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Car drying tips? (for dark color cars)

R

RagingBITCH

Lifer
Anyone have any car drying tips to avoid water spots/marks? I washed my graphite gray colored car today (think shiny charcoal) - I washed with car shampoo and used a chenille wash pad.

My question is - how the hell do you dry off your car to avoid water spots? I'm pretty sure I did it the wrong way but I took a rag and dried the car with it (it got pretty soaked). After that the remaining water pretty much dried up and left spots. I ended up spending 25 minutes using a very slightly damp 100% cotton shirt to buff out the water spots.

There has to be an easier/better/non dumbass way to do this right?

Thanks in advance,
Melvin
 
Get a chamois. Didn't you see them when you were buying the shampoo? I have a leather one, but the synthetic ones seem to be better.
 
Yes, the chamois is very important. Follow with a towel that isn't micronized. I like zymol towels but there's some new microfiber towels that are also resistant to scratching your car.
 
Why the heck would you ever wash your car? My van is pretty darn clean (Except those grody steel rims that seem to attract every unspeakable on the entire road) and hasn't been washed since the week after we had it painted. The rain handles things just fine.
 
I go over the larger/flatter areas with a california water blade and get the remaining spots with a microfiber towel. Door jambs, trunk linings, gas cap door, and any other potential smaller areas get dried with a 100% cotton towel. Have to be careful if you're gonna use a water blade though. If the car isn't completely clean, you'll end up dragging stuff across the finish.
 
Originally posted by: EyeMWing
Why the heck would you ever wash your car? My van is pretty darn clean (Except those grody steel rims that seem to attract every unspeakable on the entire road) and hasn't been washed since the week after we had it painted. The rain handles things just fine.
Click to expand...

if you live in a place like so cal, like i do, it hardly ever rains.. so we have to clean our car manually.. 🙂
 
Synthetic chamois and light spritzes of ammonia-free window cleaner. No water spots and an amazingly clean exterior detail. Follow up with polish and wax.
 
Originally posted by: Vic
Synthetic chamois and light spritzes of ammonia-free window cleaner. No water spots and an amazingly clean exterior detail. Follow up with polish and wax.
Click to expand...

You should not polish and wax more than once or twice a year. Overwaxing is much worse for the finish than not waxing at all. And if you intend to wax afterward, watermarks are meaningless as buffing out the wax takes care of the spots.
 
Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
Originally posted by: Vic
Synthetic chamois and light spritzes of ammonia-free window cleaner. No water spots and an amazingly clean exterior detail. Follow up with polish and wax.
Click to expand...
You should not polish and wax more than once or twice a year. Overwaxing is much worse for the finish than not waxing at all. And if you intend to wax afterward, watermarks are meaningless as buffing out the wax takes care of the spots.
Click to expand...
Links to prove this statement? Oh, that's right, you have none because you're talking straight out your ass.
rolleye.gif


While any type of abrasive buffing should only be done when necessary to prevent long-term damage, simple waxing is harmless and can be done as often as desired. Go ahead and add 10 coats of wax, it won't harm a thing and actually does a lot of good.
 
Originally posted by: EyeMWing
Why the heck would you ever wash your car? My van is pretty darn clean (Except those grody steel rims that seem to attract every unspeakable on the entire road) and hasn't been washed since the week after we had it painted. The rain handles things just fine.
Click to expand...

here in california we go 10 months without rain. my car gets coated in dust and pollen in 2 days. i still don't wash it very often, but I don't have any delusions about it being clean.
 
Rain doesn't clean cars. It makes them dirtier. Rainwater isn't clean plus there's always a lot of road grime spray from cars in front of you. And a car parked outside in the rain can easily get water spots or (if not washed after a long period and you live in an industrial region) fallout pitting.
 
i drive it around to get most of the water off. then i wipe remaing water off with a cloth (pfffft chamois...) and then wax the car. tada, no water spots.
 
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