Anyone have any experience with the California Water Blade for drying their cars?

-MrB

I just visited the web site. Looks interesting. Especially the demo. ;) California Water Blade

I got this deal on ebay.

It's 9.99 and includes an MF towel.

It works very well.

From what I've seen, you can't really go back over an area once you use the Blade because it will squeak since almost all the water is removed. I use an mf towel to wipe the minor areas still wet and then use a shop vac(as a blower) to dry the door sills, bumper and all other cracks/crevices.

You can dry your ride in about half the time with the Blade and one decent sized towel without ringing it out.

I had one of those a couple of years ago. First you have to be really careful that you have all the dirt off or you can lay down some really nice scratches. Second if you really like you car and cleaning it is more fun than work you are still going to break out you chamois to finish the spots the blade misses. I will stick with my trusty old chamois.

Now the California Duster is another story! This is a must have item. ;)

The Original California Duster

When you use the Cal. Waterblade, you don't have to press very hard. It all depends on the angle of the blade and wrist/arm action.

Before washing my ride, I take my spray bottle, filled with warm water and a bit of car soap, and pre-spray all spots/bird droppings and other dirty areas. I then wait a couple of minutes for everything to soften up. For the bird droppings, I spray several times to make sure their soft. I also use warm water to wash the car just in case there's something I missed.

There's a great, free car care guide available from Autopia.com. While Autopia's products are mentioned along the way, it's a very detailed (8mb file) guide with everything you need to know about detailing. You have to give a name and email address to use the file. Give them a Yahoo throw away email address, reply to their "subscription" form, and then don't worry about it if you want to maintain your privacy. I subscribed because Autopia has a great reputation and I look forward to their updates.

I've been using the California "water blade" and "duster" ever since I got my 5er. The water blade is great to quickly remove the water so that you don't get water spots. I follow-up with a micro fiber cloth to finish drying. I have never scrtatched the paint, but the blade can make an awful noise if the surface is not wet enough.

The duster is great to use between washings, especially in the spring when there is a lot of pollen in the air. I would quickly dust my car before I left for work in the morning or in the evening when I got home.

One of the best secrets of preventing water spotting is to do a "soft rinse" before drying the car.

After you hose the car off with the strong spray of water to get all the soap, etc. off, remove the hose nozzle and rinse the car from top to bottom using only the hose and the "soft" pressure of the water leaving the hose opening. (Sometimes you have to reduce the water pressure at the valve to get it "just right.")

The natural cohesion of the water will cause it to "cling" or "sheet" which, if done properly, will leave the car almost dry before any towel or chamois is used.

Give it a try, it works! :thumbsup:

If there is a freeway close by you can shag out there and do an air chamois at 70 mph. Sort of like a wash and go. :D

I've got this..and it is great... doesnt leave any marks on my GF's jet black 325 E46 ci......

Just make sure you dont swipe too hard and hit the plastic handle part on the paint.. ouch!


and follow up with that "damp" plastic/ sponge like stuff that comes in a tube and different colors.. the name escapes me right now.i'll post at home if I remember tonight...

I've been using this blade for over 5 years, and was using it on my GS300 and M Roadster. I use it everytime I wash the car (once a week), I sold the GS 3yrs ago, there wasn't a minor scratch on it by the time I sold it, and same case happened to my M roadster I sold about a year ago!

So, this thing really works.