Aeromotive

Hi all.

I wash my car using ORN (Garry Dean's method) during the winter (and I intend to keep doing it this way during summer) but I'm looking to ditch the waffle weave and use a leaf blower for drying (at the risk of looking strange to the neighbors haha). I found a cheap battery one at WM (I don't have access to an electric outlet).

Question is : is it advisable to use the leaf blower at 0C (32F) to dry the car? I'm worried cold(er) air doesn't dry as much. I'm pretty sure I studied this in college but that was 10 years ago.
Also, does the leaf blower blow ambient temperature air, or does it get warmer in any way when it passes through the machine?
So should I stick to drying with a ww until summer?

Advice? Tips? Comments?
Thanks

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Blow drying is not too practical when doing rinseless or waterless washes. It is a great option with traditional washing.

I prefer my master blasters to any leaf blower as they blow heated, filtered air and move TONS more air than a leaf blower, however many people get by just fine with a leaf blower.

FSportIS

iTrader: (13)

I have tried leaf blower, and Metro Blaster and not happy with the results because there are still some little droplets of water on the paint that you still need to use a drying towel to follow up. That defeats the purpose of non-touch drying. However, they both work excellent in drying out the wheels, tires, and crevices that you can't reach with a towel. The Metro Blaster is a lot more powerful than leaf blower.
Anyways, I'm going back with the big fluffy drying towel as that is the best for me.

If you decide to blow dry, get the Master Blaster that is the most powerful machine and should get rid of even the tiny water droplets.

Aeromotive

I understand the advantages of the Master Blaster, but as I mentioned I don't have an electrical outlet where I wash my car.

zmcgovern4 : why is a leaf blower not practical for rinseless car wash (compared to ww)?

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

It is not practical for anything except for traditional washing (ie 3 bucket method) imo... Rinseless and waterless wash solutions seem to rely on the fact that the remaining product will be wiped/buffed away as they usually contain polymers that may streak when not fully wiped away. Blowing the residual rinseless product away isn't perhaps as effective as blowing away pure water after a traditional wash.

Also, to me the biggest advantage of rinseless washing is the time savings... I would lose much of that if I tried to blow dry the car instead of just wipe down a panel.

If it seems to work for you, then go for it, but it doesn't feel "right" to me.

-Zach

Aeromotive

Yeah I thought about streaking too... I understand the residual water left on the car after a rinseless wash isn't actually water.

I always thought air drying was quicker than a towel. Are you saying it's longer? Maybe I'm too meticulous lol.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

With traditional washing, my master blaster is about the same as drying with a towel, but what I was getting at is that for rinseless washing, there is essentially no setup or anything needed... Don't have to drag out the hose or pressure washer, don't have to setup the master blaster, don't have to get out all the products... Just fill a bucket with some water, onr, MF towels and get going.

Again, just my feelings.

-Zach

FSportIS

iTrader: (13)

Even though there are some pros in rinseless wash, I have to mention some cons from a consumer's perspective.

Rinseless wash (assuming using Garry Dean method) requires some postwork such as washing a bunch of microfiber towels in washing machine which essentially uses a lot of water as well so it does not save that much water.

Also, rinseless wash requires washing panel by panel. Wash, and dry, wash and dry and repeat which to someone like me is very inconvenient. I had some streaking issue as well.

Rinseless wash, comparatively, does not clean as good as traditional wash. Try compare ONR v. Carpro Reset cleaning power like I recently did and you will see a BIG difference.

If you car is very dirty, rinseless wash can create more chance of marring. That is why for such dirty car, it is recommended to rinse off the car first which essentially is "rinse" wash.

Last but not least, if you have a coating, use a car shampoo or wash solution that does NOT leave anything like gloss enhancer behind because eventually it will hinders the performance of the coating. I have tried many wash shampoo, and rinseless wash and in my hunt for the best shampoo that cleans super well and leave nothing behind--Carpro Reset! This is it! I have learned it the hard way and wasted a lot of money already.

