I just wanted to second this suggestion. I've been using a water blade for years and it works great. It has a bit of a problem with the heavy curves on the bonnet, but otherwise it's great! Goes without saying it's also really good on the windows. No smears or anything left behind like you could get with a towel.

 

DING!!! This is the "right" answer. Do it...you'll be glad.

 

It's a fact we keep well hidden, but yes, it does rain in SD. For 6 months of the year we have no rain at all, the other 6 months it can creep up at any time.

For those keeping track... I have purchased an Absorber, and I promise to use it next time. The learning curve is steep! Thanks again for the suggestions and support.

 

I used one of those until a piece of grit fell onto the roof between the final car rinse and the pre-use washing of the water blade and put a HUGE scratch on the top.

It went in the trash immediately after that.

I proceeded to dry the car with microfibre cloths and used Scratch-X to get the scratch out. And nothing but a microfibre has touched the paint from that point on.

 

Wow so many different opinions. I guess I'll add a few of my own.

Mr. Clean is a good product for many people. However the reason to use it is to avoid water spots & make the washing process faster---you just wash it using their special PUR filter cartridge which removes the hard mineral deposits in the water, and then use the soap which isn't anything fancy---let it dry in the shade and you're done---that's how it's supposed to work anyways.

I'd say get a good 5 gallon bucket, insert a Grit Guard at the bottom $9, get some NXT Car Wash Soap (1 jug will last over a year), and a few good wash mitts--Costo has them.

Learn to use that--soap up the car-preferably not under direct sunlight--having the soapy water dry before you can rinse it off just creates more work.

Rinse off the soap and they you're done. NXT Car Wash soap will dry without spots if you let it dry in the shade. Some people say you don't even need to dry it off--although I always do.

I favor the Absorber as well. Most people that try the Absorber don't like it cause they try to use it like a towel. Late night informercials is what showed me the proper way to use it. Actually, it was a mall performance--I came back from AMVIV, stopped at a local mall, this guy was demonstrating this "magic chamois" that you just let sit on a stain, it sucks it up. I tried that with the Absorber and sure enough, that's how I like to use it. Just lay it down on a surface. Smooth it out so as much of the wrinkled towel lays against the water--lift it up and the surface will be mostly dry.

Some people like to use leaf blowers. This is good, but you gotta wear ear protection--its noisy and ear splitting when used for long periods of time. You just use it to blow the water off your car--great for ensuring all water is removed from areas like around the logos and window seams--etc..so when you go to move your freshly dried car, you don't get water drips from hidden inaccessible places.

Hope that helps.

Richard

 

Hey JJ (batgirl)
I like to use the neighborhood quick n clean. 5 minutes in the tube and it's allllllllll gooooood!
Say hi to Matty.
D

 

Hey D, thanks for checking in. So you do a 5 minute wash, and were smart enough to get a gold MINI so spots and dust don't really show up anyway. Brilliant!

Matt will be in SD when Mike does Malibu Stacy's graphics, so that will be fun.

 

I'm '97!! We gotta go gang up on the Sun Devils here. I know there are at least 2 of them...

 

I won't profess to say what is right or wrong, but I like the Absorber (to LIFT water... not to WIPE it) and a waffle-weave microfiber for drying the car.

I have a WaterBlade, but I save it for my wife's SUV... The chance of getting a bit of grit on the blade and scratching the paint is too great for a car that I love.

As with any method of drying, the most important aspect to drying is the washing! If the car isn't clean, any attempt to dry will only dammage the paintwork.

 

I can understand why people would go at their MINI w/ a leaf blower...the toughest part of drying for me (based on my own MINI) is getting water out from under the wiper arms (at the motorized end), the bottom of the a-pillars, and (I think) behind (or in) the mirror caps. Forget the beltline trim or the roof joint...there's water in there somewhere but I'll be darned if I can get it out w/ a microfiber towel. Water collecting in the joint above the side vents, below the tail lights, below the headlights are easy enough to deal with....best to not forget to dry them though, there's a ton of water in there.

In the end, I just stop several times on the way home from the car wash (poor man's leaf blower) to dry up any seepage.:smile:

 

This has nothing to do with detailing, but when I started this thread the intent was to describe the sometimes ridiculous antics we endure simply because we love our MINIs so very much...

Before Malibu Stacy can be registered in CA, she needs a smog test (even though she's an '05, she was purchased out-of-state and therefore requires one). So yesterday I tried to take her to get it done, and the guy said he couldn't do it because the car is too new and he didn't have the right information. Uh... ok. What now? Later that day, while driving to lunch with my coworker, we go past an import car parts store which is adjacent to another smog test station. I think, "Cool, I'll give them a try."

So this morning I go there. While they've seen MINIs, they've never actually worked on one. No problem, they get on the phone and call whoever it is they call to figure out how to deal with such a situation. They figure out the "bypass" process to deal with cars that have fancy new computers and get her hooked up to the test machine. This whole time I am of course having to tell/show them how to do EVERYTHING (put the window down, move the seat back, open the bonnet, etc.). They were so excited by my MINI they didn't seem the least bit embarrassed about their ignorance. They also listened respectfully when I asked them to please be careful with the door because it opens very wide, and I was allowed inside the garage to watch what was done up until the rollers were going.

Anyway... I got hit on a little, but I think it was just because the main guy wanted to drive my car sooooooo bad! He even tried a "swap" offer, saying I could take out his Corvette. Silly man, what would I want with a Corvette??? I know I paid more than I should've for the stupid smog test, but it was worth it to see their excitement, and respect, for my sweet ride.