JGBH7
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So I'm thinking of giving my '03 Black RSX the post-winter cleaning today, getting all the winter salt and stuff off of it. I wanted to get some advice on the best way to dry a car. I try to use terry-cloth towels because someone told me that is best but I think it tends to leave streaks and little white fuzzie things on the car. I heard somewhere that peple use leaf blowers? Is this true, it seems like it would work. If tru is there any particular kind? ie.. gas/electric, any brand, make model? Any advice you ahve would be great.
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SVM_SiR
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I just use a Shammy for drying cars. Soak it in water first (cause it works better when damp) then squeeze out the excess water and then start wiping. When the shammy is full (kind of like a sponge being filled up) just squeeze out the water again and keep wiping.
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rsx-tc
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I use a product called The Absorber. It's a 27'' X 17'' sponge-like towel that is super absorbent, much more so than a cloth towel and even a chamois. Works great!
www.theabsorber.com
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Classic
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Get a real chamois cloth. Sure it'll run you about $14USD, but it's worth it. The Absorber leaves lint, and towels may scratch your car. A damp chamois is the best way!
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Trip
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. . . i've found the most effective way to use it is to follow the instructions on it. yes, you do want it damp to start out. ring it a few times and make sure its thoroughly damp. then use it as a squigi at first. i hold two ends and then drag it across the roof, hood, wind shield and trunk, ringing it out every couple of passed. it even seems to be quicker than just wiping down the car. at first you just seem to swish water around and not get any up but doing teh squigi thing first helps to get more water off quickly (important if you're in the sun too.) and it looks as if you'd subject the paint to less fine abrasions also. the chamois rises on a film of water when you squigi. when you go back to touch up the remaining wet spots, you have to do far less wiping.
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frankB
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I just tried using a woven microcloth towel for drying. Seemed great at first, but I was hard to get it dry enough again, no matter how much I wringed. I either need to get 2 more of these or a chamois. The chamois would certainly be cheaper.
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vtechbrain
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Absolutely right.
The absorber is a copy or a new name for a synthetic chamois known as Kanebo in the 70's and 80's. It has all the advantages of the leather chammy but it holds 4 times more water. It never scratches and dries a car in a jiffy (specially useful in winter). I'm going to try this new "spotless" dry from mr. clean we'll see how that works. I guess its the use of a drying agent like the one in the dishwasher (jet dry) so it should work pretty well.
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brittho
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I have used the Absorber for about 10 years and it has worked wonderfully. No scratches and no hassles. It was not all that expensive either. Still works as good today as it did the day I bought it. I just wash it in the washing machine with other auto towels when dirty and it comes out clean and ready to go. Mine came in a cylinder container that keeps it perfectly moist for the next use for up to about 8 weeks at a time. LOVE IT!
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brittho
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BTW I thought the leaf blower idea was really humorous. Reminds me of Caddy Shack when Bill Murry is cleaning out his "shack" of a house with his leaf blower. :)
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Ben87
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Leaf Blower? heh
I worked at a Canadian Honda Dealership for 2 years, professionally detailing cars, we will use compressed air to dry the car, but not to replace the chamois.
The compressed air is great after chamois to get all the water out of door jambs, mirriors, and other places where water can stay after going over with a chamois.
After doing this you need to go over the car again with a chamois.
The reson we do this is to prevent water from dripping out when closing doors and driving after the wash, because it would leave water marks when dry.
A leaf blower would still be a really bad substitue for a chamois, its not as accurate as compressed air, and could blow airborn dust and lint onto the wet car, and without a chamois, it would probably take an hour to blow off and dry all the body panels, just use a chamois
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multiplechoice
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I've have been using microfiber towels on my cars for the past 3 years. The is no lint and the towels don't cause the swirl marks in the paint that you see when the sun in shining directly on the car. If you have a dark color car, this is the way to go. Some believe that the chamois strip the wax off the paint. I use the waffle-weave towels that are more water absorbent. Search on car detailing site (like detailcity.com) and you'll find someone who sells MF towels on the web.
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mythias2600
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Agreed. The absorber also has a nasty habbit of trapping dirt. While you can clean out a chamois pretty well, the absorber is not so easy, and I dont like the idea of dragging a gritty piece of synthetic material across my car.
