Touch-less Drying Methods/Tools

b0b

b0b

New member
Hello everyone! I am in need of some guidance as to what the best methods are to drying a car; specifically soft black paint.

My current methods are producing very minor swirling over the course of a season or two. Enough so, where I feel like I need to polish the paint every spring. The car is coated and is showing some minor swirls. Are these correctable or will a light polish remove a 1 year old coating?

My current drying method after washing is...

Guzzler HD (the yellow ones) and I will use about 6 of them in conjunction with some AquaWax or QD and spray the paint and gently wipe it off. Then, I will I follow up with a light buff with a fresh towel and move on. Like I said, it doesn't seem to be messing with the paint too much, but enough to instill swirls into paint at some point -- I wasn't intending on polishing this paint since I coated it..

Anyway, I am going to re-polish the car and re-apply a coating. This time, however, I would like to maintain the finish and not have to re-polish in the spring.

I understand that it could be wash methods that are creating the problem but I have used pretty much every precaution available for this... Pre-Soak with foam cannon, multiple wash mitts, 3 buckets, grit guards, etc.. I always felt that my drying step should be touch-less, but I don't know what are the best machines for this? Any guidance is greatly appreciated!
 
Hey Bob, So a couple of things here.

If the car is coated then it will act just just a clear coat, so if there are swirls then just polish them out. Although you will most likely be polishing the coating completely off in those areas and you will need to re-apply it.

The best way to dry a car with soft paint it to get one of these: http://www.carpro-us.com/microfiber-madness-dry-me-crazy-25-x-17/

Wash it before you use it to get rid of the lint from the factory. Then just lay the towel on the paint and gently pat dry and with 2 fingers, grab the edges and just pull the towel towards you and off the panel. These towels will soak up water like crazy. After you have done that just spray with CarPro Reload and wipe with a super soft microfiber like the BOA towels from CarPro.

Another option would be to use CarPro Hydro2 which is a touchless sealant. Just spray it on while the car is wet rinse off again then grab a leaf blower and blow the water right off. With the Hydro2 the water will fall right off the car.

The HydrO2 and the BOA towels I just mentioned are actually on sale right now for fathers day. So if I were you, I would grab them now here: http://www.carpro-us.com/fathers-day-sale/
 
The best way to dry a car is rinse it with DI water and then use a Master Blaster. Doing it this way you really won't have to touch it at all.
 
If a wax is applied on top of hydro2 does that negate the effect of hydro2? I think I know the answer but I'm still curious
 
Swanicyouth said:
The best way to dry a car is rinse it with DI water and then use a Master Blaster. Doing it this way you really won't have to touch it at all.
Click to expand...

Of course touch-less drying is the best possible thing to do. However I personally think that Master Blasters are extremely over priced for what they are and DI water in large amounts can also be expensive for the system. Money saving tips help out unless of course you have a shop with a good budget for tools, like you mentioned.

Docpeanut said:
If a wax is applied on top of hydro2 does that negate the effect of hydro2? I think I know the answer but I'm still curious
Click to expand...

It won't do any harm, but I don't think you'll need a wax after HydrO2. I personally prefer Reload to any wax, any day.
 
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Docpeanut said:
If a wax is applied on top of hydro2 does that negate the effect of hydro2? I think I know the answer but I'm still curious
Click to expand...

Its not worthwhile to apply wax on top of Hydro2. It is an inferior technology and will attract dust as well as mute the water and dirt release the Hydro2 allows.

If using Hydro2 I would not top it with wax, Reload, or anything else personally
 
b0b said:
Hello everyone! I am in need of some guidance as to what the best methods are to drying a car; specifically soft black paint.

My current methods are producing very minor swirling over the course of a season or two. Enough so, where I feel like I need to polish the paint every spring. The car is coated and is showing some minor swirls. Are these correctable or will a light polish remove a 1 year old coating?

My current drying method after washing is...

Guzzler HD (the yellow ones) and I will use about 6 of them in conjunction with some AquaWax or QD and spray the paint and gently wipe it off. Then, I will I follow up with a light buff with a fresh towel and move on. Like I said, it doesn't seem to be messing with the paint too much, but enough to instill swirls into paint at some point -- I wasn't intending on polishing this paint since I coated it..

Anyway, I am going to re-polish the car and re-apply a coating. This time, however, I would like to maintain the finish and not have to re-polish in the spring.

I understand that it could be wash methods that are creating the problem but I have used pretty much every precaution available for this... Pre-Soak with foam cannon, multiple wash mitts, 3 buckets, grit guards, etc.. I always felt that my drying step should be touch-less, but I don't know what are the best machines for this? Any guidance is greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...

Hi Bob, great question! I would agree about the Master Blaster and DI water completely doing away with having to touch dry it. However if you aren't looking to make that type of investment the VERY first thing I would look into is a high quality drying towel. The Microfiber Madness Dry Me Crazy is the route I would go.

Additionally definitely consider the Merino Wool mitt or Microfiber Madness Incredisponge

Finally if you choose to continue with the tools you already have I would use Ultima Waterless wash as a drying aid in place of the others as that may make the difference also. It costs less and performs better than any QD I have touched.

What coating do you have applied? And was it one or two coats?
 
Swanicyouth said:
The best way to dry a car is rinse it with DI water and then use a Master Blaster. Doing it this way you really won't have to touch it at all.
Click to expand...

This is what I have read and was leaning towards... What model would you recommend?

ChrisDA said:
Hey Bob, So a couple of things here.

If the car is coated then it will act just just a clear coat, so if there are swirls then just polish them out. Although you will most likely be polishing the coating completely off in those areas and you will need to re-apply it.

