Leaf Blower?
Leather Chamois?
Microfiber Towel?
California Water Blade?
The Absorber?

 

Let the water run through the hose without the nozzle. 80-85% of the water should slide right off. After that, I usually use two small cottom towels.

 

Sheet the water when rinsing so the majority of it runs off.
Use a waffle weave microfiber towel to "pat" the remaining drops.
Use a leaf blower to get the get the water out of the cracks, crevices, door openings, etc. Follow up with the WW towel to absorb any remaining drops.

 

Haven't the faintest idea about the “best” method, but I...

1. Use a leaf blower for the difficult to dry areas.

2. Use a synthetic chamois rinsed in a bucket of clear water.

 

As soon as I'm done washing i put the car in garage still dripping wet so the sun doens't increase water spots. Then take a clean Absorber and lay it on the car gently patting it dry section by section. No or very little wiping action.

Edit:
I've tried the leaf blower...worked ok for the mirrors and jambs but I was afraid of blowing dirt back onto the car.

 

I let time do most of the work & then use Big Blues to finish the job

 

Paint-safe squeegees work awesome. I use one of those first and a synthetic chamois to finish up.

 

The water blade works well on flat areas and windows, just be careful not to catch anything in it or else it will scratch the surface. The water sheeting method works very well if done properly, and you can just lighty dab up the remaining spots.

 

Luv my water blade.....and yes, just make sure it and your auto's surface is clean.

 

Maybe I am old school, but I like to use the same towels that I would use for buffing off wax to dry the car. I know the "difficult" spots well (hatchback, front grill, mirrors, door sills, sideskirts, door jambs) and I just give them some extra attention.

I get all my towels from www.dftowel.com, I think they are the best.

 

I use a water blade and the big blue drying towel on mine.
On my wife's black magnum, I do the same, but only about 4 times per year. the rest of the time we go to a touchless laser wash, and the paint is absolutely flawless! Its amazing what a little neglect will do for a finish, not to mention, a protective layer of dirt!

 

I use the absorber, its the best thing I have ever used to dry off my car.

 

I work at a major water production plant and have learned a thing or two about the different kinds of water. Here's my routine:I try to wash the car in the evening when the temps. are at bit cooler and there is no direct sunlight on the car. Direct sunlight and hi temps will allow water spots to form which can be a pain to get rid of. After washing the car, I thoroughly rinse the car with deminerlized water. The Mr. Clean Auto Wash has this feature as do many of the local car spray/wash facilities. The demin. water rinses away all the water that has mineral deposits. These deposits are what causes water spots to form after drying. After the demin. rinse, I park the car in the garage and let it dry on it's own. I don't use shamis, towels, nothing. The more you wipe your car, the more chance you take of creating swirls, scratches, etc. even with clean wipes of any kind. In the morning, my car is literally spot free with no new unwanted marks. Remember, the less you touch it, the better it will look over time.

 

While I agree that touching less is best.....I still have not found any purified water that will leave a perfect finish...even Mr. Clean.
Of course, most people have small waterspots and could care less, but a quick detail after the wash should give the best finish possible. Using a quality towel is key.

 

+1! I thought this sounded odd until I tried it, amazingly it works incredibly well. Can dry the rest of the Z with two small MF towels in a couple of minutes.

 

I have been using the Absorber for a year. How long do these things usually last?

 

DavesZ#3 has his act together! Been using his method with waffle weave towels from www.pakshak.com and blower from Checker for better than two years.

 

I use the absorber too, and I've been using the same one for probably 7 years! But, my roomie had a new one, and I used it a time or two, and it worked a lot better, so I think I am going to go buy a new one. I also pull my car into the garage right after washing, and dry it out of the daylight. Works well for me.

 

3 step right after the final rinse - absorber in one hand, cotton towel over one shoulder, microfiber over the other.

1. absorber to take care of most of water left from the rinse.

2. cotton towel takes care of any little beads that might have been left behind. these usually won't be picked up by a second run w/ the absorber. for one if you do it w/o wringing it out it will probably leave more water than it would take off and 2nd, if you do wring it out the surface is already too dry to use it and it will tend to stick.

3. follow up w/ microfiber to gaurd against water spots.

thats my set up and i'm sticking to it

 

I did use the Mr. Clean AutoDry until i found that it was eating away at my wax very quickly. However i have heard that it is the soap which strips the wax. How many people here have washed by hand then used Mr. Clean to mist the car with the demineralized water? Any spots/film?