Palm Tree Pollen - a nightmare!
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From: Miami, Florida
Palm Tree Pollen - a nightmare!
Ok I had an issue lately with my G getting a lot of pollen on it and I had discovered it was coming from the blossoms on the palm trees next to my car. Now I knew pollen is like sand paper and you have to wash it off the car to get it lose before rinsing thoroughly but this stuff had embedded in my paints clear coat and after the wash I found there where thousands of little spots all over the entire top part of the car. Running my hand lightly over the surface revealed it felt like sandpaper and I knew it needed to be clayed.
Anyways just a note here for any other people who have the issue. Here is the fix that worked for me well.
1) Use Dawn or Citrus wash to remove waxes and lose surface contaminants. Use a fire hose nozzle to blast off pollen.
2) Work in 1x1 ft area Dry with microfiber cloth
3) Clay with mothers detailing clay or your choice of clay brand - don't press on clay slide it lightly over paint with lubricant!!! !important pollen has barbs and is like sandpaper so don't press down at all! Just slide it!
4) Dry off lubricant with microfiber towel
5) Use wax-cleaner (my choice meguiars) with orbital machine or in my case a hi-speed buffer with polishing pad and lightly polish area.
6) Wipe polish out residue if left off - in some cases clean with alcohol /water - 50/50
7) Apply a sealant and polish out.
8)apply wax and polish out.
Done!
Yeah its a lot of steps but its the way to do it right. You might have to clay it twice but if not that bad once will do. Of course you must know how to use these chemicals and or machines or you can seriously damage your paint. Pressing hard on the clay bar will scrath your paint as it is I recommend machinnig after since little scratches do occur when claying, but these can be buffed out.
Some of you detail pros might have a different or even maybe better approach to pollen removal that's embedded in clear-coat. If so post a reply with your recommendations. This did work wonders for me though. Just a note I'm not an amateur too. I use to work as a detailer years ago for an exotic dealership. So Ive detailed and hi-speed buffed some of the most expensive cars out there and have experience.
Hope this helps someone!
PS: This may fix the cars paint but the source of the issue (The pollen maker!) needs to be addressed. In my case I was going to chop down the palm trees lol! But I decided Id keep the trees and remove the flowering blossoms from the tree. I did that before I did my car and no more pollen! If it grows another one Ill cut it off quickly.Ill have to deal with it for a little longer this summer until the blossoming is over. Hate summer in Miami!
Anyways just a note here for any other people who have the issue. Here is the fix that worked for me well.
1) Use Dawn or Citrus wash to remove waxes and lose surface contaminants. Use a fire hose nozzle to blast off pollen.
2) Work in 1x1 ft area Dry with microfiber cloth
3) Clay with mothers detailing clay or your choice of clay brand - don't press on clay slide it lightly over paint with lubricant!!! !important pollen has barbs and is like sandpaper so don't press down at all! Just slide it!
4) Dry off lubricant with microfiber towel
5) Use wax-cleaner (my choice meguiars) with orbital machine or in my case a hi-speed buffer with polishing pad and lightly polish area.
6) Wipe polish out residue if left off - in some cases clean with alcohol /water - 50/50
7) Apply a sealant and polish out.
8)apply wax and polish out.
Done!
Yeah its a lot of steps but its the way to do it right. You might have to clay it twice but if not that bad once will do. Of course you must know how to use these chemicals and or machines or you can seriously damage your paint. Pressing hard on the clay bar will scrath your paint as it is I recommend machinnig after since little scratches do occur when claying, but these can be buffed out.
Some of you detail pros might have a different or even maybe better approach to pollen removal that's embedded in clear-coat. If so post a reply with your recommendations. This did work wonders for me though. Just a note I'm not an amateur too. I use to work as a detailer years ago for an exotic dealership. So Ive detailed and hi-speed buffed some of the most expensive cars out there and have experience.
Hope this helps someone!
PS: This may fix the cars paint but the source of the issue (The pollen maker!) needs to be addressed. In my case I was going to chop down the palm trees lol! But I decided Id keep the trees and remove the flowering blossoms from the tree. I did that before I did my car and no more pollen! If it grows another one Ill cut it off quickly.Ill have to deal with it for a little longer this summer until the blossoming is over. Hate summer in Miami!
Last edited by Xcalibur; Jul 6, 2010 at 09:03 PM.
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