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I wash my MINI every week and have been in search of the best/most efficient drying towel. I started out using a rubber/chamois thing to get the main accumulation then going over with a couple small micro fiber towels. I then tried a waterblade, but ended up going over the car three times (blade, rubber chamois, micro fiber towels), plus the blade left little scuff marks that I had to rub out. Finally, I bought an extra large microfiber towel from Griot's garage.
This baby is awesome. I can dry the car with one pass, it glides over the surface and takes in water like crazy. Have used it three times now and it seemed to get better after a wash. So, that's my reccomendation.
>>I use chamois'
>>and always will :smile:
>>
>>Peace,
>>D
Dennis..
nothing wrong with that, but you strike me as an open minded individual, esp because you drive a nicely modded Mini! You can pick up a microfiber towel in walmart for $5.00 in the kitchen towel section..give it a go..they are fantastic for applying polish, wiping off polish, water..you name it.
__________________ 2003 Electric Blue/Black Cooper S / Space Cloth / and everything but NAV and Sunroof. ALTA -15% , +2% Crank, intake, HKS 25mm Rear Sway Bar, Kingsborne wires, Denso IK24's, Amsoil 0w30, Lotf damper, M7 plasma booster and extreme scoop, Custom Whalen, TSW endlinks, springs, and slotted rotors with Porterfield R4-S pads, 15x7 Racemod matte black wheels, Nitto Neo Gen 205/50/15, Hankook Ventus 214 C70's for autocross, 20% Tint all around, www.myspace.com/f15eweapon
I'm not getting into the Chamois debate, but I am a micro-fiber nut. I have the big one and nine little -ens. Three just for wax removal. Three for detail drying and three for in-between-washes Speedshine clean up.
is there a difference between an expensive micro-fiber towel that you see at car detailing places and those found at walmart or somewhere else not advertising them for car usage?
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03' CR/W MCS
Mods-Borla Sport Exhaust, Helix SS, 15% pulley, Madness Intake, 16" SSR comps w/Falken Azenis
the microfibers from Wizards, albiet similarly pricey to Griot's, are my favorites. Other awesome (and a better value) microfibers are from pakshak.com and microfibertech.com
stay away from the walmart MF towels....the quality in them is very very inconsistent..some will be nice...some will scratch..and to most people they wouldn't be able to tell the difference until it is too late.
Will I have heard great things about the Griots towels - I think the towels from pakshak.com are just as good and are cheaper - jump on ebay as well as he is always selling them on there and you can get some great deals...I have about 20 or so towels from pakshak and love them. They even have a waffle weave absorbing towel like the one from griots and while it doesn't have those little pockets (not really all that useful in my opinion) they are about 10 bucks cheaper a towel.
Check out autopia.org - a lot of people on there have used the pakshak towels and love them.
>>PAKSHAK TOWELS ARE EXCELLENT.
>>
>>By far the best towels I've ever used.
>>
>>pakshak.com
>>
>>take a look and see...
PAKSHAK RULES...
Uhm, yea.. I like the pakshak also. Towels are great, super soft, and absorb tons!
>>I use chamois'
>>and always will :smile:
_______________________-
....until you try microfiber towel. I've gone through many a chamois towel until I discovered Big Blue (Viper products) and although it is only 14" x 17" it absorbs the water like no chamois does. In time, the oils in chamois dry out and the chamois become stiff. Not so with microfiber. just wash it by hand or in the washing machine (but don't use a fabric softener, it will ruin it). Most microfiber are made in Korea. There are good ones and cheap ones. I read somewhere that the ones made in China are not as good.
Use a California water blade in combo with your microfiber, and I swear you'll never need anything larger than Big Blue.
I've had good luck using flannel polishing cloths to dry my cars. You can get a bunch of them for about $5 at Walmart. These cloths don't hold much water. That may not sound so great at first, but it keeps you from using the same cloth for very long, thereby minimizing any damage if the cloth manages to pick up some grit. I bought a couple of bunches of these cloths and I go through 10-15 of them whenever I dry a car. These cloths are extremely soft and they seem to get softer after every washing.
