So true. Maybe this should be a different thread since the topic is changing, but I think it is a question worth a very short response. What is your view on these detailers who are big proponents of drying the cars after wash with a leaf blower? Never sounded right to me given the lack of filtered air supply and blowing dust and other particulates at 150-180 mph into the paint. The environment can change dramatically as well. From a highly filtered air specialty garage to being outside. I imagine those two environments make a huge difference.
I think you nailed it - what you do depends on the environment you're doing it in.
Also - the type of leaf blower and just as important - are you doing, A Prep Wash or a Maintenance Wash.
I know here in San Diego, we have a lot of dry sandy natural surfaces throughout the wild landscape, not just by the beach. It is particularly grainy and does a job on your windshield over the years. Can't imagine that wouldn't be detrimental to the paint coming through a leaf blower at such force.
I lived in Apple Valley, California, the Mojave Desert for those reading this that might not know. It's windy and sanding in the desert.
For a Prep Wash, I use a EGO 650 for blowing out cracks, crevices, wheels, lug barrels, fuel doors, grills, pretty much anything where water pools and is not obvious.
It's useless in most cases to try to blow water off a car that you're doing a Prep Wash too because the reason you're doing a Prep Wash is because the car NEEDS to be detailed and thus it's not beading water and thus water won't blow off easily.
For a Maintenance Wash - a leaf blow solves one problem but "could" include the problems you listed, just depends on where you live. If the car in question has a good coat of wax, sealant or coating - then water will simply blast off and this enables you to dry the car without "touching" the paint. I think I touched on the topic of "touching" the paint already in this thread.
The biggest problem most people have is they don't have a process in place to keep the things that touch paint from becoming contaminated. Thus the things that touch paint become contaminated. And this leads to swirls and scratches.
From this write-up
How to apply the McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant by hand or machine for a show car finish
Orange Brushed Edgeless 365 Premium Microfiber Terry Towel
Besides the McKee's 37 Graphene Deep Gloss Ceramic Sealant, you'll also need a lot of quality microfiber towels. I'm a HUGE fan of short pile or short nap towels because it is my opinion and experience that these types of towels not only work great but just as important are dramatically easier to prevent from becoming contaminated over time.
And, when you do discover some type of contaminant in the weave of the towel, with a short pile nap, it's much easier to pick the contaminant out to save the towel and prevent you from putting scratches back into the paint.
Inspecting Microfiber Towels
I inspect my towels BEFORE washing and AFTER they come out of the dryer. I visually inspect them with my eyes and also feel them with my hands and anytime I find any type of particulate - if I can't remove the particulate with my fingers I keep a pair of tweezers handy and pluck the particulate out with the tweezers.
If I cannot remove the offending particulate with my fingers or a set of tweezers - I remove the towel from my microfiber towel collection and use it for some other function like wiping excess tire dressing off of tire sidewalls. I never use contaminated towels on paint or plastic surfaces, like Piano Plastic trim on modern cars.
The little things are the big things...
I don't know what this tiny black particulate is but I know I don't want to rub it over the paint of the Ferrari behind me or ANY car.
If you can't see it - you can't remove it and this means you're going to RUB
it, (the contaminant embedded in the nap of the towel), over your car's paint.
At this time, my favorite towel is the Orange Brushed Edgeless 365 Premium Microfiber Terry Towel.
My Clean Bucket for Dirty Towels was empty when I started working on the Ferrari. As I worked through the various steps, after using a towel I would place it into the bucket. At the end of the detail job, I poured the towels out of the bucket onto a clean table, (to keep them from becoming contaminated), and counted them.
Me? I never like to get OCD about anything but I do about keeping my microfiber tools uncontaminated because to not do so creates a lot more work down the road.
Good discussion Bill.
