Rennteam 2.0 - EN - Forum - Re: Leaf Blowers - Page1

Oct 12, 2005 2:37:51 AM

Flashman: Co-Pilot; Loc: USA North Carolina , United States; Posts: 252, Gallery; Registered on: Dec 30, 2004

Leaf Blowers

Right, seems like there is a growing number of you that are using leaf blowers to dry the car as opposed to more conventional methods like microfibre drying towels etc. Ive got a black 997S which does take ages to dry using conventional methods, and of course shows every single mark given half a chance. So, Im thinking of purchasing a leaf blower even though I dont at this point have a garden with leaves in it, in fact I dont actually have a garden at all so this is purely a time and hassle reducing purchase, if it works.

Any recommendations on which leaf blowers work and whether or not this really works?

I apologize in advance for starting such a ridiculous thread. No flames please.

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Oct 12, 2005 4:39:32 AM

OCEAN: Expert; Loc: US; Posts: 1334, Gallery; Registered on: Sep 28, 2004; Reply to: Flashman

Re: Leaf Blowers

The Porsche of leaf blowers

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Oct 12, 2005 5:53:56 AM

SrfCity: Expert; Loc: Orange County, CA; Posts: 1339, Gallery; Registered on: Jul 21, 2004; Reply to: OCEAN

Re: Leaf Blowers

I've got a $25 electric that I've had for years and it works great. One other trick is to let the water free flow from the hose on the car for final rinse. It will magically sheet off and leave very few spots that you'll just blow off later. Works great if car is waxed. Give it a try.

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Oct 12, 2005 10:49:29 AM

Dasein: Veteran; Loc: Mountains of western NC, USA , United States; Posts: 933, Gallery; Registered on: Sep 19, 2005; Reply to: SrfCity

Re: Leaf Blowers

Toro makes a good electric LB.

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Oct 12, 2005 1:45:46 PM

The Stig: Junior; Loc: Cape Town, SA; Posts: 56, Gallery; Registered on: May 26, 2005; Reply to: Dasein

Re: Leaf Blowers

I am using a fairly basic Flymo electric leafblower which I bought, not suprisingly, for garden use and it seems to be working well for me. I barely get scratches or swirls on my black 997S these days, except when my dealer washes my car.

Some things worth mentioning if you intend on using it:

It does a great job removing stubborn water out of places like under the rear spoiler, the side mirrors, carrera logo etc

Make sure the ground beneath and around the car is wet when you use it to avoid blowing dust or dirt on your clean car.

Try rinse your car in sheets of water with a hose pipe (at low pressure, no nozzle) before you use it to remove the water droplets, this makes the drying process easier and leaves no fine water marks.

If your car has recently been waxed, this whole process is even quicker and easier.

Good luck

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Oct 12, 2005 1:53:31 PM

964C2: Expert; Loc: Dallas, TX , United States; Posts: 1825, Gallery; Registered on: May 11, 2004; Reply to: Flashman

Re: Leaf Blowers

When you need real power to blow off those stubborn drops....

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Oct 12, 2005 9:14:28 PM

MMD: Rennteam VIP; Loc: usa; Posts: 9652, Gallery; Registered on: Dec 16, 2004; Reply to: 964C2

Re: Leaf Blowers

Stihl. Made in Germany. Precision. Built to last.

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Oct 12, 2005 9:38:18 PM

Flashman: Co-Pilot; Loc: USA North Carolina , United States; Posts: 252, Gallery; Registered on: Dec 30, 2004; Reply to: 964C2

Re: Leaf Blowers

Lol!

Have to laugh when I see those track blowers. Put some treaded tires on and race in the wet like men you pansies! Might actually have better racing as a result.

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Oct 13, 2005 1:43:25 AM

Texas911: Senior; Loc: Houston, Texas - USA; Posts: 766, Gallery; Registered on: Aug 21, 2003; Reply to: Flashman

Re: Leaf Blowers

Just get an electric, the gas powered ones are to noisy and stink!

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Oct 13, 2005 6:48:51 AM

kevinm: Junior; Loc: california , United States; Posts: 114, Gallery; Registered on: May 2, 2005; Reply to: Flashman

Re: Leaf Blowers

Once you use a leaf blower I doubt you'll go back to towels. I don't thnk the brand makes much of a difference but it must be electric. The gas blower exhaust is not good for your baby. Also you need sufficient speed 200mph or greater. I use an electric Toro superblower (215 mph) runs about $65. It has two speeds which is nice and it has an attachment which narrows the air stream which is useful as well. If I could find a back pack electric blower I would buy it but this animal doesn't seem to exist. Its not so important for the 997 because the car is low but drying an SUV can test your shoulder stamina.

As for its effectiveness, the beads of water just fly off a well waxed car including the ragtop. It takes much less time than towel drying but most importantly lessons the chance of significant scratches and its great for all those recess areas that accumulate water. When your done the car is truely dry. You will still have to clean the bonnet and the door jams. If you use a new clean blower and have a wet cleam surface below the car (as was suggested earlier in this thread), you should not have to worry about dust particles being blown on the car. I have looked very carefully and I have not found any signs of paint damage. There are many detailers that use blowers and swear by them. Some tips...

Buy a new Blower and dedicate it to drying cars-they are not that expensive

Use a long enought extension cord to double the length of the car. When starting walk around the car completely and start on the opposite side of the car with plently of cord slack. This allows you to go around the car completely without having to mess with the cord.

Don't worry about the windows-water does not bead off as easy and can be wiped off after the top is dry with a chamios or other drying towel..

You don't have to get every drop off the car (I use a microfiber drying towel after the blower). That adds to much time to the drying process which equates to muscle fatigue (that blower is not feather light).

