CAR DRYING MISTAKES | How to dry your car without scratching it

[@casmithc2]

50 years ago, my father taught me to dry a car with a Chamois. They smelled like a dead animal skin when they got wet. After college, I switched to the absorber. It did not smell, you could store it wet in the tube and it came in Red to match my car! The invention of KZbin showed me that a towel was the only proper way to dry a car.

[@golfboy83]

I feel like the thing with dirt on your drying towel; if it's an absorber, you can just wipe anything gritty off of it with your hand and shake it out to remove anything that could scratch it. Plus you can see the dirt. With a microfiber towel, you never see the dirt, you just keep going, wiping your whole car off with dirt trapped in the towel. And I just wash my absorber with my laundry and throw it back into the tube. I do like that you made a video about it though! I just recently left a comment on a previous video asking about them. Love your channel, thanks dude!

[@shepardsmith3235]

Good points. I have an air squeege attached to a professional high powered car air blower. It just blows the water off the car finish and does not even touch it. The key is that there is a hard shell finish in the first place then the water just beads up and blows off instantly. You can get this in many ways. I have two Teslas that are ceramic coated and they I periodically use Bead Up to maintain and even deepen the hard shell finish. At that it takes a bit to get every bit of the water off, especially when you have to get up on a step ladder to get the roof clean, IE Tesla Y is tall. But when you get done, the finish is mirror like and deep like few cars are. And its really easy to keep this up. I use bead up on the Wheels and far less dirt accumulates on them and the air blower does a perfect job of getting the water off of them too.

[@samerboury5276]

No your are wrong, they can be washed and they are wonderfull in use.

[@nickc90210]

I used these Absorbers for 15 years and once I watched your videos on drying towels and got a few styles I will throw them (absorbers) all away. The towels are much easier to use and I can feel no resistance on the paint. Thanks for your videos!

[@kirkwilson5900]

I've used the Absorber since the 90's. But now with all the amazing way better drying towels I don't use it anymore, but it's on the shelf for nostalgic reasons 😅

[@rondematteo369]

Been using that Absorber for over 20 years and never seems to wear out, never seen a problem with scratching, had multiple color of cars including white, black, blue , red, silver, gray and don't plan on changing anything! You can always rinse in a little dish soap water when it gets a little dark. I can always use my microfiber as a backup or going over the glass after using the absorber!😃

[@armandoestrada8499]

The absorber has been the gold standard when it comes to drying off car right after wash! I then drive it to local gas station and use a plush microfiber towl with a quick detailer to get any streaks or spots left over!

[@martinmoreno30]

They work great on windows, just found that out. Was tired of try to dry the without streaks and this worked!!

[@jameelmusah1941]

As someone who has used a silicone blade before, switching to a twist loop drying towel makes more sense. Thanks Josh!

[@imjoshv]

You bet!

[@dtna]

I still use a clean "blade" on my glass to cut down on time. Then follow up with distilled water. Other than that, I use my Milwaukee leaf blower on the paint.

[@imjoshv]

Perfect

[@BecauseTesla]

Thank you for making this video. This just confirms my own findings as well. I made a recent video on my channel, but I am not a professional detailer like you are. I'm using the Chemical Guys Woolley Mammoth now, and love it! My favorite feature is the weight of it. I love how you can toss it over the roof of the car without needing a ladder or stepstool and just drag it back towards you to dry those hard-to-reach areas.

[@derrickabare9986]

Good video Josh. I started detailing in 84 . There wasn't many back then . Started out with a real chamie and believe it or not a wiper blade . A few yrs later the blade came out . Then fireman's friend chamie . Now I have towels , the absorber and still a blade . If coated or fresh waxed I use the towels . If I'm putting a machine to it or have multiple washes in a row I just as soon use the absorber. Pros .... wring it out and keep going, touches the ground rinse it off . Either towels or absorber can pick up dirt but atleast with the absorber it's much easier to wash out / see the dirt . Towels you would need to rinse dirt out thus adding water and make them less efficient and not gave to wait for it to somewhat dry b4 moving on to the next car.

[@BamaJoeBob]

The LIQUID8R from the Rag Company is a really nice twist loop towel worth trying. Thanks for the vid Josh, always great info!

[@mariah.garridor.6997]

Hi Josh, I stopped using the absorber on the paint years ago, but honestly to clean the glass I have not found a better system: warm water, two passes with the absorber and finish with dry microfiber.

[@dbfcrell8300]

I use an Absorber. I still use the one I got in the 90's. It' works great on my 99 Camry which I wash once a week since 1999. Car still looks good. I clean the Absorber with the high pressure hand-held at the car wash. Occasionally I clean the Absorber with dish liquid.