The best way to dry a car with soft paint it to get one of these: http://www.carpro-us.com/microfiber-madness-dry-me-crazy-25-x-17/

Wash it before you use it to get rid of the lint from the factory. Then just lay the towel on the paint and gently pat dry and with 2 fingers, grab the edges and just pull the towel towards you and off the panel. These towels will soak up water like crazy. After you have done that just spray with CarPro Reload and wipe with a super soft microfiber like the BOA towels from CarPro.[/url]
Click to expand...

I am buying both towels, thank you for recommendations!


Corey said:
Hi Bob, great question! I would agree about the Master Blaster and DI water completely doing away with having to touch dry it. However if you aren't looking to make that type of investment the VERY first thing I would look into is a high quality drying towel. The Microfiber Madness Dry Me Crazy is the route I would go.

Additionally definitely consider the Merino Wool mitt or Microfiber Madness Incredisponge

Finally if you choose to continue with the tools you already have I would use Ultima Waterless wash as a drying aid in place of the others as that may make the difference also. It costs less and performs better than any QD I have touched.

What coating do you have applied? And was it one or two coats?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the recommendations! I am going to get 3 mitts, a few towels, and a lot of chemicals.. I have been wanting to try out the Ultima Waterless Wash too so I'll make sure to add that to cart.

I have Opti Coat 2.0 on it right now, it was sprayed on using an air tool and compressor. Two coats. Long story but I am not too sure how well this was applied.. Issues with dealership lead to having it fixed at shop and yeah just not a great story. But regardless, it needs to be fixed. I have some Pinnacle Black Label that I was going to try but I have heard mixed reviews.. Would you recommend something different?
 
If it's opti 2.0 the polishing to remove any swirls will probably go through but you could try.

I haven't tested the Pinnacle, just read and heard the same things you mentioned.

I would recommend CQuartz UK as the coating if you are applying yourself. It's 70% quartz and probably the hardest coating on the open market. If the paint is soft I would go two coats for added hardness.
 
Corey said:
If it's opti 2.0 the polishing to remove any swirls will probably go through but you could try.

I haven't tested the Pinnacle, just read and heard the same things you mentioned.

I would recommend CQuartz UK as the coating if you are applying yourself. It's 70% quartz and probably the hardest coating on the open market. If the paint is soft I would go two coats for added hardness.
Click to expand...

CQuartz UK would get my vote. It is on sale for Father's Day right now too!
 
Ok -- The cart got a little out of control so I had to limit myself to items that are on sale for this go around.

Here is what I'm getting.. I know I am missing some stuff we mentioned but I didn't want to get too much this order...


Reset - Intensive Car Shampoo - 1 Liter

Reload: Inorganic Spray Sealant (500ml) Now 25% More Product!!

PERL Free Sample

Ultima Waterless Wash Plus Concentrate - 16 oz.

Reflect: High Gloss Finishing Polish (500ml)

CeriGlass: Glass Polish & Cleaner (150ml)

Cquartz UK Edition 30ml Kit

I plan on doing this correction and coating on July 4th Weekend so I will be purchasing some incredipads and some towels before that time... For now, I am sticking to the chemicals..

Any adds/deletes/recommendations? Placing the order within the hour..
 
Something to note about Reload - it requires short weave MF towels, so the BOA's might not be the best bet if they are long nap. I just used Reset for the first time on top of my UK and wow, phenomenal product. Pricey considering other soaps are like $30 for a gallon, but they are weak compared to Reset. I was awed. Do you have Eraser? If not, then I would definitely recommend adding that to your order as well.

Regarding drying - I have my vehicles UK'ed. Using an electric leaf blower, the water flies off the car. However, it doesn't get every single little water drop off, so I go back over it with a drying towel. I have a Dry Me Crazy, but I haven't used it yet.


Question - how would I use UWW+ as a drying aid? What is the technique involved? Drying w/ a WW towel (since my dry me crazy was drying from its pre-wash), I did feel slight grabbing since the water drops that remained on the car after blow drying were so small and sparse.
 
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GreatAvalon said:
Something to note about Reload - it requires short weave MF towels, so the BOA's might not be the best bet if they are long nap. I just used Reset for the first time on top of my UK and wow, phenomenal product. Pricey considering other soaps are like $30 for a gallon, but they are weak compared to Reset. I was awed. Do you have Eraser? If not, then I would definitely recommend adding that to your order as well.

Regarding drying - I have my vehicles UK'ed. Using an electric leaf blower, the water flies off the car. However, it doesn't get every single little water drop off, so I go back over it with a drying towel. I have a Dry Me Crazy, but I haven't used it yet.


Question - how would I use UWW+ as a drying aid? What is the technique involved? Drying w/ a WW towel (since my dry me crazy was drying from its pre-wash), I did feel slight grabbing since the water drops that remained on the car after blow drying were so small and sparse.
Click to expand...


Great points! Eraser is crucial
 
GreatAvalon said:
It really is. Any advise on using UWW+ as a drying aid?
Click to expand...

Give a spray to each panel and use your Dry Me Crazy to dry each panel. Before you start the drying the car you can give a light spray to your Dry Me Crazy to help with drying too.
 
Wors said:
Give a spray to each panel and use your Dry Me Crazy to dry each panel. Before you start the drying the car you can give a light spray to your Dry Me Crazy to help with drying too.
Click to expand...
Ok great, will do thank you!
 
Swanicyouth said:
The best way to dry a car is rinse it with DI water and then use a Master Blaster. Doing it this way you really won't have to touch it at all.
Click to expand...


^^This!!!!! Follow up where necessary with MM Crazy Pile and Ultima Waterless Wash Plus!
 
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