ORIGINAL: BaltimoreStreetMods

After a few reports of this (all replaced at my cost) I finally saw a pattern. Most of the cars that were reporting this problem were either near, or in the prevailing wind pattern of all the wildfires we have been having lately. I have always warned, when asked, about tree pollen, bird droppings, etc, but the rate of reports (about 1 in 50sets of silver, much too high to be random) prompted me to try to find a common denominator. Turns out I was half right. According to an article in the LA Times:

"So I went to the superagency that manages our air, the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The scientists at AQMD are on top of this one. They have seen the yellow spots, collected samples, put them under a microscope and have concluded they are bee pollen, said agency spokeswoman Tina Cherry.

I wondered why bees would drop their pollen, when they should be carrying it back to the hive to make honey. AQMD's explanation seemed close but not quite correct. Susan Cobey, a research associate at the UC Davis bee laboratory, said it is not pollen but bee poop -- or more politely, digested pollen.

"The bees mix the pollen with a little bit of honey and put it in a basket on their legs, so it is in there pretty securely and doesn't fall out," Cobey said.

However, bees follow certain regular flight lines, so parking your car under one of these high traffic bee routes can make for a big mess from bees dropping their waste, which they do more often at certain times of the year, particularly in the spring.

The bee droppings are acidic, but Cobey isn't sure how they affect car paint. She finds that if she wets down her car and lets it set, the bee droppings dissolve and can be washed away.

Bad things' falling from the sky is a timely issue, given the thick layer of smoke and soot created by the wildfires across the region. It is highly alkaline and very abrasive, according to the Auto Club and other experts.

The club advises garaging cars until the air clears and quickly washing ash off cars.

Meguiar's Inc., an Irvine-based producer of car care products, said the soot and smoke contain chemicals that can eat into the finish. They include calcium, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. The potassium can form potassium hydroxide, the main ingredient in drain cleaner, said Gary Silvers, vice president for research and development at Meguiar's.

A number of experts say it is vital to get the soot and ash off cars as quickly as possible. In some cases, experts advise blowing it off before wetting it down. A more conventional approach is to completely flush the car with water, use a good automotive soap and a washing mitt that will not grind the ash into the paint." - excerpted from latimes.com "Here's the buzz on those spots on your car.", By Ralph Vartabedian, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer October 31, 2007 You can read the entire article at: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedi...news-highway_1

As always, I back up my product, and at the end of the day I want every stang to look good, so never hesitate to give me a shout if you run into issues.