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How to pat dry?

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stealthwolf:
God knows, this sounds silly but how do you dry the car properly?

I've got some proper drying towels (CG's miracle dryer ones) but I don't think I'm drying the car properly and end up frustrated and wipe the car down - very bad, i know!

The way I've tried is to place the towel, fully unfolded, onto a surface, eg the bonnet. Then I press on top of the towel, very lightly, with my hand. But I find this doesn't remove much water and even after patting the entire towel twice, still has water droplets left over.

I've also tried 'dabbing' a folded towel, turning to a clean side when I move on to a new surface. Picks up a bit more water but still not great.

What am I doing wrong?

JPC:
a slightly wet drying towel will do a much better job mate. it sounds like that will help you greatly from what you said.

autoperfection.com:
Providing the towel is clean everytime you use it, there's nothing wrong with wiping the towel across the paintwork using a soft, gentle amount of pressure.  After the wash stage, the car should be clean so you shouldn't have any worries about inflicting damage with any dust/dirt particles.

As JPC says, if the towel is slightly damp it will absorb a lot more of the water.

I too, personally, can't get on with "patting" the car dry because I feel it just doesn't suit me!  I use the wiping method all the time and I've never had a problem with this technique - a good method that I use is to have two towels... have one to lay over the paintwork to absorb the bulk of the water, as you're already doing, then use the second towel to remove any left-over water with the "wiping" method - just need to make sure that the towels are clean  :happy2:

If you are worried about using the wiping method and causing damage to the paintwork, then it is sometimes a good idea to use a quick detailer whilst drying the car, as this adds lubricity  :smiley:

VC:
is this where i get slapped in the face by saying i use a chamois leather?

i've bought said towels too and merely end up spreading water around so give up and revert back to chamois

JPC:
the thing i would be worried about with wiping is, thats if there is dirt on the paint work, you can bet you will do some damage.
I am reasonably confident i never leave behind any dirt on the car, so if i have to resort to wiping dry (rarely) i will.

But what i do usual:
what i would suggest stealth, presuming you have a good layer of wax on the car IS:

Rinse the car off with an open ended hose, and sheet the water off the car. When i do this, 90% of the water goes. then i can just pat dry the remaining water.

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