what is the best way to dry a car after washing?

[nonlinear]

i bought a synthetic "super absorbent" chamois thing. one side is kinda rubbery, and the other side is roughened. i'm not exactly sure how it's supposed to be used... i kinda did a combo of dragging the rubery side across the car, and then using the roughened side as a grip to wipe with my hand. at any rate, it really didn't absorb much, and it left a drying residue on parts of the car.

what do you guys think is the best way to dry a car?

thanks :thumbsup:

[pf0sh0]

Finish off with spot free rinse and then drive really fast so the wind takes it off. :D






haha jk

Get one of those California Squeegy's! They work great for drying off most of the car

[///328is]

+1 for California squeegy

[nonlinear]

when you guys wash, do you use the spot free rinse and/or spray wax, or do you just rinse with water and then dry?

obviously, i don't know much about hand washing cars, so looking for advice from people who have done it a bunch.

:thumbsup:

[jwslam]

chamois absorb better when they're damp. Don't start using it when it's dry.

[e31]

...All I know is that it will make you say WOW!

It's made in Germany, you always know that Germans make good stuff; therefore it is compatible with Bimmer\Merc\Audi. You can use it to soak up a piss load of cola from a carpet. Need to blot out blood stains left after you beat a hooker up? Listen to your pal Vince.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3254/2711616881_94fc5bc67e_m.jpg

[bulaian]

http://www.adverblog.com/archives/shamwow1.jpg

EDIT: damnit, beat me by a minute while i was searching for the pic :banghead:

[7thgenvic]

i would not touch my car with the sham wow!! That shit is scratchy!!!

To the OP: I would really invest in the california blade! If you use that baby with chammy you'll be laughing! In my opinion the easiest way!!!

[DeeK]

California wiper blade Then shammy it.

Epic win.

[D'z Nutz]

Chamois

[Boomph]

where can you buy a California wiper blade?

[mikey008]

http://www.truckcustomizers.com/images/prods/CCC/R4CCC947.2.jpg

PLUS

http://www.adverblog.com/archives/shamwow1.jpg

[nonlinear]

Originally posted by Boomph
where can you buy a California wiper blade?

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/4/Auto/CarWashingCleaning/WashUtilityBrushes/PRD~0398101P/California%252BWater%252BBlade.jsp

[TYMSMNY]

Microfiber weave towels for initial then a nice plush microfiber towel to finish and buff off.

[Numi]

California blade than chamois.. make sure the blade is super clean and no rocks or particles are left on the blade cause they tend to stick to the blade.

[Kardon]

scamwows leave shit on your car and don't absorb nearly as well as this no-name synthetic chamois I have, sorry dunno the name.

[Sentry]

Air, cause I'm lazy as fuck and my car is a 10 footer anyway. :D

[JustinGTP]

I have the Absorber from can tire. works well.

[2EFNFAST]

Don't use a chamois, a sham-wow, or the waterblade.

The best way to test if a media is wash safe is to take a brand new cd (study it in the light to see if you see any scratches on the reflective surface - you shouldn't to make this easier) then rub your wash/dry media against it. Look again int he light - if you see any new scratches on the cd's surface, do NOT use it.

Anyways, drying for me is typically a multi-part.

1
Take a quick, gentle swipe of the area using a waffle weave microfiber to remove major water blobs

http://www.autogeek.net/microfiber-waffle-weave.html

2
Using another ww mf, spray some quick detailer (I usually buy M135 by the gallon) on the surface you just wiped and gently rub it in

3
Buff off residue with a quality mf towel. I really like purple cobra jrs
http://www.autogeek.net/codecopa.html

4
Re-buff to remove any streaking

Move onto next panel.As long as you properly washed the vehicle(a big step for some) that will be the best method to leave a marr-free surface and no water spots.

I've tried using a leaf blower ot dry the car and while dry, when I pull it under direct light I've got a thousand and one water spots all over (it's basically like the water dries on me as it's blown off). Theoretically it should be the best, but I never got it working for me.

