Meguair's Drying towel leaves scratches/spyderweb.

[turbo_911]

Hello all,

I decided to give a try to Meguiar's Water magnet drying towel, and to tell you the truth, at first I liked it but then not really. Once it gets wet, it doesn't absorb water and leaves streaks.

However, my main concern is leaving spyderweb scratches on freshly buffed car. This is very annoying as my other towel didn't leave them. Anyone else experienced that? I've also included picture to show what I mean, and then
last two pictures are a week later, after I used DA Finishing Wax to correct it.

Any recommendations on any other drying towels that won't leave scratches?

Thanks.

[wifpd4]

Re: Meguair's Drying towel leaves scratches/spyderweb.

Forgive the questions....

Was the towel new, ever been washed and dried?
Was the label removed?
When you say freshly buffed, how was the car buffed?
Can you take the towel and create these marks anywhere?
What is DA Finishing Wax?

Thanks,

[turbo_911]

Re: Meguair's Drying towel leaves scratches/spyderweb.

Label was removed once I received it. I washed the towel before using it. This was my third time using it (1st time on this car) and it caused those swirls.
Meaning how was the car buffed? Like everyone else buffs it.... lol
Umm DA Microfiber polishing system has Finishing Wax.

[davey g-force]

Re: Meguair's Drying towel leaves scratches/spyderweb.

How do you know it was the towel that inflicted those swirls? They look more machine-inflicted to me..

[Selectchoice]

Re: Meguair's Drying towel leaves scratches/spyderweb.

How do you know it was the towel that inflicted those swirls? They look more machine-inflicted to me..

I've seen towels leave similar marks. Usually happens on a sensitive finish that doesn't like much downward pressure.

Were you pressing down firmly or just dabbing or lightly wiping? The paint on this car may require a delicate touch. Do you have any similar problems when you wipe off polishes or compounds?

[wifpd4]

Re: Meguair's Drying towel leaves scratches/spyderweb.

Thanks for the clarifications.

Shouldn't have been dirt on the towel from the store, nor the label causing the problem.
Sorry didn't understand drying a freshly buffed car. Although many folks do wash after doing corrective work with a buffer.

The first photo looks like you wiped it six times within a 2-3 inch wide area. Was this because the towel wasn't drying the surface?

The second photo looks like you could have pulled something (dirt) off the fender or touched the tire, that is if you were moving up and down.

Don't have an answer, but as Davey said, sort of looks machine-inflicted since the minor scratches are perpendicular to the long scratches. If done with a towel, I would expect the minor scratches to be parallel with the long scratches.

[turbo_911]

Re: Meguair's Drying towel leaves scratches/spyderweb.

Just to clarify. The car was detailed, drove it for 2 weeks and then washed it. When I washed it, I checked the paint and there were no scratches. After I wiped it off with Meguiar's towel, they appeared. If I take regular NXT 2.0 wax and wax an area by hand, those scratches disappear. They aren't really scratches, it's like marks the towel leaves, and yes it might be because of sensitive clear coat, but I didn't had that before.

I did wipe off the area 2-3 times as it wasn't absorbing all the water from first time. I don't really press when I wipe, as I am afraid it will scratch more, so I was wiping just a tiny bit harder than lightly. When I wipe off polish or wax, using microfiber towel, it leaves crystal clear finish.

The second two photos I posted, is when I used DA finishing wax (the blubbery look/smell one). It was used just to show that they are removed really really easy, and I know those streaks were left by the towel.

Do you guys have any other recommendations to what towel to use? Anyone used Uber Drying Microfiber Towel? It's just seems a bit expensive for just a towel.

[wifpd4]

Re: Meguair's Drying towel leaves scratches/spyderweb.

No recommendations from me. I use several Meguiar's, but no problems even on my own Lexus which is very soft clear coat.

I did glance at your web page and you can see some befores that look similar. Escalade 10-11-12 of 31. Nice work on the afters by the way!

[turbo_911]

Re: Meguair's Drying towel leaves scratches/spyderweb.

Oh no, Escalade came to me like that (before pictures is when I got the car, before I washed it) and those are rotary buffer trails on hood and some sides and of course some are from towel or whatever they used to wash it with.

[Mel427]

If you were happy with your old brand towel, I would go back to it and see if your problem still exists. I have a 2012 Soul that scratches if you look at it too hard and I use an absorber. It hasn't given me any problems yet.

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: Meguair's Drying towel leaves scratches/spyderweb.

I've used Meguiars water magnets for years without issue, but I always blot dry as opposed to dragging the towel across the paint. I fold the wm into quarters and gently palm-blot the towel against the vertical surfaces. For long flat horizontal surfaces like the hood and roof, I unfold the towels and lay them length-wise across the surface, and continue the blotting motion.

[Meticulous-Detail]

I would say ease up on the pressure and try using detail spray when drying.

I use an electric leaf blower to dry cars and then a waffle weave towel for the left over.

Could it be that any fillers or polishing oils in the products you are using are being removed by the wash and dry with the towel?

[ffboy]

Re: Meguair's Drying towel leaves scratches/spyderweb.

I would say ease up on the pressure and try using detail spray when drying.

I use an electric leaf blower to dry cars and then a waffle weave towel for the left over.

Could it be that any fillers or polishing oils in the products you are using are being removed by the wash and dry with the towel?

Good point. Fillers could have been present before the car wash and wipe down, and "light pressure" is a relative term. Light to others may actually heavy to some, to minimize any need to wipe, I also use the flood rinse to make drying faster then spray the panels (even while wet) with a quick detailer. Doesn't necessarily have to be megs, but doing so makes drying faster and adds a bit more shine. Sometimes even very light pressure can still inflict those swirls or marks.

[wifpd4]

Re: Meguair's Drying towel leaves scratches/spyderweb.

No recommendations from me. I use several Meguiar's, but no problems even on my own Lexus which is very soft clear coat.

I did glance at your web page and you can see some befores that look similar. Escalade 10-11-12 of 31. Nice work on the afters by the way!

Oh no, Escalade came to me like that (before pictures is when I got the car, before I washed it) and those are rotary buffer trails on hood and some sides and of course some are from towel or whatever they used to wash it with.

Yep, I understand the befores are before you started. Is it possible the defects are not being completely removed in your process or that one of your products is hiding the defects and washing exposes those defects? Did you use an IPA wipe down before waxing? Obviously not required, just helpful revealing defects not removed in the buffing process.

From what I see in the photographs, the marks are 1/8 to 1/4" wide with swirls running perpendicular to the direction of travel of the marks. Seems like a buffer trail. If the towel was making the marks, wouldn't the swirls be parallel to the direction of travel? Of course I wear bi-focals!!

As I said, the afters look nice.

[kenji815]

Re: Meguair's Drying towel leaves scratches/spyderweb.

either your paint is extremely soft or there is dirt on the towel. other than that there is no way a microfiber towel would mar up paint like that.