Drying is killing me. Nothing works.

[Agent 99]

Car is a dark grey Scion tc. The drying is not working and I am always left with smears of water on the paint.


What do I use? Well, right now I'm using 2 new 100% cotton big white towels. I tried to use 1 one time. Horrific results. Had to rewash.

What can I use that will dry the car, is safe for the paint, and wont leave smears of water all over the car???

thanks

[Tuck91]

Re: Drying is killing me. Nothing works.

i use 2 Water Magnets to dry my truck off after a bath

[Murr1525]

Re: Drying is killing me. Nothing works.

Well, there tends to be more to it than that.

Is you car well detailed, such as clayed, cleaned, and waxed? Those will all help.

A good wash soap can help.

After you rinse the soap off, you can remove the nozzle, and turn down the spiggot if needed, and let water flow over the car, to run most of it off. This works best on a waxed car.

I tend to use all Water Magnets to dry, say 3 for a car in good shape, in good weather. Some people like to use one or two of the Synthetic Chamois first, then follow up with a water magnet.

Going over the car with a product like Ultimate Quick Detailer, or Ultimate Quick Wax after drying can also help pick up any missed spots.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Drying is killing me. Nothing works.

Removing water from paint is easier when you maintain a uniform coat of wax or a paint sealant.

What do you use for a car wax?
How often do you wax your car?

Also, what kind of soap do you use to wash the car?

[Maserati Mario]

Re: Drying is killing me. Nothing works.

Well there are allot of other towels that you can use.
But, how is the paint?
Is there wax on it?
What have you done to the paint?
Also do you use a Quick detailer? I always do this after a wash.

Here's a link to towels and stuff
Water Magnet Microfiber Drying Towel
MeguiarsDirect.com

[Carfire]

Re: Drying is killing me. Nothing works.

Meguairs Soft Touch Microfiber Drying Chamois and Meguiars Water Magnet to Dry.
Watch
Where are the Streaks?
Are they by the trunk, and the mirrors?

[zdubsi]

Re: Drying is killing me. Nothing works.

Its not meguiar's but I use the Cobra "Guzzler" microfiber towels. They have an HD model which is like a shammy (works only when wet) and is orange in color. They also have a normal towel which is green in color and is used to follow right behind the HD to pick up any residual water and take care of the water smears.

The system works perfect for me, usually my mom takes the green towel and follows right behind me with the orange one.

Follow up with some QD to give a great shine.

[Agent 99]

Re: Drying is killing me. Nothing works.

The car is only 7 months old. It is babied. The paint is in awesome condition and I only use Megs products. I wash with Megs NXT wash and wax every couple/3 weeks with NXT 2.

I have not clayed the car for the first time yet (mostly b/c I'm scared too. Word on the net is that the paint is very thin). The first clay should be coming soon.

edit: Mike, it is very well waxed. I forgot to add that.

[AeroCleanse]

Re: Drying is killing me. Nothing works.

The car is only 7 months old. It is babied. The paint is in awesome condition and I only use Megs products. I wash with Megs NXT wash and wax every couple/3 weeks with NXT 2.

I have not clayed the car for the first time yet (mostly b/c I'm scared too. Word on the net is that the paint is very thin). The first clay should be coming soon.

Claying doesn't remove any paint. As for drying, you can always use something like a leaf blower / shop vac exhaust / blower or compressed air.

[Bunky]

Re: Drying is killing me. Nothing works.

Claying doesn't remove any paint. As for drying, you can always use something like a leaf blower / shop vac exhaust / blower or compressed air.

I tried using a leaf blower on a car with some wax left (but not fresh) and it did not seem to remove much of anything. The water just seemed to cling to the paint. It may have been the shampoo (not Megs). The flood method only seems to work on recent wax for me.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Drying is killing me. Nothing works.

edit: Mike, it is very well waxed. I forgot to add that.

Thanks for clarifying, that helps to troubleshoot and make recommendations...

There are multiple ways to the water of your car's paint and a plethora of quality drying cloths and chamois on the market.

Choosing and using the right products for removing water is in part personal preference and this will require testing a few products out to see if you like them and they work for you and your car.

I use Meguiar's Soft Touch Microfiber Drying Chamois to get most of the water off the car because it works well and wrings out easy. (easy on your hands).

Then I use a dry Meguiar's Water Magnet to gently wipe and blot any remaining small dots of water off the paint.

There's no perfect solution but the above works for me.

After you get the car dry if your really want it to look great, as in show room new, then get a bottle of our new Quik Wax and with this product you can quickly and easily apply a thin coating of wax and your car's paint will look great!

You can also use UQD as it works great too...

Have you tried our new Ultimate Quik Detailer?

Have seen, heard about or tried our new Ultimate Quik Wax?

[Carfire]

Re: Drying is killing me. Nothing works.

I think the Leaf Blower is more for getting air out of the cracks, and in spots where water likes to "hide" such as underneath the mirror. And with the way I hear the Scion tC trunk is, it may drip out of there too.

As for claying, it is really easy. Watch This Video on Claying

[SVT Lightning]

Re: Drying is killing me. Nothing works.

If your towels have been treated with any kind of fabric softener....either in the rinse or when you dry them, you will get streaks from the oils in the product. It's best to add some white vinegar to the rinse cyle and dry the towels by themselves.

[Maserati Mario]

Re: Drying is killing me. Nothing works.

If your towels have been treated with any kind of fabric softener....either in the rinse or when you dry them, you will get streaks from the oils in the product. It's best to add some white vinegar to the rinse cyle and dry the towels by themselves.

Oh yea, you must not use anything like a softner or wash those towels with towels that have wax on it also.

[Marc Hufnagel]

Re: Drying is killing me. Nothing works.

I tried using a leaf blower on a car with some wax left (but not fresh) and it did not seem to remove much of anything. The water just seemed to cling to the paint. It may have been the shampoo (not Megs). The flood method only seems to work on recent wax for me.

I've tried the air compressor route and it doesn't do much either to get it dry. Even though it is well waxed it seemed like it only broke the water up.