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I have a question regarding towels.

Some say 100% USA cotton is the safest thing to use to avoid scratching, swirl marks, etc....

Some say that micro-fiber is the safest thing to use to avoid scratching, swirl marks, etc....

I have always used the 100% USA cotton method, and it has been great at not creating scratches, but very efficient in removing wax/polish. After reading this forum, I decided to purchase micro-fiber towels from Detailed Image. I am impressed with these towels, however, I noticed that they have a tag stating they are made of polyester.

I guess my question is, is it the weeve (or lack of) in a towel that can scratch your clear-coat, or is it the material composition that can (cotton vs. polyester)? Also, does anyone make a 100% cotton micro-fiber towel?

Thanks in advance....

Thanks Greg.

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

I would advise against using SSR1 w/ an Orange Pad. You may induce some marring with it because you are using an aggressive pad with a product that is very mild in abrasives. It is just going to cause more work on your part in the long run and the results would not be worth doing the extra step.

With what you have listed, I'd save the Orange pad for when you need some work and just run the SSR1 w/ the White Pad, FTG w/ the White Pad and EX-P with the Black.

My .02,

George @ Detailed Image

Originally Posted by BMW Loe

Thanks Greg.

No problem, glad Detailed Image could help you.

Originally Posted by rkj082000

I have a question regarding towels.

Some say 100% USA cotton is the safest thing to use to avoid scratching, swirl marks, etc....

Some say that micro-fiber is the safest thing to use to avoid scratching, swirl marks, etc....

I have always used the 100% USA cotton method, and it has been great at not creating scratches, but very efficient in removing wax/polish. After reading this forum, I decided to purchase micro-fiber towels from Detailed Image. I am impressed with these towels, however, I noticed that they have a tag stating they are made of polyester.

I guess my question is, is it the weeve (or lack of) in a towel that can scratch your clear-coat, or is it the material composition that can (cotton vs. polyester)? Also, does anyone make a 100% cotton micro-fiber towel?

Thanks in advance....

If you have any questions about the process I listed above please let me know. To help prevent watermarks from happening again I would highly recommend only working in the shade on cool paint. When washing rinse frequently so the water doesn't sit on the paint for an extended period of time. Also If you have a good layer of sealant down on the paint it helps prevent watermarks but is not a cure all. Let us know if you have any other questions.

You asked some great questions that I can at least answer in part. First and foremost just about any material can harm the finish if used with enough force. I think the goal of selecting a towel is finding the safest method. Both materials can be safe depending on a variety of factors. I don't think any particular weave (or lack of a particular weave) will cause micro scratches. Microfiber towels are specially woven to collect and gather excess product as opposed to pushing product around. This special weave uses ultra fine fibers that are supposed to be much finer than human hair. I also feel that the microfiber towels we sell are slightly softer than most cotton towels. Another big issue with towels in general is what is used as stitching and the seam. Many store brand towels have rough or thick edges or nylon stitching, which are more likely to cause micro scratches. The microfiber towels we sell all have paint safe stitching and edges.

Regardless of the towel you choose a quick test to see if it will harm the clear coat of your paint is to take a blank CD and wipe the towel across the surface with the same amount of pressure you'd use with the towel on your paint. If it scratches the CD then it has the potential to harm your clear coat.

Hope this helped and if you have any more questions please let me know.

Greg @ Detailed Image

Originally Posted by rkj082000

Some say 100% USA cotton is the safest thing to use to avoid scratching, swirl marks, etc....
Some say that micro-fiber is the safest thing to use to avoid scratching, swirl marks, etc....

I use MF towels and haven't noticed any harm on paint. Just be sure to get high quality ones from well-known vendors. Also read the reviews.
Aren't MF towels 75~80% polyester and 25~20% polyamide? not 100% sure...
Here is a link (short one) about ratio...
http://autopia.org/forum/showthread....owel+stitching

Originally Posted by rkj082000

Also, does anyone make a 100% cotton micro-fiber towel?

Check Leo @ www.dftowel.com

Hi Greg. I think my questions will be pretty simple to answer.

First off is there really a big difference between wheel wax and wheel polish? By reading the information on both of them they seem to basically accomplish the same thing.

And if there is a difference which wheel wax do you suggest. I already have mother's and blue corral wheel polish so my concern is what wheel wax to get if any?

I guess i should mention that i have Radenergie R10's with a polished lip.

Thank you in advance.

FABIO -

Basically a metal or wheel polish is designed to remove oxidation, brighten the wheels and make them look better. They typically leave behind little to no protection.

A wheel wax or wheel sealant is just the opposite. It's designed to provide protection and make future cleanings easier, but there are little to no cleaning characteristics on them. They will make the wheel (assuming its clean) look a little wetter or deeper due to the layer of protection it is providing.

My personal favorites for each category:

Deep cleaning / polishing I prefer P21s Finish Restorer, for general cleaner w/ some protection P21s Metal Polishing Soap, for sealaing Poorboy's Wheel Sealant.

Let me know if this answers your questions.

George @ Detailed Image

Yes, you did answer my questions. Thank you very much!

how do i clean and keep the polished lip on my rims looking shiny.. they are new but they are starting to get dirty.. anything specific? how about Blue Magic Wheel Cleaner, is that stuff any good for them?

