Okay...so I'm detailing my MCS yesterday and as usual, I was using my air compressor to blow excess water out of the seams, mirrors, etc... So it got me thinking...why not blow dry the whole thing and never touch it with a chamois (natural or synthetic), or any other 'cloth' type drying mechanism?

So I continued and blew dry the entire car - took a little longer, but when it was done, i hadn't used anything but air to dry it and it looked great!

One warning - you'll probably need a decent sized compressor. Mine is a 22 gallon, and it almost continually ran to keep up with the air being blown out.

Anyway, try it out if you can and let me know what you think!

 

Try an electric leaf blower. Works great!
Jim

 

^^ i just use my toilet bowel cleaner brush.

 

hm... i didnt know silk toilet bowel cleaner brush existed!

i use a combo of water blade (windows, roof), and microfiber towels (rest of the car), along with some crap terry cloth (wheels) to dry the car.. works well, done in about 20 minutes...

 

^^^ i want to try those calif water blades. those are so quick on
the roof and glass.

i stream my rinse (Not spray) so most of the water just rolls down
the side panels. it only takes a little wiping with my chamois...

 

Buy some Sonus Ultimate Detailing Towels. They work great One pack (2 towels) will dry your MINI, but I'd buy two packs (4 towels) just to have some extra or get the large size towels. The small ones are on sale right now.

I once thought that those rubber like Absorbers were the greatest... till I scratched my black roof big time Tossed my two Absorbers in trash that afternoon. Some NAMers like em, but they're not for me.

 

I once had a 12 second CRX that I power washed 1/2 mile from a quiet freeway...guess how I dried it

These days, I'm less of a risk taker...I blow dry with my compressor and two swipes with a large soft towel and she's dried. Finish off the jams and top off with TrimShine

 

if you managed to scratch your roof using an Absorber, then I'm afraid you aren't using the product correctly.

You don't rub it against your finish like you do with a towel. You lay it on the finish, gently pat it from the back, then lift it off, and place it on a new section of paint.

On the Cabrios, it dries the canvas in seconds as if it the water were completely sucked away.

On paint, anything that prevents the possibilty of dragging across the surface is going to be MUCH safer, and thats why I love the Absorber. I only have to wring it out once to dry an entire MINI.

Richard

 

This option works much better with a properly waxed and prepped paint surface.

I've never tried air drying the whole car, but if it works for you, then all the better. I would think that half the water would evaporate by the time you got around to it to blow it off.

I use an electric leaf blower for blowing water out of headlight seams, emblems, cracks, etc...

Richard

 

I was pulling the Absorber - read to do that in some thread here on NAM I think.

Anyways, with several coats of Zaino, I've found that drying hasn't even been necessary this winter The water just rolls off and I'm left with a spot free exterior.

 

May have been one of my threads. I used to tell people to drag it, but I've found that laying it on top, and letting it soak for 5 seconds or more is much more effective as well as having much less to worry about as far as scratching. The Absorber itself won't scratch, but whatever you got on your paint--that you drag whether using an Absorber, California Blade, or Chamois-- will scratch.

Richard

 

I use Mr. Clean AutoDry...and let the car airdry after washings.

When I DO need to immediately dry the car, like before a wax, I use an Absorber, as mentioned before.

 

Thanks a lot Oh well, no harm done

 

Take the water completely out of the mix and use a professional waterless carwash product. Silly me forgot the name of the product I absolutely love the stuff as it produces a brilliant shine and a smooth..almost slick feeling to the paint.

 

Make certain you have an air filter on the inlet side of the air compressor, otherwise you're effectively using a sandblaster. Leafblowers are generally a better choice.

 

I do , but it was good to mention that for others, thanks!

 

i guess im not too picky. i just drag my chamois over the wet panels
and call it a day. i use detailer spray a lot too and while I wipe
and buff, i guess im still 'dragging' the towel a little.

my paint has some very minor swirls but not enough to be alarming.
so thinking about trying that blade. griot's has their own blades too which
i might try instead of the cali blade.

 

Steps for drying:
1) California Water Blade (Gets the bulk of the water off; takes about 1-2 min for the whole car)
2) Absorber (If you take care of your absorber and the car is clean, gently wiping the car down will not scratch the surface)

 

i ordered my drying squeegee and the thick micro towel today from
Griots. will see how it goes.

i washed my 06Legacy today in 40F and dang, the wax is completey
gone... hope the temps get into the 50F+ by early April so that i can
try the free LEX paint sealant I got from one of my purchases for my other
car. Got 2 bottles of this stuff....

Anyone try this? any suggestions on how to apply and remove?
octaneguy- do you have any experience with this stuff?

http://www.lexprotect.com/lex_aps.php

 

I guess I'm an old-timer. Chamois, nothing but chamois. The good ones from New Zealand.

 

Those towels are very nice for many purposes . I find them to be safe/ gentle on the paint, so I use them for QD'ing a mostly clean car. Also, I keep 1 or 2 clean ones in the car, just to be prepared. If they're still on sale, I suppose I should grab a couple more 2-packs.

For drying, I found some perfect giant soft white cotton ones, and I use four to BLOT dry the exterior after a wash (no dragging).

The otherwise wonderful Sonus Ultimate Detailing Towels got too saturated too quickly for my taste. They were my first solution to drying a clean wet car (ie I did try them for exterior drying but they got so wet so fast I switched to my 4 giant cotton towels and now Tatt = ). Perhaps if I'd had 10 of them instead of 2, , oh well...

You can search in Detailing 101 to be sure you don't get the wrong towels. Mrs. Tatt comments that my "car towels" are nicer than the ones I shower with, but whatever . It's been 14 months/15,000 miles, and I still am over-cautious about what to touch the MINI with.

Tatt

 

I've got a motorcycle in addition to the Mini and a Jeep (winter driver). Try getting water out of all the places it can hide on a motorcycle and you'll think a car is a lot easier to dry.

There are a number of blow driers specifically marketed for the motorcyle people. They look like a canister vacuum cleaner and supposedly have a filter and warm the air. I don't know anyone that has one of these, but I've been tempted to get one for the bike and the cars.

 

i received the Griot's water blade earlier in the week. i was surprised to see it was not a strip of rubber, but more of a foam. very cool.

can't wait to try it and my new microfiber towel next month.

i think im going to look at leafblowers too...when's father's day again?
Is 200mph/350CFM output enough? (sears electric blower $40).

 

Send us a product review!

 

It's been around a while. It's a polymer with a lot of solvents. (Kerosene and others if I remember right.) I can't vouch for the real world durability but on test panels lost a significant amount of the beading after a 5 minute hot wash. It doesn't go on clear, it has a yellowish tinge to it. The application is nothing particularly special although it does have a long cure time. It goes on easy (thin liquid), dries fast and wipes off easy.