Best Method For Drying a Car ??

A

Aletank

New member
Whats best for drying a car after washing ?



I use to use a chamois leather but changed to a synthetic chamois, thinking of a micro-firbre drying towel now.



I have a black car so somthing that gives the least swirls the better but quick drying results.



Thanks for Ya Inputs :up
 
I just bought a Toro leaf blower(electric) and it works great;gets 99% of the water off.Make sure you get one that blows at least 200 mph.I think the model # is 51591
 
northstar518 said:
I just bought a Toro leaf blower(electric) and it works great;gets 99% of the water off.Make sure you get one that blows at least 200 mph.I think the model # is 51591
Click to expand...



At first I thought you were joking and I laughed my butt off.



Now I'm not sure.



Take me out of my misery - Are you serious?
 
freedre- Yeah, he's serious. A number of Autopians use a leafblower to get most of the water off. As long as it isn't contaminated with something (that'd get blown onto/across the paint), it'll get the vehicle pretty dry with no touching at all (and the less you touch the paint the better).



Even those of us who use towels (WWs for me too) often use compressed air to blow the water out of nooks and crannies so we don't get water spots.



Generally, make sure that a) the vehicle really *is* clean before you dry it, b) your towels are soft enough that they won't mar the paint and absorbent enough to soak up the water.



Blotting beats wiping as there's less friction against the paint. Even with soft towels against clean paint, it's a good idea.
 
I threw my synthetic chamois away years ago and had used washed terry towels until I tried a purple waffle towel.Guess where the terry towels are now!

Once you use a waffle towel you will never go back.

I wonder what's next.......
 
Using a blower can kick up alot of dirt and dust from your garage floor too, that's the downside of it and when you go to wipe...you know what happens next.
 
First I blow off my driveway,then I do the car.If your'e careful you wont damage the paint and you'll save yourself a lot of work.I didn't come up with this idea on my own;I had read many posts on various forums about this method of drying the car.Never do it in the garage though;even with a 2 car there's just not enough room to avoid touching the car with the blower tip.
 
ive used a leaf blower to dry my car also... it gets the water out of all the cracks and crevices. but i only use it when i am short on time. i just purchased the ultimate drying towel, and it surprised me. it works so much better than a chamois, and will not create swirls, (considering all dirt/dust was washed away with the car shampoo). i just purchased two more because of how well it works. i was skeptical at first, but not anymore. the best way in my opinion, is to take the nozzle off the hose, and let the free flow of water sheet off all the water, leaving relatively little water to dry with the towel afterwards...
 
Yup, Aletank. If you're a NORMAL person, hehe, or an 'Autopian' in the making, like me, the simplest method that I use is the sheeting water method followed by a quick swipe in the few remaining areas with an absorber or waffle-weave microfiber towel.
 
In addition to blowing the driveway first, afterwards, wet it down good to keep any remaining debris from potentially kicking up on the car while washing
 
I rather like my synthetic chamois. I've been using the absorber for a long time, and it seems to work really well by blotting and wringing out. No scratches or micromarring that i can tell from it (car's black, but its got so much crap on it anyway i might not be able to tell even if it was leaving marring). I rather like the synthetic chamois. It's all a matter of personal preference though.
 
In my experience careless washing and drying cause more paint problems than any other procedure.



How often you wash and what products and tools that you use depend on your desired outcome. My wife drives a company Lexus that gets replaced every 18 months or so, and for her a commercial car wash is fine. My daily driver xB parks in the driveway and gets a careful wash (takes about an hour for the exterior) once a week. My “toy� Z3 and MINI seldom get washed - they get a QD wipe down after almost every drive and live under flannel bed sheets in the garage.



To avoid marring during drying minimize wiping - blot instead. A large waffle weave MF towel is the best that I’ve found for this. To avoid water spotting, avoid washing in the sun and dry as you go. I wash the top down to the beltline and then dry that area. Next I wash one side, then dry - next the back - next the other side - and finally the front. I do not use a spray attachment on the hose, just an on/off lever - so wetting of the previously dried areas is minimal.



After doing the above, I use a small wet/dry shop vac to blow the water out of the crevices and crannies carrying a small waffle weave towel in one hand. A scrap of T-shirt material over the hose end before the nozzle eliminates any danger of the vac blowing out any contaminants. I open all the doors, deck, and hood - blow out and dry everything - being careful to hit the outside mirrors and door handles a couple of time. Finally comes a repeat on the wheels and the whole process is finished in an hour or a little less. Often followed by a carnauba QD wipe down.



As always, YMMV!



Afterthought: Unless you’re driving an old rust bucket I’d avoid using a squeegee.
 
I've just ordered a 100% SheepSkin wash mitt for washing.



I'm 99% convinced on ordering a Porter Cable and will order a couple of Waffle Weave"Ultimate Drying Towels"



Being in the UK things are either hard to get hold of or Twice the price of the US :mad:



$76 shipping & £65 for a 110v transformer which we need here in the UK, is what is taking the shine of the Porter Cable at the moment - But after everything I've read - nothing bad - I know I NEED one - ha ha :p



I'll give the "Sheeting Method" a go to :)



Thanks For all the advice/tips guys :xyxthumbs
 
I learned from the following site, how to "Dry with Water."



http://www.thedetailingbible.com/



Once you think about it, it totally makes sense.



I use the water to take about 90% of the water off my car, then I use an absorber to blot the remaining water off of my car.



This helps me dry the car quicker than just with a chamois, and keeps me from having to drag anything across the paint.



Usually, after I finish drying it, I go over it with Zaino Z-6 because I really thing it brings out the shine like nothing else.



Give it a try, and I'm sure you'll be sold too.
 
Thanks to Scott, aka Gentletouch, I've been using a blower to dry. I use the water method, 6speedbowtie outlined, blot, then hit all the cracks and such with the blower while blotting. Seems like a lot of steps, but it takes me less time to dry than the old conventional ways.
 
~One man’s opinion / observations ~



The Cliff Notes Version:



Drying a Vehicle using water:

·Use a low-pressure, high volume water flow with the Ultimate Nozzleâ„¢ (or if you prefer remove the nozzle) you will see the water ‘sheet’ off, move the hose down to "feed" the sheet as it flows down the panel, this will keep the ‘sheet’ wide and it will carry away more water.

·The remaining water can be removed using a 24� x 30�waffle weave towel (Sonüs Der Wunder Drying Towel) by pulling it across the panel or using a blotting motion, do not rub This gets rid of all the remaining drops and leaves only a little moisture, which can be removed with the towel.

·Use the blow side of a vacuum cleaner to remove water from crevices, wing mirrors, license plates, etc

·Use a water blade to remove water from glass surfaces

·Dry doorjambs, sill area, seams and crevices of hood and trunk with a 16� x 24� Waffle Weave towel





~Hope this helps~



Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/ Jon

justadumbarchitect * so I question everything *
 
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