First let me explain that I have been detailing my cars/trucks for over 20 years. I'm also a pretty diehard Meguiar's and Griot's user.

So I decided to try some microfiber towels that everyone seems to be raving about. Not just here, but on several of the auto forums. So I bought a 3 pack, oh about 6 months ago. Can't remember the brand, but they were not cheapies.

Haven't really tried them before for wax removal, only for cleaning glass (whick they work pretty well). But my last session with the wax, I tried to use the microfiber towel to remove the dried wax. Whoooooa! I just about blew out my elbows rubbing so hard and it sill didn't remove all the wax. Grabbed one of my trusty cotton terry towels and the wax came off without a hitch.

I'm willing to try this again. Heck, everyone keeps raving about these things, so there must be something to them. But what am I doing wrong? Maybe I need to get better/different microfiber towels? Or are they really only good for buffing and not wax removal.

 

It took me awhile to make the switch also so don't worry. You kind of have to have products that are matched for microfiber. Now that I've got the products and towels I couldn't go back to towels and I'm also a pro detailer.

What kind of wax were you using?

Since you've been detailing awhile you probably understand the difference in the cutting action of different buffer pads. I find that towels are somewhat the same.
They are awesome at picking up waxes that either have a very thin coating or are very oily. Like taking off a glaze that can leave streaks of oil or a wax that you take off wet (P21S or S100). They're excellent for that. Awesome for taking off finger prints when you're inspecting the car before giving it back to the customer.

For the waxes that have a thicker or chaulky residue, then I find microfiber doesn't work that well. It just doesn't grab the residue and pull it off the paint. Stuff like Meguiar's #26, 3M's Cleaner Wax, PRO's Satin Creme, etc. I find cotton takes those products off the best.

So, Oily or thin residue = Microfiber
Thick or chaulky residue = Cotton Towels

I use microfiber for several things.
1) buffing off the residue after I compound w/ my rotary. It leaves a very thin coating behind that has a good bit of oil in it. Cotton just smears it around and doesn't remove it.
2) Taking off my polish. Same reasons as #1.
3) Buffing off P21S and Poorboy's EX-P. Both have a thin residue that's easy to take off. One wipe w/ a MF towel is all it takes to clear the surface of residue especially with that EX-P. Some awesome stuff there!
4) Interior I clean windows and any clear plastic (Guage cluster, radio face, etc.) For all vinyl, leather, dash, etc. I stick with cotton.
5) Here's where they really shine. Windows! I use one wet w/ window cleaner and a dry one for a final buffing. With PRO's window cleaner and a MF towel I can get streak free windows in the full sun with the cleaner steaming off the hot window. I've also started using Stoner's Invisible Glass with the same results. Will be testing Hi-Temp's Window Cleaner Concentrate as I run out of Invisible Glass.

 

I agree with Intel's comments about what types of wax seem to benefit from MF.

Also, the quality of towels makes a big difference too, and price is not necessarily an indicator. If you bought a 3-pack of MF towels locally, I bet $20 they are not very good compared to a number of on line/mail order vendors.

 

Maybe an even simpler explanation..... Could you have applied the wax you used a little too heavy? I find that most of the newer polishes and waxes need to be used sparingly and really worked in until they only leave a faint haze. I run Meg's #7, #9, and #26 on my truck, and UPC / UPP (synthetic products) on my wife's SUV. My MF's work great with all these products and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Just a couple thoughts.

-Mike-

 

Sorry for the late reply...

I was using Meguiars Gold Class wax, liquid. But I also tried some #26, #7 and Zymol (different cars). All were applied with Meguiars sponge applicator on a cool surface, but keep in mind it is over 110 in the garage so the wax dries almost instantly. If MF just doesn't do the thicker liquid waxes justice, then I would agree that all the ones I used were the thicker residue ones.

I just got a bottle of NXT but I haven't tried that with a MF buff off. That should work better.

As for applying too heavy, that's a possibility, but I had no problem at all removing it with a cotton terry rag. And I have done this long enough to know not to glop it on.

Honestly, I don't know if my MF are junk or not. I don't recall the brand, but I'm pretty sure I got them at Pep Boys and they were labeled for auto use. But thy do work great for glass. I use the same technique as Intel486 and I will give it a big

I assume most of you are waxing and buffing a small section at a time, before the wax really dries hard? My problem could be that the wax essentially dries instantly because it is so hot (in the summer, at least). I'm willing to invest in some better MF, but I hope you understand my trepidation. What do you guys think?

