# Drying a car in a hard water area



## Nigel_B (Mar 14, 2008)

Hi folks,

I live in an area with very hard water (Thames Valley) and have a black coloured car.

I suppose I have 2 questions really.

Firstly, how do you dry your car so that you don't get water marks ?

Secondly, how do you avoid marring the paint when you dry the car ?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards
Nigel


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## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

I feel your pain brother.... 
What is your current regime?


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## preecematt (Sep 25, 2012)

You can get a filter attachment that you use for the cold rinse at the end of washing, that doesn't leave water marks

http://www.monzacarcare.com/water-filters/monza-car-wash-water-filter-30ppm/0/


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## Puntoboy (Jun 30, 2007)

I've just set up my new DI vessel. Cost me £101 all in. It's a 19l vessel and I have 25l of resin.


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## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

As above, anything else is a waste of time really


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## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

I am seriously considering a DI vessel:thumb:


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## graham1970 (Oct 7, 2012)

So are the water filters from the likes of screwfix no good?
Are the ones from detailing retailers re fillable or do they only last so long?

Ta


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## Andy from Sandy (May 6, 2011)

> Are the ones from detailing retailers re fillable or do they only last so long?


If you get a DI vessel that is supplied empty then it will be refillable.

In any sector / hobby there is dedicated suppliers who charge niche prices for some products. Similar products are available from other suppliers who see them as commodities and charge accordingly.

Check out the window cleaning fraternity. They also need to use 0ppm water to ensure windows don't dry streaky or spotted.


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## smk82 (Apr 24, 2013)

I too live in the Thames Valley (Wokingham), and was getting rather annoyed by the hard water. No matter the technique, I was always getting water spots. I looked at the water filters such as the aquagleam one mentioned above, but as they won't last that long (with such a hard water area), and the cost of a DI vessel (http://www.*****.co.uk/divessels.htm) was only £20 or so more it seemed the more economic choice. I got mine a year ago, and have had to change the resin once, so it has been a good investment.


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## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

I would get a vessel from a dedicated company or machine mart personally. Would be cheaper, I'd imagine any detailing site would stuff the price up a fair bit


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## Juke_Fan (Jul 12, 2014)

I live in a medium-hard water area and used to get water spots. Found a quick spray with Tango diluted 10-1 with distilled/deionised water before drying really helps. Not perfect but get 95% less water marks now.


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## Jcwminiadventures (Dec 3, 2011)

preecematt said:


> You can get a filter attachment that you use for the cold rinse at the end of washing, that doesn't leave water marks
> 
> http://www.monzacarcare.com/water-filters/monza-car-wash-water-filter-30ppm/0/


As ^^ I live in an extremely hard water area & swear by my Aqua gleam. The small ones not the big ones.

Invest in a dryer to its far easier,faster & drier. Saves a lot of scratches from a towel


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

You could use vinegar to remove water spots or a qd spray or a qd spray while drying off anyway.

You could use a blower or rinse with distilled water or both.

Or what i tended to use when i had my black car was optimum no rinse mostly in summer as most likely time you won't get rinse water off fast enough with a normal wash.

Varying levels of costs to try and resolve water spotting.

We are in a very hard water area especially as it comes from bore holes...:lol:


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## spursfan (Aug 4, 2009)

Cant really say that I have had a problem with the hard water, never wash the car in direct sunlight so that the water never has time to dry before I towel it all off.
lived in High Wycombe for best part of 50 years and water is also hard water.
I think the answer is to towel it dry before ity dries off, don't own a Black car but have done neighbours black Hyundai coupe and never had the issues you are having.


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## A&J (Mar 4, 2015)

may i suggest you start using ONR...it has water softeners in it! Also by using the correct wash method (one panel at a time and dry) you will not get water marks!


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## R_D_Olivaw (Sep 16, 2013)

Today I tried out my RaceGlaze water filter for the first time.

I have a dark metallic car that shows up water marks if I'm not careful.

