water marks

[recognition]

i'm lazy and can't be bothered to dry my car and wax it everytime i wash it. but this always leads to water marks.
the only way i can get rid of them is drying it with a clean towel or waxing it.
is there no way i can just leave the car to drip dry without it looking just as dirty when i started?!

am i using the wrong sort of water?!:D

[ssvr6]

You're either going to have to dry it or try the car wash liquid that makes the water "sheet" off and not bead.

I forget the name, but it had TONS of infomercials here in the states.


Steve

[recognition]

yea okay, i've seen that car wash stuff over gere so i'll give it a try,

cheers!

[SiR Medic]

Get yourself a California Water Blade!

It does a great job and hardly takes any effort at all!

After washing, the water blade, followed by a quick detail job with a clean towel or a chamois does the trick quite well I find!

[BarracksSi]

I'll second the water blade -- I used it just the other day to get some rain off. I had washed & waxed just two days before, so it came off really well.

Also, I used a do-it-yourself car wash once that had a "spot-free rinse", which was supposedly free of minerals & other deposit-forming stuff. It worked surprisingly well.

I'd stll rather do hand washing, though. ;) :p

[recognition]

Is the water blade just like a squeegee?!
i did use one ages ago on my first civic but i started to notice it was scratching the paint:(
guess i should make sure I keep it clean and wipe it between each stroke;)

[BarracksSi]

Yup, it's a glorified squeegee, with the ability to take curves more easily. It's certainly much more flexible than a regular squeegee.

Some might say that its silicone blade is less of a problem, but really, it's not the blade that scratches -- it's the dirt that it picks up. It's much less of a problem with a just-washed car, but it's still a good idea to wipe the edge with a paper towel or rag after each pass.

[soniccar]

Yeah, the blade or one of those synthetic dry rags like the Absorber. Use a good wash that says it had wax conditioners (like Eagle 1). Use the hose without the nozzle on the end to prevent the water from beading up (it will sheet off instead). I like one of those hose ends with the flower spray to get the same effect. You can turn the knob to a power wash.

If the car dries too quick on you, buy a bottle of Eagle 1 Wax as you Dry to help wipe away the water spots. If they etch on your glass, you gotta use a buffer and a compound. Mothers pre-wax and Step 2 will get them mostly off of your paint if they are not too bad.