[@Joshkaay]

When I first started I was a detailer for Toyota we used micro fibers two one in each hands to dry back to front went through about 4-6 depending on vehicle size always worked well I have used absorber at home but never for business I always liked exactly what you said hot the micro fiber tuck the grains of dirt into the rag therefore not scratching the paint as bad , glad I switched to those twist loops tho so much better!💯💪🏼🤣

[@atpgarageatl]

Hands down the best results I’ve had drying a car came from switching to the twist loop towel based on your recommendation.

[@SlowDelSol]

I love the Rag Company for drying towels.

[@koreywilliams4570]

I just bought the ego 765 cfm blower and it's a absolute beast. My stubby nozzle came in today. Still waiting for my uberflex to get here.

[@arceor794]

Great video as usual! Been using a combo of the California Water Blade and the Absorber for 20+ years with no issues BUT I'm open to something different especially if it's an approved Josh method!

[@TheBreakfastLover]

I would also add using a drying aid or detail spray to lubricate the drying towel to minimize scratching even further.

[@acelakid94]

We used a silicone blade at this big dealership I used to work at. Cars would get buffed immediately after though. It works great, especially on coated cars.

[@karlschu3269]

Hey Josh, love your videos. I also live here in sunny San Diego and one of my cars is a Porsche Boxster S. When are you going to do a video on cleaning and care for a convertible top? Thanks, Karl S.

[@ctt4811]

Nice little quick to the point vid Josh!

[@hosmanygaitan5393]

I like your videos but I recommend the Arnold chamois, is difficult to find but is the best, I have been using that chamois for the last 10 years

[@videomaniac108]

I like using my Ego electric leaf blower to dry my car. It does a great job in getting all of the water out of all the nooks and crannies and leaves no marks on the surface, part of my attempts at a touchless car wash.

[@bbrescia8697]

Josh great video! Seem like the Absorber would make a lot sense for Glass cleaning .. thoughts?

[@raypalermo1603]

I have the absober and I am carefull with on my Daily driver.What I also do is I keep a clean bucket of water or onr so I can put the towel in the bucket of solution to keep the towel cleaner when it goes back to the car .Also when a micro fibre towel gets dirty it never seems to get totaly clen when I wash them with my laundry soap.

[@SarcasticComments23]

Beautiful truck

[@sudburyhouse]

“Very” “very” informative 😉

[@howboutdemjets5092]

Josh I wish someone like the RAG Company makes a package that includes a towel for each use so weekend warriors like myself don’t pull our hair out trying to figure what to buy. Can you do a video with a recommended package?

[@myalfie]

Best chamois’s I had or still have is a Oates synthetic Enka fil chamois I bought in Australia 🇦🇺 in 1988 and it’s still going strong

[@leighg9274]

Great video. Question: you said w/ the towel there could be some small streaks left behind. Do you just go in with a microfiber towel and wipe/buff that out? Thank you.

[@briteidea08]

I use the absorber on the windows. If you’re going to use it on the paint. Lay it on the panel. Then roll it up. Wring it out and apply again. Then use a microfiber cloth to finish drying.

[@josephg9870]

Thanks for the video I ordered the meganought towel 😊 looks great I’ve been in the market for a bigger drying towel. The heat plus the water here in Vegas makes water spots appear so damn quick, I hope this helps !

[@Lizardsdetailing]

Great video man! Real quick: thanks to your videos, got myself a beginning cleaning arsenal and I clayed and wax my car today, looks fantastic. For a normal basic cleaning, since Ik I’m not going to be waxing weekly, what would be a good quick detail product, in your opinion, to clean up my vehicle after a normal weekly or bi-weekly wash???? Haven’t been able to find an info for one, or if you made a video already and I can’t seem to find it, link it and I’ll check it out🙏🏼🤙🏼🤙🏼

[@thefinder8087]

I’m not Josh and I’m still new to this, but I have really liked Extreme Solutions Topper and also the new Turtle Wax Minute Wax spray.

[@saviordream]

I prefer just doing the whole car with my EGO leaf blower. As long as the car has a good coating on it, water slides right off, and I usually follow it up with a quick detail spray, not only to add the extra bit of shine, but this also picks up any stray bits of water. This minimizes the chance of scratching the paint, since you're not doing any sort of contact drying, other than with the follow-up with the detail spray (which isn't mainly about drying anyway, although that is a side effect).

[@imjoshv]

Yea that’s a great way to do it!

[@Ymh69969]

I see that CarPro Perl bottle on the shelf my favorite dressing 🤘🏻

[@MensGroomingAdvice]

Really helpful video. Can you name the brand of detailing bottle holders you have on your walls please? I desperately need some and I can't find a company that sells them. Thanks!

