To Microfiber, or not to Microfiber???

[JeremyHale]

I will be honest by saying that I saw something that confused me a great deal. Over the years I have became quite aware of the perks (are there really any downfalls?) to using microfiber towels for use with car polish/wax/LSPs. When reading the directions for 2 relatively popular product lines, Zymol and Zaino, they both warn against using microfiber with their products. Zaino recommends using 100% cotton cloth, a bath towel they sell to be exact. Zymol also sells their cloths for their product removal, specifically their glazes (Concours, Glasur, Titanium, etc.) Both of these companies specifically say not to use microfiber cause it will damage/scratch the paint. Is this just marketing and trying to sell their own products? I tend to believe that rubbing your paint with a bath towel, much like an old T-shirt, would cause damage. Has anyone ever seen this on their product sites or directions? Is there a reason they recommend 100% cotton in lieu of MF?
Thanks in advance for any replies.

[Robert DiTerlizzi]

For years we used cotton towels, t-shirts and even diapers to remove polishes and waxes!
In my opinion anything you use can scratch your paints sensitive finish
On my single stage black painted TR6 (super soft paint) I can see the scratches that a terry towel or t-shirt can leave and I only use microfiber towels when touching it.
To reduce the amount of marring on my car I corrected it, wiped compound and polish off with microfiber towels and coated it with BLACKFIRE Crystal Coat Paint Coating, now its so easy to dry!
I take my Metro Blaster SideKick and blow dry with minimal wiping with my towels. I no longer notice the light marring I used to get when washing and now enjoy washing my car, even with
BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond Waterless Wash Concentrate 1:48 New Formula!

[JeremyHale]

Thanks Robert for the quick response. I got my Blackfire Waterless Concentrate a couple weeks ago and my Rinseless BF should be here tomorrow. I kept selecting BFRW as my free sample on Autopia so I swung the bat and got a bottle. I find it makes an awesome QD. Awesome stuff!

[pheerix]

Frankly I`m surprised that anyone would think cotton is superior to microfiber nowadays.

[JeremyHale]

I know Zaino and Zymol are dinosaurs that have seemed to stick around amidst the newer technology but to specifically warn against MF and recommend cotton? I find that a little...um..insane. Cotton has its place in detailing but I would never use cotton if I had MF at my disposal. Just my opinion though.

[Stokdgs]

There is one truth ever - Any towel, microfiber or not, can scratch paintwork...

2nd truth - there are good and bad microfiber towels.. You want to try to find good ones to use on your paintwork ONLY, and then learn how to wash them correctly, by themselves, in a soap that will not
add a lot of soap residue, etc., to the fibers..

Went through years of Zaino installs and yes, Sal always wanted to use soft american made cotton towels...

The huge improvements made in microfiber towels are always going to be more efficient, and soft enough to do most anything inside and outside the vehicle..

After all this, it will still take a lot of technique to understand how microfiber works, and how it can work against you..

Biggest thing to remember - LOOk at the microfiber towel before you wipe the panel- does it all look the same? Is there some little things caught in it that should not be there?

Good luck with your research - we are here to help !
Dan F

[pheerix]

I think most people would agree.

[Accumulator]

Back before MF became commonly available in the early `90s it was a *HUGE* challenge to avoid marring paint and other sensitive surfaces. Even the best cotton towels could turn into scratch-machines once they wore a bit. Back in the day I`d replace my "good" cotton towels after just a few months` use and still had plenty of unpleasant surprises. It was virtually impossible to keep vehicles truly marring-free back then (ask Funeral Home owners about their hearses/etc.).

Memory Lane time: Koala Soft, reserged Charismas from Kevin Overall, and the small towels from Emmons Coachworks were all good as cotton towels go, with the Koalas being even better (IMO) than the later CBT/DFT ones, which I still use for certain (non-autopaint) jobs.

IMO current recommendations to use cotton either stem from failure to update old material or from a desire to sell cotton towels and should be ignored if you want to avoid marring autopaint.

Of course even the best/softest/etc. materials should periodically put to the CD-test if you want to be of the safe side.

BUT...wasn`t there something about certain Porsche 911s being sensitive to static electricity from MFs? Like...you couldn`t (safely) use them on certain engine compartment things? Been ages since I had a 911 but I do vaguely recall that.

