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So this thread is more of a question.  In the past I've used "The Absorber" to dry my car after a good wash, then I switched to some generic waffle-weave towel that I got at Autozone or something.  Well, I think the towel is getting closer to retirement because it just doesn't feel right.  I've always liked items like "The Absorber", but does anyone have any recommendations into a good drying product, preferably of the waffle-weave type, or maybe some other product that I'm unaware of?

A squeegy type thing works great. Just get most of the water off with that and then finish up the job with a towel or something like the Absorber.

A squeegy has the ability to mess up your paint pretty bad. I use one only on my windows, and use the Absorber for the rest of the car.

I have the absorber as well and that thing has been holding up for some time. I've been considering trying out the ShamWow (yeah, I know. Flame away) just to see what this thing is about. I'm actually curious if anyone has tried it.

I use sham wow.. it's decent.

How is it compared to the absorber?

Well there is this softer squeegy thats designed for cars and you don't put any pressure on it when you use it. It just lightly wipes away the water and it didn't seem to have any negative effects on the paint.

Water Blade?

That might be what it's called. It's got a very flexible body so that barely any pressure is put on the paint

Dave, how about a leaf blower?

I know several members use this method to dry off there rides.

I don't know that what you use is as important as how you dry the car. For the last rinse remove the nozzle and starting at the top flood the car with water on all surfaces working your way down. You'll see that the water flows off of the paint unlike when you use the nozzle. Give it a few minutes for the water to run off. If you have a leaf blower that's a great way to get the water out of seams, mirrors, etc. Then DAB at the remaining drops instead of rubbing them dry. If you are using an absorber, microfiber towel, waffle weave, or chamois the procedure should be the same. I have some WW towels that I thought were high quality and they scratched the shit out of the paint. Rather than light the fuckers on fire I decided to use them exclusively on windows.......works like a charm. Now I use a regular MF towel to dry but DAB the areas as opposed to "rubbing the car down".  Try it.

I wish I had read this thread BEFORE I had washed my car today. I just bought some waffle weave MF towels today and I think they suck. They retain wayy too much water. I'm gonna try and "dab dry" my car next time, maybe I'll keep it from getting scratched up again.

I do think that any kind of microfiber towel will work better than what I used to use to dry my car, a "Black Magic chamois" that just trapped dirt and scratched the paint. I don't recommend anyone using those.

I dab dry my car with a drying MF towel.  I'm planning to get a leaf blower for making the process that much quicker.

I had to buff out a giant scratch on my roof from using one of these now I only use it on windows.

+1 on the advice of using the hose without a nozzle to let the weight of the water pull the drops off the car, leaving very little to actually dry. +1 on the leaf blower to get the rest of the water out of all the hard to reach places, exactly what I do. You want to avoid rubbing or touching the paint unless absolutely necessary. Hence why when you wash the car you should pressure wash, soap, pressure wash again, before ever taking a mitt to the car. The only thing I would add to RTexasF's advice, is that as a drying agent, you can use your favorite quick detailer to help where you dab your MF. This way you are still having some sort of lubricant between the MF and the paint, but ultimately dry to a clear and debris free shine.

I suppose that is good advice for some but it has never worked for me. I have tried everything under the sun as a "drying aid" including Aqua Wax. None has ever worked well for me so I refuse to use it while the car is wet........just doesn't work for me.
In all honesty I think all of the multiple presure/foam washes you describe is just plain bullshit. I realize that is what some of the "Pros" do but I have never found one single advantage in doing that extra work........it's more for show than go in my opinion. On the other hand I have never done a $100K Prancing Horse Car either but I've done more than my share of Caddys, Mercedes, Audis, Corvettes, etc., NONE required all that extra crap just to wash the car......and yes I tried it. Advantage? ZERO! A TOTAL waste of time in my mind. I'm going to clay then compound/polish the car after it is washed anyway so why should I treat it like a baby's ass???????? I just don't get it. If you think that is better for your high dollar Porsche then go for it......to me it is wasted time and money. What works for some doesn't work for all.

Using the hose method to dry the car works if you have access to a hose.  Unfortunately, not everyone does, including me.  That's why I'm planning to get a leaf blower to help dry the car.

Chamois works decently, but listen to Rick though. I have been using a microfiber waffle towel to dab my car down after leaf blowing it for quite some time.

You would be a prime candidate for Optimum No Rinse, called ONR on the detailing forums. You only need about two gallons of water. It works, leaves a gorgeous shine with very little water, no marring, and no blower needed.

With a lighter color car, I would agree, with a darker color car, every little bit of potential debris on the car open up the potential for unnecessary swirl marks.

I agree that if you are going to clay/polish the car afterwards, it seems a bit unnecessary, but for in between times when you are not doing the full monty so to speak, then for me and my peace of mind, I would rather know the car is pretty darn clean, before ever touching the car with a mitt or MF. Porsche paint is very soft, so it can be a pain in the ass to maintain.

