stoverz28

iTrader: (8)

I live in an area thats very dusty, lots of gravel trucks everywhere and everytime i take my car out of the neiborhood it gets covered in dirt. In the past I have used my duster very often, almost daily, and recently i noticed some swirls starting on the rear bumper (its newly repainted) in the direction i usually dust.

My thoughts are that its exactly like writing in the dirt on someones car, dirt gets rubbed against the paint causing small scratches/swirls.

I havent used it in atleast a month and am getting tired of washing my car all the time. Am I right in thinking this or am I just crazy? Your thoughts and experiences are appreciated.

OEM_TA

So far I have not experienced any problems with my California Dusters.
We use them on 3 cars and see no swirls, scratches, etc.
Since it seldom rains out here I use mine almost every time I take the car out (at least once / week)
Now, given the fact that you say the car has been freshly painted maybe the paint has not cured completely yet and is still a bit soft.
Also I guess if you have gotten some grit embedded in the duster that may cause problems if you apply too much pressure.
So far I pleased with the way mine work. Its about 5 years old.
I do wash it every 5-6 months but let it air dry.
The other one is about 4 months old and is used on our new vehicle.

stoverz28

iTrader: (8)

I say fresh but really the paint is about 8-10 months old. Do you just wash it with your clothes in the washin machine? Also are you using it on a darker color like NBM or black?

gable2000ta

iTrader: (2)

i have nbm and stopped using my cali duster cause id have scratches pop up where i dusted it...

SSNISTR

iTrader: (10)

The "dirtier" they are the better they work in some ways. I laid mine in a bed of newspaper to get the "grease" out of it. I'm not a fan of them though....

chrysler kid

iTrader: (14)

hasnt been a problem on my nbm car, but then again i wax my car atleast once a week so if it gets dusty it doesnt scratch the finish

car wouls sit in a parking garage for weeks on end in lubbock, usually accumulate an inch of red dust after two or three days and using my duster never caused scratches or swirls

ArcticZ28

iTrader: (14)

Think about it... there is no place for the dirty to go between the material and the paint when you're dragging it around. Yes, it will pick dirt up and does that well. But, only after it drags it across the surface. I think the only way you could ever prevent that from happening is to only use it for very very minimal dusting on cars with hard clear coats. Personally, I don't think it's worth the risk. To others, it is, due to the time savings from actual washing. It's up to you.

Runamuck

light dust, it will not damage, you gotta barely touch the surface. if you try and get hard dirt off, or large particles it will cause marks.

98 WS6

iTrader: (20)

Agreed.. If the car is really dirty/dusty, picture using your California Duster as taking a paper towel and moving back and forth on the dirt. I would only use it if its somewhat light dust, everything more than that should be washed off.

NHRAMAN

iTrader: (1)

I wash mine in the sinks/tubs 2x a month or so.....used only for dust.

Runamuck

its litreally used for these kind of situations:

Car washed in the last few days, and is always garaged, you want to go cruise and theres some garage dust on car from sitting = Good for the Duster!

Car washed before a car show or just washed period.. you drive it down the street, and some guy drives off a dirt driveway and you drive thru a dust cloud = ok to use!

i mean the finest dust, or spider webbing, stuff like that, is what the duster was made for, if it would'nt come off with a shot of compressed air, do not use the Duster on it.

stoverz28

iTrader: (8)

I live in a small town with a large cement plant and lots of gravel trucks. The streets are packed with dirt everywhere until you get into austin.

I used to use it maybe 3 days after a wash. I dont drive my car daily and it sits under a car port, but I guess all the heavy dirt is too much. Ill probably be leaving it in the closet from now on.

NightWindDriftr

iTrader: (4)

The Cali Car Duster will streak when it's new because of the wax coating. It will cause marring if there are particles heavier than dust and you don't have a layer of wax or a layer of sealant. Unless you've kept a fresh layer of wax or sealant, I wouldn't use it.

For cars that don't have said layers, I would sooner opt for a microfiber towel for light dusting. If you don't have one, and after looking at the mirror and shaking your head at yourself, you may resort to a Swiffer duster. Not the mop one; the furniture one.

Good luck.

LS1BLKSS

iTrader: (36)

i used one on my car i didn't like ittt i was afraid it would **** up my paint!

Runamuck

IMO quick detailers are alot better to use for getting rid of dust.
Adams detailer spray is some of the best stuff i used.

OEM_TA

Yes, wash it in the machine with some towels on gentle cycle, then air dry.

The car is Chameleon (or Mystic Teal to some folks).
The car is also waxed on a regular basis and garage parked so its always just fine dust that I am removing.

Steve P

iTrader: (6)

To the original question:

Techically speaking, a Calif. duster can not can swirl marks as described. Only improper use of rotary polisher can inflict true swirl marks or holograms. However, you can inflict light surface scratches with improper use(heavy pressure dragging larger dust particles) of the duster or trying to remove excessive dust from surface.

I have 2 dusters that I use on my own personal cars on occasion. The dusters have never been washed in the entire time I have owned them (6 and 11 years). The dirtier they get, the better they work. The duster does have its place. But for the most part, if you not sure about the amount of dust on the surface, it is safer to just wash it.



Almost never washed, just using the duster. Virtually scratch free.

frisky2101

iTrader: (8)

had mine for about 4 yrs never washed and haven't even noticed any scratches

then again i do wax it almost every month.

pwterz28

iTrader: (10)

steve, what about using a qd with a micro towel to dust

-98-Z28-Darkness-

iTrader: (7)

i have a black car and i only use the duster wen i have light dust
once i wash my car i use it one or twice a day till it gets too full of dust or just dirty like(birds crap, finger prints and water marks)...
since i do it once a day usually it keep my car looking cleaner for about the whole week or else i would need to wash it every 2 days!