I have a towel problem...

S

screeby

New member
Background....

I own a 2011 F150 crewcab and 2014 Explorer. About two months ago I polished them, truck with Ultimate Polish, Griot`s cleaner was on the explorer. Used a HF DA with HF Orange pads (I know the pads are junk and they won`t be used again) and the process went well. I finished both with Ultimate Was.

One week later I used Meguiars Fast Finish. Maintenance washing typically with ONR GD method as I have for years.

I am using yellow Costco mf for my washes and haven`t had any issues that I have seen with them in the last 4 years or so.

Saturday I got the explorer in the garage after the kids went to bed, washed and found some what I will call "scratches". I believe they are from my drying waffle weave. I don`t like them as they are cheap and feel "prickly" if that is a word I can use. Rough would maybe work.

I feel I am inducing these with the drying process. They weren`t there the last wash from my memory.

Now, I know there is a drying towel "showdown" in the works and I am watching it but I am wanting to pull the trigger before this is done I am thinking.

I would like to buy at least 3 drying, does anybody have one they wouldn`t live without? Should I buy 3 different ones and see which one I like for done the road? Are there any "clunkers" I need to flat stay away from?

I am like any other working man with a wife and two kids so no money tree but maybe I buy two now and add later. Just intimidating with the amount of towels out there.

I hope this rambling mess makes sense to someone.

KM
 
screeby said:
Background....

I own a 2011 F150 crewcab and 2014 Explorer. About two months ago I polished them, truck with Ultimate Polish, Griot`s cleaner was on the explorer. Used a HF DA with HF Orange pads (I know the pads are junk and they won`t be used again) and the process went well. I finished both with Ultimate Was.

One week later I used Meguiars Fast Finish. Maintenance washing typically with ONR GD method as I have for years.

I am using yellow Costco mf for my washes and haven`t had any issues that I have seen with them in the last 4 years or so.

Saturday I got the explorer in the garage after the kids went to bed, washed and found some what I will call "scratches". I believe they are from my drying waffle weave. I don`t like them as they are cheap and feel "prickly" if that is a word I can use. Rough would maybe work.

I feel I am inducing these with the drying process. They weren`t there the last wash from my memory.

Now, I know there is a drying towel "showdown" in the works and I am watching it but I am wanting to pull the trigger before this is done I am thinking.

I would like to buy at least 3 drying, does anybody have one they wouldn`t live without? Should I buy 3 different ones and see which one I like for done the road? Are there any "clunkers" I need to flat stay away from?

I am like any other working man with a wife and two kids so no money tree but maybe I buy two now and add later. Just intimidating with the amount of towels out there.

I hope this rambling mess makes sense to someone.

KM
Click to expand...
This morning I posted a table of all the towels in testing. Take a look and decide from that. They are all good towels. It really depends on your budget at this point, some at pretty damn good prices for what you get.

Keep in mind the intended use. Some are for regular washes type and some are better for WW or RW.

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I personally don’t think all waffle weaves are created equal. With that being said I like meguiars waffles without the border and the rag company waffles, they seem like they are pretty soft. I very rarely used ww on the paint anymore and only used them on glass since they leave it streak and lint free. IMO they feel grabby on the paint.

For paint Griots PFM or the big blue towel are my favorites, they both have their advantages. I also like the pluffle, On the other hand I don’t care much for the rag companies twistress. It doesn’t feel plush to me, I might try the twist n shout which looks a little nicer or wait on the review. The rag company has great products and excellent customer service, so you can’t go wrong buying from them.
 
Get yourself some the rag company twistress towels and you will be good. Just remember pull the towel over paint. Dont use more than towel pressure. On soft black paints its difficult. I had an Infiniti car that was black and it hard to dry mar free. I purchased a master blaster to help.
 
I liked the microfiber madness waffle weaves. Sorta pricey though. I bought a twistress to try out though. Can`t stomach that cost of the microfiber madness towels again lol.

The meguiars waffle weaves are ok for me. Mine are a little bit older now but they don`t hold much water. I have some guzzlers too, they`re in the middle of the pack for me.

I really feel most of the swirls I get are from drying towels, either pressing too hard or going over the same section too often. My car is a daily driver so I don`t really get too too concerned w light minor swirls that will be taken out w a light polish. My car is also a lease so I don`t get too wrapped up in perfect paint Bc the car won`t be mine for long.


