Volcanic Ash

skeete · Post by **skeete** » Thu 15 Apr, 2010 17:51

Back on goes my Hardtop !! I am not having volcanic ash ruining my soft-top.

I think we should all be extra careful when cleaning next because aparently the ash has particles of glass in it which will ruin your paintwork.

Thats all assuming it lands on your car in the first place.. better safe than sorry !

estocks · Post by **estocks** » Thu 15 Apr, 2010 17:57

They say the volcano could continue to produce ash for two years

badboyblue · Post by **badboyblue** » Thu 15 Apr, 2010 18:00

Do you comb your lawn?

smartypants · Post by **smartypants** » Thu 15 Apr, 2010 18:05

Good job we're paying all those green taxes eh?

Daz2626 · Post by **Daz2626** » Thu 15 Apr, 2010 18:06

Just washed the Hood today aswell

indizee · Post by **indizee** » Thu 15 Apr, 2010 18:07

The ash is black, my car is covered in it.....

TitanTim · Post by **TitanTim** » Thu 15 Apr, 2010 18:57

Ermmmm I think you got as much chance a Pidgeon leaving a doo daa on your hood than ash thats way up in the atmosphere. I doubt you will even notice anything at all.

Tim.

rgf · Post by **rgf** » Thu 15 Apr, 2010 18:59

Unless you plan driving at 17000 metres this won't be a problem will it?
I think we will all have got dustier on the Yorkshire cruise last weekend.

Canman · Post by **Canman** » Thu 15 Apr, 2010 19:45

my poor air filter will also be glass particled

. lets run and hide

Post by **Robert T** » Thu 15 Apr, 2010 20:08

Just be glad you don't live in Reykjavik. Just seen a silver car on the news which looks like it has had its bonnet painted black.

And I would be a lot happier if jet engines had air filters on them.

Cheers R.

skeete · Post by **skeete** » Thu 15 Apr, 2010 21:11

I think you will be surprised.. what goes up must come down.

A fine coating of glassy ash on your car and then a sponge wash will make it look like an angry kitten has been at it !

I just think we should er on the side of caution.

smartypants · Post by **smartypants** » Thu 15 Apr, 2010 21:54

We won't see any of it, but its going to be a problem as our aircraft will be grounded because of it!

pingu · Post by **pingu** » Thu 15 Apr, 2010 22:10

You'll notice it if it rains.

If Sahara sand can land on the car, so can Icelandic dust.

Z3_TJK · Post by **Z3_TJK** » Fri 16 Apr, 2010 05:08

I'm currently stuck in KL because of the ash.

Post by **vzh7gk** » Fri 16 Apr, 2010 07:41

I can think of worse places than KL to be stuck!

Air filters on jet engines - have to be a blinking big freeflow filter

Pidgeon doodoo - should try the industrial estate where I work, every building must have 3 or 4 gull nests on again this year. Once the young hatch I'll be back to driving the 90 in to work for a month or so - at least it's quick to wash!

Mike Fishwick · Post by **Mike Fishwick** » Fri 16 Apr, 2010 09:29

What goes up comes down - it's called gravity!

Look at the Telegraph website - the ash is starting to come down in the Uk today - starting with Scotland.

Gazza · Post by **Gazza** » Fri 16 Apr, 2010 15:27

My new toy is smothered with Volcanic Ash, just like tiny glass beads

Geoff H · Post by **Geoff H** » Fri 16 Apr, 2010 16:37

I was suppose to have had a parcel delivered today (Royal Mail next day delivery before 1:00) when it didn't turn up I phoned to see what had happened to it as the tracking message online had changed mid morning, only to be told that parcels weren't getting through because of no flights due to the volcano ........ the parcel was coming from Milton Keynes about 25 miles away !!!

Cloz · Post by **Cloz** » Fri 16 Apr, 2010 16:58

Geoff H wrote:the tracking message online had changed mid morning, only to be told that parcels weren't getting through because of no flights due to the volcano ........ the parcel was coming from Milton Keynes about 25 miles away !!!

Stupidity don't kill.......sadly

Hard Top · Post by **Hard Top** » Fri 16 Apr, 2010 17:05

Geoff H wrote:the parcel was coming from Milton Keynes about 25 miles away !!!

