My Advice for Drying a Car

artofdetailing

artofdetailing

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Hi Guys,

Just want to remind my fellow forum members a couple of really important things when drying the car

1. Always begin the drying process with a wet waffle weave towel. By wet I mean completely soak the towel with clean water and then wring out as much as possible. Using a dry towel Can cause towel wipe scratches. Yes, clear coats these days are that sensitive.

2. Wipe down the car from top to bottom and work in straight lines. When the towel is unable to absorb more water, wring it out and keep going.

3. The car won't get 100% dry this way but rather about 90%. For the remaining little bit of water, use a detail spray or spray wax/sealant with a dry PLUSH microfiber. Preferrably 400gsm and up.

4. If you have the money, buy a Metro Master Blaster. You will need to upgrade your circuit to 20amp of better to use all 8hp though.

This way of drying has really helped me out and I think you will have great results this way too. :Picture:
 
A dry towel is fine if you use the blotting method and most of us use the Master Blaster or some form blow drying. The less you touch the paint the better.
 
What I do now is this. I use a dry microfiber towel on the top of the vehicle by dropping it on a wet spot then picking it up. I do this on a few areas of the top until the towel is wet. Then I wring it out and fold it in 4 and start drying in a linear motion from front to back and back to front. Only exception to this is the truck, for very small trunks I go from left to right and right to left still in a linear motion.

After that quick wax to finish the drying and give the car some protection and shine.
 
Calendyr said:
What I do now is this. I use a dry microfiber towel on the top of the vehicle by dropping it on a wet spot then picking it up. I do this on a few areas of the top until the towel is wet. Then I wring it out and fold it in 4 and start drying in a linear motion from front to back and back to front. Only exception to this is the truck, for very small trunks I go from left to right and right to left still in a linear motion.

After that quick wax to finish the drying and give the car some protection and shine.
Click to expand...

I would like to understand the 'science' behind why it is important only to dry in straight lines.... can you please explain this to me over say drying in a circular motion....
 
If something gets caught up in your towel you could put swirls in your paint in circular motions, they would be more noticeable compared to wiping in straight lines.
You tent to use less pressure too when wiping in straight lines which is another plus.
 
I like to blow as much of the water off as possible, then come back and dry the rest with a small waffle weave microfiber towel using ONR on the drying towel. Been working great.
 
You should be able to dry a properly corrected surface by just using a stream of water from a hose. 75-85% of the water will be displaced from the vehicle if you use the hose sheeting method on a properly sealed/waxed/compounded/clayed/polished vehicle.
 
artofdetailing said:
Hi Guys,

Just want to remind my fellow forum members a couple of really important things when drying the car

1. Always begin the drying process with a wet waffle weave towel. By wet I mean completely soak the towel with clean water and then wring out as much as possible. Using a dry towel Can cause towel wipe scratches. Yes, clear coats these days are that sensitive.

2. Wipe down the car from top to bottom and work in straight lines. When the towel is unable to absorb more water, wring it out and keep going.

3. The car won't get 100% dry this way but rather about 90%. For the remaining little bit of water, use a detail spray or spray wax/sealant with a dry PLUSH microfiber. Preferrably 400gsm and up.

4. If you have the money, buy a Metro Master Blaster. You will need to upgrade your circuit to 20amp of better to use all 8hp though.

This way of drying has really helped me out and I think you will have great results this way too. :Picture:
Click to expand...
I use the same technique, if it is on a well waxed car, just that I use a regular MF towel instead of a waffle weave. The waffle weave type... at least the ones I came across are not as soft.

On a car that has no wax, I use the blotting method with a waffle weave.
 
The problem that I run into when drying is that I will invariably run into a spot (crevices are notorious) where I missed washing. So for me, it's important to use as many sections of the waffle weave folded and multiple towels and not re-use a side.
I think metrovac is great for drying too - vg with crevices and wheels. It's just that I don't want to wake up neighbors in a morning routine
 
Tell me I'm scratching the paint....

I start with a dry waffle weave towel ..

I drop it on the roof...

I drag it by the corner....

I pull slowly across the roof and it scoops up the water...

There is ZERO pressure on the towel...


Am I scratching it?


Mike
 
Hi Art...

Thanks for posting your drying a car tips.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

I also agree with JJH's below methodology to begin drying a vehicle:
JJH said:
You should be able to dry a properly corrected surface by just using a stream of water from a hose.
75-85% of the water will be displaced from the vehicle if you use the hose sheeting method
Click to expand...

I noticed that you didn't mention your drying procedures (and supplies...towel-"types", for example) for:
-Auto glass surfaces; door jambs, sills, and seal-areas; tires and wheels;
areas under hood and under trunk lids; engine wipe-down.

-Most folks are keen on having these surfaces: to be dry...after their vehicles are washed, as well.
I know I am.