On the subject of QDs and compound residue removal, I use M34 as it leaves a minimum of stuff behind, even less than IUDJ (which I`d sorta rather use).

[rdorman]

I use microfiber for darn near everything (even my shop rags are microfiber). Drying wise I blow, blot and finish with a QD or spray LSP and a fresh microfiber towel. Doesn`t take any longer.

[JeremyHale]

SO true, bad quality MF can ruin your day as well as MF poorly maintained. I treat MF like a clay bar, if it is dropped at all, it goes into the hamper to be washed (of course I do not launder the clay, I toss it in the garbage). Because it clings to everything, it can be a lot like clay in that it will pick up particulate and debris not even visible to the eye. Non detailers have seen me grab a new MF towel and think I am OCD to a whole new level but non-detailers will likely never understand...lol

[Robert DiTerlizzi]

I know Zaino and Zymol are dinosaurs that have seemed to stick around amidst the newer technology but to specifically warn against MF and recommend cotton? I find that a little...um..insane. Cotton has its place in detailing but I would never use cotton if I had MF at my disposal. Just my opinion though.

The new Zymol Deep Gloss Detailer say right under directions "wipe immediately with a soft microfiber cloth"
Must have updated their thinking!

[JeremyHale]

I just saw on the Zymol site their Microwipes that state "100% better than Cotton, Guaranteed!" lol...welcome to 2015

[RaysWay]

SO true, bad quality MF can ruin your day as well as MF poorly maintained. I treat MF like a clay bar, if it is dropped at all, it goes into the hamper to be washed (of course I do not launder the clay, I toss it in the garbage). Because it clings to everything, it can be a lot like clay in that it will pick up particulate and debris not even visible to the eye. Non detailers have seen me grab a new MF towel and think I am OCD to a whole new level but non-detailers will likely never understand...lol

It`s true. Having fresh, clean MF towels is a MUST. When I do a load of microfiber towels, I`ll clean my dining room thoroughly and wipe down all the surfaces so I have a clean room to fold my towels. Then I put them in air and moisture sealed plastic containers to bring with me to work. I`ve been meaning to pickup some heavy duty plastic bags to separate my MF towels in the containers.

I coated a black Mustang this weekend and I don`t think I`ve ever used so many MF towels on a single car before, but that paint had no mercy with showing light scratches or haze if you used a MF towel for a second too long. MF towel maintenance is super important.

[512detail]

i bought the Zaino towels (white and yellow) back a few years ago when I was off the Zaino end...they are nice towels...they have their place in my detail bag, but I would not purchase any more of them

i find these Zaino towels very soft,,,do I have a bath towel this soft--of course NOT.

i dont think i have a bath towel that even costs $20, cant say that about some of my MF`s tho

[JeremyHale]

True High Quality Microfibers, i.e. Cobra, Microfiber Madness, are pricy for sure but worth every penny if maintained properly and used with discretion. I think Larry Kosilla, the guy from AMMO, had a good method of sorting/seperating his MF cloths. A, B, C, & D: A being brand new in bag, D being on its last leg. There is a video on youtube I saw. I disagree with him on 2 fronts, but I may be wrong (that has happened before), and we all have our opinion. He states he washes his with the most generic detergent free of all scents, fabric softners, etc. Guess it may work but I figure if they make detergents specifically for my MF, I will use that. He also made a comment that though he does use high quality MF, (i have ordered some from his site, they were 16x24 red, 300gsm !I think!), I may have heard it wrong, that he sees little need in using a towel that exceeds around 300gsm. I have seen some of the cars he has detailed and it would be hard to dispute that, if that indeed is his opinion. His cars look fantastic. Not bashing his product line, but marketing+hype does not necessarily mean that they are the best out there(far from it, IMO). Personally, I am more comfy having a variety of sizes, colors, gsm, polyester/polyamide blend. 70/30 is supposed to be more absorbent and soak up liquids whereas a 80/20 is for removing waxes and LSPs. Im sure we all have a system we use, and I am always open for improvement. My wife always asks me, "don`t you have enough MF towels!" (Sometimes there is some well placed expletives in there.) My answer to her has been, and always will be... "NO" You can never have too many MF towels IMO.

I have found that folding towels in half long ways, and rolling them tight helps to store them and keep them clean. A tactic I learned in the Army..