My Method for Drying a Black Car

[davidmelis]

A black car looks beautiful when it is perfectly polished, but it can be frustrating to maintain. Have you every simply washed you black ride only to notice that new scratches were added? If you are like me, then you are very careful about your method of wash, but what about drying? I was finding that simply drying my car was adding scratches to the beautiful paint.

Have a piece of dust on your microfiber? It will show up as a miniature scratch on your paint under bright sunlight. Is there pollen on your drying towel? Same thing. So, how in the world can we get our cars dry without making new scratches? If you own a black car, then perhaps these steps for drying will help you just as they have been a help to me.

1) Make sure the car is rinsed very clean. I found that if I leave my wash solution on the car too long then it does not rinse off completely clean. So, I stop to rinse the car 4 times while washing. This ensures that the car rinses clean by not allowing the dirty soap to linger on the paint too long. Have you ever rinsed out your drying towel only to reveal that it picked up a lot of dirt? This is one of the reasons why. Rinse the soap off the paint shortly after you have wiped it with your washing mitt.

2) After the entire wash is done I use the flood method for the final rinse. If you are not familiar with the flood method it means that you take the nozzle off your hose and just let the large flow of water rinse your car causing a sheeting action. If your car is freshly waxed (which it should be!!!!) then this will get your car 75% dry. I first learned about the this method from the professional detailers who post here on Autopia. DO IT, you will not regret it.

3) Next, I pull the car into the garage to dry it. If you read my 6 rules for detailing a black car you will recall that one of the rules is "Dustless." Being in a closed garage helps to lessen the amount of dust and pollen that will land on the car after washing and before drying. If you do not have a garage to work with then go on to the next few steps. They will help you.

4) I use my Shop Vac to blow water out of the crevasses. I am sure that a leaf blower or air compressor would be a little safer (no chance of blowing any dirt) but I have not yet had an issue. This step will ensure that no water is left trapped in the seams of the vehicle`s panels. If there is, the water will come out when you don`t want it to and leave water spots. Even the next day!

5) Next, I use The Absorber to dry the glass only. Never wipe The Absorber on your paint. It has a lot of friction which does dry well but it actually acts as a clay which removes some of you LSP (Last Step Product) from you paint. I want to get the glass nice and dry first because I do not want any water from the glass dripping onto the rest of the paint. By the way, the friction of the Absorber does indeed clean so well you can use it to clean the inside of the glass. It works wonders!

6) After drying the glass, I ring out the Absorber in a fresh bucket of water and then use it to BLOT the larger beads of water on the paint. Again, I NEVER WIPE with this product but I simply gently touch it to the larger beads left on the paint. I do this to save the absorbing capacity of my dedicated drying towel for the final wipe.

7) By now the paint is 90% dry and I have not had to wipe it! There is that 10% of water left that is going to have to be wiped, unfortunately. For this I use a quality Waffle Weave microfiber towel. Before we wipe with it however, we need to lubricate it. I use Meguiar`s M34 Final Inspection because it is very slick yet it does not alter the look of my LSP like a normal detailer or spray wax would. I lubricate the entire towel with a few sprays (front and back) and then I fold the towel 4 times. This gives me 16 clean sections of Microfiber towel to work with.

8) Finally, we can do the final drying wipe. I use the lubricated WW towel to carefully wipe the last moisture off the paint. Now, I only use one wipe for each towel area. More specifically, fold over the towel to reveal a perfectly clean area before each new wipe. If you read my thread on detailing a black car you remember that one of the 6 rules was "Dainty". Use dainty wipes - a very soft touch with an open palm. Slowly and carefully touch the paint. Let the microfiber do the work. What a difference it has made for the "final drying wipe" to be the only wipe on the paint during the drying process.

Indeed keeping a black car looking good can be a daunting task, but it doesn`t have to be. Just make these steps a habit and you will find that your black car can be kept looking good longer. I have not yet achieved perfection, but these drying steps have helped me get much closer.

Happy detailing!

[Bunky]

Good tips David!

I also will sometimes spray my drying towel with some the waterless wash prior to wiping if I do towel dry instead of the Master Blaster. I have not used an absorber in a long time so I will also start with the glass to get the waffle weave primed before moving to the paint.

[Mr. Gloss]

Lots of good stuff to keep those black cars looking new.

Since I started using Adam`s Car Wash, I only rinse once to prevent any water spots.

I always wash my cars indoors, regardless of weather. It`s much easier to control the environment; sun, heat, wind, dust etc.

[BobbyG]

Another great post David. These tutorials are nice to have around and would be a welcome additional to anyone`s book of knowledge....

[Old Pirate]

Leaf blowner and mlnium use of a drying towel works very well for me.

[Pats300zx]

Great tips David. The only thing I would change is to swap the Absorber for a high quality waffle weave drying towel.

I used to use the Absorber when I first got into detailing. Now my Absorbers are reserved for boat and jet ski duty.

[NoleFan]

Great tips, and I use the absorber for just that, the windows. Then blot dry with the guzzler. Why do they even make black vehicles?

And why must my wife have one?

[TroyScherer]

Great tips and write up.


I would try the Master Blaster. Once you use one you`ll never look back. I now wonder how I ever dried a car without it.

[Orinda Auto Detail]

Great write up and tips! I hate black car though... Only because I`ve spent days making them perfect only to have a customer take it and be destroyed in 2 weeks. Some time I see them and really want to cry, Then I think oh well more money lol!

[rzatch]

1. Prime the drying towel. WW Guzzler
2. Use a quality drying aid
3. Clean your WW after every wash so you start with a clean towel.
4. smile at your shiney car

[classofshine]

I agree with above, good tips on successfully drying without any marring. Ill have to implement this method.

[Todd@RUPES]

Great post, thanks for sharing!

[mustangmikeFL]

Good method for sure, I`ve got two black vehicles and I`m always paranoid about em.

[davidmelis]

Great tips and write up.


I would try the Master Blaster. Once you use one you`ll never look back. I now wonder how I ever dried a car without it.

Oh how I want a Master Blaster! Gifts are welcome. If I could only justify it for the hobby of maintaing my own vehicles and those of relatives.

[glfahlc1]

Oh how I want a Master Blaster! Gifts are welcome. If I could only justify it for the hobby of maintaing my own vehicles and those of relatives.

i justified mine with only the jet black paint i want to keep perfect... and all i do is my own cars.