I forget where the sponge pad came from (but I'm convinced that, through my own ignorance, I created micro-marring galore when I washed the MINI with it ). I'm tempted to take down the fluorescent lighting in the garage, it's so ugly on the fenders now... Saturday is going to be a Scratch-X kind of day ...

Anywho,these towels were found at the store that rhymes with "mall art". Has anyone had good/bad experience with these specific towels? I think I made the newbie mistake of "spend now, learn later".

Mostly I don't want to be rubbing my car with this stuff if it's not up to snuff. Sorry for the not-crisp pics. Tripod is on loan, and I can not hold a camera still - the label on the large towel says "MicroTex". And by the way what's a label doing on there in the 1st place ?

Thank you in advance, I'm grateful for all insights,
Tatt

 

First off, you need to remove those garment tags so they don't scratch your car. That's the first thing I do when I buy new microfiber towels. I haven't used that specific brand but I do have a drying towel that looks similar that I bought from Target. Bad move. The waffle weave that I purchased from Griot's Garage and Autogeek.net works way better. The Target one seems to be more of a giant polishing and cleaning cloth and it doesn't absorb well. Here's some info on the different types of microfiber. http://autogeek.net/mi101.html
I also wash them separately from other clothes since they'll pick up lint and dirt. Also dry them without a dryer sheet.

As for washing, I use a regular lambswool wash mitt and dip it regularly to rinse off the grime. I suspect with the magnetic properties of microfiber, dirt gets trapped in the fibers and it doesn't rinse off as well when you dip it back in the bucket.

 

I use the Waffle Weave towels from Autopia www.autopia.com for drying. I use Costco MF's for wax removal and glass cleaning.

As an aside...in a thread at Autopia Costco MF's were castigated for leaching yellow dye. I hadn't seen that, but I wash my MF's in a separate load.

Recently I bought a pack of MF wash mits from Costco. They're white. I washed one with my Costco MF's and sure enough the mit came out yellow.

Yesterday I washed my nice expensive Sonus WW MF's with another..still white..MF mit and the mit came out....yellow. Therefore I have discounted complaints about dye leaching when considering MF's.

Peter

 

I have those towels. They were dang cheap at walmart and since i'm waiting to make an internet buy sometime soon, I use them. Anyways, I cut the edges off the towels because of the tag and because I think the edges of the towels will scratch. Also, I have an absorber that I use, so I don't push hard with them either since most of the car is dry.

What I have found that supposedly works is a cd scratch test. Basically take a nice clean cd, maybe one of those AOL demo's you always get in the mail and just rub your towel on the cd as if you were using it. Then take a look at the cd and see if there are scratches. Do this to a few cd's though and make sure you look at the cd in all lights to see if it's causing any scratches.

With all this said, I have a PW so any light scracthes would be near invisible on my car, if yours is dark, I suggest you get new towels soon and just use these for the engine and jambs.

 

The mitt you have is fine, provided you rinse frequently as you should with any mitt. And using shampoo helps lift the dust/dirt and more importantly lubricates the mitt. This is key.

The MF's are pretty poor. I have seen them several places. Get some better quality ones. Expect to pay $3-5 for truly nice, plush towels. It's worth it. They will last longer and stay plusher. These are on sale right now.

And as mentioned, get the waffleweaves for drying. I have a couple sizes.

 

Aren't these the same ones at Costco? - I tried to read the label description but I ripped and threw them all away; but they are yellow, 16"x16" and, as I recall, were made in China.

 

No, not the same. Costco's are thinner and have a different weave and edging. Good for interior work but not the best for paint.

The cheapest ones at Autopia are a step up from the Costco variety. They are mid-level quality. But good enough for paint.

The plushest, and best are what you pay good money for. You can feel the difference.

 

An important point is that the edges of cheap MF towels and wash mits are stiched with nylon thread - a very bad no-no with paint because it scratches.

 

Am I the only one thats getting some sort of computer products page (and something about dental software) that goes nowhere when following that link?

 

Try this link to Autopia Drying Towels.

 

I checked out that site... so many choices.

Anyone have a recommendation for a good cloth for window cleaning?

I have tinted windows.

 

Check this out. Usage CHART.
I like this one.

 

Brad, what's your favorite towel for Zaino polishing?

Mark

 

I use the Wunder Buffing Towels. They are super plush and thick. They aren't the cheapest but you can feel the difference. They don't matt down with residue and hold up to washing better and stay soft and fluffy. I use these when I am really putting pressure on the paint and chances of scratching are greater. ESPECIALLY on my black roof! I have a "few" of these. I have "dozens" of the cheaper towels that I use for other things and for the insides, door jams, etc. But for the "beauty spots" I don't take chances.

 

Thanks, Brad! I have some of the Blue Perl (interesting spelling--like the computer language) and I've just ordered the Wunder Buffing Towels.

Mark

 

I really appreciate the feedback, thank you all very much .

Tatt

 

You guys are causing me to spend more money . After reading this thread I went to every auto parts store, walmart, target around me and then went and got a Costco membership just to possibly buy these towels. After all that and alot of research I was not impressed with the "feel" of the towels at all. My best judgement is that it should be soft and absorbant (and since they would not let me go out and dry off my car I had to go with softness. So now I put in my order with NAM car care for the Ultimate drying towel. This from a guy whos 1997 ford escort only got washed twice a year with dishsoap or 409 ...whatever was close . Now I am spending my time researching auto paints chemical component to see if microfibers polymide and polyester are in fact a "softer" material or am I kidding myself with fancy newfangled stuff. Thanks alot !!!

 

O.K I have went out and bought the SONUS micro-fibers and the wal-mart ones. I have cut very small pieces of fiber off and will examine the under a microscope. In addition I am going to take a new piece of acrylic and will do a rub test and then examine those under a microscope. I will post pictures from the microscope as soon as I get a chance. Also to be completly fair I will take pre-determined amounts of water and test absorbancy. Full experimental write-up to follow.

 

Sounds fun. But test absorbancy on the waffleweaves, they are designed for that, not the regular MF's. They are designed to be resiliant and dimensional. The shapes of the fiber weave allow for different applications.

 

I am testing the Sonus ultimate drying towel (a weave) vs. walmart plush (I have the name out in the garage). I will compare apples to apples in absorbancy but not in style. So it would be completely fair (but lets see how it goes). Also,since the sizes are different I will have to adjust for that.

 

Lots of good care care products and info @ www.griotsgarage.com. They also have an excellent hanbook on car care that covers all aspects......................mgg

 

Hi all,
Thought this would be an appropriate place to say Thanks Again for all the Good Advice and terrific resources. Still gotta get me some Gummi-Pflege, but other than that... well, let's just say I'm building a nice photogenic cupboard, in the garage, (and a matching one in the house, for seasonal use) in which to store all the goodies

Can you tell I just put about $225 in detailing products on my MasterCard?

I gotta see if I can get to St Louis for the clinic!

Gratefully,
Tatt

 

That's wiered. I have the same microfiber towels and sponge for my mini. So far I havn't had a problem yet but mostly used the microfiber's to clean the glass. The sponge is a mcguires so It's not that bad but I am going to make sure the tags do not rub on my paint and try to get some better one's.

 

thanks everyone for the great advice

 

what do think about this drying towel. I bought it at the mini store because I had a gift certificate


http://www.autogeek.net/p2dryintow.html