It took me a while, but I've learned to appreciate the beauty of microfiber. I made the mistake of looking at my supposedly pristine Jet Black paint under flourescent lighting; not a pretty picture. My clearcoat looked like I'd been dragging sandpaper over it! It was weird - the scratches were totally invisible in daylight as well as plain 'ole lightbulb-light. I've read about different lighting on Autopia, but this was a revelation...

Anyways, after polishing the paint, I learned that buffing even with a new, freshly-washed cotton towel will leave scratches (at least in MINI paint's clearcoat - man, this stuff is soft). These "scratches" MAY have just been in the wax, but they were visible/ugly under flourescent light. Frustrating. Used for buffing, Microfiber cloths did not have any scratching problems. I've always been told that synthetic fibers would scratch paint, but microfiber really is an improvement on cotton terry cloth (at least for buffing).

Another thing: Meguiar's polymer wax (#20) is a nice product, if you're looking for a good all-in-one wax. When I bought it, I didn't realize that it had a (very) mild polish in it. Even with clean, polished paint, this wax helps produce an even smoother finish. Easy on/off, good shine and it's supposed to last a long time. Nice and simple...

Just passing this info along. Sorry if this stuff is old news, but I was impressed.

 

I have the same exact story -- except in my version I'd swap out microfiber for cotton.

I've had my MCSA since the beginning of June. But I never had the time to do a correct detail on it until two weeks ago. I started by giving my MINI two good washes, and then proceeded to strip the old wax and oxidation with HD Cleanse. It did an okay job, but unfortunately I still have some stubborn water spots. It also left brown wax like residue in a few hard to reach places. I won't ever use HD Cleanse again that's for sure. Clay bar for me next time! Probably the Sonus SFX Ultra-Fine clay bar. Anyways, I followed that with 2 coats of Zaino Z2/ZFX. That was the easiest application I've ever done in my life! I am a Zaino convert for life now.

Through out all of this, my buffing material was microfiber purchased from a high end detail and accessory shop here in the Chicago area. Looking at the MINI when I was done, under florescent light, I could see many, many fine scratches to the clear coat in the same pattern that I was removing the Z2.

The Z2 instructions recommend cotton, so last week I followed the recommendations and bought a high quality bath towel. I'm using that next time I Z2 the MINI. But first, I will wash and dry it at least twice.

Back to the microfiber:

maybe I should have washed the microfiber prior to use?
maybe I should have purchased the microfiber from some place else?
maybe I should always use a new microfiber since these things collect what ever touches or floats by?

or

maybe the Z2 is so good (with a new coat of Z2, you see every imperfection, paint over dust particle and steel blemish in the MINI's body) that it will always show every scratch from what ever cloth you use under fluorescents?

Comments appreciated!

 

There are a lot of possibilities here. Yes, it is possible to see more defects with Z2 if your old was was something that was high in fillers that may have disguised paint defects. That's the good and bad of Zaino. It highlights paint so well I love it. But it can hightlight a defect too. (I am a Zaino user as well :smile: )

Zaino recommends cotton because it is generally easier to recommend a "consistant" quality with cotton versus the hugely inconsistant quality of microfiber available today. PLUS there is many types of microfiber. There is microfiber for buffing off wax, quick detailing, glass, etc. You can neasily grab a "seemingly" soft microfiber and cause micro-mars or swirls with it. Not huge scratches, but the stuff you see in "just the right light".

Your technique in using the MF is very important as well. Low pressure, always doubled over, etc. When you say you were "buffing" with it, I assume you were removing wax residue or quick detailing, not really "buffing" as in attempting to remove swirls. That should only be done with a foam pad.

MF does pick up debris very easily as you mentioned. I have dozens of them and change them very frequently when using them. In waxing (buffing off residue) a whole car I will probably go through 6-8 at least. I wash them frequently.

MF is the ONLY thing I use, cotton is a thing of the past. (and can cause big issues as well) I am sorry you had such bad luck with what MF you were using. But glad you found a solution that worked for you. :smile: