VOLCANIC ASH CAN DAMAGE CAR PAINTWORK

[ZippyVR6 0]

Just recieved a press announcement from Autoglym.

 

Motorists across the UK are being warned that the volcanic ash from the Icelandic eruption could damage vehicle paintwork. Car care firm Autoglym has assessed the composition of the ash and issued advice on how to safely remove microscopic residues that have already been deposited, as well as protect a vehicle from subsequent fallout.

 

The ash – now prevalent in Britain’s upper atmosphere – is composed of tiny jagged shards of rock and glass. Once the highly abrasive, acidic ash has fallen on cars, there exists a real danger of damage to paintwork, glass and even to wiper blades.

 

Furthermore, the sulphuric content of the ash means the deposits are more acidic than normal airborne dust, representing an increased risk of corrosion, especially for rubber door and window seals, wiper blades and tyres.

 

Paul Caller, Autoglym CEO explains: “We invest significant sums in researching the impact of road grime and extreme weather conditions on cars, but the fallout from volcanic ash creates an unprecedented challenge for our lab team. The ash contains particles that are substantially larger, harder and more aggressively abrasive on paintwork and glass than normal atmospheric contaminants.

 

“We are concerned that, as many motorists get their buckets and sponges out for the first time in the warmer weather, they could unwittingly cause damage to their own vehicles, unless they take extra precautions when cleaning their cars. Moreover, many forecasts suggest the eruptions will continue and therefore ash deposits may present a risk for weeks, so motorists must take steps to protect their cars from future deposits.”

 

Autoglym’s advice on dealing with volcanic ash deposits:

 

1.Thoroughly soak car bodywork with water to loosen surface deposits

2.Use a pH-neutral car bodywork shampoo solution to neutralise acidic fallout

3.Use a number of smaller buckets rather than a single larger bucket to minimise the risk of ash particles being reapplied to bodywork on the sponge from contaminated water

4.Keep the car wet with clean water while washing with a sponge – this keeps the surface of the paint lubricated to reduce the risk of scratching from any dust that remains on the bodywork

5.Pay special attention to wiper blades – which may scratch the windscreen when sweeping ash across the glass surface – and side window seals – which may harbour dust that scratches windows as they are wound up and down

6.Rinse thoroughly with clean water to remove all shampoo from the car

7.Dry the car using a high quality microfibre drying towel or synthetic chamois

8.Apply a quality polish or high definition wax in order to provide a durable, long-lasting layer of protection, preventing further contaminants adhering to paintwork, and forming a barrier against acidic deposits

9.Use a specialist automotive rubber treatment to cleanse and protect rubber seals, wiper blades and tyre sidewalls

10.Wash frequently until the volcanic eruptions cease to minimise the risk of potential future damage

More information about Autoglym’s range of premium car-care products, and details of nearby retailers, is available at www.autoglym.com or by calling 01462 677766

[Jim Bowen 1]

am thinking i'll just snow foam mine as usual 8)

[Guest]

I don't doubt that there will be a lot of crud falling to earth due to the volcano but the instructions on how to wash you car don't say anything extra over and above how us fanatics already clean our cars... though maybe saying to clean wiper blades and door seal rubber is more than the norm.

 

My blackberry looks quite a state at the moment with loads of grey dusty blobs all over it. I've thought it is ash but then again my Blackberry often looks to be in a state :lol:

[Jim Bowen 1]

its a prime time for them to try and cash in on this, i noticed a statement from turtle wax doing the rounds too, with a link to their products

[VR6 Lee 0]

CHEERS FOR THE HEADS UP BUDDY

[ZippyVR6 0]

HAving read through it agin. It is clearly a markeing stunt undder the guise of being helpfull.

 

ut how the hell can a nutral PH product nutralise an acidic powder? Surely it needs to be mildly alkaline at best?

[craigowl 0]

You have to believe it is a problem if you dont want to take chances with your cars paintwork and glass.

Fallout and pollution is always worse than the man in the street realises.

