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Drying Technique



  ph2 172
Just trying to see what is the preferred method of drying, I've been looking at reducing the potential at gaining swirl marks from my wash method. Currently I'm using a AQ Aqua Dry, however I've seen lots of people using mf and waffel to dry their cars.

Autoglym say:
Autoglym Aqua-Dry is a synthetic leather with a unique structure which actually outperforms natural chamois leathers.

So, do you Drag or Dab and What do you do it with ?
 
  Bumder With A Buffer
I usually start by placing my towel on top of the car...let it soak a little bit then drag it off with not much pressure.

TBH though i get lazy towards the end and just kinda scrunch it up and drag/swipe it over. Mine doesn't generally have much water on it anyway as its pretty well protected.

The area that does is the bonnet vent...water LOVES to sit it there!
 
  Bumder With A Buffer
Here is the pic I was after...

Lay it down flat and soak some of it up..

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Then scrunch it up
048o.jpg
049zkj.jpg

049zkj.jpg


049zkj.jpg
 
I use an auto glym silicone drying blade for mine, works a treat!

Drying blade ? I wouldnt trust that, im using AG yellow drying towel atm and i dab dry after sheeting the car with an open hose, makes it 100x easier. Iv got a dodo big drying towel coming so hopefully it will be even easier.
 
  Bumder With A Buffer
And in all seriousness..

[youtube]BZCi0_55ZDo[/youtube]


I dont like the blotting method. I prefer the light sweeping method IE minimal pressure and drag across
 
  Clio Sport 172 Ph2
ive not had any problems with mine, just wash after every wipe and give the car a good wash before drying
 
  STEALTH RAIDER
Using the dragging method on a freshly/recently waxed/sealed has never gave me any problems. When i am detailing it for the first time, i use the blotting method.
 
  ph2 172
Was washing my car today, and have to admit. The AQ aqua dry fell on the floor... probably for the best, time to order some drying towels !
 
  BMW E46 330i Touring
I'm with richy. Blotting doesn't work for me, gotta have a light sweep action. I sweep the roof and bonnet and then tend to scrunch and wipe the sides and back.
 
Can anyone translate this to English :coffee:

Yes. The two people chatting on the video linked above were posting absolute rubbish - clearly showing neither of them had any clue about detailing.

Why certainly, BLADES ARE FOR THE KITCHEN ONLY

:approve:

Was washing my car today, and have to admit. The AQ aqua dry fell on the floor... probably for the best, time to order some drying towels !

Good news.

I'm with richy. Blotting doesn't work for me, gotta have a light sweep action. I sweep the roof and bonnet and then tend to scrunch and wipe the sides and back.

The better the paintwork is sealed, the easier you'll find it to blot as there won't be any surface water remaining. :)
 
  BMW E46 330i Touring
My towel is quite old so seems to be less absorbent than it used to be - do they lose absorbency? I think this is the issue when it comes to blotting as it always leaves water residue behind that needs a wipe...
 
  Bumder With A Buffer
They do lose absorbency yes.

And yes I dont "always" use the light dragging technique...Sometimes blotting is all thats required. Depends how lazy I have been with using free running water to sheet off the suds. I find myself using the light drag technique out of habit sometimes rather then blotting dont know why! I suppose I like to know that im covering the car properly with the QD :S I dont know!
 
  STEALTH RAIDER
Even if you wash your microfibres with normal washing powder (most people know not to put conditioner in with it anyway) they will still loose absorbency quickly. Concentrated microfibre wash is great stuff although it does look decieving (like smelly piss water). A 16oz bottle will see you through 20 washes (half load) in a machine or nearly double if you do the lightly soiled and built up residue ones by hand (5 per time)
 
  Bumder With A Buffer
f**k using "microfibre" wash.

White vinegar is where it's at. That's basically what mf wash's contain. Remember a thread I read somewhere
 
  STEALTH RAIDER
White vinegar is good for spot stains but apart from that, stinks like f**k when they have been washed and also white vinegar contains acetic acid, hence why they discolour fast and dont last very long.
 
MFs are so cheap these days, even for very good quality items like the Euro MFs, I tend to wash until they look slightly gone and then demote them to dirty jobs.

By the time I'd factored in the cost of washing solutions, water, leccy etc, it just wasn't worth it.

Pads is another matter however!
 

Gally

Formerly Mashed up egg in a cup
ClioSport Club Member
Yeah pads like thre 3m ones will last a while, no one on here is really doing 3 cars a day so you'll be fine, i've had blue and yellow ones for ages and aslong as grilles ect are taped up correctly they'll stay in good shape.

I use an old sock to dry my car. :eek:
 
  STEALTH RAIDER
Technically, once youve washed a well protected car, you can either spray a mist of detailer all round and blow dry the full exterior or just blow the water off as it is. Yes its a little time consuming taking prob an extra 10 mins to dry it but at least you know your not touching the paint. Without it being summer time, its hard to see the amount of damage your actually doing due to light conditions yet your constantly checking and saying "yeah looking good".
 


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