I am a convert - microfibre towel

Car Care in 2021: There is microfiber and microfiber…, but use only microfiber:( the old days of cotton diapers, sheep wool or cotton bath towels are over). Buy stacks of microfiber. The thinner microfibers use for dust offs and quick wax removal, change surface area used, and then the entire towelette frequently, you want the much thicker plush microfiber for drying (and paste wax removal) …no need to dampen it. IF your paint is perfect, then even with microfiber dry with an air blower first, if you have one…can be leaf blower or a special car one, then detail the small droplets left with the plush. Dry with plush fiber in one direction only, not swirls. It is not the microfiber, but the the tiny dust particles trapped in the fiber, even on a fresh washed car, that can cause tiny swirls., change the drying towel surface area often–like every 3rd pass, use 2-3 drying plush towells…in succession so always a clean one. NEVER use a Calif car duster !! No more diapers, terry, bath towels…microfiber only. Keep fiber towells in a plastic bag so they don’t collect airborne dust. Use only clean plush on all steps with chrome . IF…you want a perfect paint finish look into Wolfgang products step system for swirl, spider web removal, then polish, wax, glaze steps. Also many fine and new innovative car care products from “Chemical Guys” car care products, such as carwash foamer, buckets with a dirt trap baffle, etc. wash mitts are to be microfiber… Meguiars are well tested products for waxes, quick waxes, detailers and wheels, and “Gold Class” carnauba wax. . (The Ultimate line is not the one to use on show cars). Mothers also good. Do not use power buffers unless you are working on bringing back a tired paint finish. Pros know how…it is too easy to do real damage to your paint finish. For vinyl, rexine etc interior Mothers Interior Vinyl Protectant is by far the best. Meguiars Tire Shine Spray looks like a nice fresh clean black tire without the shiny wet gloss that the tuner-drifter Honda guys like. Don’t use Armoral, except on your ski boots. Use automotive quality glass cleaner, don’t let it contact paint. Finish with Rain-X if you need to. It takes a very clean microfiber towel and some time to have Rain-X not be smeary. Rain-X works ! Over 30 or so don’t use your wipers.
Nick

PS For me, the jury is out on Ceramic coatings. I have seen some perfect show cars that have it…and some just as perfect without. There are many types of Ceramic Coat out there now…from autoparts store shelf bottles at $15 to wash it on-dry it, to special DIY applications, to shops that do it for hundreds of $$$$. It is not for me, yet.

Comet is also good to use on chalky old paint…:smirk:

the ol Comet (or Bon Ami) trick…yes, on old paint, but abrasives, even mild are not for clearcoat unless you are going to remove it all down to paint…and that would be a lot of work. There are products designed to take a surface haze out of clearcoat : UV does attack the clearcoat, there are sketchy short term fixes for clearcoat, but because the clearcoat is thin, is not a paint layer, and has to adhere to underpaint that when newly factory paint shop applied was not yet totally dry and hard…it is an extensive process to re-do a finish of clearcoat that is starting to whiten and peel. Whole new thing…lots of info on web on clearcoat. Nick

I’m aware of the process, Nick.

I know that Paul…there’s a slim but possible chance that others may look in on the thread, run out and Comet their Lexus, But I could be wrong…maybe just you and me. Nick

Which is why I made a point to write…

Now, if a Lexus has chalky old paint:grin:

Cars that have single stage paint systems ( no clear coat over base) are the ones that have a tendency for the paint to chalk out as it ages.

Unless it’s a single-stage urethane: they last quite well. Most modern paints–e.g., within the last 25 years–rarely “chalk” like older paints… like on Margaret.

Correct, I should of included 2k paint in general. The lacquer and enamel paints were the ones that are subject to chalk and they generally were single stage paints,although dupont had a 2 stage centari system in the early 2 stage paint years before they introduced the chromabase BC/CC system

Centauri was what I first learned to spray with… it worked pretty hood.