# Drying off and water marks



## Rodger that

Hi to all,I'm a newbie in the cambuslang area,I've been taking care of my own cars for years at an amateur level/weekend warrior type of thing,I can easily spend hours on my own car and I'm sure that we all have one thing in common,our love of cars and car care,I have pretty much got the wash process down to a T,however I'm still struggling with the drying side of things,I've just got rid of a black car and believe it or not have bought another black car as I like the colour,I felt that my old black car was pretty marked with towel drying,I've had my new car 2 weeks and have been reluctant to towel dry it,just hosing it off but it leaves a lot of water marks that I'm scared to remove in case I scratch or scuff the clear coat,I was wondering if there was any armature enthusiasts like myself who love doing this stuff at the weekends in the local or surrounding area would care to show me the correct way,maybe we could meet up some weekend,thanx in advance,


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## Njs71

Rodger that said:


> Hi to all,I'm a newbie in the cambuslang area,I've been taking care of my own cars for years at an amateur level/weekend warrior type of thing,I can easily spend hours on my own car and I'm sure that we all have one thing in common,our love of cars and car care,I have pretty much got the wash process down to a T,however I'm still struggling with the drying side of things,I've just got rid of a black car and believe it or not have bought another black car as I like the colour,I felt that my old black car was pretty marked with towel drying,I've had my new car 2 weeks and have been reluctant to towel dry it,just hosing it off but it leaves a lot of water marks that I'm scared to remove in case I scratch or scuff the clear coat,I was wondering if there was any armature enthusiasts like myself who love doing this stuff at the weekends in the local or surrounding area would care to show me the correct way,maybe we could meet up some weekend,thanx in advance,


Hi Rodger & welcome to DW. Go and get yourself an in2detailing drinker towel. Lay it on your paintwork and it just sucks the water up, no rubbing or dragging needed. Just pat it on the panels. I've just got them on the strength of whet people on here have said about them.


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## Njs71

Towels being discussed at the moment on here.

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=389845


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## chongo

If you are struggling with drying your car then invest in a blower, plenty of dog grooming blowers on eBay or amazon priced around £55-80 if you have a good LSP on then the water that's remaining will just blow away then use a QD afterwards


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## Rodger that

Ok cheers guys,that towel looks great as does the blower technique


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## Rodger that

Ok guys,many thanks


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## BaileyA3

Another suggestion for the blower is the titan wet and dry vac from screwfix, £30 if I remember correctly. Obviously has wet and dry vac function but also blower too and it's easily strong enough to dry off most of the car. I had one myself and stupidly sold it about 6 months back but am going to get another one.


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## LeeH

DI filter for the final rinse. 

No spots, just let it dry. 

Not ideal for every wash when wanting to apply something afterwards but perfect for quick washes. 

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## Bull12

I'll second that. With a do vessel you can leave the car to airdry whilst you dress trim/tyres or quickly sort out the inside. After a little while a quick spritz of qd takes care of any little drips and tops up your protection. 

Once properly protected, using the sheeting method (with an open hose) leaves very little water to mop up with drying towel. Ideal for those quick washes when you don't get the di vessel out.

I really do think a do vessel is for me a necessity with a black car.


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## Rodger that

Yeah I do sheet it last of all with the open hose it's just the few spots/water marks that are left after that,I've only had the car a few weeks,there seems to be some protection on the car as it definitely beads and sheets,so I'm not going to wax it till next year,it's black metallic,I was thinking petes 53 versus purple haze pro,I hear both are Fantastic for such a car,what's your thoughts on that one,what would you tend to favour most ?thanx in advance


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## Rodger that

If you don't mind me asking
What is a d1 filter exactly
What purpose does it serve
How much do they cost
Where could I get one and finally does your hose go through it at some point along the line


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## LeeH

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122397708114

Leaves a spot free rinse.

Use at low pressure/flow.

Buy a TDS meter to check water hardness before and after.

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## wrxmania

Feck's Philosophy Professor Plush and Serious Performance UBER drying towels are what I use, also on a black car. Both are superb!

Feck's Philosophy Professor Plush

UBER Drying Towel

DW has discount codes for both.


