Washing and drying (MF towels)
09-18-2017, 09:14 AM
#33
Race Car
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Location: Fairfax County, Virginia
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My detail regimen is Swissvax every 5-6 months (yes, its expensive) and air blow dry only. After four years, my car still looks like this and not a single swirl in the paint:
09-18-2017, 09:37 AM
#34
Rennlist Member
Agree on second point! Your car looks great.
Too many contaminants for me. In fact, if a towel or sponge hits the ground or a non-clean surface, it goes in the trash immediately. I don't want to risk grinding grit into my paint. Ditto for wash sponges. While that practice sounds costly, it's actually another bonus to keeping drying and polishing materials to old white bath towels (so long as they're 100% cotton), and old white cotton t-shirt sections without seams, text, or tags.
This is part of why I don't like MF towels anymore. People say MF towels can't scratch paint, but they can (anything can)—and their nature means they pick up contaminants and hold onto them...especially tree/twig/grass fragments.
09-18-2017, 09:43 AM
#35
Race Director
Originally Posted by stout
This may prove an unpopular suggestion, but I gave up on MF towels a long time ago—after hearing John Paterek agree with my gut feeling: 100% cotton > anything synthetic.
Since then, I save old plain t-shirts and cut them up for polishing (though I have learned to hire someone better than me for any real corrective work) and then use old 100% cotton white bath towels to dry painted surfaces—but do it a bit differently. Basically, nothing dry is ever rubbed across my paint. The towel is laid across a surface, and then (without the towel moving) a hand sweeps across the towel to bring up all of the drops into the towel. Usually takes one or two towels to get the car dry, but I do tend to "blow dry" it by taking it for quick run before drying it. Only downside to the practice is the wheels get a bit dirty again. Upside is NONE of those "spider web" scratches, which were driving me crazy. I wondered if I could come up with a way to dry the car without rubbing anything across the paint. Several years and several cars later, it has avoided those fine scratches to the point that you look at the sun and it's simply a yellow orb in the paint. I've seen it do that for up to three years at a time, only being violated after a dealer washed the car despite being told not to...
YMMV!
Since then, I save old plain t-shirts and cut them up for polishing (though I have learned to hire someone better than me for any real corrective work) and then use old 100% cotton white bath towels to dry painted surfaces—but do it a bit differently. Basically, nothing dry is ever rubbed across my paint. The towel is laid across a surface, and then (without the towel moving) a hand sweeps across the towel to bring up all of the drops into the towel. Usually takes one or two towels to get the car dry, but I do tend to "blow dry" it by taking it for quick run before drying it. Only downside to the practice is the wheels get a bit dirty again. Upside is NONE of those "spider web" scratches, which were driving me crazy. I wondered if I could come up with a way to dry the car without rubbing anything across the paint. Several years and several cars later, it has avoided those fine scratches to the point that you look at the sun and it's simply a yellow orb in the paint. I've seen it do that for up to three years at a time, only being violated after a dealer washed the car despite being told not to...
YMMV!
Going for a "drive to dry off" and cotton towels is soooooo 1980's-90's
09-18-2017, 10:06 AM
#38
Rennlist Member
I don't understand the obsession with MF towels. I used them for years because they were "the new thing" and people said they can't scratch paint (but they can). Am glad to have put MF in the rearview. But to each their own!
09-18-2017, 12:45 PM
#40
And so 60's and 70's before that
I keep a bale of Costco mf towels for windows, wax removal, or anything really dirty, and work them down the food chain until I toss them. I use a couple of my mismatched bath towels to dry the car (unless I'm fighting with my wife, then I use one from the master bath).
I keep a bale of Costco mf towels for windows, wax removal, or anything really dirty, and work them down the food chain until I toss them. I use a couple of my mismatched bath towels to dry the car (unless I'm fighting with my wife, then I use one from the master bath).
09-18-2017, 01:10 PM
#42
Addict
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For wheels (and lots of other stuff) I use these disposables:
DISPOSABLE WIPE DOWN TOWELS
UBER-SOFT DISPOSABLE SURFACE CARE CLOTHS
DISPOSABLE WIPE DOWN TOWELS
UBER-SOFT DISPOSABLE SURFACE CARE CLOTHS
09-18-2017, 01:29 PM
#44
Race Director
"The Stout" here is some great reading and products. I actually have the waffle weave towel and is awesome if wanting to remove lots of water if not using a Masterblaster on a car with a good coating.
Buying good quality microfiber towels from places like this is worth it too. There is a difference compared to some of the cheap ones.
http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...your-exterior/
Buying good quality microfiber towels from places like this is worth it too. There is a difference compared to some of the cheap ones.
http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...your-exterior/
09-18-2017, 01:38 PM
#45
Nordschleife Master
cool vid, but don't know what this has to do with cleaning and drying mf towels 