HT

Robin · Post by **Robin** » Fri 16 Apr, 2010 17:22

I've noticed ash on my car way down here in Southampton. I'll be washing it with a hose then very soft brush.
Don't want to drag what is a mixture of very hard glass dust & silicates over the paint work !
Wonder if we'll get extra colourful sunsets.

Jamezee · Post by **Jamezee** » Fri 16 Apr, 2010 21:20

I have only just got the inside cleaned after the yorkshire volcano cruise. Lets hope it all blows over to the Frenchies

Rob Tan · Post by **Rob Tan** » Sat 17 Apr, 2010 07:15

This is the time you need a good car cover, I guess. Grateful that I'm over here in NZ!

motco · Post by **motco** » Sat 17 Apr, 2010 08:55

Rob Tan wrote:This is the time you need a good car cover, I guess. Grateful that I'm over here in NZ!

You've got your own!

Titan · Post by **Titan** » Sat 17 Apr, 2010 09:16

I really don't see what all the panic is about concerning ash on cars

For the particle to be airborne they must be both small and light.
Yes they may be angular and abrasive but are no worse than a dose of sand from the sea side, or soil blown off the fields.
Grit and rubbish thrown up from the road in everyday driving is likely to be far coarser, larger and just as bad if not worse than a bit of the earth's core blown over from Iceland.
Wash your car as normal but don't do what the bloke on TV did -
He wiped his hand across the bumper to see what colour the ash was

Mr Silver · Post by **Mr Silver** » Sat 17 Apr, 2010 10:38

Never mind Icelandic ash, for good quality rubbing compound you should try coarse grade M25 grit...!

Gazza · Post by **Gazza** » Sat 17 Apr, 2010 11:08

Titan wrote:I really don't see what all the panic is about concerning ash on cars
Wash your car as normal but don't do what the bloke on TV did -
He wiped his hand across the bumper to see what colour the ash was

Answered it yourself

I'd suggest hosing the car first before washing with a cloth or sponge

I did mine this morning.

gookah · Post by **gookah** » Sat 17 Apr, 2010 12:00

vzh7gk wrote:I can think of worse places than KL to be stuck!

you been to King's Lynn lately?

Titan · Post by **Titan** » Sat 17 Apr, 2010 16:53

garythefish wrote: Answered it yourself
I'd suggest hosing the car first before washing with a cloth or sponge

Perhaps my previous post wasn't expressed very well.
With or without volcanic fallout, any dust or sand is going to scratch the paintwork / topcoat
What I was trying to say, is that just because it's from a volcano, it's no better or worse then "normal" muck
So just wash your car carefully (unless it's a gorgeous shiny black 'Stang which should be kept locked up out of harm's way

)

Z3_TJK · Post by **Z3_TJK** » Tue 20 Apr, 2010 14:38

Still in KL!

OXO · Post by **OXO** » Tue 20 Apr, 2010 15:26

Z3_TJK wrote:Still in KL!

Isn't that what you get if an australian bear falls on your head?

smartypants · Post by **smartypants** » Tue 20 Apr, 2010 20:56

Still not seen any ash on cars myself

Titan · Post by **Titan** » Tue 20 Apr, 2010 20:59

Check out a Morgan

RB007 · Post by **RB007** » Wed 21 Apr, 2010 16:09

I predict Autoglym sales will go up

But it's good advice on this link.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/articles/20 ... ns-uk-cars

smartypants · Post by **smartypants** » Wed 21 Apr, 2010 16:22

Titan wrote:Check out a Morgan

Its taken me all day to get that!!

Titan · Post by **Titan** » Wed 21 Apr, 2010 17:41

smartypants wrote:
Titan wrote:Check out a Morgan
Its taken me all day to get that!!

Never mind Trevor

seasurfer · Post by **seasurfer** » Wed 21 Apr, 2010 17:59

smartypants wrote:
Titan wrote:Check out a Morgan
Its taken me all day to get that!!

im not saying anything

smartypants · Post by **smartypants** » Wed 21 Apr, 2010 18:19

DC · Post by DC » Wed 21 Apr, 2010 18:54

Check out a Morgan

The only car I've ever had with trim nailed on!
Loved it to bits though, they seem to get the same affection from their carers as Z3's do.

whiteminks · Post by **whiteminks** » Wed 21 Apr, 2010 18:59

smartypants wrote:
Titan wrote:Check out a Morgan
Its taken me all day to get that!!

You silly sod.......... not so smart now are you?

I p155ed myself at that!

