How can I stop water marks when I leave my car to dry.?

Question

I live in a hard water area which is why I presume I get water marks when I've washed my car and its dried, so anybody know how to stop this other than have to use a chammy to dry the car off ??

Answer 1

You need to dry it off with a chamois before it dries as you said. So slow down the sun-drying time by washing your car in the morning or close to sunset to avoid the sun.

Answer 2

I've just washed my boyfriend's Westfield and used to have the same problem, until I adjusted my routine...

What I do is wash each section individually and when it is ONLY JUST STARTING to dry, go over it with a chamois leather. It even works fine in really hot sunshine and is far better than leaving for a while, which is what you would have to do if you were washing the whole of the car at once.

Beats spending money on other car washing products!

Another tip: Use household furniture polish on black things.

Answer 3

The correct way is to use a chamois and some elbow grease. If you don't have one, a new j cloth will do the same job but without the shine. It's best to avoid the sun drying it out so morning or late evening are the best times to prevent the sun drying it and leaving them horrible spots after all your hard work. If you can clean it in the shade, that will help. I guess that you aren't going to wax it, but it's worth investing a few quid on some spray to keep it shinier.(Not Mr. sheen!) Any auto shop will have some. It's nice outside now-I suggest you get cracking!

Answer 4

It is indeed the stuff in hard water that leaves marks. If you're not going to shammy or towel it off, those "flash" cleaning systems you can get in Halfords do have a filter for rinsing that actually works in removing the mineral content.
Having said that, any water lying on the car is going to trap dust etc and quite possibly still leave marks. You can get a towel made for the job, not quite as good as a shammy but quicker.

Answer 5

Go through a car wash. Depending on which programme you choose, some of them dry the car off as well. It does a much better job than washing by hand.
A good hand waxing after will bring up a fantastic shine and not a smear in sight.

Answer 6

The easy way is to wash it just before, or during, a rain shower. Use car shampoo and the park in a place where it can get the maximum amount of rain. Rain is soft water and will usually dry without any deposit, unless, of course, it is carrying sand from the Sahara. Otherwise, drive to Wales or NW and enjoy the lovely soft, easy lathering, sweet water there while washing your car as well.

Answer 7

A good quality car shampoo should take care of the hard water.

Never wash your car in direct sun light. An overcast day or before sun rise and after sun down is best for this project. This eliminates your water marks.

Answer 8

Take it for a ride so the sir blows all the water off. if you don't want to do that then use a chammy to wipe it dry. the easiest way to remove hard water stains is to get white vinegar and mix it with glass cleaner, spray it on the car and wipe it off. The strongest and cheapest way to remove hard water stains.

Answer 9

dry it with a chamois leather,

there is also a hose pipe attachment you can buy from the like of halfords, can't recall the name, but it basically has a water filter in it so removes all the minerals etc which are what causes the streaks.

Answer 10

Pour a few gallons of distilled water from the grocery store on it right after you wash it. That should wash away the minerals.