# Drying aid recommendation to reduce water marks



## harry67 (Oct 31, 2005)

Hi all,

Im looking for a recommendation of a good drying aid that I can spray on to a wet panel and spray off with a pressure washer. I have a black car and live in an area where I struggle to clean it in the shade. This inevitably leads to quite a few water marks being left on the paint. Anything that would help to remove the water off the panel before it has chance to dry would be great!


----------



## cole_scirocco (Mar 5, 2012)

Any spray on sealant will do.

I've previously used Auto Finesse aqua coat and liked it. You'll get many recommendations here.


----------



## Taxboy (Aug 23, 2006)

Try doing the final rinse using a watering can or take the nozzle off the end of the hose. This will sheet the water off and if protected leave much less water on the panel to dry

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk


----------



## suds (Apr 27, 2012)

Harry sounds like it's worth investing in a filtered water system. Personally I just regularly douse the car with water to keep it wet as I'm working around the car, but I don't live in a very hot climate.


----------



## lloydrm (May 6, 2019)

Taxboy said:


> Try doing the final rinse using a watering can or take the nozzle off the end of the hose. This will sheet the water off and if protected leave much less water on the panel to dry
> 
> Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk


Yeah, that!


----------



## Demetrios72 (Jun 27, 2011)

I use Autosmart Tango to great effect :thumb:
Dilute it down a fair bit 
Can be sprayed onto a wet panel , dried then buffed or put a bit into a watering can and pour over the car then dry &#55357;&#56397;


----------



## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

De-Ionized water and to make sure water marks are dead then use Kosch Chemie, as I'm typing I've forgotten what it's called :lol: Somebody help! I'm having a senior moment.:lol:


----------



## upcoming (Jul 12, 2013)

Ive tried so many and nothing beats AG Rapid Detailer imo


----------



## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

harry67 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Im looking for a recommendation of a good drying aid that I can spray on to a wet panel and spray off with a pressure washer. I have a black car and live in an area where I struggle to clean it in the shade. This inevitably leads to quite a few water marks being left on the paint. Anything that would help to remove the water off the panel before it has chance to dry would be great!


Turtle wax spray and shine works well, as does DetailedOnline Nano sealant - which can also be applied via a mitt / used as a drying aid.

AG Aqua wax is a nice conventional drying aid which works well, I've also mixed it with BSD and works very well...


----------



## NorthantsPete (May 18, 2016)

Andyblue said:


> Turtle wax spray and shine works well, as does DetailedOnline Nano sealant - which can also be applied via a mitt / used as a drying aid.
> 
> AG Aqua wax is a nice conventional drying aid which works well, I've also mixed it with BSD and works very well...


Pit:lol: turtle wax.


----------



## Ctreanor13 (May 1, 2019)

Soul boy 68 said:


> De-Ionized water and to make sure water marks are dead then use Kosch Chemie, as I'm typing I've forgotten what it's called :lol: Somebody help! I'm having a senior moment.:lol:


Are you thinking of FSE?


----------



## Justbaldchris (Jul 6, 2014)

Ctreanor13 said:


> Are you thinking of FSE?


That's what I thought too


----------



## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Ctreanor13 said:


> Are you thinking of FSE?


Bingo! Nice one fella, struggled with the name :thumb:


----------



## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

I got a DI Vessel last week for this exact reason. I wasn't sure if it would be worth it, but it's honestly blown me away. Highly recommended.


----------



## Itstony (Jan 19, 2018)

Local water for me is good, but will still leave calcium deposits, just not as bad, bad enough. TDS-100ppm +/-.

I am a big FSE QD fan, but not the best way to prevent water marks. It will remove fresh ones very nicely.

Car washing for me on several cars ends up to 5 times a week, depending on rain, pollen or dust. It needed to be made easier and not a drudge a heart breaking drudge. 

Once it gets to final rinse, open hose and sheet off.
Battery blower and remove as much as quick as you can, not all, not necessary and time consuming.
Pat dry and then lift bonnet and rear and wipe under bonnet and blow away water on the front and sides of eng bay, same with the boot or rear, open blow and pat dry laying water. Might mean three quick rounds of the car, but takes no time.
Then blow and pat dry wheels and barrels, callipers as best as possible.
Then grills creases and gaps. Mirrors, window seal groves on rear.
Open doors and dry shuts and under the doors, leave open as water will drip.
Some will appear in wheel barrels and inner door seals if closed.
Then QD the wheels and barrels with FSE. So quick and easy.
What water spot problem was that

A DI vessel is good, but there will still be hard water trapped everywhere from power washing etc. But it will be an improvement, but not better than above. Get rid of the water quickly and you win the battle for calcium marks.

Two items that were the biggest influence were the blower and the shampoo.

Flex 18V turned out to be a real star, exceeded all expectations tbh. No need to even attempt to dry the car in one, there is little water left on the car, just remove most. With no cords, weight and hoses it is amazingly easy to use and quick. Noise is not an issue which can be a negative.

KC Nms (shampoo) leaves it so slick so much water just runs off.

Not saying the Flex is best blower, just so well balanced and easy to use and get around quick. Same with Nms, it just compliments the task. 

Personally, the calcium spots under the bonnet/hood and around top of eng-bay are the worst, just bakes on quick. Under the rear boot or window panel it needs drying too. No good using FSE, needs wiping with diluted HCL rag and rubber gloves to get rid quickly if left.

Not the only way, or blower, or shampoo etc, only the way I have developed that works well and want to share hoping it may help someone. 
Car washing I will admit was a chore, it is not anything like that now though. :thumb:


----------



## suds (Apr 27, 2012)

AND, you are most welcome Harry :wave:


----------



## NorthantsPete (May 18, 2016)

Easy.

Winter, BSD
Summer, Finish Kare 425 or MEgs Detailer xpress wax

You want something thats good on door shuts too, so also 20:1 Bilt Hamber QD will do it.


Ell cheapo, carplan hi-rinse in a spray gun its 5 litres for about £9, then you dillute 50:1 so it lasts forever, its just silicone in a tub (Arguably what they ALL are, suggesting polymer is different, silicone IS polymer!) but it works, and looks good. You cant waste enough of it! I got 10 litres which dillutes 50:1, but usually use it in winter when i wanna wash and run inside and have no time for real lovin'

I wash and detail in full sun, so this is my bag, never have water spots. I also cool down the panel with a hose if its too hot to touch.


----------



## Autoglym (Apr 10, 2008)

Polar Seal / Coat-It sounds right up your street. Applied with a pressure washer, then rinsed off.






You can also look at Autogloss rinse as another option too, but we would go for the above if we had the choice.


----------



## Prestige car care shop (Mar 29, 2014)

I have personally always used Adam's detail spray & car shampoo combo for avoiding as must water spotting as possible. The detail spray is a dream for drying but it also leave extremely slick paint with mega amounts of gloss.


----------



## RS3 (Mar 5, 2018)

Bilt Hamber QD 1:10 according to Jon.


----------



## NorthantsPete (May 18, 2016)

RS3 said:


> Bilt Hamber QD 1:10 according to Jon.


Gonna be giving this a shot... they actually say 20:1

Once my 500 litres of demon shine runs out.

Could be a while....


----------