Grit is the main reason I never use a chamois - grit can easily get embedded in it and it's very difficult to get rid of it. I have the same concern regarding microfiber towels.
>>Grit is the main reason I never use a chamois - grit can easily get embedded in it and it's very difficult to get rid of it. I have the same concern regarding microfiber towels.
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There shouldn't be any problem with grit if your car is washed clean and you restrict the microfiber towel use to "cleaned "(exclude wheels and anything below bumper line) areas.
Microfiber towels are the greatest. Some are better than others, so shop around. Check online vendors, check local stores, and you may or may not notice a difference. I find that the ones I have are thicker than the store bought ones, but others do not notice it, so you be the judge.
I was exclusively a cotton towel guy since I started hand washing my Pinto in 1975. Enough snickering kids. I tried all the chamois', natural and synthetic. I'm now a believer in the Griot micro fiber with the waffles and hand pockets. The pockets I can take or leave.
After washing I use my old cottons to quickly wipe off the worst of the water. Then one good wiping with Griots towel sucks up the rest. It works great. The wheens and door jams still get hit with cotton, but the body gets micro'd. Results are great.
I'm a believer. No reference to the Monkey's showing my age.
__________________
On Order: 2012 Countryman S / Light White / Black Lid & Mirrors / Black Alloys / Carbon Black Int / C. Armrest / Pure Red Color line / Xenon / HK Sound / White Signals / Bluetooth & USB.
First MINI: 2003 MCS /Indy Blue / Sports Package / R90 Wheels / Many Mods - Ordered 2003 - Sold in 2008.
>>is there a difference between an expensive micro-fiber towel that you see at car detailing places and those found at walmart or somewhere else not advertising them for car usage?
YES ! The cheap ones you find at places like Walmart will leave scratches in the paint. Test them on an old CD. Good ones should not scratch it. I agree with Pooky 13 that Pakshak towels are great and that is what I use.
For those of you interested in keeping your Mini looking great, I have a suggestion. I swear by Microfiber towels for waxing (get damp first for waxing), polishing, and cleaning your windows on your Mini. I used to detail cars on the side, and once you try these, you will be hooked! They will not scratch, and are superb to use for cleaning glass !!!!!!!!
I came across a great deal on where to buy these, so I thought I would pass it along to my fellow Mini enthusiasts. Until now, I was paying about $6.50 for a pack of three at target. Not any longer! For you COSTCO members, you can purchase a dozen of these for under $10! A great deal. A couple of tips. (1) wash them seperately if you launder them (2) Do not use a fabric softner if dried in a clothes dryer.
__________________ 2004 PW MCS: Magnaflow-Pilo CAI Whalen-PIAA fogs-Tint
speltzer, good call on Costco as I have had great experiences buying anything from there including stuff to clean my car, tools, a floor jack, everything. I didn't notice they had microfiber towels but will stop by tomorrow and check them out and report back.
High quality microfiber is the only way to go for the best car of your MINI's paintwork. They generate far less friction that cotton or a leather chamois. Of all polyester-based microfiber weaves and blends, I've found that the "waffle weave" towels are the safest and most effective for general purpose work. For final care of your paintwork, nothing is softer or safer than our natural fiber Concours Buffing Towel.
For those of you who have not yet made the switch, I've created a 20% discount coupon for my three favorites:
2003 Electric Blue/Black Cooper S / Space Cloth / and everything but NAV and Sunroof. ALTA -15% , +2% Crank, intake, HKS 25mm Rear Sway Bar, Kingsborne wires, Denso IK24's, Amsoil 0w30, Lotf damper, M7 plasma booster and extreme scoop, Custom Whalen, TSW endlinks, springs, and slotted rotors with Porterfield R4-S pads, 15x7 Racemod matte black wheels, Nitto Neo Gen 205/50/15, Hankook Ventus 214 C70's for autocross, 20% Tint all around, 
