Vancouver Autopians help please..

T

tiffin72

New member
My new car is in need of her first wash and I haven't been able to find MF other than the Simoniz at Canadian Tire.



Is there any other brand MF readily available in Lower Mainland area?



Also, what would you recommand using for buffing off the wax?



I plan on using Maguiar's Gold wax but heard they don't last too long in wet Vancouver weather. Anything else that will last longer?



Thank you in advance for your advices.
 
Welcome weaver.:wavey



I think 4DSC uses Turtle Wax MF's that he got at Walmart. He showed them to me and albeit a bit thin, they seemed pretty good. I'll let him direct you there.



Most other users have gotten MF's by mail order, from JT International, Microfibertech, Pakshak, or others. You should be able to get those in a week or 10 days.



I have not tried the Simoniz at Can Tire, so I cannot comment there.



You can use MF's, or good quality 100% cotton towels to buff off the wax. The cotton towels will just lint a bit, which is annoying, but they are perfectly safe.



For waxes, the Meguiar's Gold Class is a cleaner wax, which will stain trim and not last very long. If you are into waxing every month, it should be fine. If you are looking for something which will last longer, there are a slough of products. However, the only good one locally available is Meguiar's #20, Polymer Sealant. If you want to stick with wax, then you can try Meguiar's #26. It lasts up to 2 months if you car is garaged at night.



You can also mail order a number of the products recommended here like Platinum, Blackfire II, Klasse, Zaino, etc.



Do some searches and you'll find all kinds of stuff you'll be interested in.
 
Thanks for the quick response.



I will be ordering Zaino system pretty soon actually but since I did get the car this month and other expenses, I'm trying not to give in and order it yet but instead use what I already have (Maguiar's).



As for other Maguiar's products you have mentioned, are they available at Canadian Tire? I couldn't find them on their website.
 
If you're going to be ordering Zaino, then you don't want any of the other stuff, if you are trying to save some $$. What you will need is probably some #9 or 3M SMR. All the Meguiar's products I talked about are not the consumer line, but the body shop line or the Mirror Glaze line. These are available at 2 locations I know of: Lordco, or Mopac Performance on Kingsway. Lordco is hit and miss. Some stores have lots, and other stores have very little product. I under NAPA auto parts stores will have some Meguiar's stuff too. Also, RV type places. Let us know how you make out.
 
I don't want to sound like a snob but I don't actually want to cheap out on stuff for my car. Every time I did, I ended up wasting whatever I bought.



My 2 week old M3 will get the best I can afford :D



I just want to make sure I detail the thing now that I have some time available and I don't really trust the BMW dealer's detail job. But Zaino is coming in about a month or so.
 
I get where you are coming from. My point was that if you're going to Zaino anyway, you might not want to buy 12 kinds of waxes and sealants you don't want to use. As you might see from the the thread asking how many sealants and waxes Autopians have, some of us have over 30 or 40 products. I personally have only 5 waxes and sealants, but about 50 other chemicals.



M3? Cool. I was going to ask if what car you drove and if you can post some pics. What colour? Where will you be getting the Zaino from? www.car-fanatic.com?
 
My car is steel grey and I don't know where to get the zaino yet but I remember that there is a distributer in Vancouver. I have his e-mail address somewhere I will have to dig it out.



If not, I will probably mail order it.
 
Hmmm....someone in Vancouver distributes it? Can you post his info? That would be great. car-fanatic.com is in Guelph, Ontario. I've been toying with ordering some for a while, and decided to wait until I got a new car.
 
What do you use for drying your car? I have chamois I used to use but I would rather not use it and I just picked up a couple of sheets of Maguiar's MF for buffing. (I know they are expensive for what they are and some members do not like them but what can I do? I will need to use something this weekend)...



Any ideas?? should I go hunt for a 100% cotton bath sheets tonight? would be be good enough?
 
For drying, I use two things: an Absorber, and a waffle weave MF I got from JT International. The Absorber gets most of the water off and then I do the final wipe with a waffle weave. Works great.



The absorber is meant to be used as a blotter, so no wiping, so blot with it. The waffle weave gets all the fine water droplets off and soaks up water from the nooks and crannies. I highly recommend it.



The absorber is available at Target or Autozone for $9.99 in Bellingham or Mopac Performance on Kingsway.



