how to dry car in the hot weather

**lava lizard** · 07-28-2005, 10:19 AM

I live in houston so it`s really hot I try to constantly rinse the car as I`m washing it to keep it from drying on me and leaving water spots. I know it`s best to wash in the morning or evening but I can`t always do that and I`ld like to avoid buying a tarp. If you have any suggestions let me know.

lava lizard

**GregCavi** · 07-28-2005, 10:40 AM

Well you can try to find a shady spot to work. I try to never wash in the sun. If you have a friend that would help you out they could keep the care wet while you washed. Just always try to keep the care wet. Also what I do anytime I wash is I will wash the part of the car that is in the shade first and then move onto the sunny parts.

Greg

**J.J.** · 07-28-2005, 10:43 AM

I do exactly what you`ve mentioned. I constantly and continuously rinse the car as I wash. I usually wash one panel at a time and continue to respray the entire car as I work on other panels. To dry, I spray the entire car then pop the trunk and the hood. I begin drying the roof and side panels and finish with the hood and trunk. This seems to work pretty well for me. Maybe some other will chime in with more good advice for you!

JJ

**DetailCad** · 07-28-2005, 10:45 AM

How about a lawn sprinkler aimed at the car? Maybe you could keep you car wet and water your lawn at the same time.

**GregCavi** · 07-28-2005, 11:34 AM

lawn sprinklers always seem to have very hard water that would leave some nice hard water marks so i wouldnt advice upon it.

Greg

**tubafeak** · 07-28-2005, 12:37 PM

When it`s really hot I`ll dry with a QD, it makes sure you don`t have any water spots.

**DetailCad** · 07-28-2005, 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by GregCavi

lawn sprinklers always seem to have very hard water that would leave some nice hard water marks so i wouldnt advice upon it.

Greg

Huh? The water coming through the sprinkler should be the same as he would be using through his hose. How is going through the sprinkler going to make it harder?

**J.J.** · 07-28-2005, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by DetailCad

Huh? The water coming through the sprinkler should be the same as he would be using through his hose. How is going through the sprinkler going to make it harder?

That`s what I was wondering

JJ

**GregCavi** · 07-28-2005, 02:13 PM

i was speaking of spinkler system. Our sprinkler gives off mega hard water. Maybe its just me. Sorry for the confusion. I thought of some other ways you could avoid the water spots. Try protect all`s Quick Easy Wash. You dont even have to use the hose for this. I would reccomend it if water spotting is a problem. Also if your car isnt that dirty you could always just use spray and wipe. My final suggestion would be that you could maybe invest into a tent if this was a constant problem.

Greg

**DetailCad** · 07-28-2005, 02:59 PM

Originally Posted by GregCavi

... My final suggestion would be that you could maybe invest into a tent if this was a constant problem.

Greg

Yep. I got a EZup 12x12 shade canopy to use as I don`t have a garage. It has certainly made it possible for me to work on my car when I would otherwise have to be sitting in the house. It also provides a shady spot for the mandatory after detail beer.

**PhaRO** · 07-28-2005, 05:30 PM

I tend to use PB SW on roofs especially if it is really hot and a dark colored vehicle. Once you take the roof out of the picture doing the rest is pretty easy. You can wash a few sections then dry them and keep doing that all the way around. Without the roof controlling water is a lot easier. Now if you use a pressure washer or some sort of nozzle that you can`t control the water placement easily then this probably won`t work. If the roof is too dirty then you can wash the sides and bumpers, then wash the top surfaces, rinsing the sides again as you go.

**Exquisite** · 07-28-2005, 05:57 PM

I usually wash the front end first and then dry etc... until the whole car is complete. It has been hell here in AZ with more humidity than normal with the monsoons and 110+ degrees daily. You might also want to check out www.CRspotless.com they have mobile deionized water systems that will not spot and no need to dry the vehicle. I just ordered mine a few days ago so I will be doing a report on it once I recieve it.

**RandyW** · 07-31-2005, 06:10 PM

Honestly, your doing the right thing there is no easy way around it unless you buy a canopy. Trust me, I live in Cathedral city, Ca. aka the desert. There is not many shaded area (1 every 3 miles) here and most of the trees are palms trees. I try very hard to get the cleaning thing done by first thing in the morning or early evening 5pm-7pm. Im constantly wetting my expy before, during, and after washing. When it time to dry I am again wetting my drying clothe. I figured if I went over the vehc. and remove majority of the water then quickly over it again always keeping my drying cloth pretty damp (to remove the water spots),every thing comes out pretty satisfying at the end. For me as long my drying clothe is mostly damp the vehc dries up pretty quick with a minium of water spots. :dj

**probegt** · 07-31-2005, 07:40 PM

What I do is wash the wheels first and then wash the shady side the car first since it will usual be the cooler side and then wash the sunny side that away as soon I get done I can get to dryin but keeping the car wet is usually you best option if you are not able to have shade.

**TrueDetailer** · 07-31-2005, 08:01 PM

First thing i do when drying off a car in the sun or shade is, Dry the windows first!!. Its alot easier to get a few water spots off the paint then the window. Then after the windows i dry all the top surfaces. And then dry the sides and your done.

I never have a problem with the sun drying the car causing waterspots.
If you can`t dry the car before the sun does you should practice your drying skills. I`m in florida so i can understand what the sun can do.