blowers for drying the car

[imported_tuffluck]

i bought a blower and tried this the other day. firstly, i did it in my garage with the door closed. if i do it outside, i have no shade, so the big water drops on the car dry and leave marks before i can get to them. but, inside just blew a ton of dust onto my car as it was drying off. i didn`t notice this until i backed my car out of the garage, and it looked as if i hadn`t washed the car at all!



before PC`ing my car, i had originally been using a water blade followed by a chamois to dry my car. after PC`ing, i fear that method is not safe enough, and might leave scratches, especially that blade. so i`d like new ideas on how i should dry my car, because i really don`t think the blower is doing the job good enough.



suggestions? i would prefer to buy local products to use.

[Eliot Ness]

There are a few things you can do to minimize water spotting. The first is to sheet the water off when rinsing. Do this by removing the nozzle from your hose and direct the water onto your finish from top to bottom in a way that sheets off most of the water (it really does work well). This will leave you with less water to dry, thus you can finish before it starts to spot.



Next thing is to use a quality WW (waffle weave) MF towel or two to dry instead of a chamois (works better and is safer). Use a lesser quality MF towel if you want in places like doorjambs, etc.



If you wash your car earlier or later in the day when it’s not as hot you should be able to dry it off OK. Just keep the whole car wet as you wash the different sections until you’re ready to do your “sheeting rinse�. Using some of the above methods may also enable you to use the leaf blower outside.



Some like using the CWB (California Water Blade) and some don`t. If your car is freshly washed and there is nothing on the surface the CBT is OK to use and won`t scratch. It’s only if something gets trapped under the blade (dust, dirt, etc.) that will cause a scratch. But if you use the rinse method mentioned above and some good MF towels (don’t skimp on these!) I think you’ll be OK.

[gav'spurplez]

i just bought a blower as well. i just make sure to hit the car with some qd after drying with the blower. be sure to rinse, wash and rinse again.



car should look washed :xyxthumbs

[Bill D]

Yep, wash early or late int he day so the water doesn`t have a chance to dry up fast.



I dry with a ww first, use the blower on all the seams, use another ww if necessary to dry those up, anything remaining, qd the areas, then complete drying.

[imported_mirrorfinishman]

I still like the idea of using a clean, soft synthetic chamois, such as the Absorber. And it`s a lot less noise drying a customer`s car at 8AM in the morning too.

[Bill D]

Absorber: too much potential for scratching, it is rubber, also just doesn`t soak water as well as a ww mf



ymmv

[04MysticCobra]

Originally posted by Bill D

Absorber: too much potential for scratching, it is rubber, also just doesn`t soak water as well as a ww mf



ymmv



I agree with you Bill on the absorber. I used it for a while before finding WW`s and there is too much potential for scratches. Plus it holds dirt real easy too. I got the 160 mph Car dryer recently that Bill told me about and its great. not real noisy like a leaf blower and it has a tube to direct the air so you wont stir up all the dirt. For $19 it was a bargain. thanks Bill D.





Later, 04MysticCobra.

[hondaguy2582]

the absorber has never scratched a car in my experience, but it doesn`t dry as well as a ww mf. Some ppl will say that the water blade is dangerous as well for scratching, but thats only if an idiot does a half crap job washing, and still has dirt on the surface.



Far as car blowers, id like to see one that does work without drying on water spots.

[Bill D]

Never had any issues related to water spots and a car dryer. A blower of some sort is the only answer I see to getting water out of seams and from behind mirrors. What happens if you slip and drop the water blade on the paint? Of course ymmv , but I see the ww mf as the safest, most effective tool for drying.

[tcfool]

Originally posted by Bill D

Never had any issues related to water spots and a car dryer. A blower of some sort is the only answer I see to getting water out of seams and from behind mirrors. What happens if you slip and drop the water blade on the paint? Of course ymmv , but I see the ww mf as the safest, most effective tool for drying.



I concur! :bow



TC

:xyxthumbs

[04MysticCobra]

Originally posted by Bill D

Never had any issues related to water spots and a car dryer. A blower of some sort is the only answer I see to getting water out of seams and from behind mirrors. What happens if you slip and drop the water blade on the paint? Of course ymmv , but I see the ww mf as the safest, most effective tool for drying.



no issues here either with water spots and using the car dryer.



04MysticCobra.

[MacGyver]

I like the absorber, although it does pull too much wax off the car.



I use it for drying off cars after the preps are done, but for fresh details and routine upkeep of customers vehicles, I think MF is the way to go after giving the car a quick raindance, and the use of simple compressed air through the appropriate moisture trap and sand filters.

[Bill D]

The absorber needs constant wringing out and even when done so, does a poor job of soaking up water for me.I don`t like the fact it is made of rubber, heck I nit pick over the softness/quality of mfs.

[EdLancer]

Originally posted by 04MysticCobra

I agree with you Bill on the absorber. I used it for a while before finding WW`s and there is too much potential for scratches. Plus it holds dirt real easy too. I got the 160 mph Car dryer recently that Bill told me about and its great. not real noisy like a leaf blower and it has a tube to direct the air so you wont stir up all the dirt. For $19 it was a bargain. thanks Bill D.





Later, 04MysticCobra.



Where can I can this 160 mph Car dryer, is there a pic of it ?

[texas328ci]

I`ve also been thinking about a blower to help with the drying process. My bimmer has SO many crevices that end up leaking out an hour or two after drying. It the worst feeling to wash & dry the car in the evening, and wake up the next morning only to find water spotting and even water streak lines running from the sun/wind deflector. :( This actually was the case for me today.



In an ideal world, I would take of the deflector each time I wash my car, but it is a chore to do so. Water gets trapped under the rubber and seems to leak out hours after washing/drying. Anyone else have this problem and a solution?



:eek: I was almost tempted to take my wife`s hair dryer out to the car a few weeks ago! I don`t think this would have been a good idea.