Eimann Fabrik Wheel Woolies

9

93mr2

New member
I've read tons of posts on this site so far, but as is the case when you're learning something new, I've seen so many conflicting answers that I've become confused. Hopefully, I can draw a summary conclusion with this post.



It seems like the majority of people are all about microfiber and I've tried to read quite a bit about it. I have a black car and therefore ideally I need products that WILL NOT SWIRL and most people point to microfiber as coming the closest to doing the job. (I don't mind streaking as I can get that out and it doesn't do permanent damage.)



1. Which mircrofiber wash mitt should I use? This seems to bee the area that generates the most swirls for me currently using a chennile mitt.



2. Which microfiber towels to dry? What weave is the best for this? Once again, I'm trying to minimize swirls. If I have to wring it out several times, no big deal. Drying a car doesn't take long anyway.



3. Which microfiber towels to remove/buff polish, conditioner, wax, and quick detailers with? The quick detailers may need a different towel based on my reading.



Finally, the answers don't have to be restricted to microfiber as the end result is the goal here. Any negative comments about microfiber are also welcome as I'm still learning.



Thanks in advance!



Chris
 
Microfiber towels are one of those things that are a great idea, but sometimes don't work as advertised and scare some people away. Those are often the cheap kinds... and now to your questions:

<strong class='bbc'>1. Which mircrofiber wash mitt should I use? This seems to bee the area that generates the most swirls for me currently using a chennile mitt. [/b]

I still use a Chenile Pad with no problems, but a few people really like the microfiber mitt fromCMA. It's really important that you rinse your mitt often, and do one section at a time. Dont scrub; gently wipe the paint instead.

<strong class='bbc'>2. Which microfiber towels to dry? What weave is the best for this? Once again, I'm trying to minimize swirls. If I have to wring it out several times, no big deal. Drying a car doesn't take long anyway.[/b]

The Magic/Ultimate/YoSteve towel is the plushest and safest towel available. I would use a synthetic chamois or a blower to remove the majority of the water first. Some people reported good results from the Neatitems microfiber towels too.

<strong class='bbc'>3. Which microfiber towels to remove/buff polish, conditioner, wax, and quick detailers with? The quick detailers may need a different towel based on my reading. [/b]

The Magic/Ultimate/YoSteve towels are still best to remove polishes, waxes, and quick detailers. If you mean removing <em class='bbc'>leather[/i] conditioner, cheap Nicsand ones available at PepBoys do the job well. They are also good for cleaning windows, wiping down the interior, cleaning doorjambs, and the polishing the back of wheels.

Good luck with microfiber! I'll Private Message (PM) you on where to buy the towels.
 
Many people here use chenielle with minimal swirling. Do you have the 100% ones, usually unless it says 100% right on the label it's a blend?



Do you use a two bucket method and inspect and rinse your mitt after ever panel (or every pass?) Do you have more than one mitt, one for your lower panels and one for your HRT (hood, roof, trunk)?



I think that most of all swirls are caused in the washing aspect of a car. It's when rubbing the paint is most vunerable. If you get swirls while you're waxing, you're either using a bad applicator or your car was dirty (hence proper washing is still the key).



Sometimes when the dirt heavily on your paint, there is almost no way to stop the swirlage, only minimize. One thing you can do is not wipe in a swirl fashion. If you are wiping from side to side you will only have linear "swirls"



Other things you can do is make sure you quickdetail only after a good washing. If you QD inbetween washing it...increases your chances...of swirling.



Another thing you can do is to wax your car with a synthetic sealant such as Klasse, Blackfire, Zaino (possible Nu finish, Liquid Glass and others), all of which give you added protection from swirling.





Yes, if you get a quality mf, technically it cannot swirl your paint, but there are many factors besides the towel when rubbing. There are many good towels out there. There are a few that are distinctivly better than all the others, you'll have to do some research and try a few to find ones that you like. :cool:



Finally, I like your approach, I too think prevention is the key. It'll save you cost in the end and maybe some time.



Hope that helps out for you - Steve
 
Thanks BW!



I'm only talking about the exterior.



After doing many searches and listening to you, it sounds like the Yosteve towels are pretty much all I need. I'll wait a little bit longer today and then order a ton of them.



Is there any harm in using the MF towels like an absorber? I don't mind buying a lot of them or wringing them out. I live in a neighborhood of zero lot line homes and don't want to buy a blower that would potentially bother all of my neighbors.



More comments welcome.



Thanks,



Chris
 
No, there is no harm using the microfiber like an Absorber if you don't mind continuously wringing it. I would use one to remove the majority of the water, and two to remove any streaks left.



And YoSteve said it perfectly. Rinse the car with a stream of water as best as you can first. Then clean out the mitt often, use the 2 bucket method, and gently wipe.



Btw, great car! :up
 
Steve,



I basically follow all of your suggestions thus far (I've only had the car 3 weeks - 2 washes) because of reading on this forum and the M5 message board. The one exception (and I think this is my problem) is that my chennile mitt is a synthetic blend. That will change shortly!



One more question: How come the synthetic mitt will leave swirls, but the MF won't? It's synthetic also.



