Is the CD scratch test flawed?

A

Acura_RL

New member
I have 100% cotton terry towels. I washed one recently. Fully rinsed it. Dried it out on in the sun for 2 hours. Took it, ran it across a cd, and scratches popped up. :doh



Even the towel that i didn't wash was scratching the CD.



The MFs OTOH were fine. I washed one similar to the process above, and no scratches.



:nixweiss Let's be realistic: are terry cloth towels really that bad? They're cotton. Every wax maker recommends using them. Or, is the CD test a little misleading? I'm sure the surface of a CD is not the same density as that of carpaint.
 
My opinion is that all terry cloth towels that are labeled 100% cotton are not 100% cotton.



That's why Sal Zaino specifies only American-Made expensive bath towels such as Fieldcrest.



Some of the towels that claim 100% cotton are made in Bangladesh or Mexico and are not reliable for cotton content.



I've also had MF towels that passed the CD test and scratched my car paint!



EDIT.................ejant beat me to it!
 
heres an idea.... if you know a guy that paints cars get a piece of good clear flat glass and the next time he is spraying a car get him to spray the glass w/clear coat(two or three coats)...then try your wiping stuff on that, then hold it up to a light. i would think that would show you scratches if any your mitts, rags, etc were causing...like i said just a thought





and yes the CD's coating is not as hard as a cars clear coat



but your test should tell you something the MF didnt scratch a SOFT CD coating....and the terry did....so it would be fair to say that the MF towel DEFINATLY doesnt scratch your harder car paint BUT a terry towel may leave very very fine scratches...fair nuff'???





i dunno about you but on my car a scratch is a scratch....a nanometer deep or 1mm deep, it still bothers me......



carpaint gods forbide a 1mm deep scratch appear on my car



my .029 cents (does it bother anyone else that gas stations have the 9 thousandths of a cent on thier price?)





erick







EDIT: Luster i would like to know what CD brand you tested your MF on and it didnt scratch the CD but did your paint, also the MF towel brand you used...?
 
Calestus said:


Luster i would like to know what CD brand you tested your MF on and it didnt scratch the CD but did your paint, also the MF towel brand you used...?
Click to expand...



Memorex CD.....



The MF was from Costco....I don't know the brand. I think it was the edge-stitching that scratched the clear-coat. I didn't test that part of the MF on the CD.



Those MF towels have been demoted to the engine bay.
 
I guess I'll use these terry towels to buff the dressing from my tires.



Honestly I'm getting closer to order from Pakshak, but I'm holding for now cuz I need to replenish some of my bank acct since it's getting bone dry.
 
"My opinion is that all terry cloth towels that are labeled 100% cotton are not 100% cotton:"



That's a pretty broad statement! More accurately... "Many" towels that are labeled 100% cotton are not 100% cotton.



And don't think Made in USA is a guarantee either!



To be sure do a burn test:

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20801&highlight=burn+test



Personally I don't believe in the CD test, a CD surface is much softer than a cars and if you press too hard on the CD anything will scratch. I've scratched a CD with eyeglass cleaners that don't harm eyeglass finishes.
 
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