This topic is entirely subjective. People who've never had to maintain a car before or really don't bother with detailing will say the cheap ones are okay; and that's fine, they're "ok" for them. Enthusiasts and car care experts will tell you otherwise. I've been professionally detailing cars (fulltime job, now as a part time side gig/hobby) for about 8 years. There is absolutely a difference between the cheap towels and the premium towels. Cheap towels sometimes have hard edges and will leave micro-swirls in the clear. . and will become apparent under optimal lighting conditions. Some also come with nylon tags that when you rip off, will leave a hard edge. Accidently swipe it across the pain? Yup, then re-polish that area and wax it over again.


Ultimately, it really comes down to how much you give a damn. Want to cheap out? Go for it. You honestly get what you pay for.

The rag company is a really good place fairly cheap.


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Thank you for that. As this is my first new car I am wanting to take care of her best I can, if that means spending a few more $'s then that is worth it for me.

watch this video and learn some tips and tricks

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiGj5f0l5as"]Tutorial: how to wash your car (best car wash methods by Auto Obsessed) - YouTube[/ame]

List o' products:

Wash + Dry
------------

Touch Paint?
- Microfiber Wash Mitt (If you can find a Daiso near you, it's 1.50 each, but half the size)
-- [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-Chenille-Microfiber-Scratch-Free/dp/B003TTL0TE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1424118135&sr=8-2&keywords=microfiber+wash+mitt"]Amazon.com: Chemical Guys MIC493 Chenille Microfiber Premium Scratch-Free Wash Mitt: Automotive[/ame]

-- http://www.homedepot.com/p/Quickie-A...8?N=5yc1vZc65m

- Waffle weave for initial drying (soak up all the leftover water)
-- http://www.theragcompany.com/Dry-Me-...?categoryId=-1

- Microfiber towels for buffing / last step drying:
-- http://www.theragcompany.com/16-x-16...-1616-B-EL.htm

Wheels / Interior / Windows
- Costco Yellow Microfiber (be sure to keep wheel towels separate from everything else lol)
-- http://www2.costco.com/Browse/Produc...atchallpartial

- Cleaning the inside of windshields (for when fat fingers can't reach)
-- http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-Small...ZbqsiZ9tkZ12kx



Funny tip regarding Costco towels that @Junkman2008 brought up - you may notice that the cheap microfiber towels can grab and hold onto dirt/leaf/crud particles quite well. You can use this to your advantage by throwing one Costco towel in with the rest of your nicer towels when washing, the Costco towel may pick up any dirt particles stuck to them (such as when a nicer towel is accidentally dropped on the floor - oops)




Paint protection + detailing (warning: I am a Griot's guy)
------------

- Paint sealant (you're going to opti-coat, so probably don't need/want this)
-- http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...nt+8+ounces.do

- Spray-on Wax (right after car wash)
-- http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...x+35+ounces.do

- Detailing spray (begone bugs and bird poop)
-- http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/speed+shine.do

- Clay bar
-- http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...eaning+clay.do


Note regarding clay bar - if you're gonna do it, you're going to need to do paint correction as well. Clay bar will introduce swirls/microscratches when you use it, which will need to be polished out. Some wax/sealant products mask the swirls quite well, but it is up to you if you want to do it "right" or do it "good enough". I used to be in the "good enough" club....but every time the sun hits it juuuust right, I regret it.

I purposely left out all the paint correction products other than the clay bar, because I haven't gotten to that level of detailing yet. :thumbup: I also don't have recommendations on soap, pick your favorite. :D

Cheaper if you just buy it locally. I just went to liquidation stores to get microfibre cloths for 1$ each.
And if they feel sticky, they're microfibre.

I've had really good luck with these for just about anything except initial drying (use a waffle weave for that):

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Cobra-Deluxe-Microfiber-Towels-Pack/dp/B001LTVCBU"]Amazon.com: Cobra Deluxe Jr. 600 Microfiber Towels 3 Pack: Automotive[/ame]

use quality microfiber towels and use waffle towels to dry your car. i use 2 waffle towels and 4 micro fiber towels when i wash n detail car. i get my stuff from a local detail shop here in honolulu.

MICROPAK 25" x 36" Ultra-Soft Waffle Weave Micro Fiber Towel

MICROPAK 16" x 16" "Big Boy" Ultra-Plush Micro Fiber Towel 530 gsm

i got all my microfiber towels from microfibertech. awesome towels, tagless, washed several times and hang dried. each time looks and feels new again (only been 2 months though).

Microfiber Tech/Rag Company/Detailer's Domain/Autoality. There are many companies to get reasonably priced higher quality towels for cheaper prices than you would at a local AutoZone. The main key is buying in bulk. Now Microfiber Madness towels from CarPro blow them all away but are quite a bit steeper in price. As a general rule, take a look at country of manufacturing and assembly to gauge quality. From best to worst Manufactured/Assembly in Korea -> Manufactured in China/Assembled in Korea -> Manufactured/Assembly in China. Now there are always exceptions, I've had great towels completely made in China and horrible towels completely sourced from Korea. But overall it does work somewhat well. The second piece is proper care. This will keep your towels in better paint-safe condition longer. While a dedicated microfiber cleaner may not seem worth it over a dye/scent free detergent I do believe there is a difference but it could be perception. Personally I like 3D Towel Kleen since it's very economical if you can source it locally as shipping can be expensive from them.

Ensure you keep fabric softeners away and only wash with other microfibers to avoid contamination. Any color bleed from towel to towel is purely cosmetic and does not affect performance (most often seen with black towels to white towels).

I have two big waffle weave microfibers from Adam's Polishes for my finish drying.
http://adamspolishes.com/shop/access...ing-towel.html

I also have their waterless wash microfibers, which if waterless wash/ONR is something you ever do, I highly recommended towels dedicated for this purpose. Typically they will have bigger "pockets" in the weave to capture the small amounts of dust/dirt.

For stuff like wheel wells and various portions of the engine bay, I just use cheap microfibers that I will more than likely throw away afterwards.

I got a 20 (or 30 pack?) of blue micro fiber cloths from Sams Club for about $10. They aren't super fancy, but they do the job just fine IMO. I do understand that some people are much more attentive to their detailing than I am though. When the Sam's cloths get worn out, I just toss em out, my pack has lasted me over a year. Although, I just do a simple wash every few weeks, and wax every 4-6 months.

+1 on the Costco/Sam's Club microfiber towels. The 30 pack is cheap and they get the job done, a plus is you don't feel bad when they get worn out.