It seems there's more to drying than I thought...

D

dmath

New member
I'm a newb here. I've been reading posts for a week or so and am overwhelmed by the amount of information (and the number of acronyms, lol). I've learned a lot already - thanks.


One of the things I've learned is that drying is far more complicated than I imagined. I guess before I get to my questions, I should explain a few things. First, I am far from a pro. I'm just a guy who likes to take care of his cars. I have a reasonable kit of products chosen from the DetailersDomain menu (hand products only - if/when I need polisher work, I'll visit one of you guys). I recently applied Sonax Polymer Net Shield and am VERY happy with the result. Great depth and water beads and runs off beautifully. To "enhance" the PNS, I use Sonax Brilliant Shine Detail Spray.


I've read a number of posts here that mention a couple of drying techniques I've never tried: using a QD and using a compressor. I just use a good MF drying towel. Finally, my questions.


1. When using a compressor for drying, do you use it on body panels or just in crevices, etc? If on body panels, what kind of attachment/nozzle do you use? Any tips for compressor drying appreciated.


2. If not using a compressor to dry, where does the QD come in? Do you partially dry first or use it when the car is still fully wet? Do you ever apply QD after the car is dry if you've just used it when drying the car?


Thank you in advance for your help. I look forward to your replies and to following other threads. This seems like a great community.


David
 
Welcome to Autopia!!


 


The whole idea for using compressed air or an electric leaf blower is to remove as much water as possible from the painted surfaces and crevices to minimize wiping or touching the paint to avoid marring the paint.   And the use of a QD spray when doing that wiping is to add slickness to the surface so the towel slides effortlessly over the paint again to minimize marring.  


 


After washing I do a low flow, no nozzle rinse to sheet as much water off as possible, then blow with a leaf blower to remove more water, then dry with a Waffle Weave (WW) micorfiber towel using <span style="font-size:small;">Ultima Waterless Wash Plus (UWW+) rather than a QD.   UWW+ is very economical as you can mix up 22 oz of water with 1/2 oz of concentrate and since it's designed to be a waterless wash product it adds significant slickness to the surface.


 


<span style="font-size:small;">http://www.carpro-us.com/ultima-waterless-wash-plus-concentrate-16-oz/
 
I have used both products you mentioned fairly extensively. And as far as my experience goes I have tried BSD both ways and didn't notice much of a difference, so needless to say I will continue to just use it as a drying aid as it is quicker.


I don't use a compressor, but I do use a master blaster sidekick and only use it really for places that drip otherwise I don't think the car would dry fast enough and I would end up with water spots.
 
Drying is simple. Dry with Chamois. Use your favorite blower nozzle on compressor, mine is the Tornador. Blow out crack and emblems and polish with MF.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Most any kind of forced-air drying can be effective, but to remove most of the water *efficiently* I use the AirWand for the initial work.  Gets 90-some% of the water off very quickly once you get your approach dialed in (which won't happen in the first dozen tries...just keep refining until you get it right).


 


Oh, and note that another reason to use a QD/rinseless wash when drying is * encapsulation*, again to minimize the chance of marring.  Yeah yeah, we're supposed to get all the dirt off during the wash, but that doesn't always happen.


 


And yeah, I can see going over the car with additional (leaves-stuff-behind type) QD after it's dry, though I'd probably consider a spray wax or somesuch instead if I wanted to go through the whole process. 
 
Thanks for the responses. Lots of things to try. The Tornador blower nozzle looks interesting though I'll hold off until I'm sure that my compressor is going to figure in my routine.


As for the AirWand, I've had a look at their website and find that it isn't very informative. My take is that it's a bower with a housing that creates a blade of air in effect. Is that about right? Do you try to keep the housing just above the paint surface? I understand that there is felt but even so, marring seems like a concern if it drags across the surface. I know this isn't the case or no one would use it so I just trying to understand how it works.


BTW, Happy Father's Day to everyone.
 
dmath- Eh, seems they still haven't improved that lousy website!  Yeah, it's a long housing that fits onto a  shoulder strap-type electric leafblower via a flexible hose.


 


I would *NOT* trust their MF/whatever-it-is to prevent marring so yeah, you keep it above the surface of the car.  The long housing works well for clearing automotive panels and if you cover part of its slot with your free hand you can concentrate the airflow.  Again, there *is* a learning curve to the whole process.


 


I had expected it to be a gimmick that'd just sit on the shelf unused, but was pleasantly surprised by how well it works for me.  I *never* dry without it, as long as the vehicle in question is LSPed (for full-detail work, where the paint is stripped bare, it doesn't work well enough to bother with as the water doesn't blow off right).


