I was reading the "How To Wash Your Car" thread. It said to pat dry with a towel. I have a black car. EVERYTHING shows up. I hate, no LOATH the little pieces of lint and random artifacts on my black paint.

I use a shammy (you know, I saw that spelled as Shamaise?)
I start on my hood, and just wipe the water off the front, and likewise on all the side. It streaks, and the streaks disappear. I have found that it is the best way to dry my car.

What do you think?

Try the absorber, i've been using them for years and they last. I feel ya on the black car, lint on the paint sucks.

Try the absorber, i've been using them for years and they last. I feel ya on the black car, lint on the paint sucks.


I'm not familiar with that. Can you provide me with a link of some sort?

Yeah here you go: http://www.theabsorber.com/home.html

You can try this too but i've never used one before:http://www.seanhylandmotorsport.com/images/FC/20004.gif

It's called the california water blade.

You can try this too but i've never used one before:http://www.seanhylandmotorsport.com/images/FC/20004.gif

It's called the california water blade.

whoa. how weird. I'lll look into it. Thanks a bunch!

whoa. how weird. I'lll look into it. Thanks a bunch!
Yeah, just google it and you should find plenty of info.

whats wrong with the shammy (chamoise) whatever...?

whats wrong with the shammy (chamoise) whatever...?
Nothing that I know of except they tend to break down faster than the absorber.

Nothing that I know of except they tend to break down faster than the absorber.


haha, I think I have an absorber.In that weird shaped tube with one flat side?

whats wrong with the shammy (chamoise) whatever...?
The general consensus is that they are a time bomb waiting to happen. You're continually dragging a piece of leather or simulated leather across your paint and if even a speck of grit gets embedded in the leather, you've introduced a huge scratch into your pristine paint.
Grown men have been known to cry.
The experts will use other drying techniques, all lint free for black cars.
1. remove the nozzle from the hoze and let the water free flow from the hoze. Guide it across the car carefully and watch it gather water on the edges of the flow and channel it off the car.
2. Using a microfiber towel (no lint) pat lightly at the few water spots left. No rubbing.
3. In lieu of steps 1 and 2, use an electric air blower to blow the water off. nothing actually touches the paint with this process. Only the water blows off and it'll fly off if the car is well waxed / sealed. As a bonus here, all cracks and seams will be blown dry also. No more stupid drips later.

The California water blade has a large following also but many don't like it either just because it's a repeat of the old technique - some object dragging across the surface of the paint.
I use the electric air blower (Toro 2 speed) and I'll never go back to shammys, towels, microfibers, etc.
Mind you, within a few minutes of drying, I'm spritzing with a QD like FK 425 and buffing lightly with a microfiber. Go figure.
-John C.

The Guzzler works great for me : http://www.autogeek.net/microfiber-waffle-weave.html , got it from autogeek and it just soaks up all the water. :buttrock

The general consensus is that they are a time bomb waiting to happen. You're continually dragging a piece of leather or simulated leather across your paint and if even a speck of grit gets embedded in the leather, you've introduced a huge scratch into your pristine paint.
Grown men have been known to cry.
The experts will use other drying techniques, all lint free for black cars.
1. remove the nozzle from the hoze and let the water free flow from the hoze. Guide it across the car carefully and watch it gather water on the edges of the flow and channel it off the car.
2. Using a microfiber towel (no lint) pat lightly at the few water spots left. No rubbing.
3. In lieu of steps 1 and 2, use an electric air blower to blow the water off. nothing actually touches the paint with this process. Only the water blows off and it'll fly off if the car is well waxed / sealed. As a bonus here, all cracks and seams will be blown dry also. No more stupid drips later.

The California water blade has a large following also but many don't like it either just because it's a repeat of the old technique - some object dragging across the surface of the paint.
I use the electric air blower (Toro 2 speed) and I'll never go back to shammys, towels, microfibers, etc.
Mind you, within a few minutes of drying, I'm spritzing with a QD like FK 425 and buffing lightly with a microfiber. Go figure.
-John C.


Microfiber = no lint. it equals dust. I have an eye for ANYthing out of place. lol. Sorry man.It can't hang for me. I have tried EVERY kind of "lint free" towel and cloth. It ALL leaves dust or lint or SOMETHING undesireable.

