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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Wash, Wax, Detailing and Cosmetic protection/repairs > Am I crazy to want a leaf blower...



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      11-08-2005, 08:18 PM   #1
northerncalguy
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Am I crazy to want a leaf blower...

I was reading somewhere on this forum that users have leaf blowers (200+ mph) to help dry their cars. Am I crazy to want one too? I want to hear from those who are just as crazy as me and their results -- do you guys still have water spots? Drying time is obviously reduced as there is less water, but the times savings could be negated by having to clean up excess spots. Let me know your thoughts.

Cheers.
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      11-09-2005, 01:11 PM   #2
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your not, I getting one soon too. I know alot of people is already using it
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      11-09-2005, 01:18 PM   #3
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What you need to do is after you finish washing the car take the nozzle off the hose and let the water flow over the car. It will decrease your drying time in half and reduce water spots. For those hard to reach areas I recommend buying a cheap air compressor so you can blow the water out of the crevasses….I.E. mirrors, taillights, etc.
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      11-09-2005, 08:30 PM   #4
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I didn't have much luck with the blower, it really didn't help anything other than a FEW nooks and crannies.
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      11-10-2005, 12:21 AM   #5
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Alright went out and got a 220mph/360CFM Craftsman blower. We'll see how she blows on Saturday.
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      11-10-2005, 08:46 AM   #6
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Get an electric blower, as the gas powered makes the car smell. Also to wet the are so it dosent pick up debris from the floor and throw it to the car.
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      11-12-2005, 07:48 AM   #7
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I use an air compressor after drying with micro fiber towels and get gallons of water from areas like the front grille, headlights, mirrors, tail lights, fuel door, rear body/bumper seams and the trunk seal. And hours later I still find drips and runs from the doors.
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      11-14-2005, 12:36 PM   #8
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Well, after my first drying with the leaf blower...let me just say, she blows well. I used to get water dripping from the side mirrors and especially around the grill/hood area. It was totally annoying because I would drive around and water would come out of nowhere onto the windshield. The blower helps reduce all of this by a *substantial* amount and also cuts my towel drying time down by at least half. IMHO, the blower is a no-brainer at around 60 dollars. The best part is, I can use it as a leaf blower too :-).
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      11-18-2005, 05:19 AM   #9
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i dont know about you guys but the toro 225 mph elec leaf blowers is a drying dream come true..start from the highest part of car down and just start blowing...you must have a lot of practice to get down the "route" of your blowing because you dont want to get water dorplets spalshing back to the place you just blew so gotta get some experience..Then from there youll get a nice dry car without using towels therefore SIGNIFICANTLY reducing swirl marks.
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      11-30-2005, 02:20 PM   #10
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Just be careful out there with water pools and electric blowers!
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      12-01-2005, 05:43 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aimare4losers
i dont know about you guys but the toro 225 mph elec leaf blowers is a drying dream come true..start from the highest part of car down and just start blowing...you must have a lot of practice to get down the "route" of your blowing because you dont want to get water dorplets spalshing back to the place you just blew so gotta get some experience..Then from there youll get a nice dry car without using towels therefore SIGNIFICANTLY reducing swirl marks.
I just ordered a Toro 140mph electric leaf blower. Cheap too at only $25!

I'll let you guys know how it performs when I do my full detail this weekend.

If anyone else is interested in a lightweight, cheap leaf blower, here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...&s=hi&v=glance
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      12-01-2005, 07:09 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shimshimhada
I just ordered a Toro 140mph electric leaf blower. Cheap too at only $25!

I'll let you guys know how it performs when I do my full detail this weekend.

If anyone else is interested in a lightweight, cheap leaf blower, here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...&s=hi&v=glance
Looking forward to hearing your review! I hate the drying part of washing cars.
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      12-01-2005, 10:01 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by natalia
Looking forward to hearing your review! I hate the drying part of washing cars.
Yeah, me too. The worst is drying the wheels, which is the main reason I ordered the Toro. The second reason is getting rid of the water in the all the nooks and crannies. Drying the body is really a bonus for me, since the MF waffle weave towels already do a great job.
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      12-06-2005, 09:51 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shimshimhada
I just ordered a Toro 140mph electric leaf blower. Cheap too at only $25!