Finally spend time blowing the wheels and the brakes dry. This really helps prevent that brake crap from getting on the wheels.

Happy blow......that isn't going to sound right.....happy drying! Cheers

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Oct 13, 2005 12:54:55 PM

titleist3: Newbie; Loc: nc; Posts: 8, Gallery; Registered on: Nov 5, 2004; Reply to: kevinm

Re: Leaf Blowers

I have found that after washing car i take spray nozzle off of hose and just let water run over car, this leaves very little excess water on surface, not much to dry at all.

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Oct 13, 2005 2:56:08 PM

69bossnine: Rennteam Pro; Loc: FL, USA , United States; Posts: 2028, Gallery; Registered on: Jan 27, 2005; Reply to: titleist3

Re: Leaf Blowers

Word of warning. Make certain that the blower's big plastic tube "nozzle" is designed in such a way that it is IMPOSSIBLE for it to work it's way loose, and blow off the blower. I had it happen to me, with my not-exactly-cheap gas-powered Poulan blower. With all that air rushing through there, there's a ton of pressure pushing on that nozzle. If it creeps loose, it shoots off like a CANNON at your car. Happened to me, and I was extremely lucky that it did not dent the metal, and that I was able to carefully compound and message the scratches 100% out, back to a perfect finish. Very very lucky. I'm going to be in the market for another blower specifically for the car, but I'm going to be paying specific attention to how the attachments ATTACH. Just a band-clamp or a thumb-screw doesn't get the job done, when you're dealing with plastic that fatigues and deforms with time. I might just install a couple of eyebolts, one to the nozzle, one to the machine, and attach a safety cable between them for absolute insurance that I won't have part of my blower careening toward my car ever again....

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Oct 13, 2005 3:18:41 PM

SrfCity: Expert; Loc: Orange County, CA; Posts: 1339, Gallery; Registered on: Jul 21, 2004; Reply to: titleist3

Re: Leaf Blowers

Quote:
titleist3 said:
I have found that after washing car i take spray nozzle off of hose and just let water run over car, this leaves very little excess water on surface, not much to dry at all.

You're the third guy to suggest this in this thread. Here I thought I was the only one who was hip on this trick

Boss, tap the end on the ground so the extension tube won't come loose. I finally figured that out the other day after a few years. It'll stay on tight

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Oct 13, 2005 5:17:01 PM

69bossnine: Rennteam Pro; Loc: FL, USA , United States; Posts: 2028, Gallery; Registered on: Jan 27, 2005; Reply to: SrfCity

Re: Leaf Blowers

Quote:
SrfCity said:
Quote:
titleist3 said:
I have found that after washing car i take spray nozzle off of hose and just let water run over car, this leaves very little excess water on surface, not much to dry at all.

You're the third guy to suggest this in this thread. Here I thought I was the only one who was hip on this trick

Boss, tap the end on the ground so the extension tube won't come loose. I finally figured that out the other day after a few years. It'll stay on tight

Tap the end on the ground?? Well, yeah, of course, that'll nestle it back up again, but for exactly how long?? At what point does the joint tolerance become so compromised that the thing just jettisons with zero warning?? If you're having to "tap-tap" on your nozzle to get it back from the brink of flying off, man, are you playing with FIRE. That kind of movement, alone, is all you need to know to retire that blower to strictly yard work, or figure a way to bolt the sucker on. Sooner or later, that thing will just spontaneously eject onto your car from all the way back at what you thought was the fully-installed and secured point (like mine did). When the nozzle is capable of moving at all, that little movement can gain momentum under pressure and turn into an avalanche at any moment. It's no different than the physics of a river dam being slightly compromised, starting a domino effect that quickly tosses the whole thing down the river. If you're having to tap your nozzle on occassionally, you've got a loaded gun just ready to accidentally fire. Why take the risk on your $80-$90K car, with a $50-$75 leaf blower??

I know I'm preaching, just don't say I never warned you!!

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Oct 14, 2005 12:31:26 AM

SrfCity: Expert; Loc: Orange County, CA; Posts: 1339, Gallery; Registered on: Jul 21, 2004; Reply to: 69bossnine

Re: Leaf Blowers

You're totally wrong, it was $25.

I've been using the same thing for 5 years now and no problems. Based on history I'll take my chances

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Oct 14, 2005 1:16:21 AM

red911: Junior; Loc: USA; Posts: 131, Gallery; Registered on: Aug 1, 2005; Reply to: SrfCity

Re: Leaf Blowers

I just ordered a Sears gas powered blower and am concerned about why the gas may be bad for the finish of my car. What are the pros and cons of gas vs electric?

Thanks!!

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Oct 14, 2005 1:57:21 AM

jonquiljo: Junior; Loc: SF Bay Area - Marin; Posts: 85, Gallery; Registered on: Aug 14, 2005; Reply to: red911

Re: Leaf Blowers

Yeah, me too. I like this idea. Frankly I'd prefer to use electric. Any good ones?

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Oct 14, 2005 2:24:57 AM

schmuy: Senior; Loc: Vancouver, BC , Canada; Posts: 671, Gallery; Registered on: Apr 5, 2005; Reply to: jonquiljo

Re: Leaf Blowers

Quote:
jonquiljo said:
Any good ones?

how bout throt's hair drier and fro pick for the crevasses?

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Oct 14, 2005 5:47:27 AM

SVNSVN: Rennteam Pro; Loc: CA, USA; Posts: 2994, Gallery; Registered on: May 22, 2005; Reply to: schmuy

Re: Leaf Blowers

throt must use a turbo dryer!

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