Which Microfiber towel for detail spray? I'm confused.

S

Slick71ss

New member
I was directed here by someone on a Chevelle forum and now I'm more confused on what Microfiber towels to buy. Please help!



My main purpose for a MF towel is using it with a quick detail spray. I have a beautiful black paint job, but it's lacquer so very delicate. Looking for a good towel that won't break the bank. I realize the cheapy Ebay type are out of the question, but something around $3 a towel would be nice. If that's not possible, I can spend more.



Your specific suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
 
My advice, buy the most expensive microfiber towel money can buy. Get a nice thick towel and a nice gigantic surface size. You really wont regret it. For $3 all you'll get is what you can hope to be 70/30 microfiber in a 12" square nothing much more. There's a ton of new options out there on most detailing sites.
 
if you want something right away that can be found locally, go to your nearest k-mart and pick up the green viking quick detailing microfiber towel (the quality is just as nice as the boutique brands)! :up



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sorry for the crappy pic... :o
 
imacarnut said:
if you want something right away that can be found locally, go to your nearest k-mart and pick up the green viking quick detailing microfiber towel (the quality is just as nice as the boutique brands)! :up



IM000114.JPG




sorry for the crappy pic... :o
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I picked up three of those towels ,have you tried them out and how do like the towels?

I found the super K-kamart by the house is selling the exact towels i have purchased on line..
 
joe.p said:
I picked up three of those towels ,have you tried them out and how do like the towels?
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i rank them up there with all my other high quality top notch (pakshak, cobra, etc..) mf's. they're excellent!
 
I too find the Viking at Walmart great and up there with the quality boutique mfs. Also, chemical guys ultra chubby mf are the thickest/softest mf I have recently seen.
 
In all honesty, I wouldn't be using ANY towel with any QD on a soft lacquer, especially if the paint is in good shape to begin with. You will get some micro marring that will accumulate over time and really start to bug you, UNLESS you only QD after washing or while the car has been sitting in the garage with no driving. That's just my opinion.



I prefer the Cobra Super Plush for QD duty as they have a very thick, soft nap on one side with a shorter nap on the other for the final buff, and they have microfiber borders rather than silk which I prefer.



Locally, I buy and use the Meguiar's (I forgot the name now) MF towels. They're yellow and are 16"x24" which is what's most important to me in a QD towel.
 
benvegas said:
My advice, buy the most expensive microfiber towel money can buy. Get a nice thick towel and a nice gigantic surface size. You really wont regret it. For $3 all you'll get is what you can hope to be 70/30 microfiber in a 12" square nothing much more. There's a ton of new options out there on most detailing sites.
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Bad advice.....the more money you spend doesn't guarantee better quality. Please do some research before you help someone else spend their money. You should check Chemical Guys Chubby towels..They are 8.75mm thick and are 16x16 in size. You can buy 12 for under $33...I love them...do a search on here and you can find others that are happy with them and also compare them to the higher price MF that others have purchased.
 
Eliot Ness said:
Don't skimp on the quality of MF towels you buy for that black lacquer paint. The most plush and soft MF I've gotten to date is the new Monster Fluffy from Detailers Paradise.



Here is a recent thread about that MF:



http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=76684
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Agreed, I just stopped by there the other day and grabbed a few. Right now their on sale 3 for $19.95 A great deal.



http://www.detailersparadise.com/View.asp?Id=603312005617062-691513519674





Easily the plushest / softest towels, I have in my extensive collection. Next on my list to repurchase.





Check em out!
 
Well, me being Mr cheapo, I bought 12 of the Microfibertech Elite Microfiber Towels. I think this was a mistake! They don't seem thick and soft enough to me. Maybe I'm expecting too much from a MF towel though? In the past I bought some cheap MF towels on Ebay, but those actually seemed better than these towels! The Elite does have longer threads or nap on the one side, but it seems flimsy or thin. I thought they would be more dense. The short nap side is looped, which seems like it would scratch, so I'll just use that side for glass cleaning.



Just to clear up what I use the detail spray and towels for...



I barely drive this car. It sits in the garage and I dust it every other day with a duster. When I take it out for a drive, she gets dusted off when I return. I then use the quick detail spray if needed. If I happen to run through a puddle or something, I just spot wash the affected area with a bucket of car wash and then rinse with a clean water bucket. I've only washed the whole car 2 times since I've owned it. Once when I trailered it home and the other when it came back from a paint shop repair. I just cringe when I have to get the whole car wet.
 
Why do you cringe when you get the car wet? If you don't wash your car, there are higher chances that you will be damaging your paint from your duster and MF towel which is carrying around all the particles. I would wash it, at the very least, occasionally.



