I'm just wondering if anyone else is crazy like me and does this? It really saves on the number of towels (100% cotton) you have to use. It also blows the water out of cracks and crevices that continue to leak after you have dried your car off.
If you do try this please be sure and hold your blower with two hands, work from the top down and keep it away from your car, don't try and rush it. It sure has made my cleaning a lot easier. I used to use 3-4 towels, now I use 1.

Pat

 

I use this for my Harleys. now i use one of those rubber blades to wipe the water off, then I use a chamois, then I drive it a short distance to blow off any additional water, then wipe it again. the "absorber" works really well on the convertible top too. I used to use the leaf blower on the wheels only.

~ Jess

 

I've seen the blades, my son uses one but I just go over the car with the blower and a towel and in ten minutes the whole thing is done, don't have to even move the car.

Pat

 

i use the air compressor to blow out the side gills, around the headlights/taillights, side reflectors, mirrors, etc. all the hard places that water sits in for hours.

 

... I live near two major freeways (about 1/2 mile from my home), so I just take a 70 mph blast after rinsing my car. Then, I either let the rest drip dry or I use microfiber cloth. And, I always run over the car with "The Glosser" to remove water spots and keep the paint shiny.

In the summer, I will often just use my Mr. Clean car wash kit and let the car drip dry. It works good, but I am not sold on the soap that comes with it. The soap can "gel" in the device, which then deposits itself on to your finish. This happened twice. At first, I thought it was sap, but I noticed that it was water soluble and happens only if I use the Mr. Clean soap. Use a spot-free rinse feature on the car wash kit, plus a bucket of Armor All, Meguir's, or other suds (with a mitt), and you'll be in good shape.

 

i wash mine at the .25 diy car wash. this works great for the wheel wells, underside & engine. a quick dry down and i head home on the freeway for the much needed crevice drying. i let the car set overnight assuring a complete drying of the hard to reach, continuous non-stop drip areas. the next day i go over the entire car with a quick detailer & microfiber towel...a panel at a time. lastly...including the wipe down of the jambs and inside of the rims (hard to reach i know), wheel wells and exposed underside from behind... suspension/muffler/plastic/etc. dress the tires with a foam applicator, wipe off the lip & clean the glass. almost a mini detail.

this is the way i roll.

 

I keep a WetVac sitting without a filter for just this purpose. It is dedicated strictly to blow-dry duty...I have another for actual vacuuming. Most terry cloths have a certain polyester content which...over a period of time...will create millions of minute scratching in your finish.

The neighbors think I've gone round the bend....but I am used to that.

...sT

 

Simon I've always been told with or without the leaf blower use 100% cotton towels. Any kind of polyester towel will scratch your finish.

Pat

 

Go with Micro-Fiber towels. Once you use them you won't want anything else!

 

Agreed. I am confident that Turtle Wax knows how to make micro fiber towels that won't scratch the finish. And, these things work fantastic.

 

Ummm...I believe that was my point. That, and the fact that many a cloth labeled as 100% cotton will still often have a certain polyester content.

But, thanks for re-emphasizing it.

...sT

 

Since I've never used one, forgive me if this sounds stupid, but the velocity on leaf blowers is pretty high, and I'd be worried about sand/grit blasting the finish of the car...

 

This is true. I'd not recommend any of this if you happen to live in one of the dustier climates.

I've got a spare ShopVac so I am able to dedicate one strictly to blow-dry duty. I am also lucky enough to usually have no worries over dust-content, so I have removed the filter from it as this reduces the biggest restriction to airflow. However, if you have dust or smoke troubles...one could leave the filter installed. It should remove most such contaminants prior to reaching the car.

...sT

 

Yes I use the leaf blower. Then drag my drying cloth over the car, but I wipe off the water on the glass before I start the blower, that way the water does not spot the glass.

 

This is a really old post but worth bringing back. I came out this morning after a great New Years Eve at a friend's to find firework residue all over my car. It's the only time it has stayed outside overnight since I purchased it. I came home and washed it and gave it a nice blow dry with my leaf blower and then towled it off in just a few minutes. Back to normal, almost as good as "new"... Happy New Year everyone!

 

I am glade you bumped it back.... I wish the .25 car wash places had something like this over the garage door as you leave. If I ever build one you could pay just for the dry after the diy wash....

 

No more than driving it down any US highway at 55mph !

 

I do it everytime too. Although I try to make sure the neighbors don't see me doing it! They think I'm crazy enough.