Chamois vs. MF waffle-weave towel for drying

[The Critic]

I have been using the Cobra waffle-weave drying towels religiously for the last two years. I always use them damp to dry the car, and they are washed in the washing machine after each use.

I have begun noticing that I am leaving swirls on the paint, especially on the dark grey Prius. Although I cannot pinpoint the cause to be the drying towel, I suspect that it is the reason why the swirls exist.

Therefore, I am thinking about switching to synthetic chamois. All of the car dealers (yes, I know they are the best example) I have seen use chamois to dry their vehicles and not MF towels, so there has to be a reason why.

Thanks.

 

[Garak]

Try the ArmorAll synthetic chamois, the one in the plastic tube. It seems to be rather gentle and durable.

 

[The Critic]

I think I am going to start using the stuff that dealers and other production detail facilities use. The stuff they use has to last longer than the consumer and hobbyist grade stuff.

Think I'll go with the P&S Chamois. P&S has a strong following here in the Bay Area by most car dealerships, and they have a retail store near my workplace.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DRY-QUICK-SYNTHE...2#ht_1791wt_250

 

[Garak]

That's pretty good, and a decent price, too. I haven't seen them up close, though. What sold me on the ArmorAll one is that it at least appears to be rather durable, yet gentle.

 

[The Critic]

http://mbworld.org/forums/2489737-post11.html

 

[SatinSilver]

Uber plush microfiber is the latest and best thing to use for drying. Most gentle to the finish to avoid swirls. The gray towel is on sale for $23 and is the one I'm referring to. Use a metro air force blaster if you really want to go all out. They make a mini blaster for sale on autogeek for around $80 or just use a leaf blower which is great for the cracks and crevices.

http://www.detailersdomain.com/Drying_c_89.html

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Uber plush microfiber is the latest and best thing to use for drying. Most gentle to the finish to avoid swirls. The gray towel is on sale for $23 and is the one I'm referring to. Use a metro air force blaster if you really want to go all out. They make a mini blaster for sale on autogeek for around $80 or just use a leaf blower which is great for the cracks and crevices.

http://www.detailersdomain.com/Drying_c_89.html

I have one of those already and the towel is starting to feel kind of rough. I am curious if this could be the cause of my swirls? My mitts get replaced fairly frequently and are washed after each use.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
http://mbworld.org/forums/2489737-post11.html


The ArmorAll one is kind of a waffle weave. One thing about a synthetic chamois, though, they solved the durability issue years ago. I have a Canadian Tire synthetic chamois from twenty years ago that is still very serviceable.

 

[cadfaeltex]

If you think it is the waffle weaves, try the cd test. Find an old cd and wipe the towel across it like you are drying it. If it damages the cd it will damage your clear coat. I've been told you can bring MF towels back to life by dry cleaning them but haven't tried it. Soaking them in a tub of hot water and APC before washing I have done and found it to work. I've got some MF drying towels that are 6 years old or better and still don't mar.

 

[RTexasF]

I don't care for waffle weave towels at all but the correct usage is to dab the water off not wipe it off. I use a gas leaf blower to knock off 99% and dab up the rest with a regular MF towel

 

[FastEddie]

^ This is what I do also, use a leaf blower to get most of the water off of the car. It's amazing how little water is left on a properly polished/clayed/waxed(or sealed) car after you use a leaf blower on it. Although I do use a very soft waffle weave to blot up the rest of the water that's left.

 

[Turk]

Leaf Blower. Never tried it, but I will now!

 

[matrass]

to the OP , what is your wash method ? are you using one bucket for solution or two, one wash and one rinse. are you using a rinseless wash and what type of wash media do you use. look at the bottom of your wash bucket when you are done with your wash and see if there is any find dirt in it. if so the wash media is the culprit. I take a paper towel to my wash bucket when I am done with it and wipe it along the bottom \ sides of the bucket and there are no traces of dirt in it. if there were I would know it is time replace my current wash media or rinse the media better before it goes back into the wash solution. if the paint surface and your wash bucket are clean after the wash, then the towels may be the culprit.

 

[SatinSilver]

I remember one top notch detailer would boil his mircofibers. Using a dedicated MF laundry detergent would probably restore them nicely also. Check AG and read the reviews.

 

[abycat]

You need to use microfibre for drying for sure. You also need to have two buckets for washing both with grit quards. One bucket has the soap in it and the other one is clean water for rinsing the wash tool your using. Remember to rinse it out before each dunk into the soap buket to get all the dirt out. You should foam on a strong soap mixture then rinse it off to get the larger grit and dirt off prior to hand washing it.

 

[GMBoy]

Get the best of both worlds...the waffle weave of a MF with the ability to reuse like a syn chamois.

I use this one and love it - Been using it for 2 or 3 years now and only now does it seem like it needs to be replaced so I will get another one.

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/dimpled+synthetic+chamois.do?sortby=ourPicks