Basic, Better, Best – Drying Options

Having looked at cleaning mitts a couple of weeks ago we thought we would subsequently turn our attention to the process of drying your pride and joy after its had a jolly good wash. We clean our classic cars not only to protect them but also to make them look good. What’s the point in going to all the effort of giving our cars a lovely fresh bath only to let them air dry in the sun, covering the thing in ugly water spots and streaky marks in the process? Giving your car a good clean is not only important, it’s also instantly rewarding. While you may be feeling down about a particularly rusty panel or missing piece of trim, or perhaps losing interest in your build altogether, get the buckets out and treat the thing to a wash and your spirits and attitude towards your classic will be instantly lifted. Trust us.

It isn’t just the wash that’s important though. Thinking about what to use to dry your car is just as crucial as what you use to clean it. Choosing the correct drying paraphernalia can make all the difference to the end result. From how they can affect your car’s paintwork to ease of use there are a number of things to take into consideration when choosing which type of drying gear to utilise.

For fear of hosting a seminar on egg sucking we think it prudent nonetheless to highlight a few important factors to consider before any water even touches your precious paintwork. Start at the highest point and work your way down but don’t wash or attempt to dry your car in direct sunlight as this will expedite the drying process, taking matters out of your hands resulting in those nasty water spots we mentioned earlier and rendering the whole process moot. For the same reason make sure you have everything you need to hand so you’re not wasting time searching under all of the sinks in the house for that misplaced chamois.

With that said there are a lot of options when it comes to drying your car, from microfibre towels and chamois leathers to squeegees and even electric blow dryers, so let’s take a look at three that will help you keep your classic car looking as spangly as can be, despite that rusty panel and missing trim.

Basic

Probably the quickest and easiest way to wick water off of your car is with a squeegee, or water blade. Consisting of a flat, usually silicone-based ‘blade’ you simply glide it over your car’s bodywork to instantly remove any water, much like the type of thing professional window cleaners use. This Autoglym water blade is flexible enough to adapt to the contours of your car but with enough rigidity to make it effective at removing all of the water. One thing we will say though is make sure your car is spotlessly clean before using a squeegee to dry it as any dirt on the paint surface can potentially be dragged along, but then the same can be said of any product on this list.

Better

As far as drying towel options go you can’t go far wrong with the Meguiar’s X1905EU Supreme Drying Towel. It’s soft, thick, super absorbent and big, measuring in at 85cm by 55cm, so it has all of the characteristics you would need from a good microfibre drying towel. Depending on the size of your car, and indeed your fleet, it might be worth investing in a couple of these bad boys but much like the cleaning mitts though, be sure to maintain them correctly between uses to ensure a long and effective life of service.

Best

The less contact you can have with your car’s paintwork the better and so a great option for the scratch and swirl conscious among you would be a decent blower dryer. Not only will this bit of kit severely decrease the amount of drying left to do with a towel it will also clear all of the water out of those cracks and crevices that continue to leak long after you think you’ve fully dried your car using traditional methods. The MetroVac Air Force Blaster Sidekick is pricey at £120 but when you consider how much professional paint correction costs after you’ve created one to many imperfections in your paintwork it kind of puts things in perspective. Plus it has a cool name.

Whether you pick one of the above options or perhaps use a combination of the three drying your classic after a wash should be thought of just as carefully as any other aspect of vehicle detailing. Using the tips we’ve listed here along with a good quality drying option you can hopefully make swirl marks, water spots and other such nasties a thing of the past.