Drying your car

[BenzBoy]

OK - so now we have had "washing your car" 101 and 102 and 103.....
How do you dry your car?
I use the dog dryer to blast water out from crevices - http://www.ezycoat.com.au/ - and then move on the a waffle-weave microfibre towel and finish with a barely damp microfibre cloth. Next comes a very soft nailbrush and toothbrush to ensure any polish/dirt trapped around joins etc is removed and a buff with a barely damp synthetic chamois. This part takes about 4 times the washing time.
Regards,
Brian
PS: on my everyday car I simply water blast and drive.....all done in 10 minutes or less.

 

[Michel]

As a rule, I hop in the car after it has been rinsed and drive it up and down the road to shake off excess water.

Then it's with a chamois for the outside and glass.
A different chamois for the door jambs, boot and bonnet openings.
Finally the outside chamois for the interior glass.

 

[E200K]

Leaf-blower and waffle-weave.

 

[SEL_69L]

From a detailer's point of view, all of the above mentioned ideas have their merits, and are useful for the purpose for which they serve.

All good.

 

[BenzBoy]

Well if the economy goes more pear shaped that it is currently (patchwork according to our PM) we can set up a car wash cafe and Michel can do the cooking. A free BBQ with every detail?
Regards,
Brian

 

[Styria]

Hi BenzBoy, this cuts some very thin ice with the PMowers that be - economy pear shaped ? Regards Styria

To get back on topic, Tony raises a valid point regarding dirt and grime between sponge and paint - I had never considered that. Has anyone tried to just run the water off the panels ? As I said, it really works and one doesn't have to take the car for a drive to disperse excess water.

 

[BenzBoy]

To get back on topic, Tony raises a valid point regarding dirt and grime between sponge and paint - I had never considered that. Has anyone tried to just run the water off the panels ? As I said, it really works and one doesn't have to take the car for a drive to disperse excess water.

It is not just running the water off the panels - it is clearing water that lodges around door seal, inside door cavities, in the plenum chamber etc - and a quick drive encourages this water to escape rather than to sit until the car is next used... one does not want water sitting inside sills or the exhaust pipe...
Regards,
Brian

 

[Tony66_au]

Valid point Brian as sitting water will probably have some detergent as well.

I used to use the 3 x Chamois method on Limo's and part of the dry was using 2 old towels or some of the bulk bag of terry towel nappies to dry the door sills and seals, the bottoms of the doors and the boot channel and seals.

I've never had issues with excess water inside the door because I tend to avoid pressure sprayers and use a car wash brush with the hose connected to wash and rinse and id also do the door jambs, B and C pillars to ensure suits and wedding dresses didn't get grubby and then dry them with a cotton nappy (Ex nappy wash, no poo included in case anyone was wondering).

Newest Chamois to take the bulk of the water off, next newest for glass and bumpers or chromework etc

Then a quick drive to make sure it all gets blown out and another inspection and chamois for drips and runs.

Although pressure washers are effective I think they also create more work and eventually damage on Classic cars.

The last time i used one on a vehicle it blew paint off my Rangie when i strayed from the wheel arches.

And as for those Enyo things?

great if you like swirl marks

 

[Tony66_au]

Addendum to the above, I have a Dam with a few hundred thousand litres of water and 45'000 lt of rain water.

As the dam water is once again clean I now wash my cars with that but for the suburbanites here a 1000 lt rainwater tank is a few hundred dollars and allows you to wash your car with impunity. (Although you may still get enviro warriors on your case)

 

[Michel]

In Sydney, it is OK to wash your car anywhere anytime.

There are no more water constraints.

 

[Styria]

In fear of being ridiculed, I ask the question "what is an enyo" And... where did that name come from ? BTW, I do agree that it is a good idea to drive your car in order to clear any moisture from crevices and the like - nevertheless, the initial step prior to applying the chamois is to gently run water all over the car. That way, the flow of the water disperses the hundreds and thousands of water droplets if you just hose the car down. Phew! I got all that out in one piece. Regards Styria

 

[BenzBoy]

the enyo thing is this - http://www.enjo.com.au/
They make a kit for car cleaning and it will leave swirl marks - so don't use their products on cars - great however, for cleaning the sink, the stove and the shower.......
the enjo glass cloths are simply fantastic for glass but the 'pull' they exert is enough to take off a layer of paint so be careful where you use one.
Regards,
Brian

 

[CraigS]

Washing, Drying - what's that ?

 

[Styria]

Washing, Drying - what's that ?

Craig, that's the mixture you use to make the car perform better ! Regards Styria

 

[SEL_69L]

By far the best way to remove loose dirt and mud from any vehicle is a water balster. Fortunately, I have access to a very powerful one that requires ear muffs under OH&S, to use. With that, all crevices in the sheet metal are scavenged. That does not do any damage, in fact, even if you gently hose the crevices, water will naturally accumulate there. That water has to be dried out.

That problem is solved in previous posts in this thread.

When I eventually retire, I will buy myself a water blaster, but nowhere near as powerful as the one I use now. After a plain water pre wash with the blaster, a good quality wash 'n wax shampoo is used with a CLEAN sponge. I NEVER use that sponge to clean wheels with, because it can pick up grit, which will float in the foam of your shampoo bucket. I have a sponge ONLY for cleaning paint surfaces, and after squeezing out after spongeing I keep it in a plastic bag.

I wipe wheels with a rag, after blasting and the optional application of tire shine.

The paint surface is dryed with a clean chamois, which is ONLY used for this purpose. Door jambs, gutters, etc., are dried with a separate chamois. All of my chamoises are stored moist in separate plastic bags when not in use.

To completely dry the car I take it for a drive on dry roads, until all of the mechanicals have reached operating temperature.

Ideally, when the car is not driven, it should be in a garage under a dust cover.

 

[Tony66_au]

Pressure washers are great, and I use one for all sorts of things from cleaning concrete to ag equipment and my 4 wheel drive but I find that hand washing a car, with a brush and chamois drying the buggers can induce a peacefull state of mind and it allows me to more closely inspect the car for loose trim, damage and rust.

I also know that my garden hose wont blast water where its not supposed to go past door seals, between screen seals and into the doors.

Maybe im a bit weird like that but as with car washes I avoid high pressure washing.

 

[SEL_69L]

Tont 66 au: Too true. There are older components under the bonnet of a 6.9, for instace, and I have never used a water blaster under the bonnet of my car. It's just too risky, you may tear some old rubber seal apart. Best to use a gentle degreaser if you have to, and hose gently.

In a new car, that isn't a problem.

The water blaster I use has a bat's wing fan spray, and I never use it with the nozzle closer than about 6" from what I am cleaning. Same applies to window rubbers etc. I don't concentrate the spray on window rubbers. Using the spray parallel to window rubbers would be a good way of filling the door with water in an older car, with old window rubbers.

The blaster is excellent for large area paint surfaces, in wheel arches and underneath the car.