So I just finished detailing my car today. It was pretty blustery out here (about 45 degrees and a stiff breeze). This has always been a pain in my ass because the wind always dries the water on the car before I have a chance to towel it off. Since I have probably the crappiest water this side of the Mississippi (LOTS of calcium = really hard water = nasty water spots), I need to dry it quickly and leave as little behind as possible. I've been using cotton towels for some time with mixed results. They really suck up the water, but leave streaks behind that eventually dry into the paint and require either wax or instant detailer to remove. Having a black car, I cannot allow this to stand. My question here is - what the hell do you people dry your cars with? I've heard mixed results about the Microfiber towels, and I'd like to try the California water blade, but something about dragging a piece of flat silicone across my nice clean paint worries me. I would really like to give the "blade" a chance, if there is enough support in its favor.

I need help here; this cannot be allowed to stand! What can I do to end this vicious cycle!? That "blue" towel seems promising, but where can I get it? I'm floundering here people.....

 

yup, big blue is your tool!!

i always wash/wax my black car in shade- usually begin the process very early in the morning...
i use big blue and the blade (i always rinse it and wipe it off with a clean towel), but you can do the job with two big blues very easily (actually you can prob get by with one, but i like mine pretty dry).

btw, with the blade, i dont blade the whole car and then dry it, but blade one section at a time and dry only that section. then on to the next one...

links for the products:
big blue:
http://www.sportscarcare.com/scc/product.a...?ItemID=pak-blu

blade:
http://www.properautocare.com/calwatblad.html

 

^ What he said^

 

That's why I love this forum. The next time I have a chance, some of the "big blue" towels will be on order. Thanks for the advice.

 

My GF's car is black. I hate washing it. (^_^) I apply the following tips to all the cars I wash, not just dark colored ones:

 

I was just like you about the blade, but I finally gave in and tried it (on my wife's car first ) and have now been using it weekly for the last several months w/ no apparent ill-effects. You can buy it at Wal-Mart or most Auto-Zone type stores.

Beware, there are a bunch of cheaper imitators, I tried one of those once and was much less than thrilled w/ it! I also wash the blade w/ my soapy mitt that I use to wash my car and spray it off before every use....just in case....

I tried the Big Blue for the first time 2 days ago (great service from sportscarcare.com btw), happy to say my Absorber has now been relegated to "wheel duty". After the Blade the Big Blue was barely damp when done w/ the whole car.

Good Luck, Travis

 

With all these rave reviews of the "big blue" towel, I'm half expecting someone to dump a gallon of blue fluid on the floor and say "...look at that absorptivity!" Has anyone ever dared throw one of these into the swimming pool to see what happens? Thanks for the advice, when I order, do I only need one towel to dry the entire car, or should I order 2?

Do they make a smaller size you can use to remove wax as well?

 

1 seems to nicely do the trick IMHO. I think it's designed for drying and you probably wouldn't want to use it for wax removal, it doesn't feel like a regular MF towel.

I use 2 or 3 little 1'x1' mf towels, you can get lots of places now for wax removal. I think I got my current set from Target.

 

http://forums.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.p...threadid=187824

 

i always soap the whole car and rinse it at one time. is it advisable to to soap one panel and rinse it and move on to the next panel? thanks.