# Drying car



## cubed (Feb 25, 2012)

Whats the best way to dry a car after washing? I am currently using a synthetic chamois and it feels like its scraping the paintwork.


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## walker1967 (Sep 12, 2010)

Deep pile microfiber drying towel, I use the yellow i4detailing ones but have just ordered the chemical guys wooly mammoth which I here rave reviews about :thumb: chamois are a lot more grabby


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## Beancounter (Aug 31, 2006)

Firstly, Welcome :wave:

Look for something like a nice and fluffy microfiber towel, most of the traders on here sell similar ones. I'd steer clear of the waffle weave ones myself, never been that impressed with those.

The key to making drying easier is to get the car protected so that after a wash and rinse there is hardly any water to mop up :thumb:


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## shaunwistow (May 13, 2011)

CG Wooly Mammoth for me


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## bero1306 (Jan 24, 2011)

Yellow Uber Towel is simply the best.


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## Will_G (Jan 23, 2012)

The guys at Polished Bliss have went a step further and got the gsm's of their towels on their spec pages. I bought the PB luxury towel but they do a microfiber madness towel that is even thicker


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## Naddy37 (Oct 27, 2005)

AG silicone water blade, safe, quick and easy. Any droplets left, just wipe with an MF.


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## Yozza (Apr 5, 2011)

At moment im using an Asda Microfibre drying towel with good results


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## traplin (Feb 22, 2012)

iIve got one of these big thick mf towels but been told you are meant to place the towel on the car and then pat / dab rather than wipe. Well I've tried this but it doesn't really dry the car properly so I'm back to wiping. Am I missing something or is everybody wiping as well?


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

CG Wooly Mammoth or the Uber Premium towel for me :thumb:


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## phil_m_rob (May 8, 2011)

traplin said:


> iIve got one of these big thick mf towels but been told you are meant to place the towel on the car and then pat / dab rather than wipe. Well I've tried this but it doesn't really dry the car properly so I'm back to wiping. Am I missing something or is everybody wiping as well?


When you have an LSP on the paintwork, the water beads. When it beads the MF soaks it up far more effectively than if there's no protection on the car.


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## nick3814 (Dec 31, 2010)

traplin said:


> iIve got one of these big thick mf towels but been told you are meant to place the towel on the car and then pat / dab rather than wipe. Well I've tried this but it doesn't really dry the car properly so I'm back to wiping. Am I missing something or is everybody wiping as well?


I'm the same mate, patting doesn't seem too successful. I lie the towel on the car and pull it across (bonnet/roof) with little/no weight on the towel and I find it absorbs the water better.

The trick is to have as little water left on car as possible, use an open ended hose instead of spraying the car, most of the water sheets off leaving very little to mop up.


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## cubed (Feb 25, 2012)

thanks for the replies. i'll see if i can get a wooly mammoth towel then, it seems quite good on the youtube videos.

are those autoglym water blades really that safe?


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## Rodriguez (Apr 5, 2011)

cubed said:


> thanks for the replies. i'll see if i can get a wooly mammoth towel then, it seems quite good on the youtube videos.
> 
> are those autoglym water blades really that safe?


I don't recommend the water blades. They may scratch the surface.


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## traplin (Feb 22, 2012)

phil_m_rob said:


> When you have an LSP on the paintwork, the water beads. When it beads the MF soaks it up far more effectively than if there's no protection on the car.


i've got colli on there and finish with an open hose...still doesn't dry by just patting


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## umi000 (Jan 14, 2011)

a) Pat dry using a waffle-weave, then spray a drying aid and use a plush towel to finish drying.
b) Blow majority of the water off using an electric blower, then (if needed), spray drying aid and use a plush towel to finish drying.


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## Fastbiker (Feb 29, 2012)

It's maybe a bit too far. But the guys at polished bliss gave me some sensible advice recently - which actually meant I spent less money with them. However at the end of the conversation I threw in a line about wanting the Metrovac but that being a step too far. They said in actual fact it's an indulgence but a very good piece of kit and one they use. The alternative would be a garden blower ( but only if you haven't used it as a vacuum). I bit the bullet and bought a metro vac. It's pretty good- noisy ( I use ear defenders) and the finish on the paint is fantastic with no smears. It also means its quicker to move onto other parts/ sections and stages as you can get all the car dry. It's not cheap but I would recommend.


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## cubed (Feb 25, 2012)

get a Kent Microfibre Drying Towel. They are amazing. £3.99 on ebay and i dried my whole car without ringing it out. its all you need. no drying aids, nothing. just use this amazing towel.


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## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

Filtered water.

Drying towels can marr.


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## jubileebug (Jan 25, 2008)

Pat dry with wooly mammoth with a mist of LT.


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## audigex (Apr 2, 2012)

I want a metro vac, but I imagine it will annoy the neighbours too much (very complain-y neighbourhood and I can mostly work at 5-8pm and it's expensive. I use a couple of microfibres now, but intend to add more along the lines of a couple of plush drying towels.

After a wash, is it better to rinse the suds off and then dry the water (I live in a fairly soft-water area), or to just dry the sids off the car directly?


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## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

No no, fully rinse the soapy suds away.
If you tried to dry a car covered in shampoo it would streek like hell I'd imagine.
If you could I'd try sheet the water away at the end with an open ended hose then any small wet bits left you could try pat dry with your towel :thumb:


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## audigex (Apr 2, 2012)

Sheet the water away with an open ended hose?

Never heard of that - is it what this guy does (skip to 00:18, about 1/2 to 2/3 along)? Looks like it dries the car a little - how counter-intuitive! I suppose the water is so low-pressure that it doesn't spread out, and by putting enough volume down it all comes off as large drops or a single mass, rather than smaller amounts being left behind. Gonna have to try that, although I can't always use a hose during my washing.


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## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

More like what hes doing at 0:25 secs.
A watering can works the same..
I take off the pressure lance on my PW and use that, works exactly same as open hose but I can actually control it with the trigger.


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## audigex (Apr 2, 2012)

00:25 is what I meant, just said 00:18 so people don't overshoot 

Thanks, I hadn't even thought of that. Will be utilising it tomorrow if the weather stays dry.


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## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

The paint will need to be protected though or the water wont sheet.


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## audigex (Apr 2, 2012)

It didn't work for me, although I'd only applied wax once a couple of weeks ago so it probably wasn't protected enough to work this time... I've got some sealant on now so I'll give it another go next time.


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