Microfiber scratches??

[Mark2]

I was told by someone at a detailingforum
that microfiber scratches the paint. His argument is, becouse they are made from plastics and that the bristles are quite sharp. He recommends using old cottonsheets, horsehair brushes, chamois, seasponges and only natural materials when washing, polishing and waxing.
I have never noticed any micromarring from using microfiber towels for drying or polishing. And most people are very happy with them.
Is there any truth to what he says or should I just ignore it?

[Murr1525]

Well, the cheapest ones can scratch your paint. You have to be sure to buy quality products.

But cotton sheets arent much good either. It has no knap, and so has no way of lifting dirt away from the surface ,and so will drag drag/wax, etc around. I also dont find them to be very absorbant.

Its also kind of an odd argumant, since nature can make things sharper than plastic, and a round plastic isnt going to have a a sharp edge to scratch with....

[Terence K]

One question since we're on microfibres...

How do you tell if a MF cloth is good quality or not?

Any tips from the pros here would be great!

Thanks in advance!

[gb387]

I always use Meguiars MF's or the other guys MF's they are all "quality" microfibers and I have never had them harm my paint in any way.

Not sure is this is a way to tell quality, but when you look at the microfibers at walmart the pile isn't packed together all that close and it seems short, over all they just feel very thin as compared to more expensive towels. Just my observation.

[Murr1525]

I have heard of a CD Test, where you can wipe your towel across an old CD. If it scratches that plastic, then it may scratch your paint. I have never tried it though.

I just trust Meguiars for my paint, and use some Target MF's for dash/trim detailing, and other potentialy dirty jobs.

[Accumulator]

Microfiber refers to how the fabric is made- the tiny, soft tips of the fibers won't scratch if you buy quality MFs. I have had slight micromarring from Cobra brand MFs and some from Griot's but this was on soft lacquer. I'd *NEVER* use cheap big-box-store MFs on a vehicle's paint, but generally the ones made for detailing are safe to use on b/c paint. The cheap ones even mar some household surfaces. MFs are not a smart place to skimp- I'd only buy the best.

The CD test isn't perfect, but it's generally flawed on the side of caution as most b/c paints are harder than the surface of a CD. If a MF/BHB/whatever doesn't scratch the shiny surface of a CD the odds are *VERY* good that it won't mar automotive paint. But test them the way you'd use them (wash mitts and BHBs wet, MFs dry, etc.).

And FWIW I've marred even hard Spies-Hecker clear through gentle contact with 100% cotton that sure felt very soft. No way would I touch perfect paint with an old cotton sheet. If it's already marred and gonna get polished that's one thing, but once you get something marring-free you oughta be mighty careful what you touch it with.

And much as I love using BHBs (for the right tasks ) dry BHBs will almost always mar automotive paint. When they're wet they behave very differently, but dry they're too stiff.

The whole "only natural materials" bit is outdated these days. Technology marches on...

[Murr1525]

Whats BHB? Boars hair brush?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Microfiber scratches??

Originally posted by Mark2
I was told by someone at a detailingforum
that microfiber scratches the paint. His argument is, because they are made from plastics and that the bristles are quite sharp.

He recommends using old cotton sheets, horsehair brushes, chamois, sea sponges and only natural materials when washing, polishing and waxing.


Is there any truth to what he says or should I just ignore it?

The below is something I wrote on the second page of this thread,

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/sho...0&pagenumber=2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Start copy and paste

• Originally posted by silence
  I don't know how well he used the product or the exact steps he did. I don't know him. I didn't think #80 had fillers, so I thought I would ask and hopefully this thread will answer this question down the road if anyone is thinking of asking.

  Hi silence,
  
  I think it was a good idea that you posted this question as I see all the talk on other forums about fillers. This is also why I posted this on page 1
  
  

  Originally posted by Mike Phillips
  The word, fillers is a word used by the uniformed on other forums. Don't let yourself get trapped into that mindset. Remember there's lot of self-proclaimed guru's out there that simply copy and paste what they read and in essence act like parrots repeating information they never generated. The problem with this is that some of the information is good, while some of it is bad.

  
  And this is why I posted the below thoughts on this thread,
  
  Help me please! - Swirls on my black RSX!
  
  When the person who started the thread wrote this,
  
  

  Originally posted by ng-rsx
  I've been reading on forums on how to get rid of swirls, listening to other people's opinions etc...
  

  Interesting...
  
  This is what discussion forums are evolving into...
  
  Whose opinions are right...
  
  There are plenty of opinions out there, (that's for sure), and plenty of keyboard commandos and self-appointed gurus waxing-on at length on this or that and one thing or another...
  
  Luckily time has a way of sorting everything out...
  
  
  If you want to remove swirls or scratches by hand out of your car's clear coat finish then read the links supplied above and this thread I've included below and you will have a pretty good handle on what to do...
  
  What it Means to Remove a Scratch
  
  
  
  Point being is everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that doesn't make them right.

End copy and paste
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The poster that told you the fibers that make-up microfibers are plastic and will scratch your car's paint is partially right and partially wrong.

The fibers that make-up a microfiber are polyester and polyamide which is a type of nylon. When used in large size they will scratch your car's finish, however when they are miniaturized, this changes all the dynamics and what once would scratch your paint is now more gentle to your finish than cotton fibers.

If you just take a big picture point of view, there's a reason why microfiber polishing cloths have become so popular in the last 5-7 years and that's because they simply work better, by this I mean they are more gentle to the finish and because the fibers are miniature in size, they do a better job of removing car care products off the surface than cotton fibers.

Hope this helps...

[OctaneGuy]

I have an easy solution.

Get a hold of a Meguiars Supreme Shine Microfiber. Use it a few times, then use that as the standard to compare all other microfiber towels. You will know what it should feel like. Compare the size, the edging, etc...

How soft it is an important factor as well as how deep the nap is. A thick nap may feel really soft, but it also means it traps surface particles that could potentially be rubbed back into your paint causing scratches.

That's happened to me with the Costco towels---found small metal shavings in them. I thoroughly inspect all towels before they are applied to any paint.

Originally posted by Terence K
One question since we're on microfibres...

How do you tell if a MF cloth is good quality or not?

Any tips from the pros here would be great!

Thanks in advance!

[Terence K]

Thanks guys for all the useful tips on this!

The reason I asked this question is that MG MF cloth cost a bomb over in M'sia (it's $40 per piece of 16 x 16 MF here) And now that UW is off the shelves, there are no more MG MF over here.

Hence I've gotta source for the other guy's brand these days.

Mike,

Will Hypercoat M'sia be bringing in the new MG MF over here anytime soon?

[Mark2]

Thank you all for the answers Very usefull information as always here on MOL

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Mark2
Thank you all for the answers Very usefull information as always here on MOL

Glad to be of helpful service.

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by Murr1525
Whats BHB? Boars hair brush?

Yeah, that's right. Sorry, didn't mean to be inscrutable

[Murr1525]

No problem...

[Godiva]

I sure wouldn't use sea sponges. No matter how well they are washed, I'm sure there is microscopic sediment, sand, coral and whatever stuck in them.

It's sorta like spinach. No matter how well you wash it, when you bite down there always seems to be a piece of grit.