Micro fiber vs. cotton towel vs. chami

man i thought iinveted the leaf blower idea..seems like alot of you guys use it. ps- i also open up all my doors and windows and blow out the interior...

 

Since I own a TR I've been using a leaf blower for the last 4 years...no way to get these cars dry any other way. Never thought about blowing out the interior as MDshore348 mentions.....I'll have to try that today. I also agree that a water blade is okay for very well kept daily driver cars, but I put a nice long scratch on my TR's trunk lid with one and that was the end of that! Don't use a blade unless you wash the car inside your garage and it is TOTALLY clean prior to blading it off. If you wash outside stuff can and will land on the car from trees, the sky, industrial grit, and while your blading you can pick up this stuff and drag it across your paint!

Lloyd...your car is drop-dead gorgeous! Nothing more awesome and sinister than a black 512TR....my dream car!

 

Thanks, but it is a pain in the posterior to keep clean. Therefore, I don't worry about it too much and drive the bastard.

 

I have a pretty good procedure, this brief summary is not meant to be definitive in all respects as to detailing, please look at Sunny's postings on F-Chat which are terrific:


Wash cool car in shade

Use mild car shampoo, like PS21 (note all product references are just for example, I find that there is more value in the technique used, than any individual product)

After rinsing, not under pressure, I use waffle weave micro drying towels- real chamois can get dirty and scratch; those blades are really scary and can scratch (although they are great for getting water off the windshield, and i use them to scrape water off convertible tops);

I used a full-sized, floor-standing, commercial air-compression with various attachments, to evacuate much of the water;

final drying is done with very soft cotton cloths- i have found that microfibre scratches;

I have lately been smitten with Meguir's NSX Tech Wax- it is easy to apply, creates a hard, fairly deep shine, and is easy to remove- it goes on with a foam applicator, and after it hazes, it is best removed with microfiber cleaning cloths- here, i find that the cheap ones work better, and I toss them when i'm done. I then polish with a soft polishing cloth, wait 24 hours, and put on a second coat if I have time. The finish is pretty amazing. I've been using this stuff in lieu of hand-polishing and carnuba waxing with PS21 or Pinnacle Sovern, which also creates an amazing shine on red paint.

The best on black is the PS 21 combo, and I use Wurtz Zebra Spray as a follow up detailer.

Interior- I use a high powered car vacuum, with attachments, to get rid of dust. I actually like Swiffers to wipe down the top of the dash and steering column for dust, it doesn't leave much residue. I use Lexol cleaner liberally on the leather, and use the Wurtz Zebra on any polished parts inside.
I clean the glass with Invisible Glass Spray and use those blue surgical towels. I use various leather conditioners, but sparingly.

 

I like micro fibre for removing wax but I don't find them very absorbant for water. I use a air compressor before using absorbant 100% cotten towels.

Question: Someone brought up in another post the fact that metal particles can blow from an air compressor tank. Although my air compressor is new it got me thinking. Anyone have any ideas to screen the air after it leaves the tank to ensure that you are not blowing particles on your paint?

What concerns would there be from using a leaf blower?

 

I've heard that the jury is still out on how safe the microfibre towels are. You can't go wrong with white, 100% cotton, made in America bath towels. Cut the edges off, and wash only in detergent containing no fabric softeners or bleach. Use an extra rinse to make sure all the detergent is out.

 

We have hard water in San Diego as well, and low humidity. Cars dry fast, so the blower is especially useful here. Also, I take the car for a spin right after - just because I always miss a spot in the under-bumper grillework on the 911, or in the slots in the rear engine cover/spoiler.

If you rush it with a cloth or microfiber or chamois, you will get scratches. I use old towels for the windows and have one designated as my wheels-only towel.

(The 130mph blow dry idea is the most fun one I've seen posted here, though. Just tell the officer you didn't want water sports forming on your Ferrari... If it goes to court, at least the judge will emphathize. Maybe.)

 

Yeah, I love the 512TR in black, but black cars are just so hard to keep clean. When I get my Fcar, I may have to go with red. Though there is a black 512TR for sale that I'm drooling over... Yours is beautiful Lloyd!

 

Ouch!!! Ouch!!!! I can already see those white calcium spots forming on that perfect black surface.

I'd be looking for something to bring the water hardness down only for the car

http://www.pwgazette.com/gardenhosefilters.htm

(I do not endorse these guys, just for referance use only)

 

Gabe,

Thanks for the link. I was thinking of making something like this using a whole house water filter. I never made one because the blower works well and I didn't want to hastle with making such a filter. However, the one you posted is cheap enough and I don't have to build anything. I may order one and give it a try. If I get it I will post my thoughts. Thanks again, Lloyd

 

Costco-sytle microfiber towels are not great for drying -- I've used them several times for this, but it takes a long time to dry. It needs to be microfiber specifically designed for drying to work well. Those big blue waffle towels are supposed to be great for drying; however, as whart mentions, it is critical that the last rinse be done with no pressure nozzle -- just do final rinse directly from the hose. I just received a big blue towel from properautocare.com -- I haven't used it yet, but I've found their recommendations to be very good (and they praise it), so I would be very surprised if it didn't work well. The important point they emphasize is to make sure you rinse with no pressure -- it seems reasonable to assume that this technique probably helps for any towel type.

 

See, I don't know if it's the Microfibers' I'm using or it's just me, but I find they hold more water than Chami's and dry in the first swipe until they are too saturated with water. I had the opposite effect using with removing wax. I felt I had to use more muscle power than a cotton cloth, so I use that.

 

I have been using the leafblower for years and my neighbors always give me weird looks when washing my cars. Works very well though. I also bought the Costco Microfiber towels and I think they work great!
Just whatever you do NEVER USE FABRIC SOFTENER on these!

gordon

 

I have a big blue microfiber towel that I bought from Wallmart for $6 or $8, IIRC. It's a very plushy on one side, and works well to dry the car.

Dom

 

Gabe, I ordered one of these with an extra filter the other day and it arrived today. It looks well made. We will see how it works. I would like to test it on something and let the water sit for a while and see what it does, however I don't want to do such a test on my TR. Maybe I can get my law partner to let me experiment on his black BMW I will report how it works as soon as I get a chance to test it on something.

 

Use a Echo PB 650 or 651, you'll get wind speeds over 200 mph

 

A helpful tip.

I think Whart touched on this, but I want to mention it again because it's the single best tip I've gotten for washing/detailing my car.

After you rinse the car, remove any nozzle attachment and just wet down the car straight from the hose. 80-90% of the water will sheet right off of it leaving only a few large drops here and there.

One large waffle weave MF towel will suffice to dry off the entire car.

 

Excellent!

LOL! I'm sure the BMW would make a good sacrafice