best drying method to avoid swirls

So if i just hand washed my entire truck and rinsed then what is going to scratch the truck if my absorber is clean ? Just curious what would scratch the paint ... its not like im wiping it off with dirt or grit on the vehicle

And i guess one more reason why i would never own a black vehicle

 

There will still be something left on the truck somewhere. You probably won't see it until it's embedded in the Absorber. By then it's too late and now you have swirls. It will be hard but you can probably see them in silver in direct sunlight.

 

Hand wash doesn't mean you won't scratch your paint. My neighbor had his newly painted BMW with tons of swirl marks and he hand washes all the time with a dirty towel. It's clean to him. He asked me about getting rid of it...I asked him how he's washing his car and he shown me what he did. I told him don't bother with detailing... He wanted a quote from my detailer to fix the swirl marks as he didn't know how it got there.

The point is... 2 bucket system etc or hand wash... if you don't do proper wash techniques on a black painted car any imperfection will show. Black looks great, I wish my truck was black instead of MGM, but you need to know how to maintain a black painted car. So you hand wash with a microfiber mitt or cotton sponge? What stops the dirt or anything that you washed from getting back on the mitt and scratching the paint? 2 bucket system...you have a clean bucket and a rinse bucket per se... so when you rinse... you agitate...doesn't dirt get back on that same mitt? Eventually you will get scratches and swirl marks.

Best way doesn't matter if you use waterless wash or not... if you use the same towel over and over again..eventually you will get dirt and you are rubbing that onto your truck.

 

Ok well give me another suggestion since i don't have the cash to go by a $200-$300 blower to dry my truck ... so maybe i better get rid of the XL Absorber

 

High quality MF towels and break them up to 8 sides and use one pass so old dirt is never introduced to the paint. I wiped down my truck last night...took me 40 minutes...about same time to wash a truck. I used 1 towel and about 3 to 4 oz of solution. I should use 2 towels to be really thorough, but was in a hurry. So you can use 2 towels or even 3 if you like to be extra careful and waterless wash that has lubricant to help lift the dirt and not scratch the paint as it adds a layer of wax. I've linked the video already. I don't bother with blower... it's wipe down and then buff as necessary.

 

Thanks guys for the great suggestions !!

 

I actually really like my absorber but I NEVER "swipe" or wipe with it. I just hold it by two corners and lay it against the surface. And Kinda lightly press/dab it with my hands where needed. On the roof/hood, I sort of flop it by 2 corners like a bed sheet then lift. Wring as necessary. But NO wiping. I go around the truck really quickly in this manner getting the bulk of the water off. But at this point I'm not even attempting to get all the water off. After you do the absorber, then switch to a microfiber trying towel to do your "wiping" to get the remaining water and in all the nooks and crannies. Works well.

 

^^ This ^^

I don't think I've ever dried my truck anytime of the year. I keep it well polished/waxed and this seems to prevent any issues with post drying swirls. I do let it dry in shade post washing.

 

So does a micro fiber towel prevent you from scratching the paint when drying? Wouldn't it scratch to if you would get dirt or grit on it ..

 

With a MF, whatever grit or debris might be there has the opportunity to go "into" the cloth (as opposed to being pressed into and dragged on the paint). It acts like a padding that absorbs pressure (and debris), thereby reducing the chances of swirls. Contrast that to the hard surface of the absorber- and you might envision the difference. Is it foolproof? No.

 

Hard water stain will also etch paint. If you use regular water without being distilled... you have minerals that will etch into the clear. Of course in the winter time it takes longer for water to dry. But if you wash and got hard water on the truck and then it's sunny during the day for few days... hard water stains. Only cut and polish can remove it.

You can get MF towel dirty and scratch as well. That's why I keep on saying one pass. The one pass can be 7 ft long if you like if you use the right kind of solution to lift the dirt and lubricate so it doesn't scratch. Break up the MF towel into 8 pieces and do one pass and no scratches and use common sense and not apply super hard pressure to pick up the solution or water etc.

 

Thank you, very useful information

 

Proper 2 bucket wash then dry with a quality microfiber towel. I use detail spray or waterless wash as a drying agent plus helps lubricate surface.

 

Good to know! I must not have hard water as I've not noticed any issues with clear coat or paint.

 

Order you one of these if you care about the finish on your vehicle.
You will thank yourself 1000x over.

I use it on my challenger. Just drag it across the finish and it removes ALL water.
Also...the less water on a vehicle before drying, the better.
Look up a http://www.carpro-us.com/microfiber-madness/microfiber-madness-dry-me-crazy-25-x-17/ YouTube on "pooling" water off of the vehicle. You will kick yourself in the ass for not doing this. Removes nearly all water from the vehicle before drying with the towel.

 

Pooling or sheeting is great before drying any vehicle. But it only really works well if the vehicle is properly sealed beforehand. Otherwise the water basically stays there.

 

http://www.ammonyc.com/det-categories/drive/

I found this guys videos helpful. Super clean and easy and not expensive. I washed, "wet dried", clay barred, polished, and waxed my gf's black silverado 1500 and it looked great. She wasnt please with the effort it took but loved the deep mirror like shine. We bought it used so I definitely pulled out all the stops on that one. Bought my truck new and havent had the time to do mine yet but ill get to it if the weather permits this week.
But the "wet drying" method works perfectly. And i used 2 MF towels doing the 8 sides method with a spray lubricant. No swirls or scratches visible.

 

I use the same thing but mine is blue. I dry my truck off in the car wash bay and use Eagle One Wax As U-Dry when I'm drying it off.

 

$90 Turtle Wax T-472R ICE Car Wash - 48 oz.

http://www.amazon.com/Turtle-Wax-T-472R-ICE-Wash/dp/B007KTINZ8
Hand wash it with Turtle Wax Ice Car Wash Soap and the water sheets off. My truck has not been waxed, have had it for going on 7 months.