California Car Duster, "In fact, the 'dirtier' it looks, the better it works! Options

[orthobiz]

So I order the California Car Cover and the guy on the phone asks, do I want to buy one of the famous California Car Dusters? OK, so it arrives.

I didn't do my homework here 'cause I thought it would look like a giant angry cat's tail or ostrich feathers or something, but hey, 20 bucks, how wrong can I go? But this thing looks like an dangly elongated mop head with a short wooden handle.

The mop part feels greasy or treated. Sure enough, the booklet says it's treated with a special paraffin wax. And they imply it is SUPPOSED to look dirty, the DIRTIER it looks the BETTER it works. Like DIRT all of a sudden is GOOD and DUST is no longer ABRASIVE. This thing, like an oil and salt rubbed iron skilllet, gets seasoned with continued use???

The booklet goes on to say if "you feel the need to wash the 'Original' California Car Duster for any reason" you can wash it by hand. Oh yeah, the first few uses may leave streaks, but I shouldn't worry. Heck, I'm worried about scratching paint all the time.

Help me out guys. I've got less-than-concours family cars I can use this on if need be. I can even return it, but I hate returning stuff in general. Is the California Duster a godsend or is it anathema, to be loathed and avoided like the plague?

Paul

[horizontally-opposed]

Very good to know. Makes me want to try a CA car duster. The less often I've got to get my 914 wet, the better.

FWIW, I've found that I can avoid the scratches and swirls by:

1. Washing with three different sponges kept seperately (top, middle, and bottom surfaces)

2. Sweeping sponges front to back in one motion from the front of each panel to the back, then doing it again next to the last sweep

3. Re-soaking sponges after one sweep per side

4. Drying by using soft terry towels laid down and then patted or "swept" by hand without moving the towel on the paint.

Sounds complicated/anal, but it adds zero time to my washing procedures once I got it down. I think the key to the improved results was steps 1 and 2 + the lack of draging a towel or chamois across the paint to dry it.

pete

[mightyohm]

I'm sitting here wondering how you guys keep your cars clean enough that one of those silly dusters can do the job! My cars typically change color by 3 shades when I wash them. Of course I do park outside most of the time. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)