Been reading a lot on show car forums and bmw forums, even Zaino's site talks about using a leaf blower to dry a car.

http://www.amazon.com/Toro-51599-Variable-Speed-Electric-Impeller/dp/B000H1Y4EK/ref=pd_ts_ol_?ie=UTF8&s=garden

Was looking to get that one since it is rated 200+mph. Anyone else use one and provide comedy to the neighbors when they wonder what the hell you are doing?

i hire homeless guys to wave big fans really quickly to blow the water off.

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Probably one of the safest ways to dry a car. The question is are you willing to make your neighbours think youre a total weirdo lol

my local bmw dealership in kc said the same thing about my 2 and i kind of thought wtf and kind of chuckled but +1 ^

Lol its ok one of my neighbors is like straight off the boat from japan and is OBSESSED with my car because he didn't think americans knew what a rotary engine was lol. Everytime im out there washing my car he is out there washing his and giving me pointers (hes like a 24/7 lurker on the meguiars forums he tells me lololz, he nearly shat his pants when i showed him my porter cable)

I will admit it.
I have used a small electric leaf blower I was given to dry the car off.
It actually works really well.
It rains a lot in Fla., and don't like having water spots on the car, so this is useful at those times.

I was given a Cycle Dry Motorcycle Blower / Dryer / Blaster and it works great. It is amazing how much water this thing blows out.

I've been considering getting one. Who cares what the neighbors think! :yesnod:

Shit your causing Global warming.

I'm calling the Police, Al Gore and EPA

Lol well I just ordered that one from amazon :) We will see how it goes, worst comes to worst I can use it to clean the garage and deck and stuff.

Actually now that i think about it, I could always use it for something far more useful...

http://www.heferito.com/image_folder/leafblower-sized.jpg

FI !!

excellent!

Yea srsly, i dont get you guys with all the money spent on a turbo and what not .... did you see that amazon page ... that beotch comes with a METAL IMPELLER , straight performance there.

Wher edo you think the car companies got the idea from?

They just make it look pretty and then call it Electrically turbo charged!

u can't completely dry a car with a leaf blower- only move large portions of residual water off the roof, hood, and trunk. ive tried it before, and honestly it doesn't save that much time, cuz u still have to go over the area and crevices with a micro fiber...

^^ True, very true but I dont mind going once over with a MF towel. I would mainly be looking for a time saver. Plus the less you touch your car the better :)

I have a cheap electric leaf blower I've been using to dry the car for years. Not every time (although I probably should) but a fair bit.
It's not about being faster, it's about less physical contact with the cars finish causing fine scratches.

I guess it depends on where you live, but my leaf blower gets my car completely dry.
It is very effective and all the professional detailers do this.

Yeah I use a leaf blower as well. I pretty much blot the car dry, then take the leaf blower to blast all the crevices and trim like the mirrors, vents, lights, and bumpers so all the water comes out and doesn't dry on the surface. I can't stand water spots dripping. It's also really useful when detailing because I use it to just sheet the water off and could care less about water spots at that point because I'll be polishing anyways. Saves a lot of towels and the paint. Lol

For what its worth I actually gave this method a shot today and really had great success. I bought one of the blowers I listed above. I found that if I dont have it on full speed, it still dries out the car pretty well buttttt because the air isn't powerful enough it kind of leaves some tiny streaks behind. I had to use it on full speed to get a nice streakless dry. Anyway, i really like it, took a hell of a lot less time and effort than drying with a drying towel ... im sure my neighbors loved the noise though lol

http://i852.photobucket.com/albums/ab90/paimonsoror/IMG_0724.jpg

http://i852.photobucket.com/albums/ab90/paimonsoror/IMG_0727.jpg

http://i852.photobucket.com/albums/ab90/paimonsoror/IMG_0728.jpg

http://i852.photobucket.com/albums/ab90/paimonsoror/IMG_0729.jpg

get one rated for 180+ mph. electric.

You live in a ghost town!

get one rated for 180+ mph. electric.

the one i have is 240 :-p

yeah most enthusiast use the leaf or vac blowers to dry .They also put the microfiber on the paint to pat dry. Not the rub around on the paint.

It's definitely not what most people would do. But then again, people goto go far lengths to not make swirls on their paint.

paimon you inspired me to get a leaf blower, thanks! i usualyl hate drying my car with a passion but love washing it

^^ Yup same here, drying it the biggest pain especially if you pat dry instead of rub dry. Leafblower makes it 100x easier at the cost of going partially def + having the neighbors hate you LOL

idgaf about my neighbors ^_^ lmao they are all annoying and let their kids play by my car. guess i might invest in earbuds too if it is really that loud lol

If you're talking drying in terms of after washing the car, no. Reason being it would be worthless for me to get a leaf blower to dry the car since by the time I get done washing, and start drying one side, the other side already is semi-dry and makes it a PITA to scrub to remove the water markings and yes this is in the shade.