[@keithcee6378]

Thank god for Josh! Love your channel, I have purchased so many goodies thanks to your reviews and recommendations. 🙏🏼 Thanks homie

[@Franko.Details]

i have a fairly unused absorber that sits around doing nothing, i use a rag company gauntlet and a teal maxshine something something. after this vid i’m inspired to cut the absorber in 4’s and use a them on wheels and jambs…it should still be used for sure

[@barbatruc7114]

I do the same thing like you 👍👍 thanks dude

[@CyberSkunk90]

I just use the Big Boi Buddi Blower and dry my car touchless. Takes a crap ton longer, but peice of mind knowing no scratches

[@imjoshv]

Yea thats very safe!

[@adams5806]

Can you use both sides of that drying towel? I noticed you had the grey side down when drying.

[@buddymorrissey]

Excellent points raised! I've used The Absorber for years with good results, but the idea if dragging grit did always worry me. The way it "sucks down" when dragging it over the surface (esp on a car not-yet coated), the inherent friction would seem to be a great risk for turning it into sandpaper. The very fine dirt that stains the surface seems less a worry than larger dirt. Now I've tended to use it crumpled, blotting or very gently sweeping after blow-drying with a leaf blower. I also used, before the advent of the microfiber towels, high quality 100% cotton bath towels. My only issue with the big towels (microfiber or otherwise) is the potential to accidentally drag it over the ground or unclean surfaces when drying the lower body. Is that something you've had any issues with?

[@MTR-lv2py]

Live through the 90’s… this is all we used at the car wash, everyone had this in the trunk.. good old days

[@Enthusiast_detailing]

If anything the $10 drying towels you reviewed from Walmart are a better option at the same price

[@bills6055]

I’ve used these for 10 years without issue. Treat it like a wash mitt if you drop it so have more than one. Wash with your towels. A drying towel is superior for absorption and will dry faster.

[@imjoshv]

Awesome!

[@DAT-TEXAS-DUDE]

I have a red and gray similar to that one you show but smaller like a 16x16 size by Vikings

[@pmr413]

Another informative video Josh. About a year ago I bought a microfiber drying towel from the Rag Company - The Liquid8r based on your recommendation. My question is can that be washed in the washer without risking the paint afterwards? Thanks for your help.

[@2k3r1]

Yes.

[@MlleVB]

Hi What drying aid is recommended to make the drying process is scratches free and gloss my car Im confused to choose spray wax, ceramic spray, graphene spray, quick detailer, wet coat for keep my car scratch free when drying Should i use quick detailer everytime i dry my car? I've been drying my car with Twisted loop towel but still i found some light scratches Can i use my towel for several use after wiping the drying aid car? I usually use my towel for 10times before washing it. Will it make the towel more harder? Resulting to scratching the car after a few times drying the car with the same towel?

[@luiscanul1639]

I use all of them , they all have there use , all depends of what you are drying for , they are goood, last so many years,

[@CarolCityCane305]

What do you do with the towel after if you have multiple cars a day? Just different ones after every car? And how do you clean them…doesn’t the absorber take care of that situation

[@bhcamaro2002]

The absorber definitely scratches the paint. Stopped using it years ago after using it on freshly polished black paint! 🤦‍♂️

[@High-Performance-IQ]

HAR HAR😁😈

[@joviboss7181]

Would using a drying helping spray like Chemical Guys Afterwash spray help when using something like the Absorber? Since it lubricates and helps water stick less

[@BetterThanNewDetailing]

Synthetic chamois are excellent on glass both outside and even on the interior glass. Very hard to scratch glass.

[@longislandcerealkiller6385]

I would use the obsober with a bucket and a little onr with it it does help with left behind dirt

[@longislandcerealkiller6385]

I like the California squeegee the original California squeegee is the best

[@hcwbw3]

Back in the day, I don't think we had microfiber towels, I used a Chamois, then in the early 1990s there was this thing an artificial "Chamois"? tried it, liked it. I was living on a boat (Mami River) at the time and when I showed Dan the old man who owned the place "Doc Master" he said, wow, these people engineered themselves out of business. Fast forward 2024, I still have the 1990s artificial chamois, mostly use microfiber towel but sometimes like, today, I used it cause I had not washed and dried my car towels, it works good and the tiny thin bits of water left behind air dry almost instantly. The M/F towel is better but the dammed thing is like part of the family after around 39 years, and yes I do throw it in the washer once in a while and dry it.

[@imjoshv]

Haha yea thats a great point. When i first started detailing thats what i always used as well!!

[@issacfairchild8902]

Do a video with the Wizards Water Bandit

[@samerboury5276]

They can be washed on hand not in the washing machine. They are wonderful in use.

[@evilfingers4302]

I use a Cordless Dewalt Leaf Blower and a Microfiber Towel to dry off my truck

[@imjoshv]

Best way!

