How to stop water drips?

N

neighborsenvy

New member
My customer's 2010 Vette is driving me crazy! Ive used a leaf blower on the side mirrors and this hasnt helped. I would blow the mirrors and wipe the entire car dry. I would then go on to do the interior and still more water dripping. After the car is done I would put my stuff in the car and its still dripping! After 30 minutes it shouldnt be dripping still. Should I just cover the mirrors while washing, or am I missing something.
 
Neighbor,



On my BMW 335i I too use a leaf blower to blow the water out of the side views, emblems, etc. What I do is after I have the car dry (I use the Zaino system, so it includes a final wipedown with Z8) I simply tie a soft microfiber towel around each mirror and park it for about an hour. Any fall out is absorbed by the towels and no drips hit the paint.



Just my 2 cents.
 
neighborsenvy- Some of my vehicles are like that, even so bad that I like to let 'em sit overnight (or even longer!) before I drive them. The best I can do is blow the water out with my air compressor. And/but, no matter how much time I spend on this (and I'm not talking just half an hour by a long shot, this takes forever), I still get some minor drips/spots that I have to QD away if they bug me enough to bother.



Yeah, the compressor *does* work a lot better than the leaf blower, which I use (with my AirWand attachment) to get most of the water off before doing the regular drying. I just can't get the same results with the blower that I can with the compressor, and if I'm gonna spend ages on it I'd rather not lug the leaf blower around the whole time anyhow.
 
neighborsenvy,

I have a vette and I use an electric leaf blower and a MF towel on my side mirrors. Try rotating them forward and backward and blowing down in the base of the mirror (when it's cocked fwd. or backward) and also underneath the mirror itself (when it's cocked fwd. or backward). I never have drips on mine - just use a MF while you're doing it to absorb the bulk of the water.
 
I think the problem is that any water that goes into the mirrors comes out the bottom of the stem. I was doing ONR washes and I was getting the same results as a normal wash. I got so pissed that last week I wrapped a towel around each one and tapped it to the mirror (blue painters tape of course). Problem solved lol.



I tried the leaf blower and that didnt cure it 100% so no I just spray a dry towel with a mixture of ONR and wipe these separately.
 
Accumulator said:
neighborsenvy- Some of my vehicles are like that, even so bad that I like to let 'em sit overnight (or even longer!) before I drive them. The best I can do is blow the water out with my air compressor. And/but, no matter how much time I spend on this (and I'm not talking just half an hour by a long shot, this takes forever), I still get some minor drips/spots that I have to QD away if they bug me enough to bother.
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I am there with you. It is just one of those things that comes with the job. I also think that the air compressor is far superior to the leaf blower. My AirWand sits in the back of the shop because I do not want to lug it around also. Important: Like the leaf blower, when using an air compressor make sure that you have hearing protection.





jb1 said:
neighborsenvy,

I have a vette and I use an electric leaf blower and a MF towel on my side mirrors. Try rotating them forward and backward and blowing down in the base of the mirror (when it's cocked fwd. or backward) and also underneath the mirror itself (when it's cocked fwd. or backward). I never have drips on mine - just use a MF while you're doing it to absorb the bulk of the water.
Click to expand...



It is all about technique for sure. We do the same with all mirrors. SOmetime moving the mirrors will expose all kinds of pockets where the water collects.
 
howareb said:
I am there with you. It is just one of those things that comes with the job. I also think that the air compressor is far superior to the leaf blower...
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Plus, you can fit different nozzles/blowguns as needed. Compressors are just soooo handy! I find that it's pretty lousy for whole-car drying though, just too concentrated an airstream.



My AirWand sits in the back of the shop because I do not want to lug it around also...
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Heh heh, I keep mine just out of water-range but close enough to the washbay that I'm not tempted to skip it :D I did try drying the Yukon XLD without it a while back and doing that beast all by hand convinced me to keep using the AirWand!



I must say that I'm a bit surprised that you don't think it's worth the lugging, but I bet there are a ton of factors why it's great/not for a given person.



Important: Like the leaf blower, when using an air compressor make sure that you have hearing protection...
Click to expand...



Yeah, I really oughta do that... But my compressor kicks on/off at such random intervals that I never bother and I tell myself that it's not that loud, being back in the rear of the shop. Don't even do it with the AirWand either but you can bet I *do* when I'm actually blowing leaves. Guess that's kinda stupid, but it's not like I'm a paragon of sensibility when it comes to noise exposure, having messed my hearing up but good back in the days when nobody wore "ears" at the range :o
 
Another though I had was use the jersey knit pillow cases. Just throw it over the mirror and tape. They are really soft and its not like Im dragging them over the car.
 
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