BM08

People have been raving about them on here and saying throw your leather away, but before i order one do they leave the paint work and windows smear free like a leather does?
Its all very well doing the whole car without wringing it out but no good if it leaves marks


P.s i dont want a water blade

Christian and Beccy

iTrader: (14)

Microfibre towels are ACE!

I have a Meguiars one, you can wash the car, roughly blade it off, then dry it perfectly with the towel without even wringing it out once. No marks for me!

I always use Rainwater as the final rinse, which helps too.

BM08

Whats the difference between a microfibre and waffe weave?

BigErn

Ive never went wrong with a Vileda Flunkey. Have valeted all sorts of stuff for main dealers and specialists for over 6 years and never had a problem. Aston Martins, Ferrari, Mercedes, BMW, Volvo etc etc.

BM08

Im wanting something that will last aswell, the leather seems to go all brittle after about 6-7months of use

BigErn

For what they cost mate, a fiver or so every 6 months aint exactly gonna break the bank.

There was some sort off waffle cloth/towel at a place I worked and it was utter shite. My Flunkeys serve me well and I stick by them.

Andy_R

iTrader: (3)

I've a Sonus Drying Towel, works well, i'd recommend using one over a chamois any day.

XRdodgybird

Microfibre cloths are the best..... use em on the car, mi cooker, mi worktops..... mi telly.....windows..... its endless. So versatile and so cheap!

Porkie

iTrader: (1)

I bought some and will attempt to wash my own car this weekend. On my own and unsupervised!

do you wash with them as well or just dry?

Rick

I have the Sonus too - it's awesome...

Porkie - you use a lambswool mitten to wash with, then dry with the cloth.

AlexF

copied from this thread:

https://passionford.com/forum/showth...ht=water+blade

Two buckets and a lambs wool mit are what you need to wash a car! After 14k miles and 19 months my MINI GP had superb almost swirl free paint - better than other gp's with less than 2k miles on!

Method:

Fill 1 bucket with soap and water and the other with just water

Damp car down

Wash one section at a time starting at the top and working down towards the front. Leave the back till last as its usually gritty as hell.

Use the mit to wash one pannel at a time - then rinse the mitt in the water bucket before putting it back into the soap bucket.


Its easy when you get use to it and it does so much less damage to your paint its not true!

Red16

i like the 2 bucket idea... never thought of that

i always do my car in sections too, wash an area then hose the soap suds off the car, then move on to the next bit. I also had my doubts about those water blades too but our lass got me one for xmas last year and its ace. Not tried these waffle weave things yet tho.

AlexF

Blades honestly arn't too bad - just need to be careful.

Two buckets are essential - you know when the water goes that grey/brown colour?? Thats the grit the water is holding that you then purposfully rub into your paint work!!

Alex

Red16

yeah cant be good, i usually use 2 buckets but one after another when the waters gets dirty change it for fresh stuff... just wish i could be bothered to wash the car more often lol

BM08

You will soon fck the towel thing up if your using it to wash crap off just use it on a clean car, i.e when you have washed it just to dry it off, it will last longer then aswell i imagine

BM08

I google sonus drying towel, ive been on two websites and both are out of stock
I found a site that has them in stock but their a USA site, id rather order from a uk site, where did you guys get yours?

pani_k

iTrader: (1)

I've got a serious performance waffle weave drying towel.

And mine fooking leaves littles bits of fluff on the bodywork

Even after I've washed it it still leaves little bits when you swipe. GRRR!

SteveW

iTrader: (2)

everything you need to know here http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/
bufty's paradise

Porkie

iTrader: (1)

what shampoo should I buy please chaps. Getting the Megs mitt as it has mug remover on back... good idea I thought!

Lambchop

iTrader: (1)

yeah for sure. some mug comes along so you show them the back of your hand. sorted

Porkie

iTrader: (1)

WHAT SHAMPOOOOOOOOOOO!

pani_k

iTrader: (1)

I have poorboys shampoo and used to use turtlewax before that. Poorboys smells nicer and cleans a lot better I found lol

BM08

Is it a non branded one? im not trying to say your a cheap skate im just trying to establish whether it was a Meguiars or something because ive seen some that are about Ł5 more than the non branded ones, maybe you got a non branded which isnt as good? theres alot to chose from........

BM08

Ive been using Autoglym bodywork shampoo for about 2 years now on my black cars and it makes them shine great almost like you have polished it, and also it puts a film on the paintwork so when it rains etc the water beads and runs off the windows/paintwork, its good stuff and not expensive

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

DEFINITLEY

Best drying towel on the market by a mile

Avoid mainstream cobblers like Meguiars etc though. You'll get a Sonus Der Wunder for a good price from a great ebay shop called "Specialist Vehicle Detailing"

you won't regret it

BM08

I dont have an ebay account mate, do you know of any other uk website i can just order with my plastic friend?

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

Zymol Auto wash. You can even get it from Halfords nowadays

I wouldn't use any Meguiars stuff though. Before I got "into" all this, I used to use Meguiars everything, but now I can see how naff it is. I used to have the mitt, but now use either a natural sea sponge or a lambswool mitt

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

Couple of quid more expensive, but same thing

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/shop/m...kg/2/p_84.html

highly recommend their polishing and buffing towels too

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

If you want recommendations for cleaning stuff in general, personally I use virtually all Zymol stuff because it's simply the best, but it's expensive.

