We've said before that mast defects are wash induced, and this is absolutely true. But we are referring to the entire wash process, not just the contact washing. This includes the drying of your vehicle.
Drying is one of the most likely places to cause swirls in your paint. This is because drying often involves very little lubrication on the paint surface, a very low nap drying media and potential soiling that was not removed.
There are a variety of ways to wash a car and we'll summarize them below
Sheeting/Flooding Method - This method uses water to dry your car. It sounds silly, but it's entirely possible to get your vehicle 95% dry by getting it wet. The idea is to use a very gentle flow of water and the surface tension of a well protected surface to pull the water off the paint. Because the water would rather cling to itself than the paint, a sheet of water will pull itself off the car. Some droplets may remain. If possible, that should be done with Deionized water so that the droplets can dry without leaving waterspots. Otherwise, one of the follow-up methods works well to address remaining drops.
Forced Air Method - This will probably get you the most strange looks from neighbors. The method involved using forced air form an air compressor or a leaf blower to push water off the car. We recommend a dedicated leaf blower for this task, and one can be purchased for under $50 will do just fine. Cordless models, while convenient, just don't have enough force to be economical at the time of this article. This method is great for getting water out of cracks and from around side mirrors. It will leave a small amount of water than can be removed with one of the follow-up methods.
The Squeegee Method - We strongly discourage the use of squeegees due to the potential for the material to leave scratches, swirls or marring. Even if the material is safe, it is possible for it to pick up a contaminant that can damage your paint.
The Chamois Method - We strongly discourage the use of chamois due to the potential for the material to leave scratches, swirls or marring. Because the towel has no nap to it, it cannot pick up any contaminant on the paint, and thus, there is a potential for the contaminant to get dragged across the paint and cause defects. Even if you perform the perfect car wash and leave nothing on the paint, it is possible for something to settle on the paint between the time you got it clean and the time you dry it.
The Blotting Method - This method can be used to dry an entire car, but we prefer to use it as one of the follow-up methods to the primary drying method. In this method, a towel is placed on the paint and blotted to remove any water. The towel is not dragged across this paint. This blotting action limits movement of the towel on the paint and thus reduced the risk of defects.
The QD method - This method utilizes a plush towel and a quick detialer or spray wax to add lubrication to the surface while you are wiping. This is also a favorite follow-up method to a primary drying method. This can also serve to add additional protection or a final shine to the paint in one step.