It was 26 degrees, the car was hot to the touch and I washed it in direct sunlight before using a blowers to remove the excess water.

To the best of my knowledge there were no water marks on the car.

The only odd thing was the water seemed to take longer to disappear than normal, possibly because the impurities lower the evaporation temperature.


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## whiteclio59 (Aug 13, 2013)

I live in a hard water area and I never get water marks because i dry it with a metro vac and a drying towel and again if I leave dry naturally it's a different story


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## obelix1 (Jun 14, 2015)

I use a battery powered leave blower live in Middlesex extreme hard water and get pretty good results .


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## Puntoboy (Jun 30, 2007)

graham1970 said:


> So are the water filters from the likes of screwfix no good?
> Are the ones from detailing retailers re fillable or do they only last so long?
> 
> Ta


Those Screwfix filters are junk. I had 245ppm before and 250+ after. Even once I had run 20+ litres of water through it. Complete waste of £24.


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## Puntoboy (Jun 30, 2007)

I washed my car today in the hot temps. Direct sunlight as I don't have a shaded drive and it's all good. No water spots. Just rinsed, snow foamed and rinsed again. All with water through my DI vessel.


























Car is protected with CarPro Hydr02.


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## fatdazza (Dec 29, 2010)

Another vote for a DI vessel. It might seem a high initial outlay but per wash is a very cheap way of ensuring spotless results, and no risk of marring from a drying towel.


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## OvEr_KiLL (Mar 2, 2015)

how about when you finishing rinsing, spray some qd all over and then dry with a decent towel like the af aqua deluxe, cg wooly mamoth etc


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## graham1970 (Oct 7, 2012)

Is there a link to how to set up the Di vessel?


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## Puntoboy (Jun 30, 2007)

It's easy. Fill it to about 80% full put it back together and away you go.


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## Morph78 (Aug 18, 2010)

Free TDS meter offer currently running here:

http://www.*****.co.uk/divessels.htm


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## graham1970 (Oct 7, 2012)

Cheers,I'll look into this,how long does it last...?


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## graham1970 (Oct 7, 2012)

OvEr_KiLL said:


> how about when you finishing rinsing, spray some qd all over and then dry with a decent towel like the af aqua deluxe, cg wooly mamoth etc


The idea is not to touch the car,let it drip dry.


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## MEH4N (Mar 15, 2012)

Im in a hard water area, need to get a DI Vessel myself. Hate the water marks i get on some cars especially black, others can be fine.


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## graham1970 (Oct 7, 2012)

I'm in a soft water area so water spots not too bad,like the idea of letting the car drip dry.that vessel thing is expensive tho...is there a right up on on dw...?


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## Morph78 (Aug 18, 2010)

graham1970 said:


> Cheers,I'll look into this,how long does it last...?


I wash two cars and use my DI vessel for the whole wash process (pre rinse, wheels and post rinse)
I also use it for filling up any product sprayer for diluting.

Has lasted me about a year. Live in a hard water area (Essex/London)


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## litcan91 (Mar 16, 2013)

Morph78 said:


> I wash two cars and use my DI vessel for the whole wash process (pre rinse, wheels and post rinse)
> I also use it for filling up any product sprayer for diluting.
> 
> Has lasted me about a year. Live in a hard water area (Essex/London)


What's the size of your vessel?


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## OvEr_KiLL (Mar 2, 2015)

graham1970 said:


> The idea is not to touch the car,let it drip dry.


so you can even cause marring from a decent towel like af aqua deluxe?


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## Morph78 (Aug 18, 2010)

litcan91 said:


> What's the size of your vessel?


11.4 litres


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## litcan91 (Mar 16, 2013)

Morph78 said:


> 11.4 litres


That's a great result! I wouldn't of thought that it'd last that long... I just got one for myself & am planning on using it for the all the stages of the wash.

How often do you wash the cars and what is the water PPM in your area?


