White residue

[Paul Higg]

Has anyone else had this problem? On Christmas Eve my wife and I went to her Mom's house and while we were there it rained like crazy.

I drove it home and put it the garage like always but I didn't drive it for two days. When I went out there I found several small piles of VERY fine white powder under the right rear tire and that area, and the right door area on the floor. Not the left side of the car.

Since I live in Georgia where it never snows and they don't salt the roads I do not know what this is. I have driven it home in torrential rains before and this has never happened. Any ideas? Could this be corrosion? All I can think is that it may POSSIBLY be because we parked on a dirt/gravel driveway. But we have done this many times in the past in the rain also. So where could this white powder come from? It had the texture of talcum powder and it was actually in little piles. Thanks for your help.

Paul

 

[not4spd]

this may sound dumb but is the ceiling of the garage flaking off and falling. You might also chech the car care section. I just got done reading the detailing info and I remember reading about some whit residue that tires can create. You might read through it. Hopefully you find out what it is. Please post when you find out.

 

[Paul Higg]

Well, it is a brand new house, so nothing falling. Besides, it was under the car in little piles. Like it FELL from the car. I should have taken some photos of it. It is very strange. I have never seen anything like it. It almost looks like aluminum corrosion. But, like I said, after working jets for 30 years I have seen a lot of corrosion but I have never seen it fall in little piles like this.

Since it rained previously I am assuming it was something that dripped off the car with the water and when the water dried there it was. I felt it and it felt like flour. Not grainy like salt. Very fine, almost like talcum. It didn't have an odor and no, I didn't dare taste it. If it happens again I will be sure to take photos. I wish I knew chemistry or knew a chemist.

I was just wondering if anyone else has ever seen a similar situation.

Happy New Year ya'll from Georgia, (even though I'm originally from Boston, I'm okay now.)
otfl

 

[kenmack]

Could be

Could be the bags holding the cocaine in the frame rails finally brokeotfl

 

[Toms007]

Paul, it does sound like the kind of cr@p we get from the roads around here in the winter. Not necessarily salt, but the chemicals they treat the roads with, but I can't imagine them using them in Georgia.

 

[tcxd40]

From your description it does appear to be aluminum dust. However the area in which you described there is no aluminum. The rear extension bar is well behind the tire area and the doors are SMC bonded to a steel frame.

My guess is that you ran over something close to home that after the car sat it had time to run off on to the floor.
tcxd40

 

[doublefoxed]

sure hope it's not fluffy the cat residue... otfl

 

[Paul Higg]

Thanks for your serious and not-so-serious replies!

My guess is was something IN the rain. I let the car sit un-driven in the garage for at least two days. In fact, when I went out to drive it was still wet! I was surprised. The puddles were under the car for a while too. But as it slowly dried out they appeared. Could it have been wax? I had just waxed it recently. It was one of the hardest rainstorms to hit it since I bought it.

IF it was bags of cocaine it would be from the last owner, I SWEAR

Gosh, imagine if that happened to you in real life? You buy a car and the last owner used it so smuggle drugs and you get busted with it? hnoes

I remember working an L-1011 once that we had just gotten from Eastern and when the guys opened the ceiling panels they found a huge amount of marijuana. The police came to the hangar and everything.

Paul

 

[Rabbit]

Has anyone else had this problem? On Christmas Eve my wife and I went to her Mom's house and while we were there it rained like crazy.

I drove it home and put it the garage like always but I didn't drive it for two days. When I went out there I found several small piles of VERY fine white powder under the right rear tire and that area, and the right door area on the floor. Not the left side of the car.

Since I live in Georgia where it never snows and they don't salt the roads I do not know what this is. I have driven it home in torrential rains before and this has never happened. Any ideas? Could this be corrosion? All I can think is that it may POSSIBLY be because we parked on a dirt/gravel driveway. But we have done this many times in the past in the rain also. So where could this white powder come from? It had the texture of talcum powder and it was actually in little piles. Thanks for your help.

Paul

Just a guess, but if it's a new house chances are it's just some minerals from the concrete floor leeching up? I assume you have a concrete floor?:confused

 

[Paul Higg]

Yup, concrete floor. But I just came in from my daily walk and I decided to look under the car. I had driven it yesterday on a very dry day. Well, directly inboard about three inches from the forward edge of the left rear tire there is a pile of it again. No water yesterday. Floor was dry too. All I can think of is corrosion dropping? I am going to see if it ohm's out with a DVM. Just curious.

Paul

 

[tonylong]

You could try CAREFULLY dripping a little battery acid on some of the stuff - protect your skin and eyes. If it bubbles or froths, it may indicate an active ingredient (metalic, baking soda, not salt though).

 

[Paul Higg]

Good idea Tony but I have a sealed battery.

 

[tonylong]

Good idea Tony but I have a sealed battery.

Use vinegar.

 

[Paul Higg]

I am going to try it NOW and get right back to you! Good idea! I am not a chemist.

 

[gmjunkie]

Thanks for your serious and not-so-serious replies!

Heck Paul,if you was closer I'd Snort some of it and tell you how bad it had been stepped on!!

 

[Paul Higg]

Are you SERIOUS??? Junk, what does stepped on mean anyway? I never stepped on it. It's just a little pile. I'll take a couple of pix too.

Paul

 

[Paul Higg]

Well, I tried it with vinegar BUT, all I had was rice vinegar, I do not know if there is a difference. It didn't do anything.

Here is a photo of where it is located. It is very small but after the rainwater dried up the piles were about 1/2" high!

 

[tonylong]

Heck Paul,if you was closer I'd Snort some of it and tell you how bad it had been stepped on!!

Yah. I hear ppl from Zero Beach will do anything.
LOL Used to live in Indian River - before the great 'cane removed it.

 

[tonylong]

"Here is a photo of where it is located. It is very small but after the rainwater dried up the piles were about 1/2" high!"

Ye Gods, that's all?? I wouldn't have even noticed anything that small.
Take the car to a car wash and make sure they spray up and under.
If it didn't foam with the vinegar then it's not reactive and is probably sand of something neutral. You might try liquid drano - same precautions with skin and eyes. Or send some to GMJunkie - let him check it out.

 

[Paul Higg]

Tony, I had a BUNCH of piles of it. It was all along the entire right side of the car ONLY on the right side and under it. I really did have a lot of it. I pulled the car out and vacuumed it all up. Now some is back. With no rain or wet roads. I was just wondering if anyone else has seen this. I have owned a gazillion cars and bikes in my life and I have never seen this. It was after a VERY heavy rain where the rain fell on it for three hours while it was outside at my wife's Mom's house. Then garaged. Still wet three days later. When it started to dry the piles appeared.

When I felt it it felt like extremely fine powder. No graininess at all. ONLY on the right side though. I WISH I had taken photos of it, what a dumb-a$$ I am sometimes!