The Dry - 4x Combo
At this point, you should be in a position to dry the car. Keep in mind what you are trying to do...you are trying to remove the water from the car to avoid water spotting. You DO NOT need to apply a great detail of pressure to achieve this - your goal is to make the car look nice AND avoid marring the paint. Start at the top and work yourself down and around. Depending on the amount of water on the car, you might have to periodically right our your towel. To minimize drying, you can apply the 4x Combo:
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Sheet the water. To learn more about 'water sheeting', click here for more info.
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Carefully use a silicone squeegee** to remove excess water. I'd recommend you use the silicone squeegee only on the areas where the most water is collected. These areas include your hood, trunk, and roof.
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After carefully using the silicone squeegee to remove the excess water, use a synthetic shammy and blot the car nearly dry.
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Finally, use a microfiber towel to safely remove any remaining water streaks for a smooth and clean finish.
Pay attention to regions where the water tends to sit and hide - side view mirrors, fule door, door guards, etc. Some detailers 'pat' the paint with the drying towel to minimize 'dragging' it accross the surface...others lay it on the paint and 'pull' it across. Find a method that works for you (i.e., patting, dragging, or pulling) - just don't 'push'!
NOTE: With black cars in particular, you defintely want to be careful what you touch the car with since they easily show every little flaw in the finish. The silicone squeegee itself is probably gentle enough not to harm the finish. Having said that though, you need to be extremely careful because all you need is one piece of dirt or debris to get on the surface and caught in the squeegee to do a lot of damage! It could be something leftover on the surface after washing, or an abrasive particulate that floated its way onto the wet surface after it was washed. Any of these scenarios could wreak havoc on your paint, so please be careful and happy detailing!