Protecting Vehicle from Dust and Damage

Rob Bakewell · Post by **Rob Bakewell** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 12:47 am

:?: Any tips about how to protect vs dust and damage appreciated.
Is damage to exterior paint inevitable ?
Can putting a tarp over the whole vehicle and cloth over dashboard and seats help ?

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 1:12 am

A tarp flapping against the paint can do more damage. I would try to point the ass end of the car pointed west to southwest and hope for the best. In a worst case scenario, there is NOTHING you are going to be able to do about it.

Worst case is sustained 70 mph winds with gusts over 100 MPH for a day or two. It has happened before.

Nothing is going to prevent damage from a burn barrel, lawn chair, cooler, whatever flying in a hurricane force gale smashing into your car unless you build a garage around the vehicle and anchor it securely to the playa but even then nothing says the anchors won't give way and send your garage sailing to Lovelock.

Abandon hope all ye who pass through that gate. You are at the mercy of the elements.

Most years you will experiance nothing more than a coating of dust. Blow the thing out with compressed air. Set the environmental control to recirculate rather than fresh air as soon as you leave Gerlach headed toward the playa. Don't open your car when you don't have to. Don't start it once you have parked it unless it is some kind of emergency.

spectabillis · Post by **spectabillis** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 5:05 am

AIR RAID!

WHITEOUTWHITEOUTWHITEOUT!

PsyCode · Post by **PsyCode** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 4:21 am

Depends on what tarp you decide to use. A good one from an auto store shouldn't do much damage to the vehicle especially if you have some barrier around the vehicle such as a shelter wall of some sort. Use layers of protection and have a good foundation for that shelter. Small scratches aren't really noticeable on a vehicle, I rented plenty of times. At least wash the car or hire an auto detail shop to make it look good for the rental agency and it should be fine.

transgirl · Post by **transgirl** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 5:10 am

Wait... I'm renting a car, do I HAVE to cover it with a tarp? Is the dust going to ruin the paint or scratch it up WITHOUT a tarp?

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 5:27 am

I think this tarp talk is a bunch of hooey. Today's vehicles have base coat / clear coat finishes. They can handle being out in the playa dust for a week without coming back looking like it was professionally sandblasted. If the playa dust wreaked more havoc on the vehicles going out there you would expect to see a lot more complaints, Cruise America and El Monte wouldn't be letting their RV's go out there, etc.

If you insist on covering a vehicle I'd get a car cover specifically designed for the purpose....vs. using a big old blue/silver tarp that has a much higher potential to scratch things.

As for cleaning up the advice on detailing is good...I tried doing it myself and found it was better to pay the extra money and have a pro detail it out. They have the right stuff to do it fast and by the time you round up all the various supplies, chemicals, and sit down to work on a car that's not yours for an hour or so the detailer's cost is cheap.

benenergy · Post by **benenergy** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 6:32 am

After the burn, get an oil change and change the air filter, anything else?

EvilDustBooger · Post by **EvilDustBooger** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 7:11 am

I`ve found that stuffing some old sheets in and around your dash, over your seats, floor-boards, etc... - will catch alot of dust before it gets to your a/c vents and in to every crevice in your car.

Just get in when it`s time to go, and once you`re away from Dustville, pull the sheets carefully out with the dust on them and toss them in the dumpster at your first stop in civilization.

Works for me, and saves a face full of dust when you turn on your A/C.

Silver 2 · Post by **Silver 2** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 7:23 am

What is largely blowing around out there is dust, not sand or anything grainy.

Go to the store and buy a container of talc, play with it and get an idea of what you will be dealing with. Granted if someone's chair or whatever flys into your car that might be a problem. I would think that a tarp up against the car would be much, much worse.

brayandtrill · Post by **brayandtrill** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 9:02 am

A lot of people are worried about bringing their cars to the playa. We drive every year and have never had a problem. The dust gets in everything, yes, but it's fun to watch the carwash guys trying to get it off (it's like a magic invisible marker...it looks clean but when it dries it comes back).
Park tail to the wind, put a piece of cardboard over the front grill if you like...but clean everything out and change your filters when you get home. We hose all our stuff off with diluted vinegar water to neutralize the alkaline dust then take it to the professionals. It seems to work and it's worth the 35 bucks. Your A/C will smell like playa dust forever though

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 9:19 am

No tarps!

