Perfect Drying Technique...too perfect?

S

Stl_GT

New member
I have yet to get my car dry before getting water spots. Am I really that slow or are others having some problems as well. I do have a black car but do wash it in the shade.



Currently I am first using the sheeting action then using a absorber to get remaining large water droplets off ( blotting ) then finishing with a waffle towel. Then add on a complete QD after that to remove the water spots and it's taking me forever to dry the car!





Suggestions? I thought about for- going the absorber, but I am still not sure that will be quick enough.
 
I've got the exact same problem that you have....



Recently I was given a suggestion... a sprayer bottle with distilled water to spray the areas that didn't sheet off, dry, and dab some vinegar on a MF cloth to dab the water spots. Supposedly works. Sounds odd to me.
 
Stl_GT, I am a notoriously slow washer (and slow clayer, and slow polisher, and .... well, you get the idea). How I deal with it boils down to 2 different techniques for me.



1. Keep rinsing the whole car with water while washing. That is, I do the roof and glass, rinse. Then do the front, and rinse the entire car again. Then the sides, and rinse top, front, and side. Etc. ad infinitum. Til I'm finally ready to dry the whole car with my big wonderful waffle-weave.



2. Technique I just tried this weekend, when it was really hot, and I was working under a canopy. (Important to note: My street is on a slope, so the front end is significantly higher than the rear end.) Washed top and windows. Dried with WW. Washed front end. Then dried it, plus the little splashes on the windows. Then washed mid-sections, and dried them, plus the little splashes on washed-and-dried sections. Then washed the backend and dried everything again. I don't know that this would work on a car that's parked on a level plane, but since I have the "happy misfortune" to detail out on the curb and on a hill, it worked for me.
 
Konowl - thanks for the suggestions, I will give that a go. The QD did remove the marks so I might not go with the vinegar just yet but vinegar is a proven method to remove water spots. I just really need to find a way to prevent them.



Lynn - I don't really get spots as I wash, it's just when I go to dry it they seem to form almost as soon as I sheet the car off for the initial dry. I will try your wash and dry a panel at a time approach. I think that might be the best bet. I love to work on the car and all, but it took me 45 minutes just to dry and QD the car to remove the spots.
 
Lynn, thats sure does seem like a lot of work to beat the spotting. I say wipe the whole damn thing down with a Big Blue as fast as your butts can. Any streaking can be eliminated with a QD. I mean there are situations where perfect circumstances arent available, and you just need to add a little "hustle" to your program (Not saying you dont Lynn). Permanent spotting or etching doesnt happen in 10 minutes.

Stl, have you ever tried EO WAUD ? I like to think of its as a super concentrated QD, applied while the surface is wet, and wiped dry with a MF....Leaves an awesome gloss, also any streaking is easily wiped up......I dont recommend using a vinegar mixture to assist in drying. Yes for spot removal, but not as part of your drying technique. Vinegar, as Im sure your aware of, contains acids, which will destroy protective qualities of waxes and polymers, and glazes....
 
heh-heh-heh, Patrick. You caught my compulsive routine. :D Yeah, I know I'm slow. For me, washing the car is sort of a love affair. It takes forever. And even when I want it to be a "quickie," I can't seem to figure out how to do it more quickly than I do. You raise a good point: Maybe I don't need to worry so much about water-spots since I do always follow the wash with a QD. :nixweiss I'm still a newbie at this, especially in terms of getting it down to a "quick art."



And thanks for adding the points about vinegar, Patrick. I would never use it when the car has a wax or sealant. :eek: Vinegar doesn't just "contain" acids; if my long-ago chemistry-course-info is still intact, it isacetic acid.
 
With my full size extended cab pickup w/hard tonneau spotting is inevitable. I've learned to accept it and almost enjoy it by taking my time and enjoying the process.



I wash slowly and make sure I'm getting things really clean and then dry very well using a cwb and a ww or two....or three :)



Then I get out the S&W and go over the truck with that. I like the way applying and wiping the S&W feels. I can feel the mf kinda catch on the S&W the first pass and then become more and more smooth/slick as it drys. It's a sensual thing.....slowly wiping the mf across the increasingly slick surface.
 
Oh yes. I can relate to those spots.



Especially in hot weather, even when in the shade, the heat in the air just seems to suck the water droplets off your black car and leave hundreds of tiny mineral deposits.



The only fix I've found is to dry the large surfaces (hood, trunk, roof) VERY QUICKLY. Then go back and do the windows, sides, bumpers, etc.



Also, I've started washing my car early in the morning or late in the evening. The air is cooler then and the water doesn't evaporate as fast.



I QD as much as possible, instead of washing. Z6 and Eagle One Wet are the best I've found.
 
I usually wash my cars,(wife's too), EARLY in the morning. I can wash the whole car at once, then rinse it. Wheels and wheel wells first(Separate Bucket), rinse. Upper body panels first, then around again to get the lower panels, rinse whole car. If I wash later in the day(Hotter), then I do as Lynn does, keep rinsing while washing. If it's REALLY HOT, I skip the soap(On the Car Body) and do a "Wet Wash"-water running all the time, floating off the dirt, using a MF. Lynn, have you tried a cup of brew, before you go out to wash your car? It works two ways...It will kick you up a notch, and when you have it "Processed", you will be in a hurry to get inside...:bounce
 
When I had my black '78 Seville I decided to beat this problem. I did two things to eliminate the problem.