Wouldn't a leaf blower intake polluted air and blast it at a vehicle? Such as small specs of hard material.

Toss up between that and the Absorber towel. Not much need to pat, the water vapor left behind evaporates clean if it is distilled, deionized, or RO.

Wouldn't a leaf blower intake polluted air and blast it at a vehicle? Such as small specs of hard material

Well its the same air you subject your car to every day...and the solution to not projecting shit at the car is to not submerge the leaf blower during and before drying lol

*in sand (sorry mobile version has no edit button)

I don't use the leaf blower every single time, but when I do.........I just blow out the garage first before pulling the car in and drying it! :)



http://www.rx8club.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=169680&d=1300542606




http://www.rx8club.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=169678&d=1300542156

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bPWxMWVlpo

It's great for those cracks and crevices. The mirrors and especially the black plastic.

Or if you can't afford a leafblower, you could always use an all-rubber squeegee.

every time i wash it i use the electric leaf blower works great

Lol its ok one of my neighbors is like straight off the boat from japan and is OBSESSED with my car because he didn't think americans knew what a rotary engine was lol. Everytime im out there washing my car he is out there washing his and giving me pointers (hes like a 24/7 lurker on the meguiars forums he tells me lololz, he nearly shat his pants when i showed him my porter cable)

How did you find the porter cable is it easy to use and does it give a better shine than hand also how long does it take to apply the car with a layer of wax. I really want one and so close in buying it.

Also if you still have the box or if it is written on the adapter, would it be able to work on 240V instead of 110V. I live in New Zealand so i will have to find a converter if it cant switch between the two.

Im think of getting the Porter-Cable 7424XP.

I am actually not home for the weekend but I will check for you when i get back tomorrow. And yes it is super easy to use. I got all my info from autogeek.net

I am actually not home for the weekend but I will check for you when i get back tomorrow. And yes it is super easy to use. I got all my info from autogeek.net

k thanks ive looked at the other products porter cables got and they 110V so i have to get a step down transformer which the shipping cost is going to be high but i really want it so bad. Doing it by hand kills my arm any way thanks for your help and ill check out autogeek aswel.

I have a LARGE MF towel that dries the entire car by itself. Works everytime cost me 18 bucks.

haha Mazurfer

as if the leafblower wasn't loud enough, you use it inside your garage XD

Yes, every time I wash the 8 I get out my trusty ole Stihl BG85 blower. Nothing else does the job better. For instance the wheels, around door crevices the front grill that is notorious for holding water, door mirrors on and on. What gets me is if you do not get these areas good and drive the car the water makes its way back up on the finish and causes "water spots" If you are serious about your finish trust me nothing works better. I have a waffle towel that I use to finish up with after the blower is used.

Or if you can't afford a leafblower, you could always use an all-rubber squeegee.

Fail!!

The Brit TV series 5th Gear did a comparison on drying a vehicle after washing, they used a chamois, rubber squeegee , and some other methods. The squeegee was the worse to use as minute particles in the air ,which end up on the car , cause massive scratches on the paint, but, each to his own method.

I wash my 8 by hand. However have you ever been to a touch less car wash. Just as you leave and drive out slowly, what happens? These massive blowers from above and all around blow, blow blow. Does a pretty decent job in the amount of time it occurs as you are driving out. Yes to each his own. I could not agree better.

I use my Stihl BR420 Backpack blower, always have since 2002 when we bought our first 8 and again now that I have the R3. It works great and who cares what the neighbors think! :)

Hey one could turn around and duct tape the blower outlet to the engine intake for extra powah after they were done drying!

haha Mazurfer

as if the leafblower wasn't loud enough, you use it inside your garage XD

What?
What?

I can't hear you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :dunno:

The drive through style car washes use huge blow driers to dry the car during exit. A leafblower is no different.

This thread inspired me a few months ago to try the leafblower method. Now its how I dry my car everytime haha. Leafblower first, then I just go over it with a microfiber.

yes. about 4 months ago i washed my car and couldnt find anything to dry it with, went into my garage and behold the leaf blower was glowing and just asking to be used. now its the only way i dry my girlfriends car and mine.

I don't always dry my car with a leaf blower, but when I do I prefer Hushkavarna.