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## Chris Dyson

A good quality drying towel and a water filter should go a long way to eliminating waterspots but in the meantime, if you are still blighted with the dreaded watermarks, try using Koch Chemi FSE quick detiling spray. Excellent at safely removing waterspots. A class winner in the PVD magazine mega test on quick detailers (iss 3). Also available from Amazon and Halfords.


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## steelghost

Fellow black car owner here. I use a "Drinker" towel from I2D as well and find it excellent. I use a QD to provide some lubrication of the towel on the paint, just finishing a bottle of Finish Kare FK425 which is excellent for this purpose. Leaves a nice gloss but crucially allows you to dry the car with confidence you're not marring the paint.


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## Rodger that

Fantastic input guys,that's what you call team spirit,rallying round to help a fellow car care lover with inspiration,ideas and product knowledge,although I don't detail for a living or indeed make a single penny from the trade,I do certainly share the same love of cars as everyone else,I don't think you could possibly spend hours on end cleaning cars if you didn't enjoy it,I have just never took it to next level of learning or professionalism,and I really do admire the people that have done and I wish yous all the best of success,I would really like to think that the folk who set up the forum set it up with this in mind,that we all love car care and no matter what level you are at we can all read the forums and take something from it,as they they say everyday is a school day type of thing,and with processes and products and paint finishes constantly evolving,the site is where we can all keep up to speed with what's going on,I just polish and wax by hand,I've never been trained on a polisher or had the confidence to use one,but maybe that's something that I may conquer in time to,thanx again for the input and the links posted,I really like the looks of the d1 filter,but at nearly £100 I think it will have to be put on the xmas list,lol,


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## scooobydont

Rodger that said:


> Fantastic input guys,that's what you call team spirit,rallying round to help a fellow car care lover with inspiration,ideas and product knowledge,although I don't detail for a living or indeed make a single penny from the trade,I do certainly share the same love of cars as everyone else,I don't think you could possibly spend hours on end cleaning cars if you didn't enjoy it,I have just never took it to next level of learning or professionalism,and I really do admire the people that have done and I wish yous all the best of success,I would really like to think that the folk who set up the forum set it up with this in mind,that we all love car care and no matter what level you are at we can all read the forums and take something from it,as they they say everyday is a school day type of thing,and with processes and products and paint finishes constantly evolving,the site is where we can all keep up to speed with what's going on,I just polish and wax by hand,I've never been trained on a polisher or had the confidence to use one,but maybe that's something that I may conquer in time to,thanx again for the input and the links posted,I really like the looks of the d1 filter,but at nearly £100 I think it will have to be put on the xmas list,lol,


If you are new to 'the next level' it can be a bit of a head twister to understand it all. Once you learn the correct processes it just will click and you will see the differences once applied. It is totally worth it.

You should add your location, if someone is close by they might be able to assist if you get stuck.

Oh and NEVER look at the manufacturers offers/for sale section if you value the contents of your wallet :lol:


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## Rodger that

Yeah totally agree,I'm in the Cambuslang area,thanx again for all the help,some great ideas from all


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## Cookies

Rodger that said:


> Yeah totally agree,I'm in the Cambuslang area,thanx again for all the help,some great ideas from all


Hi bud.

I can vouch for the drinker towel. It's absolutely fantastic.

Having read your original post, I think you're more likely to inflict damage during the wash routine, than when drying.

I've actually gone back to a one bucket wash,L and walk around the car with the hose to rinse my wash mitt out after every panel (or more frequently if necessary). I found some damage being inflicted, even being fussy with a two bucket wash.

If you have your wash routine sorted bud, get some good equipment. The towel is a great shout, as is the pet blow dryer. The DI vessel is quite expensive, and I haven't ventured down that route as yet. But I might lol.

Good luck bud. Btw - what car do you have?

Cheers

Cooks


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## Rodger that

I've just bought an Audi A3 saloon in metallic black,your post is interesting,for washing I use the 2 bucket method with a microfibre madness incredimit,I would like to upgrade to a better mit though if anyone has any ideas,I give the car a good rinse then snowfoam and I wet every panel with the hose again before I wash it and I use btbm shampoo,I have been reading this forum for a few years now and it's fair to say that I have learned a lot from it,and long may it continue,I try and buy one thing a month and this month I think I am going to invest in a set of wheel Woolies from ultimate finish at 45 quid I think,I might see if I can find a discount code for it,cheers,what's your next gonna buy detailing product/products,what's hot and what's not and whats going on the xmas list,lol,I'm hoping to wake up on xmas day and unwrap my new d1 vessel and stare at it whilst eating my mince pie,if you into car care like us then this will be up there with a PS4,lol,and you won't have to stick 50quid games in it,lol


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## steelghost

This is worth a mention seeing as you're on the left side of the country so presumably get plenty of rain (especially in the winter!)