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Nightcrawler
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multiplechoice wrote:
I've have been using microfiber towels on my cars for the past 3 years. The is no lint and the towels don't cause the swirl marks in the paint that you see when the sun in shining directly on the car. If you have a dark color car, this is the way to go. Some believe that the chamois strip the wax off the paint. I use the waffle-weave towels that are more water absorbent. Search on car detailing site (like detailcity.com) and you'll find someone who sells MF towels on the web.
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I agree. I have a Nighthawk Black Pearl Accord and I use nothing but Microfiber products on it. I wax, dry, and buffer with those towels. I use 2 large Waffle Weave Microfiber Towels.
www.pakshak.com
Ranny will hook it up...from Hawaii!
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Mecc
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Has anyone used the "California Blade" ?
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MrChad
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I use the California Water blade, but be sure you get the original with the Purple handle. Some newer models were cheapened for for retail stores and have black handles.
It dries the car very fast, then I follow for small drops with a synthetic chamie.
I have very-very small swirl marks compared to my buds that dry with towels. If you keep the blade clean, wash your car very well, and wax often the results can be awesome.
I good polish twice a year completely removes all the swirls I have.
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Smokinwurm
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I've used the California Water Blade as well, and IMO although it works very well, and cuts drying time to almost nothing, it does damage the paint on the car. On my car I've noticed scratches in the direction of wiping with the blade. I clean the blade religiously and also only use it on a just washed clean car. I have a feeling that if there is but one speck of dirt left on the surface and the blade is used, it's like running a nail across the surface of the car.
I'm thinking of switching to the MF towels, however, I've also used the Mr.Clean AutoDry car wash and man that thing kicks ass! Nothing cuts drying time more then not having to dry at all! My friends and I washed 5 cars in one hour, a 99 Civic Si, 98 Accord EX-V6 coupe, 92 Nissan 300ZX, 02 Audi A4 1.8T, and a 95 LandRover Discovery. Gives you an idea as to the range of vehicles that can be washed easily with this thing. They all turned out great, you just have to make sure that if the car is extra dirty you have to make sure you spread the soap everywhere and don't let it dry.
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whiskeyluv
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i recently got the Mr.Clean Autodry system and it works pretty damn well. I did notice that the soap they provide that you fill into the machine does get a lot more dirt off. I have one wash mitt for the car and one just for rims/tires and I have a hard time telling them apart anymore. They're both filthy, thank god for the little thumb on the car one. The directions that come in the kit do explain that you will see a lot more dirt trapped on your wash mitt, so I didn't freak out that much. Just make sure to always, if you can, wash the car in the shade. Especially for anyone using the Autodry system.
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enstillfear
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I use a leather chamois, with a little thing I picked up at Wal-Mart. It's a called a "California Blade", basically acts like a squige, gets rid of all the water (helps if you have fresh wax on, and maybe some type of rain-x or other water repellent). It won't scratch, or hurt your car. Then, I go over any other hard to reach areas with a 100% leather chamois. I had a sythetic/leather one, and it worked better than the 100% leather one, until my dog ripped it up!
Don't use a cloth, it will scratch your car all to hell. And yes, I think using AIR would be the best...I've thought about taking out the air compressor hose a few times...but then a TON of dust/dirt would fly all over the place and get into the water that's on the car!
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onecrx
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JGBH7 wrote:
So I'm thinking of giving my '03 Black RSX the post-winter cleaning today, getting all the winter salt and stuff off of it. I wanted to get some advice on the best way to dry a car. I try to use terry-cloth towels because someone told me that is best but I think it tends to leave streaks and little white fuzzie things on the car. I heard somewhere that peple use leaf blowers? Is this true, it seems like it would work. If tru is there any particular kind? ie.. gas/electric, any brand, make model? Any advice you ahve would be great.
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I use a leaf blower and a micro fiber towel on my Berlina black S2000 and the wife's Nighthawk black pearl Accord
No swirls,no streaks,and no lint !!
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JerseyV6MTAccord
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You could use a leaf blower...but how retarded would you look?? Go to your local home depot or lowes or whatever hardware store is by you and pick up a 10+ gallon compressed air tank...it'll set you back like $35 bucks. Get it filled at the same place or any body shop/garage. Make sure you pick up a long enough hose and a blower attachment for the tank too while at the hardware store
PRESTO instant compressed air to dry your car for under $50. Hope this helps!
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JerseyV6MTAccord
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Also, you could get one with a compressor allready attached, but if you just get the tank and have it refilled every so often with more air, it'll be portable to move around the car/all of your cars.
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