Drying.

[Hixle]

Ah, everyone's favourite stage. Or not.

I hate drying. Like, can't stand it. Currently use some Megs giant towels and personally think that they're awful. No matter how hard I try, there's always water marks left afterwards.

Any tips? I've heard that using a QD can help, and obviously my towels aren't! What's everyone else using?

Luke.

 

[Stefan.]

i bought the woolly mammoth towel after so many people raved on about it, it looks and feels good but wasn't actually all that impressed :dapprove:

 

[Eddie.]

I've got a Woolly Mammoth, it's decent.

It can still leave water 'prints' when pat drying though

 

[MatthewR]

I use this http://www.shinearama.co.uk/product.php?id=SHI-ALLINONE-S (have managed to go round the clio twice without ringing it out.

and then unless polishing go round with http://www.shinearama.co.uk/product.php?id=SHI-ALLINONE-S using this towel http://www.shinearama.co.uk/product.php?id=EUR-MTS12-X3

 

[Daniel]

When 'm spending the weekend on a car (like when I first did the valver) I use the open ended hose tecnique, followed my compressed air.

Before I had a compressor, I used a garden vac switched to 'blow' and did it that way.

I find drying the car to be the most damaging of all the stages. Probably down to my crap methods and equipment, so I prefer to have as little contact as possible with the paint.

 

[Eddie.]

Aye, "dragging" a towel over the paint, only inflicts marks.

If anything, you should pat dry it. I would like to go down the "touchless" route Dan and get a pet dryer.

 

[Kane.]

Said it hundreds of times, dodo supernatural large white fluffy drying towel. Lasts ages and soaks the water up like a b**ch.

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

Don't start washing.

Never turn the hose off.

Buy a £300 blower thing from i4D.

Use spring water.

 

[Alex_225]

It's a lot easier if you have more than one drying towel I find.

I tend to have two blue fluffy towels for the bodywork, which seem to be just enough to dry it gently enough. Then use a Meguiars Water Magnet on the glass as they aren't all that for the paintwork as they are too harsh after a while.

There are various drying aids out there you can spray on but with the right towel and a thorough rinse I've found my method works nicely and isn't harmful.

 

[Gally]

Daniel is a detailing guru. It is a fact that most damage is inflicted due to incorrect drying. Even washing can be less inflicting due to the shampoo and water, when drying it's just the cloth and the paint.

The open hose thing works really well btw.

First up I don't use drying aids. They might be good but i've just never seen the need. Now throw away those waffle weave towels mate. Use them for the glass and shuts/wheels etc.

Buy this towel... http://www.i4detailing.co.uk/acatalog/I4D_Uber_Premium_Drying_Towel_1.html

They sometimes do the XL one that I have maybe email them and ask, it's like the softest bath towel ever made. It's so good mate. Ideally you want a blower machine. PB do a mini vac thing for under £100 but that's maybe taking it a bit far.

Oh after all the wet work I leave the car for a good 10-15 minutes let the worst of the water run off or dry up.

Water spotting should matter as you should be wiping down with something anyway. 5 minutes does a full QD.

 

[Hixle]

Cheers all, some decent tips! I'll get one of those I think Kev, looks decent. Yeah, if doing a 'quick wash' I'll always go over with Z6 in the end anyway,

What's this open hose technique? Completely agree on it being the least kind to the paint of all stages.

I'd love to get a blower, however, the missus would kill me as we're meant to be saving, lol.

 

[Eddie.]

What's this open hose technique? Completely agree on it being the least kind to the paint of all stages.

No head on the hose, just an open end.

It creates a "sheet" of water that leaves the surface pretty dry afterwards.

Very effective.

 

[aucky]

Shinearama's orange towell is great tbh.

I really want a pet dryer though :|

 

[Hixle]

Water makes water dry?! Que?

I'll give it a go

 

[Eddie.]

Water makes water dry?! Que?

I'll give it a go

You need to try to avoid "splashing" it needs to hit the surface as smoothly as possible.

I'm making little sense, I know

 

[Gally]

Yeah it's a bit excessive! Open hose just means no end on the hose pipe just bare end with the water flowing if that makes sense.

 

[Hixle]

You need to try to avoid "splashing" it needs to hit the surface as smoothly as possible.

