A Must Have Detailing Accessory

[TomServo]

A lot of us use our electric leaf blowers to blow dry our cars, I have EGO lawn care gear with their 650 CFM blower and it works great but working around the vehicle with the included nozzle tubes can be dangerous, especially with the UNFINISHED end, so I stumbled upon this guy on Etsy and took a chance and ordered one. I just finished doing a quick detail and all I can say is this is a MUST HAVE tool in your vehicle detailing kit. I believe he makes them (3D printed) for other blowers.

Here's where I ordered it from: https://www.etsy.com/.../stubby-car-drying-nozzle-for-ego...
The silicone protector is a much-needed addition for clutzes like me no matter how careful I try to be.

Take a look:

 

[mackgriggs]

Yeah, I recently tried out leaf blowers. I actually tried both the EGO and Ryobi top end leaf blowers (the 930 CFM type ones). I ultimately chose the Ryobi, because it comes with a silicone tip already, and Ryobi claimed their product is "whisper series leaf blowers", and they really meant it. It was quite a bit quieter than the EGO, especially since the EGO has a high pitch noise which is aggravating, which the ryobi didn't. The ryobi was just as loud as my normal carpet vacuum, so I rarely use ear protection anymore, but I definitely would with the EGO.

Regardless.....how are you using your leaf blower?

So, I first tried using the leaf blower to actually "dry" the car by trying to push the water off the car, but....that would either take too long or be too aggravating. I'm not sure how people are actually drying the car with a leaf blower. It would be nice if you could, because you wouldn't risk striping the car with a towel.

I only found the leaf blower useful after doing a foam cannon/pressure washer wash, to blast water out of hard to dry areas, like, the license plate area, rear view mirrors, wheels, side cameras, etc. I also usually just do ONR type washes now anyway, which makes leaf blowers a rarely used tool for me (there is not water that gets into the hard to reach areas).

 

[Watts_Up]

@TomServo I see, so it's a shorter nozzle,



but could you just use the blower without any nozzle?



Note: From the title "Detailing"
I was thinking that you were using the blower inside the car,
to move away dust that a vacuum cleaner could not reach!!!

 

[Kandiru]

I have EGO everything short of the riding mower, the blower is great but I do much better with old 100% cotton towels, wife is a snob so plenty coming down my way.

 

[TomServo]

I usually wash my car by hand with a hose and bucket a few times a year just because I don't trust the waterless wash for really heavy-duty dirt, grime, and bugs after road trips, so the blower comes in handy to remove all the water sitting in the panel gaps etc and especially the mirrors and tires/wheels. I've used an electric blower for decades on all my Vettes and have won numerous car shows.

 

[csrpenfab]

I have EGO everything short of the riding mower, the blower is great but I do much better with old 100% cotton towels, wife is a snob so plenty coming down my way.

I hear you! I'm an EGO whore too! Mower, blower, edger, carbon string trimmer, and snow blower! I have my own EGO battery wall next to my Tesla fast charger too!

 

[mackgriggs]

While we are talking about detailing tools.....a tool I have been pleasantly surprised with, is the ryobi 600psi 18v power washer ->

I got it for $99 from tools_direct on ebay. Could probably wait and get it cheaper.

I know...it seems like a total gimmick type of tool, but I have used it many, many times now. Whats so great about it is that it is sooo much quicker getting it setup than my full electric power washer, and its completely portable. Like I said before, I usually do ONR washes, but, if I want to spray out the wheel wells, or maybe just hit the back with water because there is too much dirt, I just back my car out, attach this to a hose or.....a 3 gallon bucket, ...super easy. Spray for a minute or two and put the car back in the garage and do the normal ONR. Can do this in the winter too and not worry about hoses, or hose bibs freezing, or the tool itself (easy to store inside).

Or....I use it to quickly power wash my floor mats. Or...walk around the house and hit bird poop off windows/patio. You can hookup a 2L bottle to it too but that only lasts about a minute, so I usually find just carrying a bucket in one hand and this in the other works great. I initially tried the 40V version, but the battery is heavier and makes the whole thing a bit bulkier. 18V powers it just fine.

 

[thebarold]

I have the earlier Ryobi version that i think had 350psi. I haven't tried it on a car yet (i use it as an anchor wash on my boat) but if i get the ceramic done, it shouldn't take too many psi's to wash... hopefully.

 

[phaheem]

Wouldn’t a traditional air compressor with a hose be better for the panel gaps, crevices, etc.?

 

[Silicon Desert]

Nice idea, but I prefer watching the wife wiggle while she wipes the car dry in her bathing suit.

 

[TomServo]

Wouldn’t a traditional air compressor with a hose be better for the panel gaps, crevices, etc.?

