I too use the air hose for blowing most of the water off my truck, one more area to use this is in the cab especially if it is carpeted.

Much faster and effective than any vacuum and actually gets all the grit out of the carpet that may be ground in which prevents premature wear.

By blowing the water off the truck you will minimize the head aches caused by the never ending drip from moldings and mirrors.

 

Just a couple of minutes typically.

I do pay very close attention so that I don't turn the leaf blower into a sand blaster...

Further, I'll typically give the area beneath the truck a flushing wash prior to drying. I don't use a stream but rather a flow.

RP

 

RP

Sorry to keep bringing this up, but it almost seems too good to be true... I have a pretty powerful gas leaf blower, but it just never seemed like it would do a good job for drying (although I've yet to try it)

So just a couple of minutes, and you don't even need a towel at all?

Maybe it is time for my neighbors to think I'm nuts too!

 

Nah, I still have to use a waffle weave to do slight 'touch-up' drying but, it dramatically decreases the use.... to nearly none.

Who cares about the neighbors!? LOL!

RP

 

I personally use the towels located here. If you are a member of detail city or autopia you can get a substantial discount. The MF towels are by far the softest I have felt.

Brian

 

I use the Absorber cloth sold at Walmart. I wipe my truck off very lightly and keep it clean while drying.

Ron

 

ok, so it has been a while since i have posted on this thread, and i have had a chance to experiment some. i thought the blower was a good idea, but i couldn't get it to work out for me all that well. i think most of the problem is that is cumbersome.

i started "flooding" the truck when i rinse, and that seemed to work pretty well. i am not sure what the water blade that was mentioned earlier is, but i found a small rubber squeegie that i have been using. i make sure that i keep it clean, and it seems to move the water pretty well.

i really need to buy an air compressor that is actually capable of moving some air...hint: stay away from those silly pancake all in one kits. i can pass more air after a small bowl of chili than that thing can.

-matt

 

hey guys try this out.. try getting a gallon size sprayer from ur local hardware store and just put plain ole distilled water in it.. after washing ur truck just spray this distilled water all over ur truck and it will be spot free and it wont require any derying towel or chamois... its basically the same thing used at the local spray washing joints in town ...hope this helps u out guys...

 

Yes and no...

I've actually utilzed up to 10 gallons of distilled on my black truck as a final rinse (at 50 cents per bottle, I'm not sure I'll be tossing an additional $5/wash X 3 per week at my washing).

My experience here is that your local water quality plays a HUGE role in if this works or not. Personally, my water is VERY hard (primarily calcium or magnesium -- a white/grey mineral) and, even with 10 gallons of rinse with special attention being paid to the spots where 'drips occur, I still had runs. These runs were bad enough that I had to utilize clay to remove some of them. Further, I have a couple of etches from the same water.

So, in a perfect world with pretty good water, this trick will probably work like gang-busters but, for those of us that have a really crappy water supply/treatment works operation, we may be crap out of luck... I literally have been known to wash my truck 1/2 at a time to ensure that water droplets didn't have adequate time to drop their mineral load on my paint. Wash one half, blot dry one half, then, and only then, wash the other half. Talk about a pain!

It is an excellent tip though. I wouldn't know what to do if I could walk away from my truck after washing without having to worry about water spots. I just wish it worked for me...

RP

 

They make inline filters that you can attach to waterhoses. I have found them online for around $35-50 dollars. With a 30000 gallon life expectancy this maybe an option. I know I had a water softener in a house in Colorado that actually filtered water to one of my outside faucets. I never had one water spot. Now Hawaii is a another thing. Hard spots here

 

I've heard of several here talking about these things but, I don't recall ever seeing anything with a 300 thousand gallon rating.

Can you please post some links?

If this is the case, with my ultra-crappy water, I'm sure I could get 10,000.

I'm considering a softener system myself...

RP

 

Sorry, I meant 30K. Noticed you are from LaGrange. I am from Bowling Green

 

Best thing I have used to date to get my truck completely dry with minimal water spotting is utilizing the Mr. Clean Auto Dry Car Wash system. When you use their soap and spraying in conjunction, and use it per their directions, the water just seems to sheet right off the truck. It does not strip wax off of the truck or anything, but the soap contains dry rinse polymers that allow the sheeting action. Between waxes, I will allow the truck to dry, then go over the truck with a microfiber towel to ensure the truck is dry completely. I then go over the whole thing with quick detail (most of them work very nicely), and then quick glass cleaning if there are any spots. Then I usually wax my wheels every time I wash the truck, just cause they probably see the most harsh abrasiveness from brake dust and such, followed by a polish on my exhaust tips, some dressing on the tires, and voila, after about 2 hours, truck looks great.

Then, I cruise down into town with my shades on, windows down, music blaring, driving by every large window that I can so I can watch my pimpin ride stroll by in the windows, and admire another awesome Ford product!

Rock on!!!

 

I didn't know these things existed. Love this site.

http://www.pwgazette.com/gardenhosefilters.htm

http://lushaninc.com/carwash.htm

 

Hello to a fellow Kentuckian!

I'm a WKU alumni myself and have a few clients that I tend to within the Warren/Barren/Butler County area.

Thanks for the clarification and insight on the fliter. I'll have to check into that option a bit further. I really need something...