[mb3k]

Originally posted by JustinGTP
I have the Absorber from can tire. works well.

+1
The Absorber soaks up a ton of water really fast which is awesome. I go over it with a normal microfibre after that and it's shiny! Plus the Absorber comes with it's own fleshlight container :poosie:

[derran.m]

Originally posted by pf0sh0
Finish off with spot free rinse and then drive really fast so the wind takes it off. :D






haha jk

Get one of those California Squeegy's! They work great for drying off most of the car

:thumbsup: That's exactly how I get er done ... wash, rinse, wax, spot free rinse, then no wipers or nothing ... hit the highway and get moving ... 15 mins later when I arrive at home car is bone dry and no dust or water marks ... given its not like this last weekend and 60kmh winds blowing dust all over...

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by pf0sh0

Get one of those California Squeegy's! They work great for drying off most of the car

Water blade's seem to work alright at first, but if they have a spec of dirt on them, they'll scratch, the rubber also gets hard over time due to our hard water, and will eventual scratch even if clean.

Personally, I wash my car at night, finish with "spotfree rinse", and let it air dry in my garage over night. Next day I take some quick detailer and microfibre to any spots that are left over.

I also like the carwash at Co-Op in deerfoot meadows, as it has a giant airblower as you drive out.



Originally posted by derran.m


:thumbsup: That's exactly how I get er done ... wash, rinse, wax, spot free rinse, then no wipers or nothing ... hit the highway and get moving ... 15 mins later when I arrive at home car is bone dry and no dust or water marks ... given its not like this last weekend and 60kmh winds blowing dust all over...

Every time I've tried this, the car is dirty than before I washed it. It's ALWAYS blowing dusty wind here, lol.

[Weapon_R]

A real chamois and a wiper blade is a good combo. The synthetic crap doesn't work as well. Make sure it's wet before you use it.

[Neil4Speed]

I bought a synthetic chamois from Canadian Tire by Simoniz and it works really really well, you do need to get it a bit wet before though. I try to blob as much water as possible before wiping though

[KKY]

Have tried quite a few things and waffle weave microfiber towel works the best.

[JustinGTP]

Originally posted by mb3k


+1
The Absorber soaks up a ton of water really fast which is awesome. I go over it with a normal microfibre after that and it's shiny! Plus the Absorber comes with it's own fleshlight container :poosie:

Lol oh boy

[SportEL]

A quality Waffle Weave Microfiber Towel as it won't scratch. It has a weave that increases surface area for greater moisture absorption.

[saiyajin]

where can you get some quality waffle weave microfibre towels... :dunno:

[TYMSMNY]

^ bought mine from autopia. Anyone have a good local source?

[2EFNFAST]

Originally posted by TYMSMNY
^ bought mine from autopia. Anyone have a good local source?

autopia

or

eshine.ca

You won't find quality locally - think about it - a good towel costs like $20 - how many jo-smoes who don't know what autopia is will pay $20 for 1 towel, vs a bag of horrible towels at CT for $5.

[TYMSMNY]

^ true enough.

If anyone is making an online order, let me know... I'd like to hitchhike on that order and pay for part of the shipping. :)

[Jed Bouscal]

Original Post Removed. (Please read the Forum Rules and Terms of Use (http://forums.beyond.ca/articles.php?action=data&item=1) before posting again, or risk getting banned).

Mod edit: Only paid sponsors can advertise. Please check out our rates if you are interested. (http://forums.beyond.ca/articles.php?action=data&item=2)

[TYMSMNY]

Jed Jed Jed... was just thinking of giving you a call... have a new vehicle for you!

[Jed Bouscal]

So it's you who summoned me!! What'd you pick up?

