems that my car had "static"
You know, it attracts DUST ! Like when you put your hand near it, your hair will be attracted to the car. Is there anyway to remove off this "static" from the car? Is this normal?

Then this morning I found my car covered with little white specks of dust that seems to be the residue of yesterday waxing session. How would you recommend to remove off these dust.
By wiping, will it scratch the car as I will be dragging the dust over my car paintwork.
Any better methods to suggest?

Thanks.

cvcaelen · 03-06-03, 12:33

Dust like that asks to be removed with a QD: perfectly safe

My car is , in dry weather conditions, a dust magnet too.
I'm in the process of searching a way to make the car anti-static.

Christiaan

tradertt · 03-06-03, 05:01

Sorry what is a QD ? If you do find any way to make a car antistatic while washing it .. please do let me know

dr427 · 03-06-03, 05:05

The acrylic polishes (L&S 501, Klasse, & Crystal-glo) all claim to be anti-static. I have found using microfiber to remove L&S 501 left it somewhat static like, but was broke once it had it's first wash. It by no means repels dust, but maybe slows the attraction at best.

And QD is quick detailer. Great for removing dust, so is a california duster (big mop like thing you dust your car with).

2hotford · 03-06-03, 07:36

I always wash the car a few days after polishing/waxing. This breaks the the static charge.

Meg's Medallion Wax is suppose to prevent static build up. However, I did not find it any different in that regard for me!

tradertt · 03-06-03, 07:46

why is it that I get slight streaks on my paint when I buff it off? Is it because the wax did not dry enough?

But I did let it dry for a long time = err about 20min lolz

and also .. anyone know those Colorful dusters that we use around the house? Can we make a static charge on it so that we can suck up the dust

tradertt · 03-06-03, 09:41

Hmm... light coat .. if I apply on but do not see anything upon application ... can I still move on to another part? or should I see at least some whitish stuff b4 I move on?

4DSC · 03-06-03, 09:56

Quote:

Originally posted by tradertt
Hmm... light coat .. if I apply on but do not see anything upon application ... can I still move on to another part? or should I see at least some whitish stuff b4 I move on?

It would help if you'd volunteer some more information. Like what wax you're using. With most waxes thin is better than thick, and as long as you're sure you have some on there, it's enough. Some waxes are supposed to haze, some aren't. Hazing also doesn't happen instantly and you have to just wait for the stuff to dry, basically.

tradertt · 03-06-03, 10:00

Oh so sorry about it

I am using a brand called KIT and its a paste wax...

I know that wax mostly when dry are meant to haze up

but what I have been reading a lot is a Thin Coat a Thin Coat ..

When people say apply a thin coat .. how thin is this thin and when do I know its enough?

Thx and sorry if I did not express myself well

4DSC · 03-06-03, 10:28

No problem, best application method varies a bit from product to product, so you'll have to see if it works out better for you to wax the whole car before buffing or to do a panel at a time. But like I said, if you can see that you've applied some wax to the surface it should be enough. You can also check after the stuff has hazed to see how even your coverage is, but don't sweat it too much if some spots look thinner than others. The best thing is to be methodical about how you apply so you don't have to visually check as much. Usually you can also tell when you need more wax on your applicator by feel once you get the hang of doing it.

I don't know how easy Kit wax is to use, but not a lot of people here use it any more. It's inexpensive sure, but there are a few other better products you could get locally too if you want to try something new. They might cost more, but for the number of applications you can usually get out of one bottle/jar of wax, it's not such a big deal IMO.

tradertt · 03-06-03, 11:01

Great

But 1 problem is that because I am living in Singapore and a lot of products mentioned here are not sold here ... 2 brands that we have in stores mainly are Autoglym and Meguairs ... any comments on those? Turtle wax is also sold here

but dunno which is "good" to use

4DSC · 03-06-03, 11:06

One really popular and easy to use wax you can get from a Harley dealer is S100, which if you read about has tons of fans now. Costs about $15 I think. I use this and love it. Glides on easy and you buff it off almost immediately - super easy for a paste wax. A little goes a long way and it probably outlasts your Kit wax too. This is arguably THE best paste wax you can get for the price.

Meguiar's makes Gold Class, which some people like the look of, but they say it doesn't last very long. Mothers also makes a California Gold Pure Carnauba wax and some people like that too. Not mentioned to often, but try looking for it (was mentioned a few days ago). Like most Mothers stuff it's probably very good too. Geekysteve's waxtest magazine also highly rated the Armor-All and Raindance paste waxes, which are like $3-$6 I think. They said they looked good and lasted pretty long.

Some waxes are advertised as "pre-softened" which means they're more like soft gels I think. Not sure if the last 2 above or your Kit are, but they rated them as being easy to use. One thing I forgot to mention is that you often don't have to press really hard on the paint to apply it. Paste waxes tend to be like hard creams or caked grease and you should just try to swipe the surface with enough pressure to get even coverage, that's all. Some waxes are also "grabbier" when the apply so you have to grip the pad a bit harder to hang onto it.