[e92sf]

Hi All,

I am planning to try and detail my car for the first time, but I have a concern. How do you keep the car from scratches when using a drying towel, in between washes? I work in an area where there is a lot of dust and I usually use a DI microfiber drying towel to wipe off some dust when I leave work. The towel is somewhat moist, but my concern is if I detail the car and I wipe the dust off the car, would it cause scratches on the car? I just don't want to see all my hard work go down the drain. I just can't stand seeing my car all dusty before I go home.

Any help or insight would be appreciated, thanks.

[Miami]

the only way to keep your car from scratching is by not driving it

almost anything can scratch it, but there are certain methods to reduce the damage,

if you can grab a leaf blower or some type of blower and just blow the water off the paint. (the less you touch the less micro scratching you will cause) if this isn't an option for you then i would suggest getting a couple of Microfiber Waffle Weave towels. they are excellent at drying and reduce micro scratching a great deal

as for the dust thing...idk what most of the guys on here use but i have a mitt that i use only for the purpose of (lightly) dusting the car. if its too heavily dusted then just do a quick 15 min wash. (some brake dust particles might get mixed in with skin dust and clothes lint if you car is garage kept a lot of the time and yes, it can cause micro scratching)

[e92sf]

Thanks for the reply Miami

Yea, I'm just curious on what the professional detailers do in between washes to keep their car from scratches.

I'll try your suggestion of using a couple mf towels, currently using one right now, but using a couple would probably help reduce the amount of dust collected on one mf towel. I try to wash the towel once a week, as a lot of dust gets collected on it.

[Miami]

not just any microfiber towels though, get the waffle weave ones. don't buy into the hype of these magic chamois or sham wows, 1 good quality (decent size) WaffleWeave towel can dry your whole car without having to wring it out more than 2 or 3 times.

theres also the proper method to using the towel, a lot of people grab it with their hands folded and actually push the towel onto the paint with some pressure, i don't recommend doing this because the pressure can add imperfections to the paint (if theres any minor debris lodged in between the clear-coat and the MFWW), just open the towel completely and DRAG it across the paint...i realize that on some parts of the car this is hard to do so yes you will have to actually fold the towel and DAB! don't wipe across the paint, just dab the wet spots with the towel. i've been following this method since i got my summer detail back in june and my detailer said i should only do a one step correction with a finishing polish because its still in pretty good condition.

heres a link to the AMAZING waffle weave towels by Detailed Image (i recently compared their waffle weave towels with other waffle weave towels from autozone and from viking and i can say that the ones DI offers are way superior to any others i've tested)

http://www.detailedimage.com/DI-Micr...00/36-x-24-S1/

I JUST NOTICED THEY'RE ON SALE!! bajajaja time to replace one anyways.

as for washing your towels, i usually wash them as soon as im done washing my car to avoid anything drying on them and to keep them nice and soft so they last longer.

so for your maintenance wash this should be fine.

like i said before (and its key to keep from adding light scratches to your clear coat) the less you touch the paint, the better.

[e92sf]

I have one of those already.

I think I just need to remember to blot when I can and to lightly drag the towel, instead of applying some pressure.

I find myself folding the towel and trying to wipe of the dust from the car.

Thanks for all the help, it's much appreciated.

[Envious Eric]

Originally Posted by e92sf

Hi All,

I am planning to try and detail my car for the first time, but I have a concern. How do you keep the car from scratches when using a drying towel, in between washes? I work in an area where there is a lot of dust and I usually use a DI microfiber drying towel to wipe off some dust when I leave work. The towel is somewhat moist, but my concern is if I detail the car and I wipe the dust off the car, would it cause scratches on the car? I just don't want to see all my hard work go down the drain. I just can't stand seeing my car all dusty before I go home.

Any help or insight would be appreciated, thanks.

so you are wiping down a dusty car with a "moist" towel?

drive it home and then give it a proper washing.

[dukecityevo]

I use a California Duster with great results. If I have some light dust on the car, I wipe it down lightly wih the California Duster. Like the post above states, if it's really dusty, I just give it a wash

[Slow_335i]

I've been looking in to some of the Chemical Guys products, looks like some good stuff.

I'm gonna have to try this.

[e92sf]

well my car gets dusty everyday, due to a cement mixing plant about 1 mile away, but it carries over in the air. So the car is always dusty and Im not going to clean the car everyday.

Just looking for a practical solution or how the professional keep their cars clean in between washes, when their car gets dusty. I am also aware not to apply too much pressure when using the mf towel to wipe off the dust. I was the car every weekend, so I'm just looking for something in between, to keep the car clean.

Duke - I heard good and bad reviews on the duster, but I'm going to have to try that one day. It might be my best option, for what I'm looking for.

Thanks for the video slow_335i. I use something like that already, it's called optimum. I was just more curious if using a mf waffle weave towel would cause scratches.

Also in the morning, when it's wet outside is it bad to wipe down part of the car with a micro fiber waffle weave towel?

I guess i'm just a little anal when it comes to my car being dirty.

Thanks for all the tips.

[kamilS]

I do not like the idea of waterless washes, i've never tried them and i don't think i ever will. Something about the idea of moving dirt around a barely wet surface doesn't sell me on the product. I stick to the old fashion hand wash and just clean the car once a week.

[x26]

Originally Posted by Miami

not just any microfiber towels though, get the waffle weave ones. don't buy into the hype of these magic chamois or sham wows, 1 good quality (decent size) WaffleWeave towel can dry your whole car without having to wring it out more than 2 or 3 times.

theres also the proper method to using the towel, a lot of people grab it with their hands folded and actually push the towel onto the paint with some pressure, i don't recommend doing this because the pressure can add imperfections to the paint (if theres any minor debris lodged in between the clear-coat and the MFWW), just open the towel completely and DRAG it across the paint...i realize that on some parts of the car this is hard to do so yes you will have to actually fold the towel and DAB! don't wipe across the paint, just dab the wet spots with the towel. i've been following this method since i got my summer detail back in june and my detailer said i should only do a one step correction with a finishing polish because its still in pretty good condition.

heres a link to the AMAZING waffle weave towels by Detailed Image (i recently compared their waffle weave towels with other waffle weave towels from autozone and from viking and i can say that the ones DI offers are way superior to any others i've tested)

http://www.detailedimage.com/DI-Micr...00/36-x-24-S1/

I JUST NOTICED THEY'RE ON SALE!! bajajaja time to replace one anyways.

as for washing your towels, i usually wash them as soon as im done washing my car to avoid anything drying on them and to keep them nice and soft so they last longer.

so for your maintenance wash this should be fine.

like i said before (and its key to keep from adding light scratches to your clear coat) the less you touch the paint, the better.

Helpful Advice!