Looking at Metro Blaster or Sidekick. some reviews say issues with water spotting?

I

imported_BluHeaven

New member
Browsing reviews of these online and I've found a few that claim using the blower causes water spots.. IE dries the water and leaves mineral deposits behind. How much of an issue is this? I'm looking to blow water out of all the spots the TT likes to hold it (spoiler, lights, grill, mirrors, wheels....) and maybe a quick blast of each panel to move majority of water off before finishing with a WWMF. I've no idea how hard or soft our water is; I've never had issue with water spots, but then again I don't let the sun hit it or let water sit on the car.



I'm wondering if these people that had this issue were attempting to completely dry a car using just the blower. I'd think it would move water off the panel before it would actually dry the water up?



Thoughts?
 
IMO, the issue with any blower setup is there will always be a few drops of water here and there. You could spend 30 minutes and get _ALL_ the water off or spend 5 with the blower and 5 doing a QD wipedown. But then again, I use a $20 black friday leaf blower, so what do I know.
 
But have you ever had your leaf blower dry the water and leave a mineral spot behind? That was the reviewer issue. I'd like to pretty much do what you do... spend 5 minutes with the blower getting bulk water off panels and out of all the hidden spots, then finish with a MF with V7 or Hydro wipe down.



But not if the blower is going to cause the water to quickly dry and leave mineral deposits behind like these people are saying.



Dan said:
IMO, the issue with any blower setup is there will always be a few drops of water here and there. You could spend 30 minutes and get _ALL_ the water off or spend 5 with the blower and 5 doing a QD wipedown. But then again, I use a $20 black friday leaf blower, so what do I know.
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In full sun, I can see that happening. Mid summer I can't wash in the middle of the day because I get water spots that just dry.
 
I couldn't see spending $300 + for a Blaster. Found a leaf blower totally adequate (like Dan said 5 min blower, 5 min QD and a towel), but always worried about hitting the car with the end of the blower so fashioned this adaptation:



tn_AssortedDIY007.jpg




Here's a close up of the adapter I built:



tn_bloweradaper002.jpg




Most of the time spent is trying to find the parts to fit your blower. I ended up with a reducer, the part attached to the blower, from the plumbing dept and a connector from Sears used to connect two lengths of 2.5" vac hose. Originally used a 1.5" hose but it restricted the air flow too much and it wasn't effective. Now thinking about how to approximate the performance on an air wand.
 
If the reviewer had troubles with water spots forming after using the blower, it wasn't because the blower, it was because he has minerals in his water and it dried on his paint. Those minerals are in the water regardless of whether or not a blower of any type is used to help the drying process, just have to make sure to dry the little bit of water left behind from the blower as quickly as possible. I have minerals in my water too and I will get water spots with or without using a blower to dry the paint if I just blow dry it then leave it, but I get none if I blow dry it then use a soft microfiber drying towel to go over and dry the leftover water.



The motor comes off the top of my shop vac and doubles as a leaf blower, works great and I love that it is two tools in one, less to lug around.
 
if you have some protection on the car and you use the flood method, you'll greatly reduce the water on the surface and a leaf blower will work just fine to remove the majority of the water leftover, and then use your favorite QD and quality microfiber towel to wipe the remaining droplets...
 
I have a master blaster. To dry, you essentially herd the water off blowing air at shallow angles. The Master Blaster will generate hot air (comes from the motor). I measured around 139 F so if you blow directly on the paint the water can stick and dry causing water spots. Of course, sheeting first and along with your LSP in good condition (slick) the easier it is to dry.



It is an excellent precision drying tool but obviously not for everyone if anything due to the price. The hose on the leaf blower should work a lot better than a unmodified one.
 
peacemaker said:
How much is that little leaf blower? looks nifty.
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Don't recall how much I paid for the blower as it's about 10+ years old. The trick is to find one that is round where the air tube is installed--this makes it simpler to make an adapter. The adapters cost me about $4, the vac hose was $15 and the concentrator nozzle was $8.
 
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