Only things I usually use that are non-Zymol are the Sonus towels, Autosol (cheap as owt, and by far the best for cleaning all metals) and 3-stage Rain-X for glass, Although I do use Zymol "Glas" as well for some things

Other, slightly cheaper products I can recommend are:

Virtually anything by Poorboys. The Nattys Paste Wax is still great for the cheaper end of the market. Their towels are also very good, second best behind Sonus and the only other ones I'd even consider using.

Also Dodo Juice Lime Prime is a great pre-wax cleanse. Second best I've used behind Zymol HD Cleanse

I also like Dodo Juice's waxes too. I'd probably rate them (and their "Banana Armour") in particular as just ahead of Poorboys in the best wax at the cheaper end of the "good stuff" market. All their stuff smells great too

And if you don't fancy shelling out the best part of Ł50 on Zymol Lehm Klay and Lube, use Sonus Fine Detailing Clay and make your own lube. Very, very good alternative

Hope this helps anyone

BM08

excellent, cheers

Also you seem to have used alot of products, how do you rate AutoGlym stuff? as i said above ive used their bodywork shampoo on my black cars for years now with decent results, also i use their metal cleaner(grey label) on my stainless exhaust and with a kitchen towel and bit of rubbing it comes up like brand new, got all the black crap off tip

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

I've tried most of their stuff in the past, and I think it's rubbish to be honest. The only product I've ever rated of theirs to any degree is the metal cleaner you speak of above. It's the only product of theirs that has ever done a decent job, but as said, I'd recommend Autosol. It's only about Ł3-Ł4 a tube and it's the same kind of stuff, works in the same way, but it's the best there is to be honest. Smells terrible, but all metal polishes do. It really is awesome though.

Again as said, try some Zymol Auto Wash for your shampoo. Natural ingredients, only about a tenner from Halfords, smells great and is the best "normal" shampoo out there. I use Zymol Clear in between waxes as that's what it's formulated for, and is about Ł30 a bottle, but it's only really essential if you're using top-end waxes with high carnauba content.

I use Zymol Vintage, which retails at Ł1857, but you do get your crystal pot refilled for life.

If you do want to get into the high-end waxes though, Zymol Concours is the one I'd go for. It's only Ł164 retail, and you don't get any refills for that, but you won't use a lot each time and you won't use it often. The main difference between that and the cheaper and more expensive ones is the % Carnauba content. The Vintage contains 61% Brazilian White No.1 Carnauba Wax and the Concours contains 47 % Brazilian No. 1 White and Yellow Carnauba by (90% White, 10% Yellow).

I do find that the Concours is particularly good on black cars and easier to use than the Vintage on black paint.

I get best results applying by hand and buffing with a Sonus Der Wunder Buffing Towel. If you're going to use high-end waxes, you must use a quality towel to get the right results

As said, for decent cheaper alternatives, try Dodo Juice Banana Armour or Poorboys Nattys paste wax

Also, stick all your Sonus towels in the washing machine on a cool wash before you use them, otherwise they may drop a few bits. Do this first and it won't happen

Hope This Helps

BM08

Thanks for that

The bit ive highlighted, is that stuff good in the way that it doesn't strip any wax/polish thats been applied before hand? I don't want something that will prep for polishing basically.

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

Depends what wax you've used. It's fairly gentle, but it's probably going to wear away some of your wax

As said, if you want the best between waxes, use Zymol Clear, but it comes at a price.

I often use the Zymol Auto Wash mixed with something else to bathe the car through my foam lance. But I won't go to far into mixing and advanced stuff at the moment

The best cheaper alternative for a very wax-friendly shampoo would be this

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/washin.../prod_165.html

Most Chemical Guys stuff is very good too, forgot to add that above

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

and I just found a good link for a sheepskin/lambswool wash mitt on there for anyone interested. It's sonus so it's very good. Won't pick up and hide crap and scratch your car like a Microfibre one will

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/washin...t/prod_32.html

pani_k

iTrader: (1)

my drying towel is from a place that sells poorboys, meguiars etc etc basically a bufty shop. Paid about Ł6-Ł7 for it. The only other one they did was an organic one or something that was like Ł12

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

Can they not order in some Poorboys towels there mate? They're very good

but as said, Sonus are the best, easily available online. Think I paid Ł12 for my latest 2-pack on special from SVD

BM08

Thanks mike for the advice

EDIT just found this one, is this stuff any good? http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/S...?ProductId=270
And this looks good http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/S...?ProductId=490

pani_k

iTrader: (1)

I tell a lie!!!!

Just been on the site and looked at my towel and I do have a poorboys towel

http://www.seriousperformance.co.uk/...toView_42.html

Thats the one I have. And everytime I dry it leaves fluffy bits on the bodywork!!! The drying is very very good though but it keeps leaving its own fluff behind

And thats the site I used to buy everything from.

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

Did you stick them in the washing machine before 1st use? Makes a big difference

Try a Sonus, they never leave behind anything as long as they've been washed 1st. Use it once before washing and it will never be the same. I learned the hard way...

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

I wouldn't use the Meguiars. I used to use it a long time ago, and now I don't rate any of their stuff at all

The Sonus one is good, but out of all the options in that sort of price range, I'd still go for the Chemical Guys every time. I think there are some reviews on the other link I posted