As for the drying agent, I might make a recommendation if you have never tried the stuff, my favorite QD is by Finish Kare (aka FK1) is it their 425 series QD. If you have never tried the stuff, I would recommend it. Both my cars (one silver, one deep dark blue) respond well to using this during the drying portion of cleaning the car. Keep in mind that by the time I am drying the car with this stuff, there is maybe a few droplets of water here and there and some fine mist, otherwise the car is pretty dry at this point, so I am probably closely mimicking how you use a QD as well. Anyway, I agree, what works for one, does not work for the other. For my Silver Accord, I never go through the added hassle of pressure washing, foaming, etc. I just rinse and wash. Then again, even under direct light, it is very difficult to see all the swirls and scratches. The Porsche dark paint, that is a totally different story.

I actually already use ONR.  I love the stuff, it works really well.  For those weekly washes, it does an awesome job.  But once in a while, I like using Megs Gold Class Shampoo and the hand pump garden sprayer(not the best, but it isn't bad either).

I agree with what you say when just a wash & wipedown is needed on especially sensitive paint, that makes sense to me. I've done a few BMW's with paint that got marked up just looking at it wrong but had just flat forgotten about them. :grin:

These are all much appreciated suggestions.  For those curious about the "sham Wow", I've never used it, but I have a similar type of drying cloth called "The Miracle Clothe" or something of that nature sitting in my garage, but have hesitated to use it because it just feels too gruppy and stiff to touch the paint with.  The leaf blower idea was presented to me some time ago, but again, I hesitated on this method because I heard that small gasoline particles pass through the air from the leaf blower, and these can damage your paint over time (although this is probably a really slim to none occurence).  I do, however, own an air compressor that has a trigger nozzle attachment which works just fine for getting water out of hard-to-reach areas.

I also do sheet the water from top to bottom, and that method works well.  Another good drying agent is the Mr. Clean car cleaning system because it filters the water into a fine mist as a final water coat.  It sucks that I've produced swirl marks on my dark paint from drying in a circular or back-and-forth motion, so maybe I'll start dabbing now and see how it goes.

One quick side question:  I'm washing my MF towels as we speak.  I remember reading that you should add vinegar or something to the wash load.  What's the purpose of this??

The idea of adding vinegar to the final rinse is that it helps release any remaining wax or products in the towels. I have never done it so I don't know if it actually works. It is also supposed to help keep them soft.

i use water to dry my car when i have the time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtoWk9thSEI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtoWk9thSEI)

Rick is 100% corect!

Damn... Our conversation really abosorbed didn't it!!! Good deal!

Intial pressure washing kicks off loose debris with mechanical agitation with a mitt.

When you shoot a thick layer of foam onto the car it will cling to the panels and then the weight of the foam will makes it fall to the ground. While the foam is clinging it emulsifies some of the left over debris that didn't come off during the initial pressure washing. Once it is emulsified some of it then falls with the dripping foam to the ground

The secondary pressure washing then blasts off anything that was emulsified but wasn't pulled to the ground by the weight of the foam.

Sure, if you are going to compound and polish anyhow I can see how some may think it is worthless but when you are striving for 100% perfection and zero swirls/micro marring, why take any chances in creating more work? After I get 98% of the swirls out I often have to do multiple polishings just to get that ONE DAMN isolated scratch out and I sure would be pissed at myself if I was the one that created all that extra work.

The small amount of time it takes in preventing any additional swirls pays for itself during the correction phase. Plus you end up removing less clear coat should you instill the defect.

I don't doubt that at all but would never go to that much trouble. In truth I don't go for 100% perfection down here. With the clientèle here in Northern Mexico if you can get $250 for an 8 hour detail you got a fat hog by the ass!  They do SUBURBANS down here for $45!!!!!!!! That's hand wash, hand wax, clean carpet (not just hoover), clean glass inside & out, goop up the trim......$45!!!!!!!!  Is it the kind of work you or I would do? Of course not but the locals here are so used to that, and pleased with the outcome, that they pass out when any amount over $50 is mentioned. If I can average $25 per hour I'm doing well. Different world down here.....not to mention things like today's heat index was 108º.  

Actually, I have done three cars for other people, charging a newbie rate of $20/hour and I have received amazing amount of compliments and praise for the difference the car has from before and after. I am certainly no expert, but for most, the work I do they are more then impressed with. Granted, most of the cars I have done are have not been BMW, Mercedes, etc, nevertheless learning and working my way up to them. With the confidence of doing my own Porsche, I believe I am streamlining my technique.

As far as getting back on track to the thread (sorry for the thread jack) one thing I would AVOID at all costs for drying is those stupid California Blade or rubber squeegee type devices. UGH. Stay far away IMO.

I don't see how folks are scratching their cars with the water blade. I've been using one for a couple years with zero problems.  Its made out of very soft and flexible silicone rubber....if you scratched your paint with it you must have gotten in contaminated with dirt/grit.

I used to use the absorber.....but I have since moved to waffle-weave towels. I find the WW towels are much better.

Look at your car under intense light. It's not scratches like someone keyed your car.

I just washed my car yesterday and used the leaf blower technique and pretty much got the whole car dry in like 10 minutes or so. Then I just dabbed the remaining water droplets. I guess I'll stop using the squeegy type thing for now even though my car already has a ton of scratches. I think I probably just didn't notice any scratches it made when I had my SBP Accord because it always hid scratches very well.