drying a car

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when drying your car whats the best cloth to use

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i came across something interesting the other day that i did not know. when you use 100% cotton towels to dry your car, make sure you do not use fabric softener or dryer sheets. it leaves a film on your towels that can transfer to your car. i've been using a little gadget for the past year called the california water blade. i tell ya, it only takes one towel after going over it with that little deal and it works great. it's like a super soft, plyable silicone and will not scratch the paint or leave spiderwebs. LUV IT! the towel is for certain areas that the water blade can't quite get to. you can get it @ pep boys for like $19.

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I've tried different things over the years and the best I've found is a high quality bath towel made of 100% cotton. I wash it every so often and change it out when it gets too much of a build-up from mineral deposits. (We have fairly hard water in this area - 265MG/L Total Hardness as CaCO3.)

Also, this year I've been using a Rain-X spray-on wax when I dry my car. You can put this on while the car is still wet and rub it out while your drying. Results have been good with a high gloss and a minimum of swirl marks - almost as good as a wax job, but without all the effort. http://forums.freshalloy.com/forum/images/icons/wink.gif

[bretfraz]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial[/img]quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ldsm:
when drying your car whats the best cloth to use <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

For years I've been using The Absorber. It's a synthetic chamois that works great and is used by many detailers. I also use cotton terry towels for detail work and one of those water blades (I have an SUV) to make quick work of drying. I agree that cotton terry towels are the safest idea because the nap will pick up small pieces of grit. But they do get wet quickly and need to be washed frequently. The Absorber is better than any fake chamois and alot cheaper than a natural chamois. They cost about $12.00 and can be found at any auto parts store or megachain like Walmart.

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Water blades and 100% cotton towels are good, but there really is no substitute for a natural chamois. I put a lot of time into my car's finish (2000 Maxima SE, Sherwood Green), and to me, it is worth the expense of using the real McCoy. If you don't have the time, or want to put in the time, the blade works well, as do cotton towels.

But if it's worth washing, then it's worth drying with a natural chamois.

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I prefer to BLOT dry my 2K Max with the chamois cloth, never wipe it across the car, but just drape it over a spot and gently blot it. 6 Months later and no swirl marks at all!

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I read in consumer reports that a natural chamois removes wax, and the best thing is an immitation chamois

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I have found that a synthetic chamois followed by 100% cotton towels work the best in drying your car. Just make sure that the surface of your car is clean so that the chamois doesn't harm the paint.