Cheap microfiber cloths
 

Anyone tried these? What can I expect for the quality of these over one from a vendor? Microfiber is microfiber isn't it? Educate me please.

http://maximmart.com/microfiber-detailing-towels/

use them and monitor if they llint/scratch the paint (or anything for that matter) and how they feel after repeated washings. if there isn't any negative effects, keep using them...

Yes

i personally like the Chemcial Guys MF towels

after many uses/washes they still are as soft and clean as when i first got them
they barely llint

ive used them for washing, drying, removal of compounds, polishes and waxes etc etc

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-MIC3336G-Professional-Microfiber/dp/B00BTGSID0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1424108842&sr=8-2&keywords=chemical+guys+microfiber"]Amazon.com: Chemical Guys MIC3336G El Gordo Professional Extra Thick Supra Microfiber Towels, Green - 16.5 in. x 16.5 in. (Pack of 6): Automotive[/ame]

lets see if @DetailersDomain and @Stay Fresh Car Care will join in and give some good responses

That's what I thought, looking for more detailed answer though, don't want to harm my car.

Thanks, I'll check those out!

There is a difference in quality of microfiber towels. The care and uptake of them matters in their longevity as well.

If you buy cheap, you can just throw them away and not worry about upkeep. ive always heard its safer that way anyways

the upkeep isnt hard to do at all

wash in warm/cold water, not HOT
dont use fabric softener
dry with warm/cold heat, not HOT


why waste money?

So my dilemma is this then:
1. Spend $30 or so on some "good" towels, reuse these until they are worthless.
2. Spend $30 or so on some "not-so-good" towels and throw away after use.
Could someone point me in the direction of some "good" towels they have used before and currently reuse? I've never had a nice enough car that I've had to take car of like this, so spending $30 on just a few towels seems a little silly to me, but I'm still learning..
I plan on washing/waxing my car bi-weekly, so I guess I don't need bulk towels. I will be getting opti-coat and a clearbra on the front eventually, so just starting out, can someone list products that I'll need? Looking to stay under $120.

Just get one large drying micro fiber and never use it to pick up dirt, just to dry. Then buy cheap microfibers for small amounts of dirt left over after your wash your car, and then once those are too dirty to use on your car, keep them for wheels and other uses. then trash em. In my experience, nothing beats a brand new towel, no point on reusing .25 cent towels a milllion times. all it takes is one small piece of dirt, salt, metal shaving, etc to be in a old towel and then you start using that on your car. also waxing your car that much seams a little over kill

This is a false statement.

You want to look at the different grams per sq meter (gsm) grade of the microfiber cloth. If it isn't listen then it is probably very low, and isn't going to be any softer, or better than using a towel (maybe worse in some cases).

There are also other factors that make up the differences, and qualities of mf towels that are less important, but you might want to be aware of them - almost all mf towels are going to be a blend of polyester, and polyamide, which will also determine the absorbency to a degree.

The split (segments per fiber) will also determine how effective the mf towel is at cleaning - 'non-split' "mf" towels that account for much of what you see on the market are non-absorbent and ineffective; if you're using that pack of yellow mf towels that you got at Costco, you are putting fine scratches in your clear coat - save those for cleaning the interior, wheels, and stuff around the house. You will see this as a fine, sort of "spider-web" like shimmer in your paint if you look over it in the sunlight.

I buy all of my mf towels from this website - http://www.carpro-us.com/microfiber-towels/ if you click on any of the products, it will show you the gsm grade, and the blend. I don't use anything less than 360 gsm for cleaning my car.

This is all going to be personal preference, as some people are going to be less detail-oriented, or care about the minor imperfections, or marring their incurring to their vehicle if it means they saved money, or they don't care about how many times they're having to buff their paint (my car is opti-coated, so I can't buff my paint without stripping the coating, so this is especially important to me).

Ultimately, this is what you're using to clean your car for the next year, two years, three years? Until it's totaled, or won't run anymore? To each their own, but you should be aware that all mf towels are absolutely not the same; I personally don't believe in cutting corners with anything that I truly care about.

GL, and I hope that that helped give you a bit of the education you were seeking.

Costco or Sam's club where I live had a whole bag of 30 for like $15 I think. They are yellow color and work very well. Cheap and easily replaceable

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.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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.