Irvine, Calif. – Ash from the fires currently burning across Southern California can cause serious damage to automotive finishes if left standing for extended periods of time or exposed to moisture.
Short-term ash exposure will not harm automotive finishes as long as the vehicle remains dry, according to car finish expert, Barry Meguiar, who’s also the President of Meguiar’s Inc., the leading maker of car care products. The problem is cars will not stay dry for long.
The elements in wood ash, including calcium, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium pose a serious risk of chemical etching when these elements are mixed with water. As an example, potassium mixed with water has the potential to become potassium hydroxide, which would have characteristics similar to Draino.
Leaving your ash-covered car outside overnight may well result in chemical etching, when nighttime dew reacts with the chemical compounds. This can cause serious damage that can easily devalue the value of your car and possibly require repainting. It's important to understand that ash particles will continue to permeate our airflow even after the fires are extinguished.
If your car sits outside at night, your best defense against chemical etching is to remove the ash that has accumulated throughout the day before you leave your car for the night. “If you don't have the time to wash your car, the quick way to prevent your paint from being damaged is to use a mist and wipe product like Meguiar's Quik Detailer each day until the danger is over,” according to Meguiar.
That's what I did and it just took a couple of minutes. Beats a new paint job.
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