Right, as I seem to be on a roll of asking detailing questions, I'll throw another one out there...!

 

Everyone says about drying your car properly due to 'water spots'. Can anyone please describe in a bit more detail what these are please? Is it my understanding that these spots occur with tap water? i.e. does rainwater cause any such problems?

 

I've thought many times after I've just washed my car whether I should dry it, because there was imminent rain...

The spots occur in hard water areas...the dissolved minerals leave marks as the water evaporates. It's more of a problem in warmer weather because the water evaporates before you have a chance to dry it off with a cloth. Not a problem in soft water areas...or if there is heavy rain just as you finish washing!

Cheers! That's cleared that up in my head a bit   

My advice wou ld b e to always have some kind of a drying routine, if you leave water to sit on the car it has a good chance of spotting.

A final wipe down with a quick Detailer for me so far has been the best way to dry off the car, leave a little protection and avoid spotting.

A classic QD for this would be something like Valet Pro Citrus Bling, cost effective too as can be diluted up to 1:8, so not cost prohibitive to use this a lot as a QD and drying aid