:)

Bob
 
mikesal57 said:
Tell me I'm scratching the paint....

I start with a dry waffle weave towel ..

I drop it on the roof...

I drag it by the corner....

I pull slowly across the roof and it scoops up the water...

There is ZERO pressure on the towel...


Am I scratching it?

Mike
Click to expand...

On a clean car... probably not.
However, if a debris was missed, it may scratch even if you are not applying any pressure. As the towel gets wet, it will get heavier and that itself will create pressure of its own.
 
mikesal57 said:
Tell me I'm scratching the paint....
Am I scratching it?


Mike
Click to expand...
IMHO:
You would be in a better position to tell us about any scratching occurring by using, for example:
-"Swirl finder" lights.
-Bright, overhead: "Natural light".

Let us know,
If you decide to do so.

Thanks.

:)

Bob
 
Just depends on the hardness of the clearcoat. I would feel comfortable doing the drag method with a clearcoat that has a sealant on it such as Blackfire Wet Diamond or Optiseal.
 
lawrenceSA said:
I would like to understand the 'science' behind why it is important only to dry in straight lines.... can you please explain this to me over say drying in a circular motion....
Click to expand...

There isn't science behind it. How or whether a tiny piece of grit gets temporarily lodged somewhere in the fibers of the towel is a random statistical event. Whether that grit in turn scratches is also dependant on several random variables of grit size, shape, pressure, direction, lubricity, piled onto the previous random variables.

In fact, if you had a small exposed grit in the fibers of the towel and you drag the towel a couple feet in a straight line, and all the random variables are working against you, you'll have a couple foot straight-line scratch.

If on the other hand you changed wiping directions, that piece of grit will move relative to the nap and could very easily be moved deeper into the nap and/or not be at the same angle and pressure so it would no longer scratch.

It's also possible that changing directions could uncover a grit that was previously not scratching. There's no perfect solution to this.


So there's really no right answer and you'd never be able to prove that one is always better than the other. You can't go back in time with that offending piece of grit oriented precisely the same way in the nap and all the other variables precisely the same and try something else.

I'd stick with what you prefer for convenience or whatever reason. Presumably, by the time you are drying (and unless you are drying in a dusty wind storm) there are no offending grits on the paint and it's more a matter of how clean your towels are. Forced air is the best though.
 
In my opinion, as the owner of a black car, you should not try to dry a car using only one towel. You wouldn't use one towel to wipe off excess wax from an entire vehicle. You wouldn't use one towel to wipe off excess compound or polish.

Based on my experience you are less likely to scratch the paint while drying if you use several towels. I use three large waffle weave towels to dry my full-size SUV.

I also believe that the use of a drying aid to increase the lubrication between the towel and the paint is beneficial. I use Optimum Instant Detailer and Gloss Enhancer. It is $19.99 for 32oz and I dilute it 4:1 instead of 3:1.
 
lawrenceSA said:
I would like to understand the 'science' behind why it is important only to dry in straight lines.... can you please explain this to me over say drying in a circular motion....
Click to expand...

It has to do with the law of reflection.

Smooth surfaces reflect light rays in one direction, while rough surfaces diffuse the light rays in a bunch of different directions.

If you are going to scratch the car by touching it, it's best to have scratches all going in one direction than swirls from circular motions in all directions. The linear scratches are harder to see at most angles. Where circular scratches are seen at every angle because of how the light reflects off of the surface.

Think about a lake. When it's calm you can see reflections perfectly (flat surface) when wind is blowing and rippling the water reflections are more distorted, when wind is blowing and the wake from another boat is going by the distortion is worse (more angles).

I hope that helps. Only had a few minutes to write this before I head out.
 
allenk4 said:
In my opinion, as the owner of a black car, you should not try to dry a car using only one towel. You wouldn't use one towel to wipe off excess wax from an entire vehicle. You wouldn't use one towel to wipe off excess compound or polish.

Based on my experience you are less likely to scratch the paint while drying if you use several towels. I use three large waffle weave towels to dry my full-size SUV.

I also believe that the use of a drying aid to increase the lubrication between the towel and the paint is beneficial. I use Optimum Instant Detailer and Gloss Enhancer. It is $19.99 for 32oz and I dilute it 4:1 instead of 3:1.
Click to expand...

I do something similar, but I use spray-on wax. After sheet-water rinsing the car, I dry the windows first with a waffle-weave towel and then go from the top down with the WW first spraying wax on the wet surface before drying. My understanding is the spray wax acts as a lubricant and also builds protection on the paint as well as increases shine. Didn't know about the straight lines, though - great tip!
 
I use guzzler's to dry my car and often times wonder "what the heck, this thing isn't picking up any water" then I slow my hand movement and that helps some but I'll give this soaking method a try as I typically hit the car with spray wax and QD afterwards anyways.

Blowers are nice for crevices.
 
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