Calif. Car Duster - My most rigorous test ever

I

imported_doug

New member
Those of you who've known me for a bit know that:



a) I don't believe anything "for sure" until I test it myself, or I until I have come to know the source well enough to know they're as rigorous as me. I don't mean to offend anyone, but those sources are few and far between. There are always LOTS of opinions here (and anywhere else for that matter), but very few people who apply a true scientific discipline to product tests. Looking at a car one day with one thing on it, and then looking on a different day with something else just doesn't count. Your memory gets clouded, the lighting conditions are different, etc.



b) I actually LIKE finding stuff out and testing it - like the zaino test I published way back when. Its not that I have to have a perfect looking finish - the only way to have that is to not drive the car, which goes against every bone in my body. I just have this.... compulsion. ;)



c) I'm not too proud to mind learning I was wrong - and if I do I'm perfectly happy to eat crow and share my new knowledge here.



d) I have been a supporter of the Calif. Car Duster - seems to work without scratching, provided it is used sensibly. This has, in fact, been the general consensus of the board.



However today I brought my black Porsche home pretty dusty. I decided to make darn sure this thing doesn't scratch. I closed the garage and turned on my "obsession lights" - the dual-head, 1000w halogen lights on a tripod like you can buy at the hardware stores. Believe me - these lights keep no secrets, hide no dirty laundry, sweep nothing under the rug, take no prisoners, etc. :nono



For my "subject area" I used the spoiler on the Porsche. This is a beautiful, highly visible, nearly flat surface that I love to keep as perfect as possible - and it is small - I figure if I ever rub all the clear off it I can have it re-sprayed for less than anywhere else on the car.



I "dusted" half of the spoiler from the center to the edge (across its length, which is to say across the width of the car.) To my horror when the dust was gone, I could see lots of swirls. (These are absolutely and positively 100% invisible in natural light. ) The swirls ran in the same direction I had dusted - however I knew this is also the direction in which I've done all my rubbing when I QD, wax, buff, etc. So - did I just introduce them, or were they there earlier?



SO - I proceeded to dust the other half across its short dimension - i.e., front to back. I could see the same amount of swirls, but only in the direction 90 degrees to the direction I just dusted. Believe me, if the Duster had introduced any scratches here, they would have shown up right now. Just to be sure, I did several other areas of the car, dusting at 90 degrees to my normal rub direction - and I didn't witness a single scratch from the duster.



I proceeded to detail-spray and MF-buff , and I DID see a few places where I introduced a new scratch from this process. This demonstrates a) just how sensitive this lighting method is and b) the Duster did not remove 100% of the schmutz on the car - you shouldn't expect it to. It had to be remaining dust that caused the new scratches. Dust that has adhered because it absorbed moisture out of the air is not going to come off with the Duster - it will only come off with detail spray or a proper wash.



I am now 100% confident that the Duster is a good way to get almost all of the dust off of your car, before you actually go about "rubbing" it with anything else.



Good time to re-state the (hopefully obvious) caveats:



1) Use only the weight of the bristles - support the weight of the wood. On vertical surfaces, "simulate" this same pressure. It takes 2-3 passes over an area to get the dust that is going to come off at all, off.



2) Don't expect miracles - dust WILL adhere once it absorbs moisture. This is not a substitute for a wash if you let the car go too long.



3) it is better to dust VERY FREQUENTLY so the dust does NOT adhere. On my car, that means after EVERY outing.



4) A dirty-looking duster is still effective. In fact, just like they tell you it will, it seems to work better. When it is new, there is excess paraffin on the fiber tips and this CAN leave some waxy streaks on the car. My duster looks plenty dirty.



More experience - I started using the duster more and more - and concluded it made "dry washing" a viable alternative to wet shoes! Check out this thread
 
Great post cardude:



I've always felt that the CCD did a great job without scratching and I consider it an important step when doing a QD session on my car. It's always good to hear others coming up with the same conclusion.



My duster has just recently gotten dirty enough that it doesn't leave any visible parrafin streaks on my black car and DOES seem to work better and better as time goes by.



BTW, how old is your duster?



Tony
 
Great validation Greg!



The CCD is an indispensible car care tool especially

during pollen season. Extends wash intervals to

2 or 3 days, maybe even more.
 
Great test!!!

I have always monitored my finishes (black) for years and nothing is as gentle to a finish as a CCD if used properly. Thanks for validating my observations.:xyxthumbs

Unfortunately, most people do not realize the difference between dust and dirt. If your car has sat outside all night and is covered with a layer of crud this is dirt and dust. Not Dust. The CCD only removes light dust. The CCD was at one time an elite tool for people who needed something to prep their garaged and sometimes covered cars. With its popularity many have tried to increase it usage to cover any light cleaning. This may have lead to poor results (paint marring).
 
I received one as a "gift" for doing a freebi detail....never wanted one or use one.......i may take another step towards using it.....but still am concerned...

jeff
 
incredible test and review!



I through my duster away a long time ago, but now I am seriously considering getting a new one! I have pretty bad dust problems since I park outside almost all day!
 
I also use the 90 deg. variations when washing, drying. Washing from bumper to bumper, drying side to side. It takes the quesswork out of what products, applicators are working.

However now you have introduced another item that may need to be added to my shopping cart. I'm might need to put an addition on to my garage. Great review carguy. :up
 
I have the California Duster too. Good product. When I'm lazy, I'll wash my car one day, then steal the garage for the night, and then the next day, dust it off and wax it. As long is it doesn't rain or gets road grime on the car, I will dust it off for a day or 2 after I complete cleaning it. Doesn't scratch. I highly recommend it.:up
 
When I first got mine, I let it sit on newspaper for 5 days. I changed the newspaper out every few days. This will get rid of the excess wax that comes on the duster. I still let it sit on newspaper inbetween uses for the next month. I used it for a few months and it got real dirty from the pollen. I could not take it anymore and washed it in the sink with some woolite. I then rinsed it about 5 times. It took a few days to dry in the garage. Still works great.
 
I have one and use it, but only when the car has just been sittin in the garage and it is dusty no dirt, so not even after a short drive do I like using it. I had it on news paper for bout 8-9 days untill I used it.



Good review!
 
replaced???? I've got a couple of them, but they look almost too dirty to think of using on either of my black BMW's anymore. Am I just being paranoid, or should I wash or replace????
 
If in doubt replace. I only use my CCD on dust that has settled on the cars while in the garages or a verrrrry short period outside. Therefore, I'm only removing dust no dirt. I have used the same CCD for 4 years and it appears very dirty in terms of color but I can not feel any particulate matter when I run my hands though it. When to replace??:nixweiss
 
I think the reason most people think the CD scratches is the same reason i used to... the car would have a layer of dust so the swirls were somewhat covered... then when you remove the dust there isn't anything blocking it, so it appears to have caused the swirliring... which it doesn't actually seem to. Something else is.
 
Great review, carguy! I personally don't know what I'd do without my CCD. Since I only drive my car on weekends (and usually twice a month or so), my ritual involves dusting my garaged car at least every two days to remove that surface dust. It's an invaluable tool and, for me, has caused nary a scratch.
 
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