Thanks,



Chris
 
Wipe and wring using your first towel, a lot of wringing ususally.



Then finish with a second mt and use some quickdetailer to aid the librication of the dry mt (while adding shine and preventing streaking).



Good question Chris, I'm not Ron, so I'll answer ;) j/k hehe



Polyester comes in few differnt forms. Most likely the ones in cotton/poly blend (like the kind that scratch in t-shirts that people noticed).



There are many textile variations, one interesting fact is that neither nylon nor polyester absorbs water, but weave them into a thread for a towel and you have magic, well magic towels, haha :D
 
I've been using them around the house for years but only recently on the car. I've found they are terrific for many uses.



I bought some of the jumbo MF towels from Top Of The Line (TOL) and used them today in conjunction with my California Water Blade (CWB) during this morning's car wash. The MF towels worked fantastic for drying the car. I used only one towel to completely dry the car after the CWB removed the majority of water. No way I'm going back to terry towels.



I also use smaller MF towels for window cleaning and wax removal. I bought the set of MF towels from Classic Motoring Access. which came with their Viper Glass Cleaning Cloth. That thing with Sprayway glass cleaner rocks! My windows are amazingly clean. And I thought my previous glass cleaning system was good.



Another MF towel I bought at TOL were their Ultra Suede Polishing Towels. They state these do a better job in polishing as they are very very smooth and have no nap like normal MF towels do. I used the Ultra Suede's to polish my side view mirrors and was very impressed.



So I am 100% sold on MF towels for the car. I'll still use cotton terry for grubby jobs like door jambs, wheels and tires, engine compartment, etc. But its MF for everything else.



Best of luck.
 
but i have to add something or ealse i wouldnt be FLONI,,,,i use MF's for wheels too...not tires but after i wash my cjrome wheels and clean them with a nice terry...i always go over them with a special Mf i save just for that....(neatitems)....i like the ultra suede ones from neat also for interior as its really cool for the dash etc...doesnt get swamped down by sucking in all my 303...BTW...only Mf's touch my door jams...to me...its paint and i want it to look nice...:) neurosis is the cause...sorry...i clean the jams the same as the chrome...first a terry...then a nice MF...only for that purpose(again)....the engine...ok you got me....only terry's in there....AHA...but not the little side parts that touch the p[aint...those are Mf's too....$$$ i know but its an illness...:rolleyes:
 
I agree with YoSteve and those of you who posted above. We are faced with a conundum: we know that rubbing the paint when dirty is dangerous (which is why you don't QD a dirty car), but, to "un-dirty" the paint requires washing and the common approach to washing involves rubbing the paint!

This is my solution, extracted from an earlier post (I recognize that this approach works best in temperate climates, like California).

"Washing a car requires a strict regime to avoid damage, as we know. And, we know that any time you rub the paint you are at risk. Whenever you are about to rub the paint, you better know why you aren’t about to damage the paint.

This means that you have to get as much dirt as possible off the car <em class='bbc'>before[/i] you touch the paint. I rinse with a hose, and then forcefully spray using a hose attachment that mixes car shampoo in with the water. My purpose for the actual washing (mitt to paint) is to remove film, smudges, etc., not dirt particles. The last thing I want to do is to try to rub off dirt particles, large or small. That is just going to abrade the paint. The two-bucket system is vital. I use three (! -- my commitment hearing is coming up next week).

Even with this "pre-wash" technique, frequent and thorough rinsing of the mitt is vital. Rinsing when you can see dirt on the mitt is too late. If you can see the dirt, it means you have already been rubbing the paint with a dirty mitt. It is also important not to "scrub" the paint with the mitt.

There are two earlier steps that are key to the process:

a. try to not let the car get too dirty to begin with and,

b. if it does get dirty (despite garaging and covering), don't let dirt get "caked and baked" on to the car.

The two points above mean:

1. keeping the car garaged and covered when parked out of the garage, and

2. checking-out the car when you come out from a store, etc., to see if you have any bird bombs or other contaminants on the paint and removing them right then before they have a chance to set or dry on the paint.

Using this approach, my car never gets "dirty" to begin with. Now, in bad weather, mud, etc., it takes a lot more work to use this approach. It means not really "washing" the car, but carefully removing mud splashes, etc. immediately, before they harden and while they can be rinsed off or, if you did not get to them quickly enough, trying to hose them off with pressure or letting them soak in a shampoo solution. I just assume that if I have to forcefully rub, there is a significant chance I am about to damage the paint -- maybe a lot, or maybe just a tiny bit, but something.

Following this procedure exactly can be challenging in many cases (e.g., if you have constantly muddy roads in your neiborhood, you have frequent bad weather, etc.). But, to the extent it can be followed, the chances of paint damage are reduced.
 
darbh said it perfectly! My car really never sees any dirt or mud, or hardly any rain, so washing is really just rinsing and slight agitation on bird droppings, etc.
 
Thanks for the complement, BW. I appreciate your kind thoughts.

