Drying Advice / Tips

Hi All.... Wondering if some of the pros here can give some advice and/or tips on the best way to dry a car. I have multiple Waffle Weave absorber towels and they work well but nothing has "wowed" me. All of my vehicles are well maintained and always have a good coat of wax and 1 of them has a ceramic coating. I have used the leaf blower to dry the car as I would prefer nothing to touch the surface if at all possible, but really it is so cumbersome to be using the leaf blower and trying to reach the roof of the SUV.

Is there a product that really is the end all be all for drying a car? Would stepping up to something like a Master Blaster really be worth it for an enthusiast?

Thank you in advance for any advice.

I've heard using a hose to allow the water to sheet off is one way to minimize the amount of water on the surface, followed up with a leaf blower or some sort of forced air.

Edit: Like this

Water blade...followed by compressed air...followed by microfiber towel.

Flood rinse, air, dedicated drying towels used correctly is my order of action.

The drying towel is damp with a drying agent/topper like reload or a spray detailer to get lubricicity, and lots of blotting if you want to avoid scratches.

Detailed Image and other eCom vendors have useful how to vids.

I use a Master Blaster. It is easier to use than a leaf blower, but you will still have the hose and base unit to move around.

Flooding works well, just time consuming and uses a lot of water.

I also use Griot's PFM drying towels and they are amazing.

(Paxton, watch that water blade, they can have the tendency to mar your surface)

Thank you all for the advice. I will give the Griot's PFM towel a try and look into buying the Master Blaster as well.

Second the pfm towels. Best money you will spend

Flood rinse, leaf blower, PFM towel. Done.


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The easiest solution is to not dry your car at all, that's what I do

Portable Spotless Water Filtration System & Auto Detailing Deionized RV Washing Systems - CR Spotless Water Systems

On the off chance that I do get a couple of stray water spots from soap that I missed, I can just wipe it up with quick detailer.

I use a squeegee on the glass first
Then, I spray some quick detailer on a big fluffy drying towel and do the drape & drag across main flat surfaces. Fold it 4 times and gently drag on vertical surfaces. It works pretty well.

I do have to touch on one point though- isn't it funny how at one time we all just washed, air dry, waxed, and that was that? I had to have done that hundreds of times. Now if I try that, I'd find scratches everywhere. Weird.

PaxtonShelby said:

Water blade...followed by compressed air...followed by microfiber towel.

Click to expand...

This.

Watch those water blades fellas...if you happen to get anything between that and your surface: mar/scratch city!

The least amount of time 'touching' your paint decreases the chances of introducing defects into your finish.

I use an air compressor with a special attachment to cover more surface area similar to that of a spray gun, but at around 90 psi. Then follow up with a proper microfiber cloth

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NastyGT500 said:

I also use Griot's PFM drying towels and they are amazing.

Click to expand...

dom418 said:

Second the pfm towels. Best money you will spend

Click to expand...

Looks like I'm buying a Griot's PFM towel this weekend on Amazon.

tones_RS3 said:

Looks like I'm buying a Griot's PFM towel this weekend on Amazon.

Click to expand...

Order it now and you’ll have one for the weekend wash regiment!!

I have a handheld Master Blaster and then a drying aid like a detail spray or a spray sealant like Opti-Seal works perfectly.

Dewalt job site blower works great for me.

I also have Adams sidekick and Air Force blaster

I bought a plastic insecticide sprayer at Lowes. The ones that have the pump in the center. After you rinse the car put a mixture of tap water and distilled water in the sprayer and then spray the car lightly. The mixture would depend on how hard your water is. I use about 60/40 (60 distilled).

I dry weather, like here in Las Vegas, it gives you much more time to dry the car without spots.

Gordon

Water blade gets 95%..... then micro fiber towel (a big one, just for drying) gets the rest.

Once in a great while I will use compressed air, but I feel like the risk of a good scratch or chip is too great when moving all over the vehicle with air blaster.

Is this the Griot's towel people are referring to? Drying my f150 takes time.

Griot's Garage 55590 PFM Terry Weave Drying Towel
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