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## Morph78 (Aug 18, 2010)

litcan91 said:


> That's a great result! I wouldn't of thought that it'd last that long... I just got one for myself & am planning on using it for the all the stages of the wash.
> 
> How often do you wash the cars and what is the water PPM in your area?


I try and do at least one of them a week. Which I normally achieve in the Summer, less so in the winter.

Not sure of PPM as I don't have a meter, but when I contacted the waterboard after installing a new dishwasher, they gave me a different scale (can't remember what one) but it was a high ready. After converting it I had to set the salt and rinse aid in my dishwasher to almost their maximum.

Just had a quick check on the waterboards website and it says my address is 118mg/L of calcium. The Hard scale is 80-120 and anything over 120 is classed as Very Hard. So you can see I'm at the top range of Hard, nearly into Very Hard.


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## litcan91 (Mar 16, 2013)

Morph78 said:


> I try and do at least one of them a week. Which I normally achieve in the Summer, less so in the winter.
> 
> Not sure of PPM as I don't have a meter, but when I contacted the waterboard after installing a new dishwasher, they gave me a different scale (can't remember what one) but it was a high ready. After converting it I had to set the salt and rinse aid in my dishwasher to almost their maximum.


Sounds good, I'll be happy if mine lasts a year :detailer:


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## graham1970 (Oct 7, 2012)

OvEr_KiLL said:


> so you can even cause marring from a decent towel like af aqua deluxe?


Apparently so pal...from what ive been told


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

Yes any towel will inflict marring no matter how soft it is, try a damp towel to limit effect.


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## bugsbunny (Dec 21, 2014)

I have a black car and the easiest way for me to get a nice finish without water marks is to use ONR in the summer. Using ONR I can dry each section at a time as there is no way I can dry the car quick enough with a towel/blower. I can't be fussed with the cost/hassle/storage needed for getting a DI vessel when ONR is so quick and easy to use.
I recently polished my car in June and I have been watching like a hawk for marring but have seen none with the ONR. I use about 12-15 microfiber towels and do not dunk back into the bucket and use a fresh side each time. I even do the wheels, glass (interior and exterior), door shuts and that annoying boot frame that gets really dirty without it taking too much time.


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## Nigel_B (Mar 14, 2008)

Folks,

Thanks for all of your thoughts, there are a few different ideas to try.

I may try washing and drying a panel at a time and see how I get on, I'll also trying using a qd or ONR and see how that goes.

If they don't work for me then it looks like I'll have to go down the DI route, but it would be nice if I don't have to shell out some money 

Calcium in my water is about 160mg/L, so classified as very hard (I keep koi so I need to know what's 'in the water').

Thank you all so much,
Nigel


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## Nigel_B (Mar 14, 2008)

The more I look at these DI units the more I want one :thumb:

Just have to justify the cost, if you know what I mean 

Nigel


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## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

Nigel_B said:


> The more I look at these DI units the more I want one :thumb:
> 
> Just have to justify the cost, if you know what I mean
> 
> Nigel


I'm in exactly the same boat as you!


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## Serious Performance (Oct 26, 2005)

I always used to do the one panel at a time type washing in the warmer months as the hard London water was a pain with spotting. It was just my routine for years and years. Eventually got curious after reading up on PaulN's posts and got an 11 litre DI vessel and can safely say it's been a revelation. I use it for the whole wash including in the buckets and it's certainly been worth the initial outlay .


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## bugsbunny (Dec 21, 2014)

Serious Performance said:


> I always used to do the one panel at a time type washing in the warmer months as the hard London water was a pain with spotting. It was just my routine for years and years. .


Could you help explain to me how to wash and rinse one panel at a time. Every time I try it, I end up splashing the clean parts, especially when rinsing.


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## Morph78 (Aug 18, 2010)

Serious Performance said:


> I always used to do the one panel at a time type washing in the warmer months as the hard London water was a pain with spotting. It was just my routine for years and years. Eventually got curious after reading up on PaulN's posts and got an 11 litre DI vessel and can safely say it's been a revelation. I use it for the whole wash including in the buckets and it's certainly been worth the initial outlay .


