Am I Crazy? Paper Shop Towels For Detailing?

[crobinso]

Okay, many of you are going to think I'm plumb loco for what I'm about to tell you. Back in the day, when I had my trusty old 1988 Grand Marquis, I bought these blue shop towels from Pep Boys:

I bought them in 2001, after the Grand Marq's paint had faded. So I had no qualms about wiping the car off with these towels.

When I donated the car last December, I ran across a few of the towels in the trunk, still on the roll. So, on a whim, I tried one on my new (GASP, yes I did!) 04 Grand Marq to apply some QD spray.

For those who haven't fainted dead away, let me quickly state that I used VERY, VERY LIGHT pressure on the surface. I didn't gouge or bear down on the towels. I tested a small area to make extra certain I wasn't about to commit detail suicide on my paint. There were no streaks, no marring at all. So I tried one panel, being very careful at all times not to apply pressure.

I discovered these towels work very well. I will NOT proclaim that they are anywhere near as safe as MF towels, but they work "in a pinch" when used as I described.

What led me to this madness? On the old car, I noticed that if I used the towels lightly, no paint came off when I wiped it. Only when I scrubbed the car with a lot of muscle did I see grey paint come off onto the towels. So, I thought, I'll try them (as described above) on my new car.

Your mileage may vary - not for the faint of heart!

Oh, these towels are great for cleaning windows. They don't generate dust. I don't know if Pep Boys still sells the towels, but I found them online at rightlook.com and monstermarketplace.com , among others.

Charles

 

[truzoom]

They sell those at Wal-Mart in the carcare products aisle. Can't really say anything about using them on paint, except I remember hearing of a detail shop that used toilet paper to buff wax off.

 

[crobinso]

They sell those at Wal-Mart in the carcare products aisle. Can't really say anything about using them on paint, except I remember hearing of a detail shop that used toilet paper to buff wax off.

Whoa, I guess Ultra Charmin might work. Heh. I'm definitely not trying to convince all of the professionals here to switch. I'm just relaying my experiment "for what it's worth". Glad to know that Wal-Mart has the towels.

Charles

 

[Bill D]

I've only used them here and there for glass cleaning as you mentioned. Perhaps, if you have a really awful bird bomb where you know you're going to have to polish the paint afterward anyway, maybe they'd be better at removal than mfs. Sure would save from having a literally crappy mf too!

 

[mgm2003]

Clean your sunglasses with them a few times to see if it scratches them. I'd probably put an old MF or cotton towel in the trunk to use in a 'pinch' vs. a paper based towel. How about using them to clean the windows around your house? IMO, they sell them in the auto section to cleaning up floor spills, hand drying towels, wiping down glass surfaces, etc..., but not for on the paint.

 

[the caveman]

Please what ever you do dont tell us EVER again that you are going to use those sick things on you paint. You know that really is disgusting. Do what that other guy said and put a few mf's in your trunk for a "pinch."

 

[dpeezy415]

I use those. They clean up excess protectant on my tires.

 

[crobinso]

Please what ever you do dont tell us EVER again that you are going to use those sick things on you paint. You know that really is disgusting. Do what that other guy said and put a few mf's in your trunk for a "pinch."

I TOLD you, this post was not for the faint of heart. It sounds as though you read my post, then :hurl 'ed.

Charles

 

[CharlesW]

They sell those at Wal-Mart in the carcare products aisle. Can't really say anything about using them on paint, except I remember hearing of a detail shop that used toilet paper to buff wax off.

This is going to be bad, really bad, but......









Does that detail shop do crappy work?

:brick

Charles

 

[Larry A]

Viva paper towels work good for detailing. They are very soft.

 

[truzoom]

This is going to be bad, really bad, but......









Does that detail shop do crappy work?

:brick

Charles

Wouldn't know, I don't go within 100 feet of the place. :lmfao

 

[Dallas_Ace]

Those towels work really good for wiping off my hands or cleaning tools, but I wouldn't use them near my truck except possibly for use under the hood.

 

[BlackSunshine]

yes

 

[GearHead_1]

Those are great towels to wipe up an oil spill but I don't think that there are any paper products that don't have wood fibers in them that will actually damage the finish. Just my 2 cents.