So how do you perform a full detail on your car if it's not washed? Polishing/waxing will cause marring if the paint surface isn't completely clean.
 
Slick71ss- Welcome to Autopia!



I've had (uhm...thinking...) three, maybe four cars with black lacquer and I currently have a Jag with lacquer that's almost as soft as they were. I second the caveats about QDing it, I just can't imagine not instilling some light marring. I can't QD/dust my Jag without marring it and heaven knows I've tried...even when it looked like I did OK, magnification and good lighting showed otherwise :(



Oh, and I wash old cars with no problems at all...nothing to worry about. I don't mean to sound all :nono or anything, just trying to steer you in the right direction. I see far too many neat cars, whose owners are trying to take care of them, that are all marred up and in need of serious (and avoidable) paint correction...even most "showcars"that I see are a mess. It's hard enough to wash without marring the paint, and washing is a *lot* easier to do correctly than QDing is.



OK, end of lecture :o ..back to the original topic: I'd test the MFs you're using on the data side of a CD/DVD. That surface is generally a little softer than most automotive paint, but IMO it's not too different from black lacquer. If the towels mar the CD, no way would I touch your car with them. If I *had* to QD I'd use the "Monster Fluffy" (you can't imagine what it's like until you hold one in your hand, I thought I'd seen 'em all but *wow*) and I'd turn/fold/replace it a zillion times...I'd probably need at least six to do a car the size of yours and probably more than that. Once the MF picks up any dirt it turns into sandpaper (no, the dirt doesn't really migrate up into the nap away from your paint, at least not like people expect it to).
 
No offense taken to the advice or questioning. That's what I'm here for, to learn what I need to do to keep my paint nice.



Guess I've implied that I've owned this car for a long time. I've only had it for about a year. Guess I can wash it a few more times a year. :doh I just have this fear of water getting under moldings or areas I can't dry and rust start to form. I've only done a full detail wax/polish once, and that was after the 1st wash.



This paint job is about 10 years old! So, it's far from being "mar" free. I would say it's far better than average for a 10 year old paint job though. My garage has bright florescent lighting, and believe me, there's no hiding the marring and light scratches in there! I just want to prolong that inevitable day when I'll have to shell out 10 grand for a new paint job. :eek:



I'm going to have the car professionally buffed and polished soon, and I believe that 95% of the marring will be taken care of. Hopefully by then, I'll know the proper way to take care of the finish. :2thumbs:



I'll try the blank cdr test with my towels. Thanks for the tip.



Here's a couple pics of my ride and paint...



chevelle047tj4.jpg


chevelle052bt7.jpg


chevelle012oy8.jpg
 
^^ Beautiful car!



BTW, your mention of "I'm going to have the car professionally buffed and polished soon" will make many of us Autopians cringe! ;) Where are you getting it done, if that's not too much to ask?



If you don't mind me making a suggesiton (unless you're already doing what I'm about to suggest), I'd say contact one of the detailers here on Autopia that is also in your area, if that's possible.
 
paul34 said:
^^ Beautiful car!



BTW, your mention of "I'm going to have the car professionally buffed and polished soon" will make many of us Autopians cringe! ;) Where are you getting it done, if that's not too much to ask?



If you don't mind me making a suggesiton (unless you're already doing what I'm about to suggest), I'd say contact one of the detailers here on Autopia that is also in your area, if that's possible.
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I'm trying to get a local paint guy agree to detail my car. He's the #1 classic car or hotrod painter in town, and there's usually a long wait to get in. That's if he even agrees to work on your car. He's very selective about what car or who he works for. Guess when you're known as the best, you can do that.



I didn't know there are professional detailers on the site. I'll have to look around. It would have to be someone with a good reputation and one who has knowledge of older paint jobs.
 
Nice Camaro!



I use PakShak UltraSmooth towels with my Z-8 and Crystal mist sprays. I also recommend the Monster Fluffy towel.
 
BTW, your mention of "I'm going to have the car professionally buffed and polished soon" will make many of us Autopians cringe!
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What part would make you guys cringe? The fact that I'm not doing it myself? Maybe that I would take it somewhere that wouldn't know what they're doing either?



I've never used a buffing machine and this car isn't the paint job I want to learn on. At the moment, I can't afford a high dollar paint job if I were to goof up and burn through the paint or something like that.





Nice Camaro!
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Thanks! :chuckle:
 
naw, its just that so many people have had their cars "professionally done" by places which a poor excuse for a detailing place, that it is concerning. But it looks like you were able to find someone who knows what they're doing to do it, so it should turn out great! Make sure to take pics of the afters! :2thumbs:
 
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