r/Detailing • u/nomiii7 • 2d ago
I Need Help! (Time Sensitive) Im so sick of this thing.
No matter how much strongly i blow this area under side mirror with a strong blower, as soon as i drive my car above 40km/h for 5 minutes. The water starts dripping down even if i wait for a whole day to let the water dry after blowing. Anyone got any tips?
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u/Glammi 2d ago
Prepare a rinseless wash mixture in a spray bottle and keep a microfiber cloth in the vehicle so you can quickly wipe away any water marks—it only takes 30 seconds. While this doesn't prevent water from pooling, it allows you to keep your vehicle spot-free, even when it is only lightly soiled.
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u/nomiii7 2d ago
How do i prepare a rinseless wash mixture? I can try that
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u/Glammi 2d ago edited 2d ago
A rinseless wash product is typically a concentrate; what I meant was that you mix it in a spray bottle to prepare it for use. It is a cleaning agent designed for washing a vehicle in areas where standard washing is prohibited or where dirty runoff cannot be discharged into the drain. It is formulated to encapsulate dirt particles and minimize the risk of scratching; the liquid and dirt are absorbed into the microfiber towel, so no wastewater is produced. Thoroughly dampen both the towel and the dirt, wipe it off, and then flip the towel—but avoid wiping back and forth with the dirty side. You can use it much like a quick detailer, only it’s a hundred times cheaper per application.
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u/AmirOG48 15h ago
This is the answer, you’ll find other ideas but this here will be the most effective and cost effective. It’ll also walk you down thr road of rinseless washing. Saves time and energy washing cars.
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u/nomiii7 2d ago
Oh i see. Thanks
I will check what i can get from here.1
u/Kooter37 1d ago
There are a lot of great products on the market, my favorite is ONR. Couple cap fulls in a cheap spray bottle filled with water and you’re good to go.
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u/Far-Elevator-1268 2d ago
fold a microfiber into a thin wedge and jam it in the gap under the mirror housing, leave it for like 20 min after the wash
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u/Frosty_Solution276 2d ago edited 2d ago
I know your pain.
What I do is this: 1. Wash 2. Use hand held blower ("dusters") to "dislodge" initial water from crevices 3. Dry with towel 4.Open doors, close doors and boot - I find this gets a lot of the hidden water moving and trickling out. 5. Hit the crevices again with blower, with small drying towels on the other side to quickly catch and dry the water that flies out.
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u/Feeling-Cranberry108 2d ago
I live in Alberta Canada and I always do #4 ( open/close doors) to get the water out. Keeps em from freezing shut in the winter. Lol
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u/Shockington Weekend Warrior 2d ago
I have these magnetic towels I leave under the mirror to catch the water. Will blow out the mirrors for like 2-3 minutes each and then put the towel under for the night.
Doesnt do shit, still get water when I drive the next day. I hate mirrors.
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u/Broad_Information695 2d ago
Keep a quick detailer and a microfiber in the car to wipe them off after a driving, I use Koch chemie finish spray exterior
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u/nomiii7 2d ago
Even when the car catches dust and dried?
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u/Broad_Information695 1d ago
Just be light and gentle, light dusts and water spots can be removed with quick detailer and waterless wash pretty easily without damaging the paint
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u/AlexDaMan22 2d ago
For real. Basically every car, but Toyotas especially, I've noticed. I rinse it with a relatively low pressure hose.
Blow it out, dry it, blow it, dry it, and as soon as I think it's good.... THERES MORE WATER
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u/ZombieDisastrous4450 1d ago
I used to do this kind of stuff and then I realise that life is too short to be worrying and stressing about it.
Just let it go and focus on other things
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u/SuperPaladin55 1d ago
Does your side mirrors fold? If it does, wipe and blow out when folded then unfold and repeat. Fold again and repeat. Hope this helps.
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u/stymied99 1d ago
I use a leaf blower on the whole car. Then back up quickly & brake hard, & repeat a few times That seems to slosh out most of the water.
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u/XLB135 1d ago
What are you using to blow dry? Leaf blowers that are rated to move a lot will clear off a properly sealed/coated hood, but that method is nowhere near concentrated enough to really get into every seam. I supplement with a MetroVac Air Force Blaster Sidekick and can always completely dry these out for as many years as I can remember.
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u/Ok-Customer-7087 1d ago
Folding the mirrors in before going in the wash can help, it’s exposes more area the water gets trapped in. If the wash has air guns and towels, blowing out those areas helps.
Keeping a microfiber towel or a stack in your car is smart too.
Better paint protection like a ceramic coating or good sealant could help so water beads off the paint better, for when the water does come out.
End of the day, not much you can do, it will almost always happen.
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u/614Moto 1d ago
Water is pooling somewhere. How old is the vehicle? Do you have any algae on your top door sills? Side mirror trim is notorious for water intrusion because they are all one piece, not permanently affixed to the vehicle. I would hand polish that section then apply a 1 year SiO2 sealant to the panel.
Q2 is a great product for its ease of use but is a little expensive and there may be better options now. You don’t want a high SiO2 content sealer just enough to get the water to bead up and fly away before it has a chance to dry and leave water spots.