1. Installed a water softener system to my incoming water line. Problem solved.



2. Just to speed up the drying process I use a California Water Blade and have never scratched or swirled the paint from using it. If the car is clean and the CWB is clean it is not going to be a problem.



Another solution would be to use QEW and dry as you go or Poorboys Spray & Wipe.
 
Lynn said:
Stl_GT, I am a notoriously slow washer (and slow clayer, and slow polisher, and .... well, you get the idea). How I deal with it boils down to 2 different techniques for me.



1. Keep rinsing the whole car with water while washing. That is, I do the roof and glass, rinse. Then do the front, and rinse the entire car again. Then the sides, and rinse top, front, and side. Etc. ad infinitum. Til I'm finally ready to dry the whole car with my big wonderful waffle-weave.



Click to expand...



Couldn't have said it better myself...when I'm ready for drying though, its the CWB, followed by the leaf blower, and cotton towels after...



I use ALOT of water during a wash, but since the garage queen is washed every 10 days or so, its not a big deal.
 
I wash my SUV using Lynn's method. I do the roof then use a california blade and MF towel. Then I move to another section repeating the dry method. It really does not take me as long as you would think.....Andrew
 
I too wash a black car but never seem to have any trouble with water spots. I don’t mess around but I also don’t haul a$$ the whole time either. This is what works for me:



1. I never wash in the heat of the day. Since my new house has very little shade I either have to wash the car in the morning or in the evening. I never wash during mid day (except during the winter or overcast days). I think this the key to successful drying. Along these same lines the surface temperature of the car is important, especially as black can get really hot. If the car has recently been driven or has been in the sun all day you will want to take the time during washing to continually rinse the car with cool water. This will prevent spots during washing and it will cool the surface for more drying time. A hot surface will dramatically decrease the time it takes for water spots to form.



2. I use the sheeting action without the nozzle on the hose before drying.



3. After sheeting I immediately go to using a waffle MF towel. I do the top, hood and trunk first, then a very quick wipe of the windows.



4. Then the top portions of the sides. Basically go around the car twice. Once drying the top half of all the panels then the bottom.



5. Recently I added another waffle weave MF towel to my collection which made things easier because as one towel became wet I would just switch. I can do my wife’s car (3 series BMW) with one towel but it is easier with two.



The use of California Blade on the windows (still don’t trust it on the paint) can speed things up a little and save on wetting the MF towel.
 
Thanks everybody for the responces. I guess I am slow :) I think I will skip the absorber and go right to the WW and hope that will atleast help with the problem.



Blackcaraddict - Nice Cobra, modded it any?
 
I have a black car and pratically no shade in the car washing area of my condo. I used to have a major problem with water spots when I was using *insert bad guy theme music here* an Absorber.



I recently switched to this method and LOVE it:



First I rinse the car for a while, getting it MUCH cooler to the touch. This makes a big difference, even when I have washed in the shade recently while house-sitting for my folks (and surprising my mom with a fully detailed car upon her return from Europe).



I keep it wet ALL the time. I wash a panel and rinse it and then rinse the whole car. Repeat. It takes a few minutes longer, but it helps.



Then I use a Cali Water Blade quickly followed by a Big Grey Drying Towel. Having never used any other WW, I swear by the BGDT. It rocks. The CWB eliminates the need to sheet, and I can get the bulk of the water off in 2-3 minutes. Then I get the big, noticible areas with the BGDT. At that point, all I have left to do is the smaller nooks and crannies with the BGDT. I do go quickly to prevent drying on it's own.



A cool thing I have found is that by using the CWB is that I never have to wring the BGDT out.



This method gets the majority of the car dry in 5-8 minutes, with only the nooks left to do. I follow up with a quick detailer (One Grand right now), but that is for shine and gets the very few water spots that remain out.



Of course, it has rained here at least every other day for over a month now, so most of my work goes unrequited.
 
Thanks for the responce Jestyr! Ok going back to Lynn's post I have a somewhat similiar idea but it's more of a modified drying approach then the modified washing approach. What do you think.



Wash car normally but only sheet one section of the car at a time starting with the top, then totally dry the top then move body panel to body panel repeating the sheeting and drying of each panel seperatly and re wetting panels that are drying while I work around the car. Maybe someone mentioned this and I missed it, but it seems like it might do the trick.
 
Because of or thankful for Scottwax's suggestion, I wash my car and 4Runner with QEW. I use a CWB and a JTI waffleweave towel and never have water spots or any scratches because of the CWB.



The last time I used the so called regular car washing routine I did end up with a ton of water spots. That was because my neighbor came over to chit-chat and I didn't want to be rude so I stopped what I was doing. :(
 
Might have to give that a shot, just dosen't seem right to wash a car without using a lot of water and soap. I would still like to do a regular wash from time to time to get at the tires, wheels and wheel wells really good but it's something to consider, I am trusting scottwax that it won't cause marring though ....crossing my fingers there.
 
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