 


I did have to secure the housing to the hose, and the hose to the blower, better than the original setup; one time the hose broke loose and I was lucky to avoid damage.  But the fix was easy enough (wrapped with self-vulcanizing tape) and it's stayed fixed for years now.


 


I only use the compressor for nooks and crannies, tight spots where the AirWand is just too big and/or for areas where I want more precise control or a more concentrated airflow.  But I do use the compressor at every wash too.
 
Accumulator - thanks for the details. I have some experimenting to do. Based on what I've read so far, I'm going to try this as my new wash/dry routine:


1. Spray car with water

2. Spray with shampoo from foam sprayer

3. Wash with two MF mitts and two buckets (for rinsing the mitts only)

4. Rinse

5. Use nozzle less hose to sheet water off

6. Use QD and MF drying towel to dry

7. Use compressor on English muffin areas (nooks and crannies)

8. Stand back and admire


Using this as a starting point, I can Experiment with other techniques. For example, I know that ONR is the new way to go. Unfortunately, I just bought a lot of shampoo that I don't want to waste (and I like using the foam sprayer). But Garry Dean isn't far away so I may pickup some of his juice and give his method a try. Or introduce an AirWand or Tornador.
 
dmath- A few thoughts follow:


 


-I don't hate rinseless washes, but I can't wash marring-free with them (i.e., with *only* a rinseless approach, it can be OK if I get the "big stuff" off conventionally first).  So I wouldn't say that "ONR is the new way to go".  FWIW, I *DO* really like Garry's IUDJ, enough so that I bought a whole gallon of concentrate.


 


-Since you have the foam sprayer, IMO the *primary* use of it is to spray output at the point of wash medium-to-paint contact; the presoak is good, but IMO is not the main reason to use it.  So I'd rinse car off, pick a section to start with (roof...) and foam it, then wash it, spraying foam at the point of mitt-to-paint contact while moving the mitt in short, interrupted "jiggling" motions (so the dirt has a chance to get flushed away after the mitt dislodges it), then rinse, inspect, repeat (or use IUDJ) as needed to get things truly clean, move on to next section, keep car wet.


 


Lots of ways to wash, and I don't have a monopoly on good advice ;) but that's how I'd do it.
 
Not knowing what the water hardness (IE, mineral content) that you use is like in the area that you live, it is a good idea to wash and then rinse each area as you go. Leaving soapy residue behind that dries or even hard-water used for rinsing leaves nasty deposits on the paint surface and windows. Using water from a  water softener source is nice IF you have it.


 


Otherwise, it may be time  to consider adding HD's Eraser or Chemical Guy's Water Spot Remover to your car chemicals arsenal.


 


I usually wash in the early morning or late evening for the reduced heat and always in the shade to reduce the chances of hard water spotting. I use the 2-bucket method and a city water supply with a hose for washing. I have adopted a variable-speed leaf blower for drying because I already had one and it does a pretty good job of drying and removing excess water from the nooks and crannies on a vehicle. (Just don't use it as a vacuum if it is so equipped and then use it on your car. Common sense isn't so common!) The downside is using it at 6:00 AM on a Sunday and waking the neighbors. (Don't even go there! I've offered to wash their car for free as a good-will gesture!)
 
Thanks for the reply. I haven't had trouble with water spots. Our water is a little hard but I am careful to wash only in the shade (though not at 6:00 AM). Even so, I'll have a look at the products you mentioned.


I washed my car Saturday evening. I tried the "sheeting method" but it didn't seem to work well. I'll experiment with it some more. I also used Sonax Brilliant Shine as a drying aid and that worked very well. Definitely going to continue with that. Finally, I applied UTTG on the tires and really liked the result. Two coats gave a great look.


Thanks to all for the help.
 
dmath- Glad you like the UTTG.  I've never used it on tires, just other rubber/vinyl/plastic stuff.  Also glad to hear that the Sonax is working as a drying aid.


 


I'm probably in the minority here, but I don't do the "sheeting rinse" thing.  With my water pressure it just doesn't work well enough to bother.  But then my AirWanding gets most of the water off anyhow so I probably wouldn't benefit from the sheeting as much as some people.  Plus, my LSPs are more of the beading variety as opposed to sheeting anyhow.
 
I second that. UTTG is a must if you like your tires clean. I've noticed after using it (placing three coats to a perfectly cleaned rubber), it is much easier to wipe off brake dust and grime moving forward. I still apply a thin dressing on top after each wash.


 


dmath- I would suggest using a good waterless wash spray before your final dry. I find it helps prevent any marring or light scratches, plus it adds back in some polymer to help protect the paint. I have made this part of my routine, in fact if my truck isn't too dirty I'll just go totally waterless. Good plush microfiber towels are important too, not the cheap ones you get at Costco!
 
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