how do you dry your cars?

I wash mine in the shade and use the man made chamois that Wal Mart sells and acts like a real leather one. I sometimes dry mine in the garage.

 

I've heard of people using leaf blowers and so on, but I have a blower that looks like a vaccum reversed. Using something else to rub the car dry can cause more scratches.

 

My routine is this (excluding waxing):

- Hand wash car with sponge and soap.
- Hose off and wipe down with chamois.
- Take car for quick spin to shake out excess water.
- Wipe car down again with chamois using lightly shampood water.
- Buff car with clean cotton cloth.

I find this last thing with the cloth cleans off all of the water swirls that are left from the chamois and dried water drops. For any stubborn ones, just breath on it...

It's like buffing down a freshly waxed car with water straight after. I find that adds an extra element to the shine.

Tuan

 

You can use one of those Mr. Clean attachments for your hose that softens the water - it takes out the minerals and stuff that causes spots to show.

I also recommend the synthetic chamois, my favorite is The Absorber (~$9) but I'm sure the store brands of the same are just as good. Pull the chamois taut over the surface of the car rather than "wiping" back and forth with it.

As for areas drying before you get to them, I lightly respray them with the hose and then wipe it up with the absorber.

If you are confident that you really clean the car good and don't have any grit left on the main surfaces, you can use one of those water blades. I've seen it used successfully on the upper surfaces of the car (hood, roof, trunk, tops of doors and fenders), but I wouldn't use it down low.

 

The steps I do are as follows - I have pretty hard water in my outside spikets so I have streaking problems as well. To avoid it I do the following:

1.) Rinse
2.) Wash
3.) Rinse
4.) Synthetic Chamois thing - quick once over to get the big water areas
5.) Leaf Blower - and I have to say - I started doing the leaf blower thing when someone told me. But you get all the water out of the waffle vents, the vents down the back of the Gallardo - in the creases, etc. I don't know what I did before I started using the leaf blower.
6.) Chamois thing - again. Here is where you avoid the streaks. You have to make sure the chamois is rung out all the time - and dry. if it is any part saturated it will leave a thin layer of water or push it - and when it drys - you will see water marks.
7.) final wipe over with a mirofiber clean cloth

8.) optionally at this point - you can use other products ie. detailing spray, etc. etc.

 

I only use micro fiber towels to dry my car and it doesn't leave any spots.

 

Leaf blower if I'm at home, air compressor if I'm at my shop. Then finish off with the Absorber...

 

Before you dry, run the hose over the entire car without any attachments on it. The slow running of the hose will cause the water to "sheet" off the car. Follow up with a big blue towel and your done.

 

Wash in the shade, hose off, then drive over 80mph, then get the last little spots with a clean cloth.

BTW, when I was a kid I washed cars at Ferrari of Monterey. We only used water and a chamois -- but the trick was we had a wringer with a hand crank (like from an old wringer washer) and always ran the chamois through that to remove the dirt/water. That's a great trick, and I'd love to get another wringer. I think you can still find them, I've seen new ones for sale, but not sure where -- maybe eastwood??

Cheers,

Fred

 

Yup I always do this. Works wonders... the water just falls off the car, especially if there's a good coat of wax on it. After that I use a big waffleweave microfiber towel and give it a really quick (like 15 seconds to do the whole car) wipe down just to break up any big spots of water, then finish up with The Absorber. Doesn't take long at all to dry off a car like this.

Basically, if one spot of your car is drying up while you're wiping down another spot, you're taking waaaaay too long to dry it off.

-R

 

I've had probably a dozen black cars. I never used a chamois (sp?) to dry - never, ever - on a black car. It can grab any dirt or dust and drag it across the paint. I just wouldn't chance it with a beautiful car like that.

Dry using big folded fluffy towels after you "sheet" the car (see 4PDC's post) in straight line motions. Never wipe (or wax) in a circular fashion. If you're getting streaks or spots, you might have hard water. Something to check into. I cut my detail teeth, so to speak, on black cars. A detailer ain't worth a sh-- unless he can make a black car look good.

RMX

 

I wash and dry in the shade or in the evening, then 1) dry the large flat portions of the car with a California Jelly Blade then 2) follow up and go over the whole car with The Absorber. Both of these can be bought at Wal-mart for $28 total and they really work like a champ.

 

Leaf blower is the only way to go, never use a chamois.

 

you guys will probably laugh at my approach to this.

after washing the car, i use gum and a lubricant to get any tar, bugs, etc. after that i use wax as you dry from Maguires. it almost garentees you will get your car completely dry. i do this every other week on my 355

then after that, i use maguires three step paint cleanser, polish, wash.

 

what is lightly shampoo'd water? I have heard and seen alot of people using a leaf blower and yes it does work great....Personally I can't wash a car for crap, it will look worse when I am done than it did before I washed it. Some people just have a talent for washing cars and I can say that god def did'nt bless me with those skills.

 

if you havea a compressor, they work great to bow the water out from the handles, lights, grills emblems ect that will come out when you drive it. i use a synthetic chamie as well

 

Microfiber is the way to go, not only to dry, but to clean. The nature of microfiber even allows cleaning without any chemicals, but of course for best results it's still recommended.

 

We use either chamois or microfiber while drying our Ferrari. Both of them works fine and they sometimes leave spots but they come off after we wax the car. Only thing we avoid while cleaning is the sun cause it leaves lots of marks.

 

Make sure your paint is cool before you start washing and don't wash your car in direct sunlight. I prefer using the waffle weave microfiber towels to dry.

 

Considering the relatively light duty use that many of these TOYs get (garaged and covered, nice days only, no rain, no winter (this is Minnesota) I recommend that you avoid wet washing most of the time. Dry wash products from companies like Griot's and Meguiars as well as others make it possible to avoid getting your shoes wet.

After seeing significant rust inside doors and rockers of cars that have never seen a rainy day I realized that some of these cars are wet more often than a daily driver.

If the type of dirt requires washing then so be it, otherwise Speed Shine or Quik Detailer will get it done.

 

Best way to avoid streaks:
-leaf blower
- waffle weave microfiber towels to dry the rest of the car or simply good microfiber towels (best ones I bought were at Sam's Wholesale Club - 24 for around $10!)

The paint on your car may not be prepared properly: You need to clean the pain with a paint cleaner, then use a polish (optional) and a high quality wax. This will make drying it alot easier and faster to prevent spotting!

Unless the car is totally filthy, I would just use some Meguars quick detailer with a microfiber towel on it!

good luck!
gordon

 

The main things that I do are ALWAYS wash in the shade, (with spot free car wash soap), early morning or late afternoon, NEVER in direct hot Sun, else you'll have waterspots.
I always use the absorber and VERY IMPORTANT- DRIVE the car immediately after washing, 5-10 miles minimun, that will help dry the engine electricals that were wet.

 

My question may sound stupid but... if the car is wet and you dry it on the road, wouldn't dust stick in the car and make it dirtier?