I believe I said Microfiber Towel, not a cotton towel. I'll go back and change it if I did not specify this.

MF towels will not lint like cotton. They are also more absorbant and have a knap to pull dirt away from your paint, unlike chamois. This will reduce the chances of creating drying swirls.

You can try this too but i've never used one before:http://www.seanhylandmotorsport.com/images/FC/20004.gif

It's called the california water blade.

I have one of these and don't like it at all. The absorber mentioned previously works great and they last along time. Comes in a nice storage tube too!

"I use the electric air blower (Toro 2 speed) and I'll never go back to shammys, towels, microfibers, etc."
-John C.

I just started doing this. Works great, drives the neighbors crazy!

I like the absorber. Never had any problems.

I use a California Jelly Blade for the flatter surfaces and follow up with a chamois pick up the more curvy parts. Then I use a old bath towel on my door/trunk/hood jambs. The results are pretty good.

If you decide to try a California blade of any kind, keep a towel with you while using it. Every couple strokes, wipe down the blade part to make sure nothing gets stuck to it and dragged across your paint.

If you keep a heavy coat of wax on, that will help reduce the amount of water that you have to dry off as well.

water blade is awesome if you use it properly.

dont try to get every drop off with it. i use it for the windows, 7 strokes down the hood, 3 strokes across the trunk, and 2 down the sides of the car.

all you have to do is keep the blade clean.

The absorber is OKAY if you ask me... tends to cling to my paint compared to a leather chamois. The squeegee (sp) thing sucks, BIG TIME... once you use it you still have to go back and dry it off with a chamois or MF towel.
If you wash your car properly, thoroughly and indoors... if you have that luxury you shouldnt get any dirt in the chamois.
Using a MF towel will take forever to dry but it is a good option for drying. The way JohnZ3MC explained it seems a bit too tideous but would work great if your that anal.
Im the shop manager at a detail shop and we do everything indoors, dry with chamois that get washed everynight, and use airguns after we dry off with the chamois to get all the water out of the cracks and moldings, then we completely dry the vehicle off. Hopes this helps somehow. LOL.

Willie

The absorber is OKAY if you ask me... tends to cling to my paint compared to a leather chamois. The squeegee (sp) thing sucks, BIG TIME... once you use it you still have to go back and dry it off with a chamois or MF towel.
If you wash your car properly, thoroughly and indoors... if you have that luxury you shouldnt get any dirt in the chamois.
Using a MF towel will take forever to dry but it is a good option for drying. The way JohnZ3MC explained it seems a bit too tideous but would work great if your that anal.
Im the shop manager at a detail shop and we do everything indoors, dry with chamois that get washed everynight, and use airguns after we dry off with the chamois to get all the water out of the cracks and moldings, then we completely dry the vehicle off. Hopes this helps somehow. LOL.

Willie
using a blade and blotting up missed spots is quicker than using a normal cloth to dry the car, therefore leaving fewer water spots for those of us that are not lucky enough to be able to wash cars indoors.

I use the california water blade for the flat parts and follow up blotting with a clean cotten towel. Anything meant to be reused without washing will eventually pick up dirt from somewhere.

Microfiber = no lint. it equals dust. I have an eye for ANYthing out of place. lol. Sorry man.It can't hang for me. I have tried EVERY kind of "lint free" towel and cloth. It ALL leaves dust or lint or SOMETHING undesireable.
Brandon, you don't get static, ie dust by patting little droplets of water. Now for dust, have you tried a QD like FK 425. It's supposed to enhance gloss and reduce static. Apparently resulting in less dust on the horizontals and almost nothing on the verticals.
It sounds like it's made for you.
-John C.

whoa. how weird. I'lll look into it. Thanks a bunch!

a MUST have. i use it. it cuts drying time in half

i use microfiber towls to dry my car (no lint but it takes about 10 towls to dry the car) but before, it took at least 20 towls...

yea and im anal, i find micro fiber towls give me no swirls. i used to use very expensive cotton bath towls (i accually stole a set from an undisclosed 5 star casino in vegas) and withen 1 year, my 328 which was perfectly polished and no swirls before i got it, turned into a swirled mess

i know use microfiber, and yes it takes alot of em, but damn worth it. SWIRLS FTL

Waffle Weave Microfiber