Swinging back to the mainstream of the topic, here are some of my thoughts on towels:

MF is great for many applications. They do produce miracle results. Where you are possibly dealing with any particles on paint, however, you want to go with a towel that has long, dense loops. This produces a deep nap (to reduce the rubbing of dirt into the paint -- dirt particles can go up, into the nap).

Unfortunately, no MF that I know of is made with long, dense nap. To do so would probably quintuple (or more) the amount of yarn required, and make the towel even more expensive. As MF yarn costs decline, and manufacturing techniques improve, I presume (and hope) we will see deep nap MF. Until then, deep nap can only be found in cotton or poly towels.

In cotton towels, my order of preference is:

<strong class='bbc'>In a class of their own:[/b]

Canning Vale for Macy's ($30) (may be Canning Vale's Eloquence line)

Seems not to be carried on their website.

Platinum ($32) (Bloomingdale's custom brand)
http://www.bloomingdales.com/departments/product.jsp?department=home+store&category=bath&subcategory=towels&productId=37397&prodindex=3

<strong class='bbc'>Excellent:[/b]
Charisma Select ($12.99)
http://www.fieldcrestoutlet.com/charseltow.html

<strong class='bbc'>Very Good:[/b]
Charisma ($9.99)
http://www.fieldcrestoutlet.com/chartow1stqu.html

<strong class='bbc'>Acceptable [/b](but only buy if budget really does not allow for better -- for only $4.50 more you can get a Charisma, or, better, a Select, see note below):

Royal Velvet ($5.49)
http://www.fieldcrestoutlet.com/royalvelvetirr.html


(There is a sale going on at Fieldcrest, now, so you can buy below the above prices for the next ten days or so).

There is is huge difference between a Royal Velvet and a Charisma and particularly a Charisma Select.

<em class='bbc'>Note that the Charismas and the Charisma Selects are about the same price now.[/i] This is because:

1. the price of the Select has come down.

2. the Select bath towel is significantly larger than a regular Charisma bath towel.

So, they are about the same price per square inch! Therefore, there is little reason to buy regular Charismas -- particularly if you cut the bath size towels into multiple small towels, as is common. Just buy fewer Selects, but end up with the same amount of toweling (the same square footage).

The only problem with getting Selects is you need patience -- the white irregulars are not always available -- and, if you buy "non-irregulars" they are expensive (reg price, $29.99). If you were going to pay that much, you might as well buy a Macy's Canning Vale or a Bloomies Platinum.

P.S. -- Added a couple hours after writing the above. It seems these folks offer a better price on Charismas, $6.30, -- : http://www.thompsongroup.com/ls/temp/display.cfm?PATTERN_SYNTAX=CTN&cartid=djke2748
 
Chris,



"Which microfiber towels to remove/buff polish, conditioner, wax, and quick detailers with? The quick detailers may need a different towel based on my reading."





I guess some folks will laugh at this? However, I love the Nicsand Microfiber detailing towels available at Pep Boys. I use them for removing glaze and wax.



I have several NicSand Towels dedicated for glass cleaning. I have good luck with a Stoner's and NicSand Towel glass cleaning regime.
 
The Nics, being a little rougher, work well on glass. And, since glass scratches less readily than paint, the roughness is not a problem.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Protegextwo [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>Chris,

"Which microfiber towels to remove/buff polish, conditioner, wax, and quick detailers with? The quick detailers may need a different towel based on my reading."


I guess some folks will laugh at this? However, I love the Nicsand Microfiber detailing towels available at Pep Boys. I use them for removing glaze and wax.

I have several NicSand Towels dedicated for glass cleaning. I have good luck with a Stoner's and NicSand Towel glass cleaning regime. [/b]</blockquote>
:eek: Well, to each his own, I suppose, but that's scary to me! NicSand works okay on glass until you look closely and see all of the horrible lint it leaves (until you wash it a ton of times and all of the fiber goes away :rolleyes: ). But on paint, NicSands are just plain scary! Rub one on a CD for a few seconds and you'll see what I mean. They scratch.

Try out some MT's from yosteve.com or CMA (properautocare.com). Great towels, good price at some places. I love mine. Another option are the neatitems.com towels. Each towels have their benefits, but I don't really even use nicsands in my interior much.

puter
 
the thing about nicsand is that many use them for interior glass and stuff which is good, but then they use it on other interior components (like they forget) like the speedo and chrome and stuff. I got some swirling in my plastic radio face, so I have them to my mom for house work. It's too risky, IMO.



darbh, I also wanted to comment on your prewash techniques. I go around my car and foam up the dirty spots without even touching the paint (foam dispenser ;) ) I just let the foam sit there and do it's thing.



I am also a big fan of washing after/during rain. My car sits in the company lot all day and it rains 90% of the dirt off, by the end of the day water loosens all the dirt and when I get home I give it a good rinse, give it a little soap and boom my car is clean again. (the Klasse barrier helps though, dirt comes right off)
 
darbh,



I guess I can answer your PM here. The bath towel from linensource is the same size as the other Charisma Bath towel sold elsewhere. I got several which I obtained from linensource and Ross and they look and feel the same.
 
neomatrix - thanks for the info. That's a great price for a Charisma bath towel. Thanks for posting the info and sharing it.
 
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