Maybe, but I don't have one, but I have a leaf blower.

 

[Big Ern]

I like the sun joe sprayer for applying my optimum no rinse . Works great spraying the wheels too.

Sun Joe SJ-APS-2G Cordless All Purpose Chemical Sprayer | 4-

MUCH MORE THAN A GARDEN SPRAYER. Spray away unwanted weeds + pests, sanitize surfaces, and apply cleaning solutions with the perfectly portable 4-Volt Cord

snowjoe.com

 

[PluggedINLife]

I use Milwaukee Electric Tools 2724-21HD M18 Fuel Blower Kit that I got off of Amazon. It does the job and has two power settings which I use the highest one. I did get a bigger blower just because I wanted the extra power to help dry the car easily as that was recommended by others. The only problem I have is that it is a bit heavy because of the battery size. You can definitely try to find one without a battery and then purchase the smaller ones. I would recommend it still to others because it does an incredible job and I barely towel dry the car anymore.

I know chemical guys has one too which is smaller but I think it doesn't really have the power. Just good to use to get water out of cracks and corners.

 

[msanborn08]

I use the 80v greenworks blower (750 cfm) and it works great. Keep in mind i have a ceramic coating on so that makes it so the water just runs right off. Takes me maybe 5-8 minutes to get 99% of the water off then mop up the drips with a micro (mirrors, door jams, rear).

On non coated cars, its a waste and ill just use a micro, but all of my vehicles are coated now, so i only have to deal with that when i help wash my parents 65 vet and 69 Camaro.. lol

But yeah, gotta be careful when using these or your going to hit your car with the tip of the blower..

 

[PNWLeccy]

While we are talking about detailing tools.....a tool I have been pleasantly surprised with, is the ryobi 600psi 18v power washer ->

View attachment 813406

I got it for $99 from tools_direct on ebay. Could probably wait and get it cheaper.

I know...it seems like a total gimmick type of tool, but I have used it many, many times now. Whats so great about it is that it is sooo much quicker getting it setup than my full electric power washer, and its completely portable. Like I said before, I usually do ONR washes, but, if I want to spray out the wheel wells, or maybe just hit the back with water because there is too much dirt, I just back my car out, attach this to a hose or.....a 3 gallon bucket, ...super easy. Spray for a minute or two and put the car back in the garage and do the normal ONR. Can do this in the winter too and not worry about hoses, or hose bibs freezing, or the tool itself (easy to store inside).

Or....I use it to quickly power wash my floor mats. Or...walk around the house and hit bird poop off windows/patio. You can hookup a 2L bottle to it too but that only lasts about a minute, so I usually find just carrying a bucket in one hand and this in the other works great. I initially tried the 40V version, but the battery is heavier and makes the whole thing a bit bulkier. 18V powers it just fine.

I just purchased this after doing ONR hand washes for the last couple of years. My hose is not located near my garage so this seemed like a really good option pared with 5 gallon bucket. I wanted something quick and easy for cleaning wheels and bugs after a road trip.

I am a little surprised at how quickly the battery runs out though. I have the 600psi version and keep it at high. Have you purchased an additional battery so you don't get interrupted midway through a cleaning?

 

[mackgriggs]

I just purchased this after doing ONR hand washes for the last couple of years. My hose is not located near my garage so this seemed like a really good option pared with 5 gallon bucket. I wanted something quick and easy for cleaning wheels and bugs after a road trip.

I am a little surprised at how quickly the battery runs out though. I have the 600psi version and keep it at high. Have you purchased an additional battery so you don't get interrupted midway through a cleaning?

I have additional batteries....but...no, I don't feel that the batteries run out quickly. The batteries are new though and I make sure to never long term charge to 100%, keep them in the house (if too hot outside), etc. (li-ion battery health strategies)

 

[thebarold]

I just purchased this after doing ONR hand washes for the last couple of years. My hose is not located near my garage so this seemed like a really good option pared with 5 gallon bucket. I wanted something quick and easy for cleaning wheels and bugs after a road trip.

I am a little surprised at how quickly the battery runs out though. I have the 600psi version and keep it at high. Have you purchased an additional battery so you don't get interrupted midway through a cleaning?

Are you using 4ah lithiums?

 

[PNWLeccy]

Are you using 4ah lithiums?

I just came back from a weekend roadtrip and was actually able to give the whole car a pre-rinse to knock off the dust and bug guts with one 4ah battery. Since I use the high setting (600psi) I think the real frustration comes from how quickly it goes through the water. I filled a 5gal. bucket and had to stop midway and fill another bucket to finish the job.

I still may buy another 4ah battery just in case.