It's important to dry your car before the water left on it from washing evaporates, as it can leave minerals behind — like lime — and that is how you get water spots. Water spots if left unchecked can etch in and permanently damage your clear coat. If you have water spots check out our water spot section. But prevention is better than the cure.

Most drying towel manufacturers will talk about the speed to dry a car, but far more important is the scratch risk. They all say their towels won't scratch, but the risk isn't the towel — it's any missed grit or dust getting dragged across with nowhere to go. Choose a drying towel that has long thick strands, so any grit and dust gets lifted up into the pile rather than dragged across the surface.

A note on air blowers: they're handy for getting water out of mirrors and tight spots, but when you dry a whole car with a blower, some of the water evaporates rather than being absorbed — leaving minerals behind on the paint. Over time, a towel-dried car will be noticeably shinier than one regularly air-dried.

We have a range of car drying towels, but our favourite by miles is the Rockcar Performer. You just don't know where the water goes! It's the lowest scratch risk towel we have found.

Don't use a chamois or water blade — you will scratch your car at some point if you do, as any tiny fragment of dust or missed dirt will be dragged across with nowhere to go. We used to sell these as people wanted them, but we are staging an intervention. It's OK to say no to chamois and water blades. Grab a Performer towel, you won't regret it!

Top Car Detailing Tip: After washing your car and before drying, spray Autostolz Enhanced Spray Wax with SiO2 on the wet car and buff it off as you dry — using it as a drying aid. Such a time saver, and adds heaps of shine and protection. Especially good if you have a ceramic coated car.