As above. I wish I'd done it years ago, would have made life so much easier.

Once the initial outlay is done, then it's just refills.


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## Serious Performance (Oct 26, 2005)

bugsbunny said:


> Could you help explain to me how to wash and rinse one panel at a time. Every time I try it, I end up splashing the clean parts, especially when rinsing.


Just start from the top and work down... Any water that splashes down from upper sections gets cleaned up when you work your way down. It's not a perfect system and many will have their own ways of doing it but a couple of buckets, the softest mitts I could find and a very lubricating shampoo always did just fine for me... Unless the cars filthy and nothing but a full on wash will do.


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## Nigel_B (Mar 14, 2008)

Folks,

Please can you tell me how you thank someone for their helpful post.

There are a number of helpful posts in this thread and I'd like to add my thanks under the post as others have done, but I'm at a loss as to how to do it (doesn't mention it in the FAQ's)

Thanks


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## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

Bottom right hand corner of the box, press it and hey presto:thumb:


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## Nigel_B (Mar 14, 2008)

Thank you


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## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

Thought you might have 'thanked' me^^^:thumb:


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## A5HF94 (Jul 27, 2015)

Leaf blower, Monster Guzzler and detailing spray. Just make sure the paint is plenty wet prior to start.

I use this one, it came with a secondary attachment that acts more like a blade of air.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-Electric-Garden-Blower-Vacuum/dp/B00AHC7XLK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439111908&sr=8-1&keywords=leaf+blower

The leaf blower (one used only for cars) shifts a lot of the water very quickly. The towel obviously picks up the last of it but the detailing spray stops water marks (Auto Finesse Quick Detailer for me) - just needs a quick going over at the end with a micro fibre.

All in all a very quick process and means you don't get as much dripping/marking at the end.


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## Nigel_B (Mar 14, 2008)

Pittsy said:


> Thought you might have 'thanked' me^^^:thumb:


Yes, that is what I intended, but the only thing in the bottom right hand corner was the 'quick reply' button.

I can't see anywhere to 'thank' someone. It can't be that hard I'm just being a bit slow at the moment. :lol:


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## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

Does this help dude,?:lol:


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## HarryHedgehog (Aug 13, 2013)

Thanks button has gone from mine as well.... Strange


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## mcfc1987 (Aug 12, 2008)

Pittsy said:


> Does this help dude,?:lol:


Sarky little pecker lol



Thanks button disappeared around two weeks ago


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## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

mcfc1987 said:


> Sarky little pecker lol
> 
> :lol:
> 
> ...


Dunno why that is, its here for me.... 
Might be worth letting one of the mods know :thumb:

Just remember it doesn't appear on one of your own posts:wave:


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## Nigel_B (Mar 14, 2008)

Thanks Pittsy, but the button isn't there on my screen either, just the other 3.


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## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

Nigel_B said:


> Thanks Pittsy, but the button isn't there on my screen either, just the other 3.


Pm one of the mods to see if they can help nigel:thumb:


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## shnazzle (Jul 25, 2013)

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned the simplest solution.... A water butt and a watering can without attachment. 

I rinse the car off with hose, then use one big watering can full to sheet the car. One watering can does the Audi A5. 

No water spots and easier drying. 

... Now bring on the onslaught of comments on how horrible and acidic rainwater is (which your car sees most of the year anyway)


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## Nigel_B (Mar 14, 2008)

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread.

I'm pleased to say I now have my own DI vessel  despite all attempts by the courier to prove otherwise 

Looking forward to my first wash without water marks (the car that is, I wash occasionally :lol: )


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

Nigel_B said:


> Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread.
> 
> I'm pleased to say I now have my own DI vessel  despite all attempts by the courier to prove otherwise
> 
> Looking forward to my first wash without water marks (the car that is, I wash occasionally :lol: )


You will have to post up a thread on your experiences starting out in the DI vessel use...

Im sure folks would appreciate your thoughts and experiences, the more the merrier...:thumb:


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