Correct way to dry a car ??
 

Guys, what is the best way to dry the car without managing to scratch it in the process ??!! have tried large very soft drying towels as well as a water blade and yet still I manage to occasionally give the freshly washed car a new scratch in the process !! what is the correct way to use a water blade ?

have one off these Flash car wash systems with the ionised water that I very rarely use would using the ionised water as the drying process be as good as the blade / towel methods ??

I find a wet Chamois leather to be the best along with loads of elbow grease! - thats a proper leather one not synthetic.

I found ionised water always leaves some sort of marks.. it never leaves a perfect finish.. but obviously if you are doing that much work to dry it then you would be then polishing it afterwards!

I find a wet Chamois leather to be the best along with loads of elbow grease! - thats a proper leather one not synthetic.

I found ionised water always leaves some sort of marks.. it never leaves a perfect finish.. but obvious if you are doing that much work to dry it then you would be then poishing it afterwards! hope this helps

What do you use to wash it with? PErhaps its this causing the swirls? You should use a microfibre mit and only rub it gently.

To dry, use the water blade (like a window cleaner) gently in one downward direction and after each wipe, you may need to wipe the edge with a finger to make sure it hasn't picked up any bits. Finally micro fibre drying towel to finish the bits you couldn't get to with the blade (don't use it to dry the entire car as the chances are you'll introduce more swirls.

If its a dark car you need to keep it wet as long as possible so streaks don't appear before you've dried it completely! Years of owning a black car :)

You should not use a microfibre mitt as they do not provide enough lift - use a sheepskin mitt to wash paintwork, also make sure to use the two bucket method to avoid rubbing contaminants back onto the paint.
Dry with large soft Microfibre towels (pat dry not rub), or if you're feeling flush get a Black Baron car dryer do not use a water blade as you're asking for scratches!

Have a read of this for better info

Okay thanks guys yep any scratches that I am putting on the car are deffinattly being put on in the drying process no matter how careful I am, so a lot off you would personally say no to the water blade drying method ??

have tried the large soft microfibre towel and have in the past managed to put a couple off scratches on the car that I am postive were put there during the drying stage, to be honest thou was rubbing the cloth over the paintwork as opposed to your advice regards pat drying so will certainly try that method instead.

regards the washing process : snow foam and leave for 5 minutes / completely rinse off / snow foam again with car shampoo within the mix, rub bodywork with a " very soft " valeting hand brush and then a final rinse off with pressure washer.

watched a car getting a valet the other week and the guy was using the water blade for drying the car off and I must admitt looked very easy but as I say I know I have deffinattly not had much joy using one with regards it leaving the odd scratch on the bodywork.
but again thanks for all the advice given will certainly dry the large soft microfibre towel method again but this time pat dry instead.

believe the blade is a big no no from detailers !

so i firstly leather chamois , then ring the cham and go again , and again and again until im happy . then leave for at least half hour to be sure before waxing !

I`ve been using a water blade on my cars for a few years now and never scratched any!!!

Jesus, people still use chamois leathers :eek:

Quoted from Polished Bliss

we recommend pat drying with a microfibre drying towel instead of a traditional chamois leather. In contrast to traditional chamois leathers, microfibre drying towels are capable of absorbing many times their own weight in water, meaning that you can dry most cars without wringing out once, and are considerably easier to clean and maintain than traditional chamois leathers.

Throw away the water blade
Medium waffle towel
Miracle dryer which i use or the new
Wooly mamouth towel which I'm getting next

From chemical guys

Pat and not rub

And of course woolen mitt I also have microfiber one but prefer woolen sheepskin one

That will sort you out but for the swirls
Das 6 da polisher and fluids will give your car a new lease of life and many happy hours doing it

Impossible IMO that drying a car could cause scratches, unless you're dropping the towel on the floor that is ! perhaps the scratches have been put there before and are only visible when it's clear of water and dirt?

I use Sonus der wunder drying towels and never had any problems.

i have never had the balls to dry a car because of the scratch risk. I just dont see the point, just leave it for 10-15minutes (brew time) and it dries itself :)

As others have said, A microfibre drying towel, I sometimes use a Leaf blower also :D

Michael

As above

Pat dry or slowly pull a good drying towel along the bobywork gentle. Spary with some quick detailer on bobywork and on towel helps to. Make sure the wash is well done with 2bm mate and you well be fine.

U obviously dont have a dark coloured car

if you want to take the hard work out of valeting your car, you need to apply "lifeshine" by autoglym, as "Professional Vehicle Valeters" for 20 yrs and main vehicles being aston martins and maseratis plus many more i can assure you this is the best way to go .

Lifeshine no where near as good as a good wax on a car for finish or making washing easyier.

sorry but i disagree, not sure you know what lifeshine is,

I take mine to the Eastern European geezers up the road. They wash and dry it for £7.00 and do a good job every time!

Then I can polish it myself when I get back home! :thumb:

Once you have washed the car, use the PW on low pressure to rinse, then take the end off the hose (so its just an open ended hose) and give a final rinse with that. That will remove alot of the water, and if its a protected car (got wax or sealant on) you will find you just have the odd spot to dry (normally around the edges, with the odd spot on the spoilers).

You can then pat drive with a large fluffy MF drying towel.

I also use a dog drying machine (ebay around £60) which is also heated, for the shuts, wheels, tyres and grills.

:thumb:

Wooly mammoth kicks ass!

A wet chamois in warm water, but I don't dry it as soon as I have washed it, I leave it for about ten mins that way excess water runs off, after the chamois I go over it with a microfibre cloth, then a clean 1 for the glass, then an hour later if it's not to hot i polish with auto gym super resin, job done for a week

have you thought about using a drying aid like last touch?

I'll stick with my chamois thanks tried soggy wet towels errr no thanks as p600wrx said i then use a microfibre and some "Red Mist" Protection Detailer tried this recently its bloody awesome wax finish without all the elbow grease :)

There is a particular chain of Eastern European car washes over here.
I'm reliably informed that if you drive in with a £10 note showing the Queens head, then one of the girls will happily polish your lance

This is what you need
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acata...ster-cat5.html

You could actually be doing more damage than drying. Leaving water on leaves water marks caused by salt and calcium. This will eat into your paint work imperfection.

Email one of the top detailers and ask them if lifeshine is any good againston wax swissvax etc and see what they say. Water beeding is a good idea to how good the protecton is

where s best place to buy this wooley mamoth towels ?

They seem to be the same price, around £17

http://www.google.co.uk/#q=wooly+mam...w=1276&bih=613