Salt dust. What does it do?

[RigToFly01]

Being a Northeast commuter and the constant snow and ice that is on the roads. How much does the effect the protection of my car?

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I am referring to the white powder that is on the front driver side head. Thoughts?

[Mirage]

Being a Northeast commuter and the constant snow and ice that is on the roads. How much does the effect the protection of my car? I am referring to the white powder that is on the front driver side head. Thoughts?

To be sure you would need to look at it with an IR camera, but I suspect that will affect the performance both of the receiver and the transmitter. I periodically (for me about every 1-2 years) wet sand my heads to keep them clear and debris free. The front lens is persaplex and will polish smooth as glass. First try to remove the debris with standard cleaners then resort to wet sanding. You might also see if you can find a clear cover for the persaplex and then periodically replace it instead.

[curmudgeon]

I wondered the same thing a little over a year ago. I'll let RedRocket explain, but we had some interesting results last winter. Basically, while the jammers are inhibited, so is the ability of the LIDAR gun to acquire a target.

[RedRocket]

Being a Northeast commuter and the constant snow and ice that is on the roads. How much does the effect the protection of my car?

I am referring to the white powder that is on the front driver side head. Thoughts?

I did a roadside test(last winter,HP-905) by deliberately allowing the road salt grime to build up on my ride.Indeed,there is a degradation in performance on both receive & transmit.The whitish film caused by salt/dirt is a very good diffusion medium to IR photons.I didn't take the time to quantify results by measuring distances before & after.If I had to guesstimate a number I'd go w/ 40-45% performance loss.Mine had about 20% heavier film coating than shown in your pix.

To minimize scratching of the "Perspex" extruded front lens of the Sensor always use a wet solution to wipe clean.Personally,I never use a chemical cleaner/solution of any kind.Just plain water or a handful of clean virgin fresh snow as a lubricant to prevent scratches.I also only clean the Sensors & leave the rest of the car dirty for obvious reasons in the winter time,heh,heh,heh.

Now that I have the higher output AL-P Sensors maybe it's time for a redux...but,I would expect similar results,frankly.As long as we're on this topic,two other conditions result in similar effects -
1. Fog - near impossible to shoot through even at close range.
2. Rear tire road spray at highway speeds on a rainy day,the "rooster tail" of mist is an excellent diffuser of IR if it rises high enough to mask LP & TL's !

[RigToFly01]

Tons of useful information in that post. I knew about FOG but learned about "rooster tail". RR is a fountain of information.

[curmudgeon]

RR is a fountain of information.

He certainly is

[Yellowcab]

+1 on what Redrocket posted. I only use water on my jammer heads.