Has anyone heard of the Ultimate Shammy, I purchased it from Ontario Mills in California...at those booths...and i've been using it to dry my car...but it still leaves water...and end up leaving water spots...anyone else with similar experience...maybe i'm using the shammy incorrectly

 

Terse, im not sure ive seen one of those before, it sounds alot like a "Absorber" synthetic chamois.....Consider a waffle weave if you dont run into some luck with its use.........There pretty much the latest and greatest to date, for drying surfaces.....

 

I use the Absorber, I love it... i dont think the shammy is the same thing.

 

where can you get this.."absorber?"

 

Any autoparts store, walmart, etc etc.

 

Terse are you sheeting off the water before you dry? This makes a huge difference in drying your car. Take off the nozzle off your hose and let the water sheet over your car and you will a lot less water beads to pick up... If that doesn't work, your shammy sucks... Go buy 2 waffle weaves from Patrick or Patrick.

 

I have used the water blade with a great amount of success. It's a soft silicon squeegee, it gets 85% of the water off quickly, then you can go back and dry the rest with a waffle of chamois. No scratches and reduces drying time significantly.

 

Drying is the best part of cleaning the car, 'coz to me, it when the car is at it's cleanest. I CWB the water off then use a 24 x 36 MF towel. Slowly and gently, it's almost like a ceremony. I just use my old shammies on the door sills and windows, but still get the odd water marks/ streaking compared to just drying with the MF towel. The genuine shammy I heard, "pulls" waxes and polishes off the finish and they DO scratch the finish if used dirty. To those who have not used a CWB, this thing is well worth every penny. It cuts your drying time tremendously, so you can have more time staring at the car or spraying QD.

The absorber is kind of a synthetic shammy that sucks up even more water than the genuine skin. It needs to be wrung out and left damp and kept in it's plastic container. After washing it a few times in a washer, It looks a bit worn out. For the price, I'd spend the money on 2 WW Microfiber towels instead. (better results IMO)

Make sure you dry in the shade too, makes a big difference.

 

I definitly prefer waffle weave MF, IMO much more absorbent. Do a search for MF (Micro Fibre) and you'll find some official vendors. Showshine There are also numerous online vendors where you can get MF items. Autofiber, Proper Auto Care, Waynes Towels, Detailer's Paradise, PakShak

 

thanks, I just purchased the poorboy's WW MF thing...i've gone through shammy's, chamois, ultimate shammy, MF towels...and all still leave water marks..or something...i hope this waffle weave mf thing does the trick...

 

terse, try OrangeCream's suggestion ..... what he says is very true and very much easier to dry in less time.

 

SHEETING...great idea...

must be even easier if car is waxed

 

Yeah, sometimes it's called "spot-free rinsing". It takes practice but the key is turning the water down to almost a trickle (as to avoid splashing), start from the roof and go down on both front/back, and sides having the hose only a few inches from the surface. The idea is to let the water drops pool together and by capillary action get them to sheet off the surface. Follow the edge of the sheeting with the hose until the water is completely off the car. Very few drops will remain and the drying will be cinch, especially with a good CWB and MF towel.

A waxed surface will sheet water off faster but an unawaxed one will only if it's properly cleaned and soaped. If there is a film of dirt left on the surface the water won't sheet off and streak instead.

 

I use a chamios to dry my TL and that stuff really sticks to the car. In result helps taking off the water and absorbing to the chamios. I always wonder if that would put any scratch or swirls on my paint. So what is the best thing to use to dry the car???

 

I quit using a chamois after discovering MF and find it much more absorbent. With a chamois, you have to wring it out after drying a section.....not so with MF. As far as scratching, I believe Vicman17 answered that one.... Buy a big blue MF and you will not regret it. Do a search on MF and you will find numerous online vendors.

 

Seems that these MF towels and rags are constantly evolving. After discovering how efficient they are in drying (and polishing) your finish, chamois and absorber cloth seem passe'. I can remember when I thought the chamois "was it" as far as drying your prized posession, but now it's "old school".

Neat thing with MF is you can throw them in your washer (wash warm/hot and rinse cold without fabric softener) and they're back in business. Try that with a chamois cloth and you'll shorten it's life. The only thing better than CWB and MF towels to dry your ride is a leaf blower.

One tip: I found one of the best quality MF cloths (16 x16") in Wal-Mart for a mere $4.00 each. They are packaged as "Orange Glo" on the household cleaning aisle, they are blue and thick and plush. I have about 10 of these and keep them in a clear Rubbermaid box after washing.

 

Sheeting works wonders... It practically takes off 2/3 of the water on the car!
Also, you can try one of those Squeegees. They're great for the straight/smooth surfaces but suck on uneven surfaces. Plus, they're the best on windows.

 

Thanks and I am going to pick one of those MF from Walmart and give it a try!!! Dam I spent over$15bucks for the chamios thinking that is the best thing to dry the car without scratching the paint. MF is good for waxing is a plus too!!! Seems like a all purpose towel for our car!!

 

Be careful with using a regular squeegee. Rubber tends to break apart and end up scratching the finish. It is so-so with glass and remains flexible when cold but the best is silicone as the one used in the CWB.

I used to use this curved plastic squegee called EZ-Dri. It takes the shape of the contours of the car but It's probably off the market now.