I haven't used that wheel cleaner yet, its looks pretty strong. If you have a polished lip, acidic wheel cleaners may be too harsh. I would clean the wheels with the P21S metal polishing soap. Just wet the supplied sponge and wipe it across the soap and you'll have a generous lather of soap that cuts right through most build ups, while adding to the shine. I protect my wheels with the Poorboy's World Wheel Sealant. This durable sealant helps prevent brake dust build ups and other road grime, while making future cleanings much easier. Just wipe it on and wipe it off and you'll have strong wheel protection.

Greg @ Detailed Image

I have used the PC Advanced Kit and PP&P Bundle #9 on two cars. I'm still leaving some of the deeper scratches that I believe are in the clear coat.

The Maanzerna Intensive Polish doesn't seem to be agressive enough, even with 4 or more passes.

So my question is what would be a better alternative to get at these scratches and then continue on with the steps I have been following? Do I need something other than a PC for these? What are the risks, and how do I keep them low?

I have tried other off-the-shelf polishes and paint cleaners, and they seem to be similar to Intensive Polish in their cutting.

Thanks

what pad/color are you using?

Originally Posted by nishboo

how do i clean and keep the polished lip on my rims looking shiny.. they are new but they are starting to get dirty.. anything specific? how about Blue Magic Wheel Cleaner, is that stuff any good for them?

try mothers billet polish. I maintain my lips with it, and it looks really good. Try local Autozone or Walmart.

Originally Posted by Lobo

I have used the PC Advanced Kit and PP&P Bundle #9 on two cars. I'm still leaving some of the deeper scratches that I believe are in the clear coat.

The Maanzerna Intensive Polish doesn't seem to be agressive enough, even with 4 or more passes.

So my question is what would be a better alternative to get at these scratches and then continue on with the steps I have been following? Do I need something other than a PC for these? What are the risks, and how do I keep them low?

I have tried other off-the-shelf polishes and paint cleaners, and they seem to be similar to Intensive Polish in their cutting.

Thanks

Cutting polishes are designed to help faded, oxidized, swirled and scratched clear coats look significantly better. The cutting polish helps restore a transparent clear coat, which allows for light to pass directly through the clear coat, thus creating a bright reflection with a deep shine. This process is designed to remove an ultra fine layer of clear coat, which mainly evens out high spots. Scratches beneath the clear coat, paint or primer are too deep to be repaired with polishes. Some scratches while still in the clear coat are too deep to be safely buffed out.

I can understand that you would like to get more swirls out but some cannot be removed safely with polishes. You can try a more aggressive polish like the Menzerna Power Gloss and a rotary buffer but they can only buff out slightly deeper scratches. To make sure you’re getting the most out of the PC and the current pad and product combination you have I’ll go over some tips. With the orange cutting pad and the Intensive Polish I would go very slow in multiple directions. The Menzerna line of polishes uses a very small abrasive particle so it takes a little longer to work it in for best results. I typically move the buffer in a 2x2 area at 2 - 3 inches per second (at most) and pass over some areas 6 – 10 times, if you really want to buff scratches out. During this application I’ll apply medium pressure to really work the product in and lighten up the pressure as the polish breaks down. Some new users of the PC 7424 take a little time to learn how much pressure is appropriate for best results, but that comes with time. If this combination doesn’t work you can try more aggressive polishes and a rotary buffer but that takes more time to learn, with moderately improved results. Your next step may be to have touch up work done if you really want the clear coat to look perfect again. Thank you for posting and I hope some of this information was helpful. Let us know if you have other questions.

Greg @ Detailed Image

what do you guys think about menzerna's wheel cleaner?

I have yet to try it, I'll have to add that to my list of products I want to review. If anyone else here has had experience with it please feel free to share.

Greg @ Detailed Image

I'll ask. I have to clean my wheels off daily, as a layer of brake dusts gets heavy each day. Until I get new pads, is there a spray I can clean my wheels with that leaves a "repellant" for the brake dust. Not a complete repellant, but to better repel the dust. Sorry if it has been asked already in the thread, I'm not reading 63 pages though haha.

apply wheel sealant (or any durable sealant) on your wheels. It'll make washing wheel much much easier.

HarryB - there are some products out there that can help repel brake dust like the Poorboy's World Wheel Sealant and Wheel Wax. Both of these help repel brake dust and most importantly make future cleanings easier. Another great product I use is the P21S Metal Polishing Soap. Just wet the sponge that’s supplied with the soap and wipe it once across the soap and you'll have a rich lather. Then just wipe it on the wheels and watch as it cleans and polishes the wheels in one easy step. This also leaves a light coating of protection that helps reduce contamination build up but its not as strong as the products listed above. This is the product I use to keep my wheels clean.

Greg @ Detailed Image

Greg, I use my street wheels for track duty with track pads. I have already damaged some spots on the clearcoat and will be using wheel sealant in the future. My question is can I apply the sealant and leave it on for track duty and clean it off when i get home from the track. Thanks Tucker

Originally Posted by tuckersmg

Greg, I use my street wheels for track duty with track pads. I have already damaged some spots on the clearcoat and will be using wheel sealant in the future. My question is can I apply the sealant and leave it on for track duty and clean it off when i get home from the track. Thanks Tucker

Good question, I haven't left the wheel sealant on for an extended period of time before removing. I believe you should be able to remove it relatively easy after, might need a little quick detailer to help. However I would be worried that some contaminates from the track would be on the wheel and if you're wiping down the wheel and those contaminates may scratch the wheel if you have a chrome or polished surface. If its a less sensative material like alloy wheels you most likely won't have a problem. Hope this helps, let me know if I answered that thoroughly for you.

Greg @ Detailed Image