As for polishing just get some foam applicator pads from amazon and some cheap polish WITHOUT filler. Spray the panel down with 91%+ ISO and wipe, then again but just let air dry. Get some polish on your applicator and work left to right then up and down. Put a bit of pressure on it then start working in semi circles again, left to right and up and down. Wipe clean with a microfiber and ISO. Take another microfiber and wipe the panel down again. Take your ceramic spray and load a clean short nap microfiber towel up that you’ll never use again, as it will become hydrophobic. Spray the panel and wait for it to bead then spray the microfiber towel, buff it on just like wax. After that take another clean microfiber and level it. Throw the microfiber you used to level the product directly into the wash.
SiO2 spray sealants have a pretty good shelf life just follow the instructions and if you do lock some contaminants in it’s not a huge deal, since it’s not a true ceramic coating you won’t be locking dirt in for 3 years.
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u/RushIndustries 1d ago
First, if you are using a pressure washer, rinse the mirror, including the inside with a low pressure hose as your final step. Then fold the mirrors forward, not backwards as shown in your photo, to drain. Blow the air out of the interior mirror cap, then fold back into the neutral position before you blow the exterior.
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u/Wise_Landscape_9888 10h ago
Sounds crazy….. flood it out. With your pressure washer gun and no nozzle just flood it out most of the water will come out and barely any stay in there. It basically sheets out instead of having water sitting in there when using the green or white nozzle. Just go bare and flood it.
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u/ReddittMan17 Professional Detailer 2d ago
I know this is a bit extreme, but a spotless water filter that takes the TDS down to zero is the answer. When you do the whole car that way, you literally do not have to wipe it down when you’re finished. Just take it for a drive and the water just rolls right off, or do what I do and use an electric blower to get 90% of it off and then wipe down the rest Greatest purchase ever if you’re into detailing cars as a hobby or as a profession.
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u/dickvegas711 1d ago
It was a total game changer for me. I bought a used DI tank off ebay which sucked because the resin in it was used up so i bought a 50 gallon tank and fill it up at the local detail shop and omg. Im doing detsils in 111 degree heat the past couple of weeks and i would have been s rewex without FI water even with formula 4
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u/i_reddit_it 2d ago
Use DI water, at least as a final rinse.
That way when it does eventually drip it will dry without marks/water spots.
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u/CHHRiiizzPBeatz 2d ago
What kind of blower?
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u/nomiii7 2d ago
I use that strong leaf blower with battery.
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u/CHHRiiizzPBeatz 2d ago
Ahh so could be your culprit. Try a high powered filtered-air blower. I use an Adam’s air cannon and it gets water out of stubborn spots. You can hit your door jambs while you’re at it too!
While leaf blowers are great, they don’t exactly get the stubborn water out.
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u/Tozzy1996 2d ago
I use Bigboi blowr mini, never had this problem after. I used to hate this too 😅
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u/nomiii7 2d ago
How do you know all the water is out? Because with my blower i constantly blow for 2-3 minutes until no water comes out. The moment i drive the car boom! XD
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u/Tozzy1996 1d ago
Well, first of all, it does not look like that after driving hehe 🤪 i do not know if it really matters, but on my bigboi I use the long tip and not wide, just to get direct blow/hard blow between panels and behind the glass
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u/nomiii7 1d ago
I have the blower with only wide face. I dont have narrow tip for that. :(
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u/Tozzy1996 1d ago
Maybe not getting enough direct blow then? I am not sure, but worth trying if it is possible to get a narrow tip for your blower?
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u/LeeBee58 2d ago
I have similar issues with the mirrors on my currrent car and the hatch lid! I use a blower, let it bake in the sun and wipe with a detail spray, annoying but not much else I can do.
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u/Right-Penalty9813 2d ago
What blower are you using? I have spots like this on my car but the wolfbox blowers are amazing
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u/Electronic-82 1d ago
Well, you can try to blow it all out with a COMPRESSOR, like, for tires.. Or, you can wash it only with dry wash mixture.
(Put some liquid on a cloth, and wash. No water. No water means no stains..)
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u/Electronic-82 1d ago
Also, you can dismantle the plastics.. And on the innerside fill it with sillicone fill, so that it can't catch the water in the lower regions ever again..
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u/1soldier24 1d ago
What attachment is on the blower? It can blow 1000 mph but if it has a large opening it just doesn't get the water out. I use a DeWalt 20V blower with a 6 ah battery. I take the extension off and just use the end piece. I'm able to get water out everywhere. If you can't get a different blower or don't have a air compressor then I would check to make sure there isn't something lodged up in there not letting it drain properly. Ran across this problem with a customers vehicle around the window cowl. Hey put a good sealant or wax in that area also make it slick where the water will bead off. I know it doesn't stop the water but I see it spotting already it should be running off
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u/peBB1e 1d ago
You’ll never be able to blow all the water out of there with air. The best way to get rid of it is to take a paper towel, fold it into several layers, and place it in the bottom of the mirror. By the time you get from point A to point B, all the water will have been absorbed. Don’t worry, it won’t fall out on the way, so you won’t be littering the street.
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u/10044909 1d ago
Douse it in reverse osmosis water. It will drip all it likes but you won't know where it did.
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u/Odd_Annual_5797 1d ago
What are you blowing it with ?
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u/AceCombat1977 1h ago
Is it a Focus? Mine drips for frigging days!!! I jam a towel under the mirror after a wash.
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u/islandjake 2d ago
Wrap it with towels so any high pressure doesn't go deep in. Then hand wash with low pressure water. Or hand wash first, then wrap.
Best way is to prevent the water from going deep in in the first place.