Best way to dry a car "swirl free"

dab with a good quality MF towel--don't WIPE.

I DO use one of those SHAMWOW type towels and I haven't had a problem to date



If you don't really have a budget. using a good electric leaf blower works well i hear
 
A.P.D.- Marring during the dry-step comes from two things:



-Drying media that aren't soft enough (CD-test anything that touches your paint)

and/or

-Residual dirt getting rubbed around on/against the paint (so wash thoroughly and try to avoid fresh contamination happening between the wash and the dry)
 
I bought an electric leaf blower from Lowes for about $59 and it does a great job drying everything including the wheels. If any water remains in hood openings or door jams I'll dry those spots with a towel.
 
BobbyG said:
I bought an electric leaf blower from Lowes for about $59 and it does a great job drying everything including the wheels. If any water remains in hood openings or door jams I'll dry those spots with a towel.



This.





I've been using a leaf blower for the last 2 years, and it's been a major help.
 
....I use a combination of DI water (CRSpotless DIC-20 system) and a blower. There is very little to spot dry at that point and it is easily taken care of. I typically use something like ONR (QD strength) in a spray bottle and a towel (gently wiping those areas).
 
Alexshimshimhae said:
dab with a good quality MF towel--don't WIPE...



Heh heh, I'm pretty good when it comes to self-discipline, but I never stick with dabbing/blotting for all that long. When I do something like the Yukon DXL I'm gonna wipe.



Yeah, blowing most of the water off (I use an AirWand) helps a lot, as does a sheeting rinse (if you can do it).



And I almost always use a spritz of QD before wiping (yeah, wiping :o ) with my drying medium.



Heh heh, the CRS works well, but I didn't think of it as an answer to the "how to dry?" It gets pricey to recharge, so I don't use it on every vehicle I wash anyhow.
 
sheeting as much water off on the final rinse in conjunction with a leaf blower, soft waffle weave and/or microfiber towel, and QD works...
 
Alexshimshimhae said:
I'm ganna have to lookup this "sheeting rinse"



just take the hose without any attachments and start from the top of car, slowly run the water down and most of it will sheet off...
 
BigAl3 said:
sheeting as much water off on the final rinse in conjunction with a leaf blower, soft waffle weave and/or microfiber towel, and QD works...



the QD blast works great! Makes a nice slick finish too.
 
Deep Gloss Auto Salon said:
CR Spotless system.... rinse your car with teh DI water and you can let it air dry with no spots



Can you really just let the water air dry with this system??
 
G37 said:
Can you really just let the water air dry with this system??



IF (and that's a big "if") you can get all the non-DI water out of the nooks and crannies.



Noting that you can run through the (somewhat expensive) resin pretty fast, it can be a challenge to get *all* the other water off. E.g., on my SUVs, the roof rack rails tend to retain it no matter what I do, and my other vehicles have their own areas that can do the same thing.



While I do really like my CRS unit, I still dry the vehicle (usually with QD). The deionized water just makes for less spotting from the seemingly inevitable residual water.



Now, if you were to do *all* the wash/rinse with DI water, that would almost certainly allow you to just let it drip-dry. But with most water (meaning most "starting point water") you'd be replacing the CRS resin all the time.
 
I can't help but think that this thread seems to be putting a lot of emphasis on drying-process-induced marring :think:



Get all the dirt off, and dry with something that passes the CD-test, and it oughta be a non-issue. But I guess that bit about "get *ALL* the dirt off" is easier said than done.



Still, I'd expect the *washing* to be the main source of marring.
 
Accumulator said:
IF (and that's a big "if") you can get all the non-DI water out of the nooks and crannies.



Noting that you can run through the (somewhat expensive) resin pretty fast, it can be a challenge to get *all* the other water off. E.g., on my SUVs, the roof rack rails tend to retain it no matter what I do, and my other vehicles have their own areas that can do the same thing.



While I do really like my CRS unit, I still dry the vehicle (usually with QD). The deionized water just makes for less spotting from the seemingly inevitable residual water.



Now, if you were to do *all* the wash/rinse with DI water, that would almost certainly allow you to just let it drip-dry. But with most water (meaning most "starting point water") you'd be replacing the CRS resin all the time.





Accumulator, what is the TDS of your water? I plan to get one this spring and our water is around 115ppm.....hoping this will help get more life out of the resin.





Thanks,

Rasky
 
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