First of all - thanks to all on this forum. I learn SO much from you all. I just ordered my OctaneGuy DVD and will soon be taking the next step into PC land. I can't wait!

I tried a new trick yesterday. I'm on vacation and we've been having unusually warm weather here in Chicago. I washed my MINI and for drying I took one of the Detailers Paradise waffle weave drying towels and folded it over an Absorber synthetic chamois. The waffle weave towel was all that contacted the car and the Absorber kept the towel from becoming saturated. I was able to dry the whole car and only had to wring them out once - and I probably could have done the whole car without wringing if I had sheeted off most of the water first.

Just thought I'd share. Again - thanks for all the useful info.

Mark S

 

hummm... i use the Griot's thick MF and i can dry the entire car without
wringing even if i don't use the paint blade.

not sure wat kinda tricks people are playing ya. jk

 

thanks for sharing this idea. I usually use one waffle weave for the paint areas and another for the inside door jamb, inside hatch and under the bonnet, and other dirty areas (yes, that waffle weave is no longer pure white). (Which reminds me, time to get some more waffle weaves) The clean towel, I just lay on the car and let it absorb, so it does get a little wet. Sheeting the water does help.

maybe I'll try this trick. I have something called a "spotless dryer" which i guess is a type of chamois, but i tried it first thing before I had the waffle weaves and it while it absorbs, it gets soaked.

 

I still like the idea of using a leaf blower to dry the car. Nothing touches the paint and all those hidden areas that like to drip when you go for the first ride are taken care of. Just a lite touch up with whatever towel you choose and your done. Steve

 

As I've said before, leaf blowers are fine for people with recently waxed finishes, since the water just blows off. Of course if the water has beaded up like this, an Absorber or most any drying towel using the blotting method will absorb the water without scratching as well.

Leaf blowers are bad in areas where there is lots of dust or debris around the car. The last thing you want to do is kick up the dust on the ground on your freshly washed car and have it settle back down on the paint.

For me the leaf blower is noisy, bulky, and slow. I prefer air from an airtank like from my $30 Kragen pancake compressor for blowing water from the cracks.

Interesting idea. I see how that could work. I usually use two towels--either 2 waffle weaves or 1 waffle weave and a mf drying towel.

 

i use a leaf blower but only to get the water out of the creves
and also to dry wheels and tires. i don't do the entire car with it.

i got a cordless one, low power... like 115mph tops so its pretty
gentle.

 

In talking to a friend he shared my idea is not new at all...


http://www.autogeek.net/mothers-drying-towel.html

 

^^ yah, the new trick is to use the right towel that doesn't
need to be wringed when drying the car.

 

That's a neat idea. To me, that's the fun of being on a forum like this... the creativity out there is exciting! Not to mention, it's always nice to have options... what works for one person best may not work for another and vice versa.

-Heather

 

Sorry for a newbie question ... where do you purchase this OctaneGuy DVD?
I've searched the NAM store but couldn't find it there.

 

Purchase the DVD here.

 

I'm always curious about what store people are searching to not find my video??? I hear this quite often and seems strange to me. Here's what I do.

At the top left of every page is a STORE LINK.



To find my video you can click the VIDEO link on the upper left in Categories. It takes you directly to the only videos' that NAM sells, mine. You can also type "PC" in the Search Box at the upper Right. "DVD" also works.



Or from the same page, below VIDEO under BestSellers, you can click here



You don't need to click all of these, doing just one of these possibilities will take you there.

Thanks Blimey!

 

Type DVD in to the Search Box on the upper right.


As you can see, many ways to find my DVD, so I'm surprised to frequently hear that people can't find it.

Richard

 

SO, am I evil for just using an Absorber with nothing else to dry mine? I thought they were OK to use?

 

You know, if you drive your car fast enough, it's nearly as good as a leaf blower.

 

Not if your MINI is Jet Black!

 

yah, but you get sand all over the boot and lower parts of doors
and makes QD even harder.

 

You're just not driving FAST ENOUGH. At some magical speed, the water gets scared and leaps off the car.

What, are you driving on Oak Street Beach or a buggy trail or something? Try a nice road next time, you Amish hippie! Isn't a MINI considered to be "too fancy" to drive?

 

ive been call many things in the past, but Amish hippie?
wow!!!

yah, a little sanding is no problem.

 

Perhaps a new thread is in order here - "Names Kenchan has been called"

 

I try to be original...

 

that you are... especially with interior lighting.

 

You know I love thee, Kenchan!

 

thanks a lot of people say that to me too.

 

stupidest easiest technique today. I tried it once before and it didnt do much. I know many people on the forum do this, but man, I didnt realize how well it could work. This was when my car was stripped of all coatings and was day 1 from the dealer. It just didnt work well until now when I had the car for a good while and I had my own carnauba wax on it.

I turned on the open hose on like a decent flowrate after the car was thoroughly washed. It reduced my normal drying step by about 90% or maybe more! i never had to wring out my drying mf towel and my towel isnt that big. Also note that today was dry out, about 55% humidity (dry for LI)

This only works to that degree if your car is really clean, your water is pure like mine here on LongIsland, and your wax is still going decently strong. I noticed that this works better with my 30% carnauba based wax vs synthetic one on other family cars.

It was almost dry.

give one up for carnauba it seems in repelling clean water. what a simple technique that saved me like 10 minutes of drying and wringing out water