If you need to wash and dry, you can go ahead and get some 100% cotton bath sheets for now. Lots of Autopians started from cotton and went to MF's. Not as effective, but not evil or anything. :)
 
Hehehe.. thanks... I already do have unused brand new Absorber kicking around somewhere..



as for Zaino in Vancouver.. he isn't doing it anymore and it is strictly via mail-order... bummer..
 
Hi Weaver, I'm here. ;) I use TW MF cloths I got from Zellers at a pretty good price ($3), but don't bother looking for them now - all stores are completely out and I imagine they won't restock until spring. If you need MF now, the places 2wheelsx2 mentioned come recommended. The Simoniz MF probably isn't a good choice since it's kinda expensive and isn't "terry style" the way bath towels are (it seems to be "suede" type). The Meguiar's one probably isn't bad, just low-napped and ridiculously expensive.



(Ding!) I just remembered that Wal-Mart also still sells MF towels in packs of 3 for $12, making them $4 each. I haven't tried these, but since they are MF towels they might be okay, and they have a taller nap than the Meguiar's MF.



For drying I use a California Water Blade and finish up by blotting with a synthetic chamois. Whether the CWB is safe or not is up for (heavy) debate, but do a search and you will see. I personally like it. You can just use your Absorber to blot it dry though, and there are still several satisfied Absorber users here I believe. Waffleweave really is the hot new item though and I'd like to try this someday. By the way, what are you using to wash with?



Home Outfitters had a good deal on the famous Fieldcrest Charisma towels (seconds of course) a while ago, and often have specials like that so they may be worth a look.



In addition to the places 2wheelsx2 mentioned, body shop supply stores (see yellow pages) and marine supply stores can be sources of stuff too. If you're really stuck Canadian Tire can sometimes order things from their special order catalog. It's worth a browse next time you're there.



Too bad about that Zaino dealer. I've heard lots of rumors flying around that there was a dealer here somewhere, but haven't been able to pin anything down. Now I know why....



I really recommend DavidB's eBook for a read also. The first 8 chapters are free, and a purchase directly funds the forum. It's a very good primer for things like safe washing and other important basics. Couple the eBook with the Search engine and you'll fill up your head in no time! :D



Welcome to Autopia and congratulations on the new M3! :xyxthumbs
 
Gee, Brian, we were starting to feel real lonely in here. I don't know where Iceman is either.:nixweiss



I didn't want to be the only one replying and sounding like a know-it-all, especially with my poor memory. :)
 
There are a few other people that should drop by to say hi too. Oh well. :)



BTW, you worry about your memory? I should worry more about mine then... but I'd just forget. :p
 
2wheelsx2 and 4DSC,



Thanks so much for the wealth of info thus far.



I have actually been reading this forum for last 3 days or so, searching for keywords. I've read about the TW MF at zellars and stopped by two locations just in case it might have fallen through the crack or something.. :) but no luck so I picked up couple of meguair's during lunch hour (there is a Can Tire just behind the building I'm working at). Expensive little things but I figure better than scratching my car and having to live with it.



I will probably take a look at couple of places for 100% cotton towels. I can always take a look at my bath towel pile to see if any of them are really 100% cotton.



As for washing, I have couple of wool wash mitts I picked up from London Drugs while back. One of them is never been used and have been saving it for my new car :D



Hmm.. I guess I should get some work done but thank you both for your advices. I will probably load you up with more questions soon enough.
 
If they are wool mitts make sure they are genuine wool (you can tell my the chamois interior. The poly mitts WILL scratch your patch! :eek:
 
Sorry I am late! :D



Even though I live in the Okanagan, I may be able to help a little!



I use either Meguiar's Body Shop or Professional series, both available from Lordco. I also use 3M (also Lordco) but not to the extent of the Meg's.

You can order the Meg's MF towels at Lordco as well. I have a dozen or so Meg's MF and love them. I have tried many, but I truly like the Meg's. I have the yellow Simonize MF---not too bad. But it already starting to unravel, only after a few washes.



As for polish and wax, I use Meg's #9 Swirl Remover, followed by #20 Polymer Sealant. For extra gloss, I use #26 on top of the #20. The shine is incredible and long wearing. I lived in Victoria for 4 years before going home to the Okanagan; these products always handled the rainy weather!! :up



Good Luck!!
 
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