Static on a Tonneau Cover

[Snowman]

Ok, I have a question for you all and not sure if anyone has a solution. It seems that when I wax my tonneau cover that I get this serious build-up of static on it and it attracts everything. Is there anything out there or any secret to getting rid of this static and it may also be because I live in a very dry area with not much moisture. That is how most of Colorado is. Thanks,


Trent

[Murr1525]

Could it be grounded somehow to get rid of it?

[Snowman]

not sure on that one. It currently is on the truck and I am not sure if there would be some way to do that. I have heard some people say to spray it with that Static Guard stuff you can buy at the store in the orange little can but not sure about that one or if it would hurt the finish.

[gb387]

Originally posted by Snowman
not sure on that one. It currently is on the truck and I am not sure if there would be some way to do that. I have heard some people say to spray it with that Static Guard stuff you can buy at the store in the orange little can but not sure about that one or if it would hurt the finish.

I get that on my vinyl tonneau when I use a dressing and wipe down, yes the dust likes it too.

[Mike Phillips]

The static charge build up when your hand moves back and forth over the surface for example wiping off wax, so it's an inherent problem with the process and the nature of the materials, i.e. the paint, the fiberglass material the tonneau cover is made out of and your wiping cloth.

Water will remove the static charge, for example misting on some water with a trigger spray, even a quick detailer should do this, but then when you go to wipe either of these off you're back to creating the static charge again.

Catch-22


Grounding may help while you're working on it, I think you can do this by hooking up some jumper cables to a outside water faucet or anything metal in the ground, even a metal stake pounded into the lawn should work.

[Snowman]

Thanks Mike, I might have to try and think about some of these tips if it starts to bug me too much...LOL It is sad though when you get it nice and clean and then all this dust and particles get attracted to it over night.

[the other pc]

Unless the tonneau is made of metal (most are fiberglass), carbon fiber or some other conductive (or at least static dissipative) material grounding will have little or no effect.

What kind of towels are you using?

Any time you rub two different materials together you get a static building effect called "triboelectric charging". The effect is heavily dependent on what materials are involved.

Moisture in the air and absorbed into the surface will help dissipate the charge. That's why static buildup is worse in dry climates and almost negligible in very humid places.

If you're using microfiber towels and getting a lot of static you might try wiping the surface with a water based product like Quik Detailer and a 100% cotton towel. Conversely, if you're getting the charging with cotton towels you might try microfiber.


PC.

[Snowman]

well the cover is made of fiberglass and is a LEER product. I currently use a towel of 100% cotton on the cover. Teh results are great but the static just gets me all the time. I will have to try the detailer because it seems that more than one person has mentioned trying that and see what happens. Here is a shot of the cover and the results I am getting and why I hate to see everything from towel particles to wax dust getting attracted and sticking! Plus it stands out more with the darker color.