Drop a spot of dye in a pond and eventually the whole pond will be discoloured due to the molecular movement within the water.

After the Chernobyl explosion we were told the UK was in no danger as the plume was going eastwards. Later it doubled back and the rainfall brought down radioactive stuff like caesium and strontium 90 which is still in our heathland in NW ENgland, Wales and SW Scotland. Lambs are still unfit for human consumption if raised in that area and are still being monitored. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/dec/2 ... restricted

 

The dust on my car a few days ago exhibited the sparkle to be found from crystalline silica. At least clean you wipers and glass before using them. The abrasions can be permanent.

 

A website describes what you have to do in areas where serious ash fallout occurs. You would not believe what is damaged and has to be binned or cleaned by specialists wearing masks, etc.

A bit of a novelty here, but don't underestimate it. Northerly winds expected to reach UK again first couple of days of May. Hopefully volcano will be quiet this time or we could see the same upheaval.

[too hot 0]

I went out this morning and both my cars are covered in light grey/white ash type deposits!!!

Just looks like somone has been smoking and flicked ash at the car,but both are covered as are most in the street.

Out with the snow foam tomorrow. :)

[ZippyVR6 0]

As ever a solid response craigowl. Ta much.

 

The car was a horrible colour and felt really gritty to the touch.

 

I spent a good few hours giving mine the start of season clean up, and a proper coat of swissvax shield. and then it went and rained, so Im sure thee will be more crap when it dries, but atleast I got the wax on first.

[RaddoMan 0]

it comes off with just water

[craigowl 0]

it comes off with just water

 

:wink: Couldn't hose off mine.

[bristolbaron 10]

do you have a pdf of the original press release? could really help a mate out if you could email it to me..

[davidwort 0]

don't forget, at this time of year there's a lot of pollen in the air and (certainly around me) we haven't had much rain for a while and there's obviously a fair amount of dust in the air compared to wet winter weather.

I'm not saying some of the dirt isn't ash fallout, but I'd be more worried about bird poo at this time of year, little bu99ers :lol:

[ZippyVR6 0]

do you have a pdf of the original press release? could really help a mate out if you could email it to me..

 

Baz,

 

Ill mail it to you from work, PM me your email chap.

[craigowl 0]

don't forget, at this time of year there's a lot of pollen in the air and (certainly around me) we haven't had much rain for a while and there's obviously a fair amount of dust in the air compared to wet winter weather.

I'm not saying some of the dirt isn't ash fallout, but I'd be more worried about bird poo at this time of year, little bu99ers :lol:

 

Tons of solid matter go up into the air from the earth every minute of every day. What goes up does mostly come down, though. david is so right about the pollen. It is extremely light, and with convection currents it readily soars up into the clouds on a sunny day.

The pic is of oil seed rape pollen which came down in a shower here a few years ago. There are several acres of it around here, but the fields are some distance away.

Descending air in the evening, or in association with showers or thunderstorms brings a vast amount of stuff (much of it bad) back to earth. Years ago a huge thundercloud over the London area which had been hoovering up all the muck from below let it all go in the evening with the heavy rain. Many, many people - usually asthma or bronchial cases - were admitted as emergency cases to hospitals.

 

Mostly due to mankind (and leaving out volcanoes!) The air is far from clean - even though you can see through it and never usually think about what it may contain. Not trying to be alarmist - I think it is something we should all be aware of.

We live a few miles away from a huge petrochemical complex which once had a release of bromine gas into the atmosphere. The halogen bromine is heavier than air and due to the prevailing northeasterly breeze and a night time temperature inversion it rolled through the Forth Clyde valley to the east of Glasgow where several people with asthmatic/respiratory problems had to be admitted to hospital.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sneachda/4 ... 109145692/

 

So many young people seem to have allergies and asthmatic conditions compared with when i was a boy - even though the Clean Air Act of 1956 IIRC had not come into force. The whole subject is both fascinating and concerning. As usual Wikipedia seems to have reams of stuff available. Choose with the usual caution, though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_pollution