Perfect Drying Technique...too perfect?

I'm sorta feeling like that moment at the Oscars when Sally Field shrieked, "You like me -- you really like me." Except that my version is "Oh thank gawd, I'm not the only slow washer dealing with these issues." Glad to hear other Autopians are dealing with the same issues, and thanks to all of you for sharing your tips and tricks.



BTW, I'm starting to go thru a transition period. I've always believed (like somebody else said in this thread) that washing the car meant copious amounts of suds and water. But, as I try to cope with the continual battle against rust on a '75 car, I'm starting to look more closely at products like QEW and S&W. Maybe that's the way to go -- more often than I previously recognized -- on an Autopianly-cared-for car. :nixweiss
 
I have the water spoting problem on my black car. Last week I picked up an inexpensive 1 gallon garden sprayer which I filled with distilled water. I then used the sprayer as a final rinse on each panel.



It worked quite well as I had no water spots. At the time I thought the idea was a bit silly but to my surprise it worked.
 
would it be overkill to wash with QEW using a gallon of distilled water. I love qew makes washing simple, next week i will add some poorboys s&w into the QEW
 
Lynn said:
Vinegar doesn't just "contain" acids; if my long-ago chemistry-course-info is still intact, it is acetic acid.
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Um.... wrong... vinegar is mostly water.



And thanks for adding the points about vinegar, Patrick. I would never use it when the car has a wax or sealant. :eek:
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Yup... did some research on that fact.
 
Chip Douglas said:
To add a bit of credibility to my above post saying vinegar does contain some acetic acid, here's a link on finding the vinegar concentration for acetic acid : http://allsands.com/Science/aceticacidvin_szh_gn.htm



i like to back up what i say ;)
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Ummm..... congratulations? :bow



You are backing up a statement Lynn never made... she said vinegar IS acetic acid. She's wrong. You are backing up a statement she made saying it CONTAINS acetic acid, which is a statement she did not make. Oh wait... I like to "back up" what "I" am saying:



Originally posted by Lynn

Vinegar doesn't just "contain" acids...it is acetic acid.
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Then you said

You did recall correctly about vinegar, as it does contain *acetic acid
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BIG difference between "contains" and "IS". I contain water, but I'm not water.





:wavey
 
Someone made a statement prior to Lynn's about vinegar containing some acid, right ? Then Lynn said if she remembered her long ago chemistry course it was not only some acid but acetic acid.................what i think she meant is that the name of one of the acid it contains is ACETIC ACID* I don't think she meant it was ALL acetic acid, but rather she just provided a name for one (maybe the only one) it contains.



That is why i provided a link for it................Mind you i dont mind being corrected, but i do think she meant that acetic acid was the name for an acid vinegar contains.
 
Guys, relax for cryin out loud..........! Your forgetting the whole point behind the statement made anyway.....
Vinegar, as Im sure your aware of, contains acids, which will destroy protective qualities of waxes and polymers, and glazes....
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Lets leave it at that, are we all in agreement ? Were talking about drying a car anyway,

and Im going to back that up...

Perfect Drying Technique...too perfect?
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I actually paid to have a water softener installed just to get rid of the water spotting issue!

I sold my wife on it by stressing the benifits of healthier skin, less cleaning of the shower walls, etc. But in the back of my mind my real motivation was to get rid of those d@m@ water spots.

And I've gotta say, it was worth it.

I tried (and still use) most of the techniques listed in this thread and they are great practices to follow. But it was still a struggle to get everything dry in time.

Now I can take my time. If some water dries due to evaporation it's no big deal. Spot free!

I know this is a little extreme but it was effective. And those other benifits are valid as well. The shower doors don't get stained, lef soap usage, etc.
 
Patrick, glad you made that comment in a way, just as you said we were missing the whole point which was drying a car. If i got slightly carried away with that acetic acid, it is mostly cause i felt the remark that was made to me was a bit on the sarcastic side, of course i may be wrong, as im far from being perfect, but i perceived it that way, and god knows im pacific, and always nice and respectful to others, yet i don't like uncalled for comments or attitude, especialy when you re not asking for it. I guess it was a mere misunderstanding, therefore i'll put this behind me.





I'd say that on most forums 98% of people are nice, at least that is my experience, that's one of the reason i like coming here, we can exchange without any row taking place, in a civilized manner, which is great and what it should be.





So thanks for your comment Patrick, you put me back on the right track :xyxthumbs



Take care
 
I had no idea that the vinegar comment would be such an issue, most white vinegars contain 5% acetic, says right on the bottle. I would love to get a softener, but not sure if it's in the cards right now. I am going to try the perfect drying tech. one panel at a time this weekend and see how it goes.
 
Chip Douglas said:
Someone made a statement prior to Lynn's about vinegar containing some acid, right ?



Yup.

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26677&perpage=18&pagenumber=1







Then Lynn said if she remembered her long ago chemistry course it was not only some acid but acetic acid.................what i think she meant is that the name of one of the acid it contains is ACETIC ACID* I don't think she meant it was ALL acetic acid, but rather she just provided a name for one (maybe the only one) it contains.
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Perhaps. I was going on the emphasis of IS in "it IS acetic acid", but yes there was lots of ambiguatiy(sp).



That is why i provided a link for it................Mind you i dont mind being corrected, but i do think she meant that acetic acid was the name for an acid vinegar contains.
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Maybe that's what she meants, beats me, I'm just reading what she wrote is all. :xyxthumbs



It's kind of a mute point, irrigardless(sp) of what she meant/did not mean. Many people say vinegar IS acetic acid, and they couldn't be farther from the truth.



I think we're guilty of threadjacking now... :nixweiss
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BlackRegal said:
I wash with QEW & dry with two MF WW towels.



I guess I don't get the whole phobia about "wiping" a car dry... The way I see it, if the car is clean (it should be, you just got done washing it) and your towels are clean, there is no harm in just wipe drying it with towels.



Think about it , your going to spend all that time sheeting, blotting, etc... to avoid having to rub the paint. But then you'll turn around and rub the whole thing down with clay, then go over it with a PC spinning at 5000 OPM, and then buff it using more pressure than you would ever use wiping it dry.



Too each his (or her) own, ... if you get extra satisfaction from usiing the "Perfect Drying" technique, then thats cool. But to me it is unnecessarily laborious....
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You mustn't own a black car!
 
I use distilled water in the rinsing process of my black car, and it helps a lot, yet i still get some water spotting, but as opposed to previously, it did make a huge difference.



Best regards to you Konowl.........and yes you're right about the threadjacking lol
 
Another vote coming in for the California Water Blade. When I wash my Suburban I have to either a) wash it at night when it's cool and damp, and even then need to hit the first done areas with rinse once in a while, or b) Do it in sections and wipe-up any overspray of the rinse on the following section. First I do the roof, hood and front fenders, then dry. then one side, dry, other side, dry and finally back end. Works well for me and that blade has never caused a problem.



I tried some of poorboy's SAW and it works well but I'm a stickler and need to get every surface area, every crack and crevice washed and flushed out with water. I don't need to be mf'g a part of the car taking off wax and accidentally touch and area (under the wiper blade, maybe the window rubber seal) and pick up some dirt that isn't hit with the spray and wipe idea.
 
The best way I've used thusfar is:



1) Remove any nozzle from the hose to avoid beading.



2) Wash/rinse area.



3) Dry with CWB and MF waffel.



Car is dry fast without streaks or spots.



The combo of both a CWB and a good quality MF waffel is a real winner for quick drying of a vehicle. The blade will whip the water off, and the waffel just picks up any remainder.



Regards,

Deanski
 
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