it's been out in the rain? I pull it into the garage, get a new clean towel and dry the conv top...then pat her paint dry (micro fiber this time) a little detail spray. Another towel for cleaning the rims?? Seems like leaving the fabric top wet would be harmful to it, and I don't want water spots?? I'm careful not to rub the grime into the paint. I've been known to do a quick wash in the rain, under the garage door (neighbors think I've lost it...so does my daughter...) Please tell me I'm not the only one??!!

 

Not me. My black clear coat is way to soft to do that and my repainted hood's clear coat is so soft it scratches when you look at it. I just wait until the next wash, or make a note to wash again sooner, to avoid marring the paint or scratching it.

 

yah, i would wash it instead... in the rain.

 

I dry my car off, too, but only if it is basically clean and dust free.

 

Use a leaf blower and sop up the remainder with a soft fiber cloth.

 

I can say I do that.. For example.. right now in STL its raining.. When it stops, Ill dry it.. I hate the site of water spots and a dirty wind screen.

 

My SO pulled her PW MC into the garage the other day after a rain and asked me, "what the hell are you doing?" when I started to pat it dry with waffle weave towels.

Even after I explained that I just washed the car the day before and I don't want water spots with dried dust spotting all over the car, she still didn't understand.

One of these days I'm going to convert her from a person who drives a MINI into a true MINIac.

 

maybe she already is and was telling you to wash it instead?

 

noooooo... she often asks me, "are you washing them AGAIN??".

She just doesn't understand.

 

yah, neither does my wife. i wash my filthy dirty ikky black legacy
and she doesn't even notice.

 

I wonder about urban grit and contaminants in the rain water. Blotting may be OK if the paint is very clean before it got wet.

Mark

 

Blot dry the top with a 100% cotton towel. If you are drying then you may want to use a spped shine along with your micro towl. That way you won't be dragging the micro across the paint. The speed shine has a lubricant that will dry and not scratch.

 

if your car was just sitting outside and got decent amount of rain
i think blot dry should be okay.

but usually when it rains like that the water is pretty pure so it
wont leave spots unless it was windy.

 

wow, someone's back in the 80's again.

 

yeah but if it was raining and you were driving in it, then there must be some grit and dirt on the car, esp in the boot area, which even if you carefully use your super-soft MF will grind the dirt in and get on your towel and cause swirling....so I would do your idea of just washing it in the rain with a good rinsing prior

 

yah, it has to be rain that fell on the car while the car was on the
driveway and clean prior to the rain.

 

I keep several gallons of distilled water in the garage. When the boot gets dirty, before I back the car in, I whip out a gallon, rinse off the boot, back him in, and dry him off.

Presto, clean boot.

 

woah...now that's planning ahead.

 

Yeah... I learned that trick by accident. Bought several gallons of water last year. Meant to get regular drinking water but picked up distilled instead. Left them in the garage. Ended up with a dirty MINI a few days later.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm....

And the next thing you know, distilled water is now a part of my detailing supplies. No minerals in it so even if you miss a drop or two, no stains.

 

yep, i use distilled water all the time. even during wet stripe
installs when the soapy solution start to dry up even a tad, i just
spray more distilled water on it.

also to break coolant 50:50. or Nero 75:25. or to remove RainX, or
etc. etc. etc.

 

excellent idea about the distilled water

 

Great, now we got remote control dollies, aquarium bucket filters, robo buffers, and now water distillers

Mark