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What towel were you using to dry with before that wasn’t causing the scratches when drying ?

I had the same problem with some waffle weaves.

Have you watched any videos on proper towel drying. It sounds silly but I didn’t know the proper method lol

There is method where you just lay the entire towel flat on the vehicle and sorta pat or press on the towel to absorb the water without moving it what so ever. Most waffle weaves are best at this. There is a method where you place the towel on the panel and then pull by the corners close to you dragging it across like you are pulling a table cloth across a table with just the weight of the towel on the paint to absorb the water. Some towels are good at this.

It almost seems to be an either or. Just depending on what towel you get

Me I was just folding the towel and rubbing it on the paint lol well that doesn’t work apparently unless you have really tough paint and are lucky with towel selection.

So you have to almost determine was type of drying you want. Then pick a towel

Although incredibly long the two part forensic detailing towel video shows some of this technique and some reviews of towels available here

Then you have to decide if you want a giant unwieldy towel or a more manageable size.

There is waffle weave, Fluffy/plush, twisted loop, and a fluffy hybrid type of waffle weave off the top of my head


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NLove said:
I personally don’t think all waffle weaves are created equal. With that being said I like meguiars waffles without the border and the rag company waffles, they seem like they are pretty soft. I very rarely used ww on the paint anymore and only used them on glass since they leave it streak and lint free. IMO they feel grabby on the paint.
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Very true. I`m shocked at the difference between the various waffle weaves. For softness, if go pluffle.

NLove said:
For paint Griots PFM or the big blue towel are my favorites, they both have their advantages. I also like the pluffle, On the other hand I don’t care much for the rag companies twistress. It doesn’t feel plush to me, I might try the twist n shout which looks a little nicer or wait on the review. The rag company has great products and excellent customer service, so you can’t go wrong buying from them.
Click to expand...

The Twistress is nice, about as soft as the rest of this type of towel. Picks up a good amount of water and inexpensive for what it does...

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First off, thank you to all that have replied. I honestly was not sure what type of response this type of post would get.

The responses are what I hoped for.

It appears that Griot`s and the Twistress are getting some love. Being an OTC guy mainly I am "familiar" with Meguiars products so their towel came across my mind but wasn`t sure of quality. It receiving some love is kinda interesting.

I will take a look at the towel comp post and use that to help guide me as well.

Again thanks to all that have given input as it is appreciated.

KM
 
screeby said:
First off, thank you to all that have replied. I honestly was not sure what type of response this type of post would get.

The responses are what I hoped for.

It appears that Griot`s and the Twistress are getting some love. Being an OTC guy mainly I am "familiar" with Meguiars products so their towel came across my mind but wasn`t sure of quality. It receiving some love is kinda interesting.

I will take a look at the towel comp post and use that to help guide me as well.

Again thanks to all that have given input as it is appreciated.

KM
Click to expand...

Hey KM, I tried to PM you but it says you`re not set up for it. If you`d like, I could send you a few towels. Was thinking a Big Blue, GG PFM 16x16 and a TRC Dry Me A River. Let me know man.
 
fly07sti said:
Hey KM, I tried to PM you but it says you`re not set up for it. If you`d like, I could send you a few towels. Was thinking a Big Blue, GG PFM 16x16 and a TRC Dry Me A River. Let me know man.
Click to expand...

I just looked into the PM issue, and it was infact turned off. I am not sure how that happened as I have sent PM`s before on this site, they were still in there actually.

I am sending you a PM shortly.

KM
 
Screeby- IMO anything that touches the paint should be subjected to the CD-test. Do your WWMFs pass?

FWIW, no more Waffle Weaves for me, I do *MUCH* better with plush MF Drying Towels.
 
this is one massive test
thanks for the undertaking
you might consider finding a semi truck and trailer and some scaffolding and a long water hose for this test :)
 
I am with Accum. No waffles for me for drying. I am partial to the Woobie Plush MF for several reasons. One, the Woobie Plush dries very easily without much pressure and is super absorbant. Also, with it being edgeless, this reduces the ability of the MF to scratch due to the lack of stitching for the edging. Also, when drying, you can use a quick detailer or spray wax to assist with the lubrication when drying to help minimize scratching. As backwards as this may seem as well, I will always first rinse the MF, wring it out and then apply a quick detailer or spray wax directly to the MF and work it into the MF a little to make sure I am not drying with a dry MF. Even though it is wet, it still dries very well. I will often apply additional detail spray or spray wax directly to the surface when drying. This is just my personal technique and it has worked well for me for many years to greatly reduce drying induced scratches.

