The least invasive method to dry your car - Patting instead of wiping off rinse water

[Mike Phillips]

The least invasive method to dry your car - Patting instead of wiping off rinse water



Patting rinse water off a car...





Years and years ago I learned from a Porsche owner, (black paint), a method for drying your car by patting the rinse water off the paint instead of wiping the rinse water off the paint when using a drying chamois or drying towel.

The idea being that laying a clean drying towel onto a wet car after rinsing and gently patting the water off instead of rubbing the drying towel against the paint was safer for the paint as you reduced the risk and potential for any marring caused by the pressure of the drying towel being wiped or rubbed against the paint.

Made sense to me. Especially if you have a brand new car, a brand new paint job or if you have spent hours polishing the paint to perfection.

The big picture being that IF a person wanted to do everything they could do to be as careful as possible so as to not re-instill swirls and scratches into otherwise flawless paint then patting dry was a safer option than wiping dry. This makes sense because by their very nature, modern clearcoats are scratch-sensitive. While modern clearcoats tend to be harder than old fashioned single stage paints, they still scratch very easily. And because they tend to be hard, removing swirls and scratches can be time consuming. So little tips or techniques like patting rinse water off your car makes sense and it really doesn't take that much more time but it does tend to require a few extra towels to do it quickly.

Here at Autogeek we offer a microfiber waffle weave drying towel the Guzzler HD Waffle Weave Drying Towel. The Guzzler HD is unique in that it has a 1/4" foam core. This makes it very good for the patting technique for drying your car as the soft microfiber weave material absorbs water into itself and then into the foam core. The foam core makes the towel a tick more stout (while remaining very soft), and this little bit more stoutness works well for the water patting technique.

Patting water off your car's finish only takes a little more time than wiping the water off. It does work best by having a few extra towels on hand for when it's time to dry the car. It has the same soft microfiber waffle weave outer material but also includes a 1/4" water absorbing foam inter-core. So you place this towel flat on a surface, allow the water to migrate into the microfiber and then into the foam inter-core and presto... the water is gone and the surface is dry without wiping. For vertical sides, gently press the Guzzler against the paint and it will remove the water instantly.

If you prize the finish on your car, consider using the water patting technique to remove rinse water.


On Autogeek.com

Single Guzzler HD Waffle Weave Drying Towel - 16 x 24 inches.





6-Pack of Cobra Guzzler HD Waffle Weave Drying Towels - 16 x 24 inches

[Crispy]

Really $10.00 per towel (in Canadian $13.00 plus shipping and duty). I would think you can do the same thing with a cotton towel (T-Shirt, bath towel or even a paper shop towel). While I agree with the method, I respectfully disagree a $13.00 towel is necessary - just IMHO.0

[Mike Phillips]

Really $10.00 per towel (in Canadian $13.00 plus shipping and duty).

That whole Canada thing is all about Canada and the Canadian system of government. I've seen people complain about the EXTRA cost of purchasing products in America (and I'm sure other countries), and importing them into Canada for years now. It's the Canadian government that adds on layers of costs for their people to pay for the Canadian style of government. That's not America's fault, nor any other countries fault. That's all about the benefits you get when you live in Canada.

I would think you can do the same thing with a cotton towel (T-Shirt, bath towel or even a paper shop towel). While I agree with the method, I respectfully disagree a $13.00 towel is necessary - just IMHO.0

And as long as you disagree in a polite manner that is in keeping with our forum rules there won't be any problems.

As for the Guzzler HD Towels these are wonderful products. I've been using them for years now and I'm pretty sure I still have the very first Guzzler HD Towels we stocked the garage with and they work just as well today as they did when they were brand new. After we're done using them we machine wash them and machine dry them and they hold up just fine with repeated use and repeated washing and drying.

So in my opinion they are an excellent value for the money as well as being much better suited for the job than a t-shirt which is flat and has very limited ability to hold water.

I learned a long time ago to never spend another man's money. So if they're not for you that's okay, they are a great product that does exactly what they are designed for.


Thanks for sharing you input though Crisp and I'm sorry that I don't have a solution for the charges your government adds to everything the people of Canada purchase outside of your country. And if you want to use a t-shirt or a paper towel the I say go for it.

If you want to talk more about the Canadian government and the layers of fees, duties and taxes they add to your purchase please start your own thread.

[golliger]

I have two of these, and the one sold by Mothers that I use to pat dry. They really absorb the water. I've tried the old t shirt method, it gets saturated immediately and leaves water on the surface.

[rajon]

Mike,

Yet again you changed the way I care for my cars. I have a ton of drying towels now that I do not care to think about how much I spent. I have a ridiculously overpowered leaf blower that takes care of most of the water which certainly helps with patting vs wiping. It is again a situation of where one's level of satisfaction is and, if one is here, said one probably has a pretty high standard of satisfaction.

[ducksfan]

Really $10.00 per towel (in Canadian $13.00 plus shipping and duty). I would think you can do the same thing with a cotton towel (T-Shirt, bath towel or even a paper shop towel). While I agree with the method, I respectfully disagree a $13.00 towel is necessary - just IMHO.0

You know, another point your line of thought should consider is the cost per use instead of overall cost. After years of use, these towels will have cost pennies per use. The difference in being able to use a quality product as opposed to an inferior one to save a couple cents doesn't make a lot of sense.

[sixsix]

I guess you must have to have perfect conditions to pat dry cause I've never had it work for me. Plus you don't "pat" wash the car with a wash mitt, so pat drying doesn't seem necessary to me.

[Mike Phillips]

I guess you must have to have perfect conditions to pat dry cause I've never had it work for me.

It works on a car that is maintained, by maintained I mean a car that has a regular coat of wax or a paint sealant applied or even a paint coating so that water beads up. Water beading is a sign of surface tension and when you lay a clean, absorbent towel on the finish since the water ALREADY WANTS TO GET AWAY FROM THE PAINT it is absorbed into the towel.

So it works great on paint that is regularly maintained but it doesn't work on paint that is neglected and without wax, sealant or a coating. Kind of like any tool used to blow water off a car. Water really only blows off paint if the paint is creating surface tension.

Plus you don't "pat" wash the car with a wash mitt,

Two very different actions, washing and drying.

so pat drying doesn't seem necessary to me.

And that's perfectly okay by me.

[sixsix]

I may revisit it again in the future when it cools down. Hard to dry anything in 100% humidity. My car is coated and it's hard to beat the flood rinse followed by a wipe down with BSD.

[TTQ B4U]

I lay the towel out and press it down with my hand/forearm. I do this along all horz. surfaces and the best I can with sides too. IMO it helps soak up and pull off any residual dirt that might be on the car thus minimizing any dragging of them across the surface that could possibly scratch or mar the paint. Once I'm done I switch to a smaller 16x16 high quality MF towel that is damp with rinseless solution.

The only downside to pat and dry is that it's like eating a tootsie pop without biting into it.....it's tough to stick to the technique resist wiping