Rinseless wash seems to be a good solution for people living in cold temperatures but if you have the options to choose, traditional wash is still better, IMHO.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

I'll play devil's advocate just to offer another point of view...

Washing a load of laundry does not consume much water... I don't notice a difference in my water bill from doing a few extra loads of laundry.

Traditional washing also requires panel by panel washing and drying... just in a different order. The risk of spotting or streaking is higher with traditional washing. When you're rinseless washing, you wipe down one section or one panel and immediately dry it. The solution is on the surface for less than a minute. When you're washing traditionally you wash a section (or a few) then spray it off and let that water sit for several minutes while you work on the rest of the car. Then you have to try to dry the entire vehicle while water is sitting everywhere before it dries and causes spotting. Also, traditional washing means you'll have much more water leaking out of every crack or crevice which then leads to spotting and a lot of extra time spend drying.

When washing a vehicle that has basic road dirt on it (say from a week of driving), I do not see any major difference after rinseless washing vs traditional washing. The paint is clean (ie if you wipe it with a white towel afterwards there is no dirt left) regardless of which method is used.

Yep... if your car is very dirty, traditional washing is safer. No argument here.... this pressure wash then rinseless wash technique is great for winter though.

This is kind of funny coming from you since you top your coating with many great products... therefore what does it matter if you use a shampoo with additives or not? In general, if you want to keep your coating bare and clean, I agree with your statement, however having used ONR on my coated vehicles many times, I see no adverse effects afterwards.


I agree... i personally prefer traditional washing, however I do see great benefits in rinseless washing so for those that want to use it, go for it!

-Zach

FSportIS

iTrader: (13)

That is it!!! All I'm saying is I prefer traditional washing over rinseless wash!

In my experience, I prefer washing with 1 wash mitt rather than multiple microfiber towels. I can wash traditionally a little bit faster than with rinseless. Traditional wash has more cleaning power and clean better than rinseless wash. If my car is very dirty and have tree saps, traditional wash is way more effective and safer to wash than rinseless!

I top Carpro Reload on top of Opticoat because Reload has very similar property as coating itself + extra slickness + extra gloss + extra protection + recommended by you

I have tried ONR for weeks and just recently tried Carpro Reset shampoo to wash two of my cars, I prefer Carpro Reset with traditional washing method because it cleans way better and leave nothing behind so I see better beading/sheeting of the Carpro Reload rather than the polymer layer of the ONR lol!

Are we on the same page now or you still want to do double devil and try to kill me alive come on Zach

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Lol yes... I was just trying to show some of the perks of ONR and similar products.

I know many high end professionals who only use rinseless or waterless washing due to state restrictions... So it can be done.

Aeromotive

Thanks for your answers guys. I use ONR simply for convenience. I have access to a hose only at my parents house and it's not always practical to go there. I can still go there once every few weeks.

ONR also allows me to wash the car whenever I feel like it, as opposed tu depending on somebody else. Yes I rinse the car at a coin op when it's too dirty, which defeats the purpose... but I have no choice.

I'll forget about air drying altogether. How do you suggest I dry? I read that a dry waffle weave is a nono. Should I wet it with ONR at QD strength?

Thanks

FSportIS

iTrader: (13)

After testing several popular drying towels, leaf blower, Metro Blaster.... (several $$$ went into testing), I like Uber super drying towel the most and it works perfectly. It is a HUGE fluffy microfiber towel, bigger than many drying towel out there. I can dry 2 cars one after another without even wringing it out at all. I wash 2 cars on the same day back to back
http://www.detailersdomain.com/Uber-...wel_p_516.html

This is the way i dry--blot drying to prevent swirl mark

Aeromotive

^^Yup it looks miraculous

But is it good to use it with a rinseless car wash? Doesn't ONR need that you actually wipe the car? I'm afraid this would cause streaking because you're simply blotting...

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Blotting works just fine.