I'll let you guys know how it performs when I do my full detail this weekend.

If anyone else is interested in a lightweight, cheap leaf blower, here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...&s=hi&v=glance

Is 140mph powerful enough to do a good job?
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      12-06-2005, 10:15 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cosmosblau
Is 140mph powerful enough to do a good job?
I got the leaf blower a couple days ago and tested it out. 140mph is plenty. The Toro is excellent; it's light and easy to use. I understand now how you have to "learn" how to direct the water off the car's body. However, for the wheels it's fantasic; I dried a wheel off in like five seconds! I should have gotten this earlier, it would have saved me a lot of time and stress.

I'll write a full review when I do my full detail, I haven't gotten a chance to yet due to the weather. Sunday's supposed to be a perfect detailing day.
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      12-06-2005, 10:34 AM   #16
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I takes me less than 5 minutes to use an Absorber.
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      12-06-2005, 12:21 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nikki
I takes me less than 5 minutes to use an Absorber.

I used to be a big fan of The Absorber...until it scratched up my paint on my e46. Since it has no nap, the Absorber grinds all particulates into your finish.

I am now a big fan of Micro Fiber Towels. If you get a big MF Waffle Weave towel for like 10 bucks, you can dry a car in 1/2 the time as with an Absorber, and it's very, very gentle. I only rub off my Zaino with MF now.

I only use my old Absorbers for my wheels now.

FYI: Good online places to get MF towels are from Excel or PakShak:

http://exceldetail.com/
http://pakshak.com/
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      12-06-2005, 12:24 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cosmosblau
I used to be a big fan of The Absorber...until it scratched up my paint on my e46. Since it has no nap, the Absorber grinds all particulates into your finish.

I am now a big fan of Micro Fiber Towels. If you get a big MF Waffle Weave towel for like 10 bucks, you can dry a car in 1/2 the time as with an Absorber, and it's very, very gentle. I only rub off my Zaino with MF now.

I only use my old Absorbers for my wheels now.

FYI: Good online places to get MF towels are from Excel or PakShak:

http://exceldetail.com/
http://pakshak.com/
I also use MF towels from PakShak

Drying the body of the car doesn't take much time with the MF Waffle Weave towels, nor is it a hassle. I primarily got the leaf blower to get rid of the water in the jams and to dry the wheels quickly. I hate it when I'm applying Zaino and water comes out of nowhere.
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      01-22-2006, 12:02 PM   #19
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no, it makes sense to me. Zanio's web site recommended to use one.
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      01-22-2006, 12:44 PM   #20
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Prost, nice picture! Where is that?

Anyway, I always read that people use a leaf blower, but never really took them seriously. I mean, I always thought that my neighbors would think I'm crazy waving a leaf blower over my new BMW. I just can't imagine that image without laughing.
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      01-22-2006, 05:03 PM   #21
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Red face

aphall,
That pic is in Garmish Germany last month when I was there. It was great. Loads of new e90s on the road there. It was great driving on the autobahn. I was driving a opal astra rental and everyone was flying bye me when I was doin 100mph!!!
I know the leaf blower thing sounds crazy....and I admit the neighbors are gonna think we are all insane....but the neighbors also dont have a 40k dollar ride like we have. The way I see it is that we all worked hard for a nice ride, now we have it and we should do our best to keep it looking good. The leaf blower makes sense. No matter how you are drying your car, you could be putting scratches in it.
An alternitive would be one of those crs deionizer units. they run about 200 or so and claim you dont even have to dry your car. Does anyond know anyone who has one of these things?
Thanks
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      01-23-2006, 10:12 AM   #22
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All I can say is that I ordered that Toro 140mph Leaf Blower and it is completely worthless. Not only does it not work for cars, it cannot even blow leafs! It is much, much quicker to use towels. I didn't think a 25 dollar product would be worth it, but I read the good review above and decided to go for it. I should remember that you get what you pay for.

It sucks because for $24.95 it's not even worth my time to deal with the post office and get a refund.
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