 

Pep Boys you say? Could they be Zwipes? I bought them when I first heard about MF towels. Man these things are awful. I use these and they work great. I really suggest getting some or other recommended towels.

 

Hey man, wasn't insinuating you were globbing , just thought that maybe you had applied whatever you were using a little heavier than recommended.

And not to flame on your Pep Boys towels, but I'd almost guarantee you can get better MF towels than those. I get mine from Dwayne at www.Premiumautocare.com , and they've been super at removing whatever polish / wax I've used. You might wanna try a couple of these and use the Pep Boys towels exclusively for the windows and interior moldings.

 

No, no, no. Didn't think that at all. Just my use of colorful metaphors

Quote:

And not to flame on your Pep Boys towels, but I'd almost guarantee you can get better MF towels than those. I get mine from Dwayne at www.Premiumautocare.com , and they've been super at removing whatever polish / wax I've used. You might wanna try a couple of these and use the Pep Boys towels exclusively for the windows and interior moldings.

I think what I was trying to say is that I didn't just buy them from a swap meet or something. When I bought them a couple of years ago, a few web sites/users/detailers had been recomending them as descent. Hey, they could be junk and that is why they don't work.

I hope you understand where I'm coming from... I try some MF towels and have poor results, so I'm leary of laying down more $$ on new ones. Plus, I've got one of those wives that notices everything new in the garage. And explaining $13 towels takes some tricky talking, if you know what I mean. With a couple hundred $$$ in detailing polishes, clays, cleaners, protectants, and waxes already, I'm watched like a hawk

Any other recommedations on good MF towels? Maybe some that I could find at a local store? I just don't want to have to order online and get only the towels and end up with expensive shipping charges.

Thanks!

 

The ones that Meyer and BigDeal recommended from Premium Auto Care are very good ones. I too purchased some from pepboys, and they are good for windows and dashes. The ones you can order from PAC buffs off #26, NXT, QD, etc off of the paint very easy. One time I thought that MF towels were the same, boy was I wrong. I too saw the problem you are with removing wax with the ones from pepboys. If you join the forum at www.detailcity.com and order online at PAC, you will receive a 10% discount, also, all orders over $75, Dewayne will give you free shipping. Ever since Rockpick told us about PAC, I spent a lot there. Also, these MF towels from PAC are a lot larger then the ones from pepboys, well worth the $12.95.

 

www.microfibertech.com also has good deals on MF.

they have a starter kit which is great to get into the whole MF thing, then you can buy extra's of whatever you like best or use more often. i'll never go back to cotton!

 

Thanks for all the sugestions, guys.

I spend a little bit of time poking around and found the following, in addition to PremiumAutoCare of course:

On Ebay - This seller has several MF towels. Has all the right numbers, but hard to tell. What do you think?

ProperAutoCare.com - Nice looking, but small. Price looks good though.

Autopia - Of course they have some, but are they worth the extra $?

 

Here are some good MF towels. I don't remember them being that expensive though.

http://pakshak.com/

This place also has some ones. I've got his velvet ones for windows now and they work well. I'd check out his 16 x 16 Mega Plush ones. Call him and see what kind of price he can give you. Might also give his EX-P a try. Applied with an orbital it seriously only take a few drops to put a coat on a panel and it works awesome in the heat. I've had to apply it in full sun before.

http://poorboysworld.com/microfiber.htm

I really have a hard time spending more than $5 for a single towel. I wouldn't buy the ones from Properautocare.com I've bought MF towels from them in the past and for the money, they weren't even close to being worth it.

 

Got the same type of wife! Try this though, it worked for me. Detail her vehicle and use one of her 100% cotton (expensive) bath towels to remove the wax. When she catches you using it (and bitches), simply explain that you didn't have any other towels soft / good enough to do the best job on the finish. Now if she would prefer you not use the 'expensive' towels, tell her 'Ok, then I'll order some car specific ones so we don't have this problem again." That's how my first MF order occurred.

 

Ditto but, my wife has used the old school cotton terry, the cheapy mf towels, and my good towels.... she now recognizes the value that I have invested in the towels. Heck, they disappear all the time off my shelf in the garage and I find her using them to clean the house!!!!

 

I bought a pack at costco last year for about $ 10.00. They seem to work pretty well with NXT. I also used them with race glaze, and was pretty happy. They don't seem to work well when I wax my toyota 4-runner, maybe because it is a single stage white, as opposed to the two stage white on my supercrew.

The micro fiber towel seems better to use than conventional terry. I wish they were around when I was a painter. I think they would have worked nice on a freshly buffed black hood!