I'm making little sense, I know

Flol! In my head, I forsee a mental conversation with the girlfriend:

'Luke, what are you doing now?!'

'I'm drying the car babe - with water '

'I'm leaving'.

 

[Hixle]

I now to clean the car tonight just to try this, lol.

 

[Alex_225]

They might be good but i've just never seen the need. Now throw away those waffle weave towels mate. Use them for the glass and shuts/wheels etc.

Good tip. I remember back in the day the Sonus Der Wunder drying towels were highly recommended. They're not a patch on the efficiency of softness of a fluffy microfibre drying towel!

 

[Gally]

Yeah waffle weave is just so harsh I find. Some towels also are better after 1 wash mate.

 

[Daniel]

Flol @ detailing guru.

I need to rethink my career...

 

[JD]

When I start to feel the same way, I replace my towel. Then it's easy again. And one towel will do a whole car, if your car is well protected and you've used the open hose technique shown by Jim above.

 

[Joe#]

I pat dry with my wooly mammoth, and as mentioned you still get a few water marks. So then I just use a quick detailer afterwards.

 

[Kane.]

I don't see how people get watermarks? Maybe the heat here actually helps me dry the car?

 

[JD]

Hard water, Kane. The harder the water the more deposits are left.

 

[john182rs]

I used to use a 50cc Ryobi garden power tool with the blower attachment, Not bad for £30 either.

 

[Yellow Dave]

Qd as a drying aid is a bit catch 22.

When your lsp is starting to die off and sheeting isn't all that good a light mist over will help encourage the water to bead off and make it easier to dry. The problem is it ruins drying towels very quickly imo. The towels just end up soaking up half what they did and push the rest of the water around the panel. But using a qd as a drying aid will cut down on the damage caused a little. A towel never used with a qd will last twice as long if not longer before its water holding drops off.

If a lsp is still performing I try not to use one. If I do I try and keep one decent towel aside, dry up the worst then give it a 2nd dry with the good towel.

 

[Yellow Dave]

Ps keep your waffle towels for glass cleaning. I find it works much better than a MF

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

I'm deadly serious when i say this, but;

(And if you dont mind looking like a prick infront of your neighbours...)

 

[mark smith87]

Microfiber towels are the best thing I've come across for effective drying off. All the hand car wash places use them now instead of chamois leathers. They don't scratch and they can be easily washed when they become dirty. I've got loads of them now.

 

[Tommo.]

I've been looking at these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140840440...ksid=p4340.l2557&orig_cvip=true#ht_720wt_1271

I really hate drying my car too! But thinking something like the above is perhaps a bit OTT?!

 

[Kane.]

Hard water, Kane. The harder the water the more deposits are left.

I know that as my water here is terrible. I just choose not to leave it on :rasp:

 

[Inequality Street]

My dad uses one of those things that scrape water off the car. Really bugs me.

 

[Gally]

I've been looking at these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140840440...ksid=p4340.l2557&orig_cvip=true#ht_720wt_1271

I really hate drying my car too! But thinking something like the above is perhaps a bit OTT?!

Bang on mate. Surprising what detailing companies can charge for cheap stuff.

 

[Wick]

Luke, I'll vouch for the i4d uber yellow towel that Gally linked. Tis Epic. If getting the regular ones I'd recommend x2!

I want to use it after I shower. Seriously it is that good.

 

[Ghm]

What about an old fashioned leather chamois? However when I use my chamois it takes off the blue colour magic I use for stone chips or perhaps the whole washing process does this.

Just a bit annoying having to constantly add colour magic to the front bumper after every wash..

 

[Wick]

What about an old fashioned leather chamois? However when I use my chamois it takes off the blue colour magic I use for stone chips or perhaps the whole washing process does this.

Just a bit annoying having to constantly add colour magic to the front bumper after every wash..

All this talk of drying technique and you've pulled out the chamios and turtle wax...

:rasp:

 

[Ghm]

:drunk::drunk:

Vewwy serious.

 

[Tommo.]

Bang on mate. Surprising what detailing companies can charge for cheap stuff.

It is indeed, but can't blame them there's obviously people willing to pay it!

Realistically could a well protected car be fully dried using one of them? I'm tempted at 70 quid

 

[Gally]

Not quite. It's a superb thing to have though if you use it. I'm lucky enough to have a compressor.