Hey Everybody

Was at our Costco and noticed that they were selling a 20 pack of 16x16 microfiber towels for around 11 bucks. also had a 48 pack of terry towels for around 13 and a 5 quart jug of meguires gold class car wash for around 9 bucks. Just in case anybody is interested.

Happy Motorin'

 

Welcome to NAM, mylittlemini! Yes, the microfiber towels at Costco are a big favorite of mine, also!! Great price!

 

They are great but the quality varies quite a bit –there is a hole in the bag so feel them and pick the softest pack. Also, tear off the labels and don’t use fabric softener or a softener sheet when you wash them. And wash them in vinegar to get wax out after you use them.

 

Quality does vary a LOT. I use these for detail work, sills and dirty stuff but never on the paint. I prefer to use a higher quality towel for that.

 

what is a "higher quality towel"? Can you give some more specific details. I am using these towels and find them pretty good. I also have a HUGE towel from Meguairs which I use. I am not sure I understand the minus'es of using these on my paint... Help me understand...

 

There are so many levels of quality control...all cost related...it's baffling.

Things to look at are:
-How is the towel bound. What kind of thread/material is used? (good quality fibers are .01 to .02 denier in size. Cheaper towels have fibers as much as .5 or more!) Is it edgeless?

-How plush is the towel? Density of fiber (they range from 90,000 to 200,000). Thickness of thread. Fiber content of thread? Size of loop/nap? As a general rule, better quality is coming out of Korea. China has had some really bad stuff in the past but is catching up.

-Does the towel lint or not? (were the fibers split properly?) What is it's purpose? (many towels have a low polyamide content which hurts absorbancy.) The weave pattern also is specific to the purpose at hand.

-How resiliant are the fibers to keep the towel from matting?

A super plush towel is very shock-absorbing and helps protect the surface from the pressure of pushing against the paint. This is more absorbant as well. They also pull dirt/debris farther away from the surface. These are great QD'ing towels.

Towels with a shorter nap and stiffer loops are better for removing some waxes such has hard to remove carnaubas. They offer more pulling resistance/friction against the surface and remove residue quicker. This can be a problem though because they are more prone to mar. It depends on the paint color and hardness of the clearcoat whether you can get away with these. Color of the towel can also make a difference. Some dyes make a stiffer thread.

I have dozens of "brands" of towels and their quality differs a lot. I test a lot of them on an black painted test panel and use varying weights on top of the towels to simulate hand pressure. It amazes me how different they can be. You can also see a lot with a 10x and 50x magnifyer.

It's not easy to tell the difference...everybody is in the market now at all price points so just test them yourself to be sure you are happy with them.

 

I got these too. Keep a few in the trunk if need be.

 

Dittos....I keep 4-6 in my MINI's boot!

 

I think the Costco towels are great. I use them for everything, body, glass, wheels. I only use the clean ones for the painted surfaces. After a few washes when they won't come completely clean I use those for the dirty jobs like the wheels. ( damm white wheels ). I have never heard about washing them in vinegar to remove wax, but I will try that. I always keep a couple in the boot.

 

I agree...you HAVE to carry towels with you everywhere. You never know when the pidgeons will find you!

Here's my travel kit:

 

Wow. Constantly amazed (and relieved) that there are people more ana1 than me out there!

 

My name is Brad and I am a detail-a-holic. I don't want to be cured...I want to bring everyone down to my level so I feel better.

 

Brad, your portable detail kit is..........well detailed. I like the small bottles of all the different products. Very smart. I think I need to put one together today. Great idea!

 

Think of the added weight you are carrying around with you motoring. You probably should remove all the carpeting from your MINI to make up for it !!

Sorry, I went to the other thread and saw posts about weigh reduction and got flushed down the other extremist view for a minute.....

 

All the weight in the MINI is around my waist. I would be better off skipping the 3rd pack of Twinkies!

 

Check out this post on Costco MF's

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...62&postcount=7

 

I got a bag of the costco MF towels. Did the "CD test" and they failed.

 

Brad that is some very useful data. I'd love for you to take photos, compare the results, and publicly post it.

GREAT idea with the small bottles. (You are, BTW, officially insane.) :D

 

Photographing the towels was kind of boring looking and it is difficult to show the different types of mars and swirls on the test panel. Things always looked perfect on film. I gave up. Maybe I should tell my wife I need a better camera for my birthday!

 

Got a bag of them myself and they work pretty good!