Blow-drying your car...

Felonious Crud

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A friend sent me a link for the Metrovac airforce blaster, I was quite surprised at the cost. A pet dryer is the same piece of kit and less than half the price. I think it would be good for mirrors and shut lines etc but it does feel a bit decadent and my neighbours would give me even funnier looks.

Pet dryer - about fifty quid
Car dryer - about a hundred quid (or 2-3x that if you want a bigger one).

The biggest deterrent is having to explain myself to incredulous neighbours and random passers by. And Mrs Crud. "You're doing what...?"
 

Zep

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The difference in price does paint a picture doesn't it? :)

You can't do anything about the neighbours and passers by, but if you nick Mrs Crud's hair dryer a few times I am sure she will positively encourage you....

Pet dryer - about fifty quid
Car dryer - about a hundred quid (or 2-3x that if you want a bigger one).

The biggest deterrent is having to explain myself to incredulous neighbours and random passers by. And Mrs Crud. "You're doing what...?"
 

Felonious Crud

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If I spent fifty or a hundred quid on some fancy hairdryer, the likely scenario would be that it'd go missing, only to resurface in her woman-workshop, amongst all the other detritus.
 

EnzoMC

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When Enzo did his training day did he use an air blower??

I did cover this on the day
thats almost the one I have - costs a lot but use it on every car I do - as Scaf said its good on shut lines, wheel arches - also trim, badges, grills ect but you need to becareful not to be too close on parts like trim, badges.

one down side: I put grease behind the rear bumper to protect against the common rust area and noticed it was also push this out so bumper off and re-greased


I think Geo has the right idea "quick blast up to 150mph.......job done!"
 

Spartacus

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-How would you like your car sir? Permed or blow dried?

-Are you going anywhere nice on your holidays this year ?

-Oh Le Mans , what do you do there then ?

- I think you better leave sir and take your dirty wh0re car with you!
 

BL330

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I have found the GS to be the worst car I've ever owned for retaining water after I have chamios'd the car. A drive around the block and there is water from lots of places to re-wipe.
The answer I've found is to fire up the air compressor attach the hand gun and go front to back, even behind the badges.
Awesome result.
 

spkennyuk

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Have any of you been tempted to get a blow dryer, rather than relying on a cloth with its attendant swirl marks etc? Not cheap, and frankly a bit weird, but better than adding swirls and streaks to good paintwork.

This kind of thing, for example, a snappily named Air Force Blaster Car Dryer. They even do a heated one (yes, really!). Although I have a garden leaf blower, it's a bit unwieldy for trying to dry a car with, and runs the risk of just blasting it with whatever grit and shite it sucks in.

Not that i would bother but the the same thing with heater on or off option sold for a bike is less than half the price.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/112510066821

On the GS / 4200 it is mostly round the shut lines, badges, door handles, fuel cap, lower edge of boot and bumper seams. Door handles filler cap and lower edge of boot probably being the worse ones.

A can of compressed air or tyre compressor with the red nozzle on would cause less amusement for your neighbours.
 

Felonious Crud

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Apparently carbon ceramic disks don’t appreciate being used when wet after washing, so a blast of compressed air is a good thing for extending their life. Strad and prancing donkey owners take note!
 

spkennyuk

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Apparently carbon ceramic disks don’t appreciate being used when wet after washing, so a blast of compressed air is a good thing for extending their life. Strad and prancing donkey owners take note!


That cant be right surely. They get wet all the time with the UK weather.

I can understand not using any harsh wheel cleaners during the wash process but water or rain water should not do the ceramic brakes any harm at all.

If the water affected the stopping capability of ceramic brakes too much then they would be pointless in this country.
 

Felonious Crud

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Wheel cleaning chemicals are apparently the real sod, and rain’s unlikely to get the disks wet. The issue is getting them drenched when you wash the car and then taking it for a drive before they’ve dried out. The water forms an abrasive compound with the inevitable dirt and wears ‘em down far quicker than usual. There’s a thread about it on PH with what look like informed opinions from Bamford Rose.
 

spkennyuk

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Wheel cleaning chemicals are apparently the real sod, and rain’s unlikely to get the disks wet. The issue is getting them drenched when you wash the car and then taking it for a drive before they’ve dried out. The water forms an abrasive compound with the inevitable dirt and wears ‘em down far quicker than usual. There’s a thread about it on PH with what look like informed opinions from Bamford Rose.

Im still not convinced. As soon as you start to drive the rotational force would throw any standing water off the brake discs even at low speed.

If your driving in wet / heavy rain conditions then a fairly constant supply of water is going to hit the brake and brake disc area. The rotation of the discs would throw this off the disc as you drive but more water would be hitting the discs at a steady rate until the weather improved.

Audi, Bmw and probably a few others have added a brake drying function to some of their sport models which uses the wiper sensor and abs system to apply brief gentle pressure to the discs to dry them off. Its part of the DSC system on BMW's for example.
 

CatmanV2

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48,539
Hmm, but why would a 'grinding' paste 'eat into the surface'

Not an expert either, and I gather they *should* be it I'm with Kenny

C