What's wrong with a chamois leather then?

[keefy]

I decided to give my car cleaning regime a bit of an overhaul after reading some stuff on here.

So I bought myself a 2nd bucket, a Halfords cotton wash mitt and then a Megiaur's terry towelling cloth for drying (it was about £8 or so).

My car hadn't been washed for ages, so on the way back I stopped at the jet wash place and used the low pressure gun from a distance just to get the surface cak off.

Got home and washed it using two buckets and the wash mitt, but when it came to drying the car (after rinsing) the towel I bought was cak. I perservered for a bit, but then gave up and got my trusty old leather out which sorted it out in no time.

Is there a reason though that leather's don't really get mentioned on here? Are they damaging or is it just that there are cloth products that do the job better? There was also the Meg's Water Magnet for sale, but I didn't really wanna spend £12 on it. Was that a false economy? Presuambly that would work better than the terry towel thing I bought??

 

[claudefrog]

you need to keep the towel dry.

however.. i think it is just as bad wet or dry, i would rather use my old chamois

 

[beezaturbo]

chamise are easier to use but trap dirt and scratch it across your paint.

 

[FR-RUSH]

I find leather doesnt really suck up much water and is a b$tch to rinse out.
Plus goes all manky after a while as you cant bung them in washing machine. not to mention the expense of them in the first place.

I use these :- http://www.motorgeek.co.uk/poorboys-mega-plush-microfibrealso-bulk-p-91.html

really good, will dry a whole car without having to sqeeze in between and the bonus is you can bung them in the washing machine to assure they are grit free for your next wash. also great for washing the car, dusting the interior or doing your windows.

 

[Reg]

A chamois is an instrument of mass destruction for paintwork, topped only by a sponge from the market.

The terry towel thing is not really suitable for drying a whole car with - the water magnet is although there are much better products out there. On the motorgeek site look for the Cobra Super Guzzler drying towel. Great big thing that will dry your car with ease in one go with room to spare, and its cheaper than some of the bigger named stuff (lots of hype about Poorboys and Sonus Der Wunder - they are very good, but you pay for the hype). Iain@Finerdetails put me onto this, and now I have my own detailing business I use the same very effectively.

You're nearly there keefy - you've gone to all the trouble of the 2 bucket wash, but if you stick with the chamois you might as well not bother.

 

[CleanYourCar]

Yes as above, you are best with a dedicated waffle weave drying towel. The Cobra are good and very similar to the Sonus.

Price wise they are all about the same sort of price.

The Sonus Der Wunder are very good, although for some reason they do come in packs of 2. So in effect you are getting two big 24" x 30" towels for £9 each which doesn't make them too expensive at all.

The Sonus Ultimates are made from a thinner cloth, similar to the Megs Water Magnet, again have the banded edge but are even bigger at 25" by 36". Being thinner they absorb water faster, but obviously have the down side of filling with water quicker also.

I would save the Poorboys plush buffing towels for buffing rather than drying as it's just that bit easier to get round the car quicker with a dedicated drying towel.

Having said all that I still don't think waffle weaves dry quite as effectively as a new chamois, but as has been mentioned they are so much safer so worth the little bit of extra effort. Another tip when drying is to mist the car with a Quick detailing spray whilst it is still wet. This helps the towels glide and adds a nice bit of gloss to the finished result. Something you could never do with a chamois.

 

[LDoR]

I don't know about anybody else but i find that a water blade is really fast an effective way of drying your car. It's best used on big flat surfaces like the roof, bonnet and windows but will do door panels as well. I know alot of people worry about grit but so long as you rinse your car down after washing it and rinse and wipe down the water blade with you hands, you won't have any problems. Best of all you get no streaks and because you are a lot faster drying no water marks get a chance to form either.

 

[Reg]

I agree the blade is very effective, but it only needs one bit of grit or dirt to stay on the vehicle and chronic damage is just around the corner. Wouldn't touch one myself.

 

[keefy]

Cool, cheers for all the replies.
The reason I use the leather is that they last for ages and I find that they really get the water up quick. I can see though that they might not do the surface any good.

I used the towel thing I bought dry first and it didn't work, so I wet it and......it still didn't work.

I will look into the suggestions made above. I was gonna take the one I bought back, but the cardboard sleeve for it has been taken by the recycling people. Which is a pain, as I can't think of any other uses for it!

As for the drying blade thing, I got one for my old Fiesta which was old enough, and had enough bodywork issues not to worry about too much. On the Ibiza though, I use it only on the glass.

 

[WeeJase]

plus a blade does your house windows too.i got one from ikea for a quid,grey silicone blade and MAC grey and white

 

[jamie paton]

try washing the towel in the washing machine and drying it before you use it again. even ordinary bath towels have to be washed before use as they won't dry you properly if you dont, i think it is some kind of treatment on the towel that has to be washed off first

 

[Reg]

There is that Jamie, but for drying the terry towel is simply the wrong thing - its the water magnet he should have bought off the shelf.

And remember, when you do wash your towels, never use fabric softener.