If you can, wax the car before you go. Set your interior fan to recycle when you pull off the road onto the playa and don't set it back to fresh until you get back on the road the following week. When you get home, wash with decent carwash soap including under the hood and the undercarriage. Clean the interior and anything that didn't get hit by the carwash with Pledge wipes. Don't use a wet rag on interior plastic! It will make things worse.

phil · Post by **phil** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 10:25 am

We've rented a cargo van every year since 96. We take it to a car wash that does the interior cleaning by hand (damp cloths and a vac), they run it through, I fill it up and drive it back to the rental agency. They kiss my feet for bringing it back clean, and home I go. Never any paint damage from the playa powder, sun, or whatever. Only from that guy who backed into me. Grrrrr.

My only suggestions are to tape aluminum foil inside all your windows to block the sun entirely and to get used to the smell of playa powder in your car. :->

wanderingpixie · Post by **wanderingpixie** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 1:27 pm

Hiya Phil!

Where is this magic car wash?

If you are willing to reveal the location, that is

phil · Post by **phil** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 1:41 pm

Where is this magic car wash?

The one I use is in my hometown of San Mateo - it's not magic, though, I'm happy to say. Many car washes will vacuum and wipe out your interior, then run the car through the wash, and dry it. It's not one of those self-service washes.

If you want a car wash in Reno, check Louise's page here:
http://civilizedexplorer.pbwiki.com/renoSupplies#was

We've used the Buggy Bath in Reno, but we have not paid for the interior cleaning since our van is still full o' crap till we get back home, so I can't speak for how well they do.

If not in Reno, just check the yellow pages for a 'full service' car wash.

wanderingpixie · Post by **wanderingpixie** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 1:55 pm

I was dreading the inevitable clean-up before returning the van after Burning Man. Now my boyfriend & I don't need to worry about it.

Phil, you're a legend. Thank you so much for this

NancyBen · Post by **NancyBen** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 2:04 pm

If you're really paranoid, you can tape plastic garbage bags over the interior (with masking tape, duct tape leaves residue). I did this one year, and didn't find it to be worth the effort, as I still had to take it to the carwash for the exterior, dashboard, and such. If you're cleaning the car by hand or it's your car instead of a rental, this option might be more appealing.

The biggest thing to be careful about is that you don't put you dusty bags back in the car after you clean it! Make sure you either vacuum them off before putting them back in the car, or put down a clean tarp. This obviously is less of an issue for anyone who's driving home, but it's an issue for those of us who fly in, and need the car to drive back to the airport after cleaning it.

Burp! · Post by **Burp!** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 6:21 pm

The easiest way to protect your car/truck from dust I find is to drive to playa, park and keep the doors closed until you leave. This means not giving your friends access to your vehivcle for any reason, aka not allowed to store their stuff in your car, if you do that, you will return to camp to find the door open, right after a major sand storm, oh and the battery will be dead too.

I find the best method to insure that you don't open your doors at any point during the week is to take your keys and throw them as far as you can (being hit in the head by random keys can be taken up in another thread). Once the week is over go to the lost and found (Mobile and the stationary ones) and get your keys back.

T.

Post by **AntiM** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 7:02 am

Bring an extra box or two of theose giant mega-ziplocks and put your dusty things in the trunk in those. Instant dust containment!

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 9:46 am

Silver 2 wrote:What is largely blowing around out there is dust, not sand or anything grainy.

Go to the store and buy a container of talc, play with it and get an idea of what you will be dealing with. Granted if someone's chair or whatever flys into your car that might be a problem. I would think that a tarp up against the car would be much, much worse.

The Playa don't smell fresh and rosy like that, cowboy.