Fustrated with drying towels. Need advice.

[JC5]

OK, I'm feed up with the towels I have to dry the car off after washing. They seem to push the water around more than anything else, and not soak it up. We tried the microfiber. Which is totally useless. And there is a waffle-ish type towel that only seems to kinda work after it has eventually started to get wet.

I think these towels worked the first few times they were used. Which seems ludicrous that they don't work well now. They are towels.

Of course being 40 or 50 degrees today didn't help

What type of drying towels does everyone use?

[Ahmed303]

Chamois followed by Pure cotton towel followed by Air Spray for the nooks and crannys.

[JC5]

Chamois followed by Pure cotton towel followed by Air Spray for the nooks and crannys.

What type of air spay do you use? I want to give your system a try. It seems very logical.

[Car54]

What type of air spay do you use? I want to give your system a try. It seems very logical.

I like Compressed Air brand! In fact, I have a small production facility in my garage.

[Ahmed303]

What type of air spay do you use? I want to give your system a try. It seems very logical.

I have a small Air Compressor in my garage. I set it to a low PSi setting.

I use Chamois as it takes off the top contaminated wax layer. I burnish my wax (Machine applied multiple coats. Let dry each coat to a haze and apply another on top of it. 4 coats and then finish and buff on the 5th coat) so Chamois uncovers a layer underneath.

You can use canned Air Spray, but that can get expensive. You can use a shop vac in blow mode to blow out the water. It is filtered air.

http://www.detailersdomain.com/index...on=Custom&ID=9

[X5Michelle]

This is the towel I use:
http://www.detailersdomain.com/index...PROD&ProdID=55

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[John in VA]

I use a water blade to remove the bulk of the water before using a waffle-weave microfiber towel (Griot's). Others are available as seen above.
A chamois will pull the wax off the paint.
Maybe your towels are not clean or cleaned correctly. Do not use fabric softeners or especially dryer sheets with your towels - they makes them less absorbent. Microfiber should only be washed with other microfiber. Do a search of the detailing boards (ie, Roadfly)for more info on proper care.

[lax01]

I use a water blade to remove the bulk of the water before using a waffle-weave microfiber towel (Griot's). Others are available as seen above.
A chamois will pull the wax of the paint.
Maybe your towels are not clean or cleaned correctly. Do not use fabric softeners or especially dryer sheets with your towels - they makes them less absorbent. Microfiber should only be washed with other microfiber. Do a search of the detailing boards (ie, Roadfly)for more info on proper care.

If there are any remaining contaminants on your paint, using the water blade can seriously damage your paint. I wouldn't suggest those...

As for microfiber towels, how are you washing them? How are you drying them? Using dryer-sheets or fabric soften greatly reduce the lifespan and soak-ability of these drying towels.

Also, before you use a towel, use a leaf blower to blow excess water off the car. It is BY FAR the safest way of removing water as you don't have to touch the paint. Try to remove as much as you can and then use the microfiber drying towel. You might need two or three towels to get all the water.

Finally, trying to dry in the sun is next to impossible. Try to find shade or pull your car into your garage and dry. This will greatly reduce water spotting and hard-water marks.

[JC5]

If there are any remaining contaminants on your paint, using the water blade can seriously damage your paint. I wouldn't suggest those...

As for microfiber towels, how are you washing them? How are you drying them? Using dryer-sheets or fabric soften greatly reduce the lifespan and soak-ability of these drying towels.

Also, before you use a towel, use a leaf blower to blow excess water off the car. It is BY FAR the safest way of removing water as you don't have to touch the paint. Try to remove as much as you can and then use the microfiber drying towel. You might need two or three towels to get all the water.

Finally, trying to dry in the sun is next to impossible. Try to find shade or pull your car into your garage and dry. This will greatly reduce water spotting and hard-water marks.

Wash, dry, wax everything in the shade, or wait for an overcast day is preferred.

As far as cleaning the towels. Just hot water and the washing machine. No detergent, fabric softener or anything else. They are even hang dried.


The leaf blower scares me a bit. I just see high velocity stuffs flying at the paint. Though filtered compressed air is very interesting.

All in all these are some interesting methods. Thanks

[lax01]

Wash, dry, wax everything in the shade, or wait for an overcast day is preferred.

As far as cleaning the towels. Just hot water and the washing machine. No detergent, fabric softener or anything else. They are even hang dried.

I use detergent...its the only way to get it clean...I even dry it in the dryer, I just don't use any additives (dryer sheets, fabric softner, etc.

The leaf blower scares me a bit. I just see high velocity stuffs flying at the paint. Though filtered compressed air is very interesting.

All in all these are some interesting methods. Thanks

Don't blow the ground Blow from the top down and there's little risk of blowing anything at the paint. It has definitely saved my black paint...my car still looks damn good after 9 months (since the last full detail) and I decided it wasn't even worth it to polish again before the winter...I'll do a coat of wax soon and just wait for Spring to do another polish and save the nm's of paint and clear

[Ahmed303]

As far as cleaning the towels. Just hot water and the washing machine. No detergent, fabric softener or anything else. They are even hang dried.

For cleaning microfiber towels and any towels used to remove/apply wax, use a table spoon of white vineger in the wash.

[Car54]

I use the Absorber...John VA, are you suggesting that will pull wax too?

[John in VA]

I use the Absorber...John VA, are you suggesting that will pull wax too?

I don't use my Absorber on the paint - usually just use it on the glass. I don't know if it's the tanning/method of prepping the chamois or what that causes the wax to be removed.

I use a clean, wet water blade on a clean car, and haven't had a problem in 3-4 years of use. The low folw sheeting method is also a good way to minimize drying time/cloth resources,

The vinegar in the wash/rinse method is well-documented at the various detailing forums. There are "special" microfiber wash/rinse products, if you want to go that way.

A visit to the detailing forums will show an abundance of methods, product loyalties, and results. It come down to what you're comfortable doing vs. time required vs. results desired. Few are "wrong."

Glad I got the E28 cleaned & waxed (I still use carnauba wax - Zymol, P21S, Meguiars) before this snow. Wish I'd slapped the snow tires on!!

[OwnedbyDuncan]

A dirty car is happy car. If you dont wash and leave the dust and dog pee on the tires you dont have to worry about drying problems. And the dried sheep and mud soon or later blows out of car at 75 mph with the windows open or use the shopvac and vacuum it up and use it as fertilizer.

Dave Apker

[lax01]

A dirty car is happy car. If you dont wash and leave the dust and dog pee on the tires you dont have to worry about drying problems. And the dried sheep and mud soon or later blows out of car at 75 mph with the windows open or use the shopvac and vacuum it up and use it as fertilizer.

Dave Apker

you must be an E30 owner :P