Rainwater is very soft so if you are able to collect it eg off the roof of your house, you can use it to wash the car down and avoid the need to dry the car since no water spotting.

I have a set up allowing me to use it through my pressure washer, but even if you just fill a good size watering can and use it to "sheet" water off the panels, you can safe yourself a lot of time and because you're not making contact with the panels, it eliminates risk of towel marring.


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## Rodger that

Now that's what I call thinking outside the box,lol,


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## DLGWRX02

Getting a DI vessel was the best purchase I've made. Bit of an outlay at about £130 pending on supplier and the type of resin used. (Tulson MB115). I can wash and rinse in full sun and get no spots, 18 months between refills of resin but that depends on how hard your water is in the area you live.

It's what mobile window cleaners use to get purified water, so looking at window cleaning suppliers is a good place to start.


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## Rodger that

It's on the xmas list guys


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## Hughie

*Rainwater re use for car washing etc...*

Hi, I've just purchased these 2 and have now run a rainwater hose to the front of our house so I am able to connect my pressure washer to the water butt when I want. It's a chea**** solution.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/foam-water-gun/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i:aps,k:foam water gun

https://www.amazon.co.uk/151652-Heavy-Submersible-Clean-Dirty/dp/B01LWY1VO8


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## Rodger that

If you where to collect rain water in some kind of water butt and run in a hose to suck it out which I could do with my k4,I'm thinking that although the water would be soft like steel ghost said,wouldn't it also be dirty ?


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## steelghost

Rodger that said:


> If you where to collect rain water in some kind of water butt and run in a hose to suck it out which I could do with my k4,I'm thinking that although the water would be soft like steel ghost said,wouldn't it also be dirty ?


Muck in water tends to be the kind that either sinks to the bottom, or floats on top. The trick is to take the water from about 1/4 to 1/3 up your tank to avoid both kinds. That said, ideally you use one tank to catch the runoff water in and then have a second that you use to supply your machine or hosepipe, effectively "gravity filtration".

I've found the water to be fine, unfortunately my tanks are in sun much of the day in the summer and this can promote a slight green tinge to the water as a little algae grows in the water. Doesn't do any harm to the pressure washer or car that I've noticed (and I've been using this setup for a few years now).


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## Rodger that

It's an interesting concept,and a very green type of concept i.e. Recycling the rain water etc,however I've been doing a lot of internet research and I'm going to purchase a di vessel with some resin,as it seems that this is the way to go with a black car,I never knew that such a thing existed so I've learned a lot from this great post,it's been a great and interesting journey and thanks to all for the great input


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## Hairy Pete

I have a filter but stopped using it once i discovered Blue Rinse back in 2014 its from Angel Wax down past the Braehead shops near glasgow airport. I wash the car keep it wet on all panels then mist Blue rinse on . In the time it tales to put the PW away i then flat rinse the product off and no water marks and very little drying.


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## nappy

I have used drying towels , filters , blowers in the past. I found the neighbours thought you were a bit off div drying a car with it and now just use a filter and pat dry using one of the big green auto finesse towels.


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## chrisnasah

BaileyA3 said:


> Another suggestion for the blower is the titan wet and dry vac from screwfix, £30 if I remember correctly. Obviously has wet and dry vac function but also blower too and it's easily strong enough to dry off most of the car. I had one myself and stupidly sold it about 6 months back but am going to get another one.


have you got a link to this?


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## steelghost

chrisnasah said:


> have you got a link to this?


Here you go http://bfy.tw/Fb3M


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## Radish293

I agree with the water but. I use the watering can method for a final rinse. Annoyingly I’ve done a self build where a water harvesting system was part of the plan. With a 5000l tank planned. Would have given me plenty of stored water. But the final cost which included digging in the tank made a massive impact on build budget so it got binned. Shame I wish I had it now. 


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