[saiyajin]

hey Jed i forgot i could just get some waffle weaves from you!! haha

btw when you free with re-doing my 3m from last year? :nut:

[VeilOctane]

believe it or not but you can get microfiber towels at fabric-land and in any size you want cut to fit. :)

[Sebasshole]

How i wash my car,
Asuming your gona go to a pay n spray
-high presure soap
-high presre rinse
-wax

-california water blade
-large microfiber from canadian tire like the above mentioned i think its 24x24. costs 14 bucks
-gently dab the microfiber to get major water areas, try to get it moist and soft
gently rub down the car with little effort to not scratch might take a few more strokes but if you have a black car its better to be safe,
I toss my microfiber in with my towels between every wash to make sure its clean of dirt and things. be very carefull to not drag it across the ground or onto the dirty floormats in your car cause it will attract dirt into the towel and damage your car.

As long as you are carefull of the obvious mistakes it works very well and takes a short amount of time.

tottal car wash takes about 15 min from the time i spray my car and dry it. but i have a white car now when i had my black car it took 20.

hope that helps if your just looking for a easy fast way to dry your car, 2efnfast sounds like a really good way to do it and i would do it that way if i had a black car, a exotic or if i have alot of time to wash my car that day.

[VeilOctane]

i thought i would share how i wash my car hopefully this helps ppl


Tips on Washing and Drying your car Coin wash.


1. rinse all the loose dirt from the top down
2. Soap the car from the top down – do not use the foam brush at the carwash. I like to let the soap build up on top of my car and I use a washmit or go to a 24 hour carwash after 10pm when its not busy.
3. wash the wheels
4. clean the engine bay
5. rinse all soap off the car from the top down
6. drying- spray quick detailer on microfiber drying cloth and on the area to dry
7. wipe the car dry I use a fresh clean microfiber for each panel of my car
8. dry wheels
9. optional – wax the car
10. optional – tire shine
11. remove wax

[welderman]

I found the water blades to be one of the worst things to use. If you miss just one piece of dirt it is going to get dragged over your paint. You might not see it at first but after a few washes and using the blade have a look at your hood. I did it and it wasn't pretty.

[VeilOctane]

Originally posted by welderman
I found the water blades to be one of the worst things to use. If you miss just one piece of dirt it is going to get dragged over your paint. You might not see it at first but after a few washes and using the blade have a look at your hood. I did it and it wasn't pretty.

Thats why i use detail spray because it lubricates your microfiber cloths as you dry prevents swrils and scratches from forming.

i have officially said good by to my waterblade

[welderman]

I agree all the way on the detail spray, I use the meguiars detail spray and I think it works great.

[5fivespeed]

I do it this way -

$1 - Presoak (wait after so it works it way in)
$2 - Soap (Get everywhere with it - rims, windows, body, arches, rockers) -- not the soap brush, spray soap from the nozzle.
2$ Wax - I just hit it with spray wax and rinse the car off, it seems to wprk well.

Clean car. - I then take the yellow microfiber clothes and use two for the windows, and different ones for the body. They seem to work great.

Ray

[icetraycnb]

@VeilOctance What kind of detail spray do you use?

[VeilOctane]

Originally posted by icetraycnb
@VeilOctance What kind of detail spray do you use?

i used to use meguiars quick detail.

but this year im trying the meguiars ultimate quick detail

they say the meguiars ultimate quick detail can push water uphill..

i use meguiars products on my car because i like how its easy available to find locally.

i have nxt 2.0 on my car
followed by meguiars ultimate quick wax
and i wash daily with drying the car with ultimate quick detailer

when the detail spray gets harder to wipe off that's when i switch back to the ultimate quick wax to rejuvenate the nxt.

[im2fst4u]

I wash mine at the car wash or at home with the pressure washer.
Never use the brush on anything at the car wash.
Rinse with a spot free and then once it is dry I use Mothers Sowtime detailer with microfiber.

http://www.detailing.com/store/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/0/8/08224.jpg

[VeilOctane]

^thats not bad stuff too

the key is to get the car clean. with proper washing techniques.

if the car still has dirt on the paint even with microfiber and quick detail you could mar the paint.

cleanliness is next to godlessness.


trust me the "car gods" know this.