I hope this helps.
 
I`ve slowly phased out all my old waffle weave drying towels and I`m only using Griot`s PFM drying towels now. You can get them locally at Advance Auto Parts...for some reason they actually carry a unique version that is the perfect size and I like the teal boarder too. :)
 
Accum. - I have not done a CD test in quite sometime, to be honest, I don`t think I need to. What may be the worst part about all this is, I am thinking I did this to my self. I go through the work of polishing both over the course of two weekends and then 2 months later I see issues.

NOW. I am not gonna tell you they were perfect. They weren`t. BUT, doing this to a vehicle isn`t cool. It is frustrating. Probably my dutch background of not wanting to spend money on something when I have something that "works" but then burns ya. I guess that is why when I buy some new towels I want them to be the correct towels and will help with this issue. As now winter is coming and here in the NW corner of Iowa we will see pretreat, salt and sand on roads for months.

In the incoming weather I have been known to do a conventional wash. I do this by filling my own 5 gallon bucket with my own water and soap. I soak the vehicle with "rinse" water, wash with my soap and media, rinse. Go to my heated 2 stall attached garage and dry. This has worked for me in the past.

I say that now (i hope not to late) as I would like to use the drying towels for this as well. I don`t know why it would be an issue but thought I should throw it out there.

KM
 
screeby- I absolutely dohn`t want to turn this into some argument, but I don`t get how initial (and even ongoing) CD-testing isn`t necessary. Some of my previously-OK MFs (and other previously-OK stuff as well) will now mar paint under some conditions. But anyhow...

One of my issues with WWs is that if there`s any residual dirt left on the paint after a wash (and IMO that`s not uncommon), the WWs offer less cushioning, fewer chances for that dirt to get safely "caught up in the towel away from the paint (scare-quotes because IMO that doesn`t give much margin for error), and are often used with greater pressure (i.e., against that residual dirt) than a plush MF Drying Towel.

If you`re certain that the marring doesn`t come from the wash itself, I`d look into the chance that residual dirt is to blame and then address that accordingly.
 
Accumulator said:
screeby- I absolutely dohn`t want to turn this into some argument, but I don`t get how initial (and even ongoing) CD-testing isn`t necessary. Some of my previously-OK MFs (and other previously-OK stuff as well) will now mar paint under some conditions. But anyhow...

One of my issues with WWs is that if there`s any residual dirt left on the paint after a wash (and IMO that`s not uncommon), the WWs offer less cushioning, fewer chances for that dirt to get safely "caught up in the towel away from the paint (scare-quotes because IMO that doesn`t give much margin for error), and are often used with greater pressure (i.e., against that residual dirt) than a plush MF Drying Towel.

If you`re certain that the marring doesn`t come from the wash itself, I`d look into the chance that residual dirt is to blame and then address that accordingly.
Click to expand...

Accumulator - I just reread outloud what I wrote back to you. When I said that I "didn`t need to" do a CD test. What I was meaning is I have already decided in my head these drying towels were "atleast" a part of the problem, probably a majority of it.

In now way was I saying I don`t think the test has merit. I have done the CD test on my ONR washing towels and they do well. Again, I am not saying I am perfect but with the way the towels felt drying and even to the touch. I just feel that I have to make a change.

I hope that makes sense, none of it was meant in a snarky way, more of a "i know i just created a mess for myself" dejected tone.

KM
 
screeby- Hey, I really appreciate that you took the time to clarify that! OK, now I`m on-board and yeah it sounds like it`s New Drying Towel time. Especially since "struggling to do OK with something that doesn`t work for you" is one of my pet peeves.

Hope you find a solution, there are a while lotta very good MF Drying Towels out there to choose from and I assume you`ve seen the Big Test that`s being done in a current thread.

Just FWIW, I`m still liking my Dry Me Crazy towels from Microfiber Madness, and have relegated my WWs to glass-only use (when it comes to the vehicles, still useful for various things around the house).
 
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