Terry on form as ever................ but then he is a cat person............

On the subject of ash............. both of my zeds have had their covers on for the last four days in case the dreaded ash happened to strike.

Feel a bit of a chump driving the 'roller-skate' aka Smart Coupe in such gorgeous weather now it all seems to have come to nothing............

Still one can't be too careful with one's precious Zeds.

smartypants · Post by **smartypants** » Thu 22 Apr, 2010 06:35

Its still slightly on topic so here goes...

P, what covers do you use for your zeds? My Trevor will be parked outside during the summer (storage in the winter), and was thinking of having a cover for it, at least a softop protection (although at the moment its been out in the rain and doesnt leak like my Z3 did!)

Been doing a bit of digging and they just seem more hassle than their worth - i.e. they get dirty themselves, your car has to be spotless and dry before you put them on otherwise you risk scratching and trapping damp etc

How have you found using one? Or do you only use it for Volcanic eruptions?

skeete · Post by **skeete** » Thu 22 Apr, 2010 07:38

I have just moved house and am seriously considering using one on a daily basis as my driveway is surrounded by trees and I have no other place to park..

already I have had big gloops of sap on my paint along with numerous bird bombs. So I think they may have some other uses other than Volcanic eruptions

smartypants · Post by **smartypants** » Thu 22 Apr, 2010 07:42

Lol - I have the odd annoying cat walking over mine, but no birds thankfully!

Bird poo will do a lot more damage than any fine dust people seem to be overly worried about

whiteminks · Post by **whiteminks** » Fri 23 Apr, 2010 13:33

Hi Pants,

I have 2 different covers.

One is heavier than the other but is fully breathable.( It is the OEM Noah cover)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-OEM- ... ccessories

The other is lighter with ventilation holes but dries out more quickly.(OEM Voyager)

It is like this one

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Neu-BMW-Z3-Z-3-Ro ... 2eac70b28d

They are very useful and neither are too bad to get on or off as long as it isn't too windy......... then you might need to 'phone a friend'

I think the most important thing is the fit, which is excellent on both of mine as they don't flap around much at all. I suppose that is the advantage of having OEM.

The only downside is that if your soft top is already wet, you can't put your car cover on top of it else you'll be asking for mould etc..............

I have heard good things of these people and they do an equivalent Voyager for the TVR Griffith, Also my NOAH cover appears to have the same or a very similar construction to their 4 layer Stormforce.

http://www.coveryourcar.co.uk/store/home.php?cat=499

I think a couple of forum members have also been pleased with covers purchased from this company.

http://www.classicadditions.com/classic ... ochure.pdf

I had a look for an OEM TVR Griffith cover but couldn't seem to find one

smartypants · Post by **smartypants** » Fri 23 Apr, 2010 13:46

Brilliant, cheers for that P - much appreciated.

Will give them some thought

whiteminks · Post by **whiteminks** » Sat 24 Apr, 2010 09:42

Covers coming off today and hopefully will get to clean and maybe reproof my soft tops and go for a spin!

The Met Office forecast is that the volcano still has significant plumes but the ash will be blown away from the UK for the next few days.

Post by **Robert T** » Sat 24 Apr, 2010 12:03

Well not much sign of volcanic ash on the zed when I finally got home last night - I was stranded in Copenhagen for 4 days and finished up getting the bus to London and then doing a couple of days work down there. 18 hours on a bus wasn't fun, but it could have been worse.

Zed has been jet-washed this morning in preparation for cleaning and re-proofing the roof this afternoon.

Cheers R.

muppet · Post by **muppet** » Sat 24 Apr, 2010 14:07

pics of what caused it

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/0 ... okull.html

TitanTim · Post by **TitanTim** » Sat 24 Apr, 2010 16:33

Be careful washing the Zed this weekend. I was sceptical that it would be a problem but after using the Zed this week it's covered in dust, abnormally so with a very slight orange tinge, the hood was filthy

The Daily Mail today has warned about washing your car this weekend and reckons thousands of cars paintwork will get ruined as people don't wash their car in the correct way. Have done mine today and made sure the Zed was drenched for a good 20 mins before I even touched it. I used a couple of buckets of clean warm water for rinsing as I shampooed. Be wary washing around the wiper blades as it traps the grit. The Zed looks great again but it was a mess before the wash. The ash looks like very fine grit but is like miniscule shards of glass

Lovely for the paintwork

Tim.