[@FXTRT1-1]

When im using the drying towel i just bought of a good website (not amazon duh) i still get little water marks like swirls and the surface is still wet. I cant get my car completly dry.... kinda annoying

[@raymondamoroso2049]

Hey Josh, can you help me out. I bought a pressure washer (rock & rocker) and wanted to upgrade to the Uber flex hose and mcmillan gun but when connected the gun (i used a different short gun, one without quick connects cause I hadn't gotten them yet for the McMillin gun) & that one would only spray a mist, and the PW was leaking. When I disconnected the uberflex and held it side by side with the hose that came with the PW I could see the uberflex had a smaller ID. I returned the PW for a sunjoe brand & still have the Uber flex hose and mcmillan gun. (I haven't set it up yet) will that work as is or will I need the m22 15mm to m22 14mm female quick connects you mentioned in one of your old videos to get that hose connected right? I'd appreciate any info you can relay. Again I have the McMillin short gun, the uberflex hose, and the sunjoe spx 3001😮

[@imjoshv]

How’s it going? Yes with the sun joe you will need the adapter. Here is a link to it www.amazon.com/dp/B07FZ8J1CC/?tag=detailgreen-20

[@raymondamoroso2049]

1st off i wanna thank you for taking the time to reply. Id also like to thank you for the content on your channel. It's by far and away the best auto detailing channel I've ever come across! I've been watching lots of your videos getting back into detailing/ car washing and I've been learning so much. I'm actually going to return the sunjoe 3000 cause the hose is connected through plumbing on the spool and I don't have faith in that holding up over time, plus I would like to take advantage of the uberflex hose/ mcmillins stubby swivel gun I got from your recommendation....so I'm picking up a ryobi later since you previously explained I won't have to deal with m22 14/15mm adapters. The only thing I'm not certain about is the quick connect for the mcmillins gun to the uberflex. If I go with the ryobi PW and and the items listed in your "5 PW upgrades video" I'll be good to go with those items as long as I'm using a ryobi PW correct? I figured it would be the simplest way just to replicate the exact setup you're using/ recommending rather than trying to sub out 1 component which has proven trying to get everything working together much more of a pain in the neck.

[@samerboury5276]

Just let me give you one example regarding the microfiber towel, you can't dry more than 2 cars in it. It will be heavy when carrying it. That is the one problem of the microfiber towel. Heavy weight

[@NE0Nwhip]

There should be a separate contraption to use for window gasket areas

[@mskeyspirate]

Isn't it more likely that the micro fiber is more able to trap small grit of some kind and scratch your vehicle ? You should be able to see and feel anything that may scratch on the smooth surface of the Absorber !

[@njackson18]

All these products including these big towels will scratch if they pick up dirt. In theory the towel will hold the dirt. In reality they don’t. Put your hand where the dirt is trapped to wipe the car and see if it don’t scratch. I have used all of these things for the last 35 years and the towels are no better. It is marketing BS. In fact wash them a few times and they are not so good anymore . Waste of money. if using the absorber clean it off with clean water. The Leaf blower is the best method with the towel, absorber, chamois etc. A leaf blower even works for powdery snow on the car and driveway.

[@archiepezek]

I used an Absorber years ago until I learned about a microfiber drying towel. There's no good reason to use an Absorber in this day and age.

[@LordMitac]

I have that drying towel and the leave a shitload of lint lol

[@superstarsfastcars]

But with these you don’t have to run them across the car. You can let them soak up the water then rise then continue with that technique.

[@joeyyung911]

Isn't the first rule of detailing, less contact/drag the better? I use the Absorber and.....PAT DRY!! Then use a microfiber to remove the leftover water. And I definitely won't ever use the blade.

[@joehiatt1992]

Use them all the time for a long time

[@BOBService417]

Hello,Josh?

[@carbonoxx]

towel is only for people who has well mantained car, that care about scratch, swirls, thhe chamois is the best for the average car owner who just want to dry fast, that huge towel is not easy to use......

[@salimrandall]

I just dry my entire car with cotton balls and Q-Tips. Expensive but the most thorough.

[@kimnewling5728]

Good video

[@StayConnectedEV]

Shame Josh on washing in sun lol.. kidding

[@imjoshv]

haha its the mobile detailer in me.

[@josephrottina1901]

🇺🇸👍🏻

[@johnathanvaldez8007]

Hmmmm the controversy continues…..blow dry no touch vs. hand dry ….I personally prefer touchless drying …buy a brand new corded or cordless garden blower dedicated to auto detailing …..

[@OH2023-cj9if]

You're talking so fast I have no idea what you're saying.

[@JadeaRS4]

This item is not that good. Sorry. Scratches paint!

[@FordF4NN]

I always use a silicon blade but only if I've de contaminated and know it's squeaky clean but maybe I've been doing wrong 😕