To correct the Autopia link it's

www.autopia.org

not .com.

 

Has anyone ever tried these? They have a combo pack that cheap. How can I tell if they are good or bad?


www.eriecotton.com

 

I like Griot's microfibers. At first I used their regular 100% cotton cloths which are now more like stained rags and still use them for light grime and wheels. They have two kinds of microfibers......a white one for lifting dirt and a gold one for polishing. They clean up great when washed and are in almost as fine condition as when they were new.

 

I use these sythetic chamois' (that's what this is) often as a "pre-drying" tool. I lay it on the car and pull it back off quickly. They soak up water fast. But don't "drag" it across the surface. It doesn't have any fiber depth and any debris that gets caught in it will easily cause a scratch. You will find it doesn't glide well anyway.

Anyway, you can go around the car with this in a matter of a minute or two soaking up 80% of the major water beads. Then I follow up with a quality waffleweave microfiber towel which does a superior drying job, is soft and will not scratch.

The synthetic chamois is a great supporting cast member....but the waffleweave is the star of the show!

 

I received and used the microfibers that you suggest and wow... they are great. I doubt my windows have looked even close to that good since the car was made. No lint, wonderful.

 

Kewl this thread is still alive - long live the thread!

If I pull a (slight) hijack, will I get a pass since I originated it?

My ZAINO instructions recommend "use a LARGE cotton bath towel(s)" for removing dried polishes... Doc Zaino even recommends BRANDS (cool thing).

Do I follow the ZAINO instructions "to the letter" or will I be better off getting some additional party-sized waffle weave MF's for removing dried ZAINO?? (cuz I'll be darned if I'm going to besmirch the ones I use for actual DRYING - They're grrrreat (and spotlessly clean)).

I'll hang up and take my answer off the air,
Tatt

Edit: (in Emily Latella voice): Oh.... Nevermind!

 

Brad,

I tried the Wunder Buffing towel last weekend with Zaino and it wasn't as slippery and "smooth" rubbing as 100% cotton. Do you find this to be the case as well?

 

Quite likely especially when actually buffing off wax. Remember, there are many thousands more fibers grabbing and pulling at the residue which creates (for lack of a better term) friction. Theoretically this will require less rubbing and less pressure to get the wax off. This is a good thing. :smile: It's designed like this. Too soft, and it doesn't remove wax.

Softer towels, like the Blue Perl, for instance, are great for applying and removing quick detailer. But it requires a lot more rubbing to remove wax and mattes (sp?) down too quickly.

Buffing towels, general quick detailing towels, glass towels and drying towels are all woven and finished differently. And all out-perform cotton.

 

Thanks, Brad. I'll give them another shot and compare the results in better light next time. (I need to convince the wife that it was worth getting htese towels )

 

They are also wonderful for dusting furniture, will not scratch fine woods, china, laminates, etc. They are also washable and stain resistant. Spots can easily be removed with Stain-Stick.

I'm sorry, but sometimes the "ultimate sacrifices" must be made. Time to hand one over. Ask me how I know.

 

Detailing expert AND marriage counselor all in one

 

Actually I picked up the tip in a self-defense course!

 

Ok, so what is the conclusion?

Stay away from Mall Art's towels... but whose are best Griots of Sonus?

 

Griots stuff is ok, but overpriced, IMO. No difference. You pay a lot for that slick catalog!

For general QD work use the Blue Perl. Soft, good thickness and plush, good value, durable. You use lots of these.

For buffing off dried waxes the Polishing towels work best.

Avoid the cheapo stuff at WalMart, etc.

 

i think you get what you pay for, my preference is Griots..................mgg

 

Brad...any other tips (specifically for my black roof) before I do the Zaino process. (Slightly off topic)

Rob

 

Just do a total prep.

Make sure the swirls are removed, the roof is clayed, and then Zaino. And I LOVE the new Z8 for black roofs. It has solved my water spotting problems!

 

Please explain...How does it help?

 

If I knew the tecknical reasons I'd be the man, Sal, himself. But I know the slickness and durability of Z8 is superior. You know how slick and smooth the surface feels after you just QD something. Z8 feels that way, too but it lasts longer, and whatever layer of protection it leaves, and it does leave a layer of bonded protection, that layer seems to repel water spotting better than anything else that I have tried.

Even my wife, a confessed, "I could really care less" type person, noticed the difference. And it has saved me countless hours of roof maintenance!

 

Thanx... I just finished putting the 6th and 7th layers of Zaino on, was going to put 8 and 9 next weekend and finish it off with Z8... just out of curiosity, do you use one of the car sweegies out there before towel drying?

 

No, while they "can" be safe to use, there is always that risk of a piece of dirt getting in the blade. I avoid them.

I "jot" the surface with the Absorber synthetic chamois to get the bulk of the water off. I just lay it on and pull it off. Never drag it. It takes two minutes to run around the car. Then I follow up with the big waffle weaves for the main panels and I have several of the detailing waffle towels for the sills and inside the trunk, etc. I use these to keep the big towels extra nice and clean.

 

Thanx, I was concerned about them... I have a synthetic chamois, I may use that... I was using two towels...onel gets very wet and the other buffs out the watter marks and streaks....

 

First I'm GLAD Zaino protection is long-lived .

A few weekends back, we had FA (flippin' Awesome) weather in Chicago, so I finally got to have my Zaino Day - I had been prepping for a long time, double checking my methodology and supplies, since it was my first time using it....

The car came out Gorgeous and I enjoyed myself immensely, but Missus Tatt didn't appreciate it in quite the same way . In fact, the following weekend she asked me if I was going to be "foolin' with my car all day again", etc etc. Before you interject, take it from me there is NO point in trying to splain to her, that those color-coded, neatly folded, sorted, beautiful microfiber towels are not, to use her term, "car rags" .

OK, before I forget why I'm posting - I found 4 giant made-in-USA white 100% cotton towels (did i mention they are huge?) at Sears for a Great Price ($12 dollar towels of a Zaino-recommended brand, I got for less than $6 each, hence got 4 instead of 1 or 2), for the express purpose of removing the dry Z5 and Z2, per the Zaino instructions.

They worked Very Well - By the way, whether I needed to be or not, I was careful to keep the towel edges away from the paint "just in case".

(Get to the point, Tattman):

OK here's my question -
I propose to use these same wonderful towels (clean and double-rinsed of course) for blotting (not dragging) off MOST of the water that's left on the car immediately after washing, and only THEN follow up with my (also wonderful) MF waffle weaves UNLESS SOMEONE SAYS DON'T DO IT, which is the whole reason I'm posting . I have 2 large waffle weaves, and they got soaked pretty quick when I used only them for the total drying job.

Penny for your thoughts?
Tatt

 

Brad... thanks for the black roof tips...


Anyone try these towels on for size? They are probably not as good as Autopia...Just curious.

 

They "look" really similar (grey/black) to some I have used in the past. Worked really well and were soft but were rather thin and didn't last all that long. If the price is super good I would consider them. I didn't compare prices/size.