Pollen cleaning off new paint - advice?

[XH29N0G]

I took my car for a drive today and came back with many little (oak?) pollen grains stuck to the paint,  They are sticky and smear when wiped.  Any advice on how to clean them off? 

[73rallye440magnum]

What are you wiping with?

Detailer of choice and a microfiber?

[Lord Warlock]

soap and water works with pollen, a leaf blower also works for heavy concentrations, we have lots of oaks around here, great place if you like having yellow cars. 

[XH29N0G]

What are you wiping with?

Detailer of choice and a microfiber?

Yes, the pollen comes off, but it takes some time and I am wondering whether there are other things I should be doing.

[73rallye440magnum]

How nice is your paint job?

If you keep it waxed contaminants will wipe off easier.

[XH29N0G]

The paint is nice. 

When I asked the people who did the restoration about caring for it, they suggested instead of waxing to keep it dust free and to use microfiber and detailing solution. 

I am not certain this is the best for my situation (I like to drive the car).  So I was also going to ask about the goods and bads of waxing.  And whether there were certain types of waxes I should look into.

[Ghoste]

I like to put a coat of wax on in the beginning of the year and then use the detailer and microfiber method the other 95% of the time.

[73rallye440magnum]

Did they defend their suggestion to not use wax?

If your paint is fully cured it is safe to wax. A coat of wax acts as a barrier between your finish coat and the elements.

When you drag anything across the surface of your paint you're scratching it. This holds true when you are wiping dust off with a microfiber. Yes, the detailer is chemically engineered to 'lift' contaminants, and your microfiber is designed to 'trap' them. They are well designed, but not 100% effective and not always used correctly.

Frequent waxing decreases the likelihood of occurence of fine scratches when wiping down the surface with microfiber and detailer. Don't ever repeatedly rub back and forth a stubborn contaminated area with a microfiber or any other cloth. This will scratch your finish. If contamination is not removed with a wipe across the surface, polish it off with a wax.

[WHITE AND RED 69]

I've never heard anyone say NOT to wax your car unless it was just painted and has not fully cured?  

Have you tried a clay bar for the pollen? My daily gets covered in tree sap and the clay bar always works miracles on it.

And remember the detailer sprays are supposed to be for touch ups. If the car is dirty use soap and water and give it a proper wash. Use some compressed air on the spots like window trim to get out the hidden puddles and you'll be fine.

I like to use a paint sealant underneath the wax to protect the clear. Sealant is stronger and lasts longer and the wax gives it the shine I like. And with the extra layers it makes cleaning a whole lot easier.   

[XH29N0G]

I've never heard anyone say NOT to wax your car unless it was just painted and has not fully cured?  

Have you tried a clay bar for the pollen? My daily gets covered in tree sap and the clay bar always works miracles on it.

I think the folks who did the work are pretty particular and did not understand why they did not suggest waxing.  I asked about caring for the paint and they said really just wiping it gently with a microfiber and using Mother's showtime detailer.  I am scratching it ever so finely with the present procedure so if I could strengthen it that would be good.

This removed the pollen.  It really was a grain every 5 or 6 inches, but it really stood out sitting on the paint.

What type of wax is the best to use.  

 

[Lord Warlock]

The only time i've heard of a recommendation not to wax a car was on a fresh paint job, where the paint shop recommended six weeks without wax to let the surface fully cure, not sure why considering when I paint a car, the car is pretty much cured completely in a couple days where I can then start wetsanding and polishing the orange peel in the clear to get a flat surface.  Once I've polished and buffed it out I feel no hesitation to apply a wax to seal in the finish. 

The best waxes to use are those with a high carnuba wax content, since thats what most of the high end products use, but high content carnuba isn't easy to work with, which is why some use other products. 

A grain of pollen every 5 or 6 inches?  you would absolutely freak living where I do, park it outside at work one day freshly washed in the morning and come out after work and find it covered in pollen, i'm talking a blanket with maybe 1000 grains per foot. 

[XH29N0G]

Thank you. 

What is the best way to work with carnuba waxes (where can I look for good directions so I know what is difficult) and what will I need to do this right?  Also which brands are best to use?

The pollen can be much much higher.  This was from pulling the car out of the garage and taking it for a spin.  I also had dusted the car so this was the grains that stuck.  I thought I would ask because from past experience I have learned that leaving a car outside can result in a lot of problems with pollen.  In this case it was mostly inside, except for a drive of about an hour.

[Lord Warlock]

I can only recommend searching the internet for wax techniques.  A quick search brought up good reviews for Mothers California Gold Carnuba paste wax, from what i've tried over the years the high carnuba content stuff is hard to work with as it is almost solid.  There are newer popular products people swear by, like Zaino which is a multi step process usually involving clay bars, sealants and wax steps, not a quick 1.5 hour wax job.  I've tried numerous different waxes over the years and really can't say which is better than others, they all seem to work, some look better than others.  On my new challenger RT I use Griotts polishes, sealant and waxes, but the challenger has a pretty good shine without any wax on it. 
For my daughter's car, I use Liquid Glass, as it is simple to put on and usually simple to take off, the more coats you put on it the glossier it tends to look, for a once a month wax job it does a decent job keeping the car shiny.  I've seen zymol for years in the stores but haven't tried it yet,  I've tried lots of different products, liquid glass is pretty much the easiest to use that i've found.  But it isn't a carnuba wax either. 
I use 3M or Meguires products for most of my polishing work with a buffer, and have 3M yellow wax to use as one of the final stages I usually use a spray detailer after I finish waxing which helps remove wax residue in tight areas or where i may have missed earlier. 


A good wax job on the car will make it easy to remove pollen, basically you'd just spray it off with a hose, then use a leaf blower to blow the water off. 

[c00nhunterjoe]

I use lucas spraywax for wipedowns. Smells like bubblegum and works great. If its stubborn and a wash job doesnt take it off then i would claybar next followed by a good wax for protection.

[XH29N0G]

Thanks both.  This list is great.

[WHITE AND RED 69]

There are tons of great products on the market just comes down to what you like to use.

Mothers, Ammonyc, Meguiars, Adams polishes, and griots are the stuff I have liked the best.