Will Fire Ash Hurt the Prius Paint?

[mrblaise]

I'm pretty close to some of the wildfires burning in California. Ash is settling down on the cars. Is the fallen ash bad for the paint job or any other aspect of the car? Thanks for any input.

[KK6PD]

Yes ASH is BAD!!!! Its GRITTY, ACIDIC, and generally a pain in the butt! I would wash it off ASAP and somehow if possible cover your car!! At least you should have a really good coat of wax on the car!!

Good Luck, been there done the fire thing in LA!!

73 de PAT KK6PD

[sdtundra]

Haha, back in 2003 i lived in an older area in the same community where i am now. The Ceder Fire burned down just about every house on the street but ours and a few others. My moms 2004 Avalon and 1998 Honda Accord has been through the Ceder Fire in 2003(the Avalon had just been bought the week before, October 15, 2003) and the Witch Creek Fire in 2007. Just make sure you rinse it and cover it up. If not, after everything calms down, wash it and then give it a nice clay/polish job followed by some Meguiars Cleaner Wax and another coat of NXT 2.0 Wax to give it a nice shine. Good luck up there, be safe

I would for sure change your air filter and cabin air filter after this is all done so you dont keep inhaling the smoke

[priusenvy]

Originally Posted by KK6PD

Its GRITTY, ACIDIC, and generally a pain in the butt!

Anyone who's put wood ashes in soil knows that wood ashes are alkaline, not acidic. They raise the pH of your soil.

Wood Ash in the Garden

[patsparks]

Anyone knows who ever took a piece of furniture to be stripped, they place it in a caustic (read alkaline) bath to soften the paint. Wash it off and cover the car.

[mrblaise]

Thanks for the advice everyone... I appreciate your thoughts and input.

[GatorJZ]

The ash is alkaline. If allowed to settle on the car and combine with moisture, it can definitely etch your paint. Don't just quickly hose it off, properly wash the car. You might want to consider a quality paint sealant such as Ultima Paint Guard Protection topped with a quality wax (very reasonably priced Collinite 476s is one of the most durable waxes on the planet) to provide maximum environmental protection. Then garage it or cover it.

[N3FOL]

Ash and painted surfaces definitely don't mix. I would also give it a good wash and wax the car thoroughly + a car cover to keep it clean.

That forest fire in California is still active...if hope FF get them under control soon. Regards.

[HardCase]

I am unaware of the science of ash versus paint, but last summer we had some big fires nearby and several ash-falls as a result. In fact, it seems to happen around here almost every summer anymore. I just washed it off like you'd wash any dirt or grit off of a car, and everything seemed fine. I am unaware of anyone local experiencing catastrophic or permanent damage to their car paint-jobs as a result of ash fall. Same deal many years ago when we got dumped with several inches of the stuff as a result of the eruption of Mount Saint Helens.

[thedutchtouch]

wrong coast for me, but this is a decent article- abc7.com: Keep your car free of soot, ash 12/01/07