Ash from forest fire--bad for paint?

[Mike Phillips]

Yes.

Instead of acid rain you get alkaline rain and this can cause water spot etchings in the paint.

Ash that has settled on your car's finish when mixed with water like rain or morning dew can also cause a negative chemical reaction that causes damage to your car's paint.

[prr]

Yes.

Instead of acid rain you get alkaline rain and this can cause water spot etchings in the paint.

Ash that has settled on your car's finish when mixed with water like rain or morning dew can also cause a negative chemical reaction that causes damage to your car's paint.

OK, thanks for the info.

[ArnoldLayne]

1.)
-Wood ash is not only alkaline by
nature, it is also very gritty. Not
really paint-safe safe to just "dust off".

-Ergo:
You don't know my science very well.
It differs vastly from yours.
I'm so glad it does.

2.)
-Whenever your vehicles have some
wood ash upon them...feel free to care
for them in any haphazard manner you
so desire.
-I won't object.


Bob

Hmm YOUR science? Ash is safe to dust off in dry state. Only when it is mixed with water does it cause chemical reaction (unless of course you were sick the day they taught that in chemistry in high school).

Dry ash is perfectly safe to be dusted off with a Car duster and all the other 8 step process is totally redundant and unnecessary.

I am not sure where you are going with the 'Wood ash is alkaline' statement. The water you wash your car with is alkaline. But of course you already knew that Most of the stuff that falls on your car everyday are either alkaline or acidic. There is no such thing as distilled water rain.

But of course your science involves a 12 step process and at least 6 products and 4 hrs of work and by now me and some people on here get that

Confucius says 'Don't use a cannon to kill a mosquito'

But I reckon you might use a hydrogen bomb ...cannon be damned.

Oh I will be sure to dust off ash and get on with life if it happens to me. I certainly won't be doing a 'auto detox' routine involving 4 hrs, 8 products and 12 steps to find a solution for a simple problem. I neither have time nor have the inclination to waste my time to reinvent the wheel on everything.

[rookiez]

I'd just vacuum these ashes. It's not rubbing against my car nor touched by water Cheers

[ArnoldLayne]

vacuuming..there you go...that is a practical quick solution to suck up the fly ash flakes that does not involve a car cleansing routine with a Shaman, sacrificing 10 chickens to the car gods and smoking some peyote afterwards.

[runnerchicki]

Yes.

Instead of acid rain you get alkaline rain and this can cause water spot etchings in the paint.

Ash that has settled on your car's finish when mixed with water like rain or morning dew can also cause a negative chemical reaction that causes damage to your car's paint.

I am not the OP, but I have the same problem. The fires are close enough now that the ash is really starting to be a problem. It's snowing ash .. and there is no end in sight for a while. My problem is that if I wash the car, the ash is continuing to settle on the surface before I can even get it into the garage and dry it. What then? I don't want to try wiping it with anything because it's never totally clean. Am I better off to just leave it as long as it is dry or is it still better to try wash it?

Also, I can't hose down inside my garage... not enough room and no drain. Suggestions please!

[BadDogPSD]

I am not the OP, but I have the same problem. The fires are close enough now that the ash is really starting to be a problem. It's snowing ash .. and there is no end in sight for a while. My problem is that if I wash the car, the ash is continuing to settle on the surface before I can even get it into the garage and dry it. What then? I don't want to try wiping it with anything because it's never totally clean. Am I better off to just leave it as long as it is dry or is it still better to try wash it?

Also, I can't hose down inside my garage... not enough room and no drain. Suggestions please!

Maybe vacuum or blow it off on a regular basis until the ash stops falling?

[LSNAutoDetailing]

Hmm YOUR science? Ash is safe to dust off in dry state. Only when it is mixed with water does it cause chemical reaction (unless of course you were sick the day they taught that in chemistry in high school).

Dry ash is perfectly safe to be dusted off with a Car duster and all the other 8 step process is totally redundant and unnecessary.

But of course your science involves a 12 step process and at least 6 products and 4 hrs of work and by now me and some people on here get that

I can't speak for the entire forum, however, you will probably find that most "geeks" are hesitant to take dry media (I know... a ca duster is primed with carrinuba wax) to a vehicle. Especially one that has been highly polished and coated. I for one wouldn't do it and you won't win me over on that subject.

That being said, I'm sorry for those that are burning in CA and Montana, and for those that lost everything in Texas. Thoughts are also with Florida with the pending hurricane Irma. There isn't much we can do about Mother Nature or natural disasters.

I respect Bob's opinion and approach. He is one of the most informative and informed members on this forum. And with 18,111 forum posts, he is certainly a major contributor of knowledge, skill, and yes science. When you have both Mike Phillips and Bob (FUNX60) participate in your thread, there is generally no reason to continue searching for answers, especially when two answers corroborate.


Runnerchicki - Welcome to AGO! I see it's your first post. One thing you can do is as Bob and Mike suggest, rinse the vehicle down thoroughly then do either a rinsless or waterless wash once you pull it into the garage. If you choose waterless, saturate the vehicle with the waterless solution, such as McKee's N914. In your case I'd make the mix a bit more concentrated (heavy on the product side) and be sure to use lots of microfiber towels. Mike Phillips has videos describing this method and others call it the Gary Dean method.

Hope this helps!

[RippyD]

My car is pretty well covered in ash right now. Big fire burning about 20 miles away. (Some idiot kid with firecrackers started a fire that is burning up some of the most beautiful scenery in the U.S.) Burning right at Multnomah Falls and the surrounding 10,000 acres. It also jumped a mile-wide river and is burning in Washington as well. 0% contained.

My hood this morning. It was worse this afternoon.



Pic of the fire from earlier today.

[LSNAutoDetailing]

OMG!


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