[JustBNme]

Ahh-h-h-h, the beauty and frustrations of those early days signaling the end of another winter and the return of warm weather. . .

Left behind--a whole season of bad weather and driving conditions assaulting your vehicle's surfaces :td:, and you're itchin' to get that baby all spiffied up and gleaming again--especially since you haven't had a garage, barn, or other enclosure available to protect that normally well cared for finish.

But wait ! What's this stuff that's suddenly adding to the accumulation of bird droppings and grime??? No matter what the original color, every vehicle is taking on a powdery, greenish-yellow coat like some kind of dust . And from inside, look out any window and observe thousands of miniscule droplets stuck to the outer surfaces. They look--but don't evaporate--like mist .

For those of you who experience it, you already know the nature of this lament. The oak trees have "tasselled out", sending virtual clouds of tree pollen :td: and fresh droplets of sap :td: :td: upon the winds that gust in all directions. At least it's not pine sap. For some, eyes water and allergies flare. Meanwhile the tassels dry, falling earthward, so gravity can carry them to every nook and cranny of your vehicle not already stuffed full of leaves from those very same trees.

Left alone, the tassels quickly form mats which can be removed with moderate effectiveness--but dare touch those little stragglers hooked into some crevice, and watch it disintegrate into tiny crumbs small enough to escape through (or clog) most any screen, particularly the fresh air intakes below the windshield.

But hey, just give 'er a good washin' and polish everything, then all should be well again, right? Well, sort'uh . A good wash at least gets the current layer of goo off, but thanks to the hardness factor of your water supply, you've gotta chamois 'er dry. No matter where you park, you can never get completely finished before you begin hitting new sap droplets, thanks to those gentle breezes flowing all about. And polish??? Who wants to blend sap and pollen into that magic formula of your favorite product(s)? Not me. Too much work to redo or deal with later .

I know that eventually, the oak trees will get past this phase--but wait--what's this I see now? Oh yeah, the pecan trees are about to start the whole process over again. . .

 

[Brandon1]

My reaction went from to to to and finally :devil: at the pollen.

For anyone that has trouble with pollen, a coating on the paint/glass with an anti-static detail spray (FK1 425 or Clearkote Quickshine) will reduce pollen sticking. Also, wax with a sealant this time of year, carnaubas attract major dust.

Water-based tire dressing also helps on everything this time of year, pollen wont stick to waterbased dressings, but it will to silicone dressings. I like armor all this time of year.