I washed my HAH today and noticed my chamois was ready for replacement. I am just curious what others are using to dry their cars. Are there better products than chamois? What are the best brands of chamois. I also discovered I'm probably not taking care of my chamois properly. From what I've read I should be keeping it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Is this what others are doing? I am open to suggestions for a replacement for my dying chamois.

Thanks

Rich

 

Ah, to chomois or not to chamois, and real skin or synthetic or terry cotton towel? The Audi A4 list debated this one a lot over the last 4 years. The general concensus was that nothing beat a soft, terry towel. The bad rap on chamois was that it created too much friction and took off some of the wax (prefrerably Meguiars Gold...). That list cared a lot more about wax and paint care than this one does so far. As I recall their argument, all you need is something to absorb the water left from washing, and a clean terry towel does that. Chamois creates more friction, and is more likely to retain grit from previous uses. Towels are cheap and are more likely to leave a spot free, scratch free finish, and a longer lasting wax job. I've used terry towels instead of chamois for years; can't say really whether they are any better, but they are cheaper, do the job of drying, and are easily washed and reused.
Lewis

 

I think Lewis has some good points.

I've previously used chamois but as daddywags, I never really took good care of it. I always rinsed it out well after every use, left to air dry and toss it back into the storage bin. After a few years it began to fall apart.

About a year ago I was at Sam's wholesale club and saw some new ones, but also saw a pack of 50 or so white cotton terry towels and gave them a try instead.
I'm completely sold on the towels now.
You have to shake them out to shed the detached threads but I think they do a superior job in drying the car.
I just lay the towel flat on the wet surface and drag it, ring it out, do the same area once more and done.
The wax/finish seems to be holding up better as well.

When you're finished drying the damp towel is excellent for wiping out the door jam areas, trunk & hood gutters etc.
It took about 6 months to go through the 50 or so towels. Toss them into the washing machine and do it all over again.

You may find a better quality towel than I have, as mine are not much use for interior work because of the sheding threads.
I have to re-e-e-e-e-aly shake them out good while they're still dry or else they drop on the seats, carpet etc.

 

I use a microfiber cloth for just about anything from cleaning my camera lens to washing, drying, waxing, and polishing my car. They also work very well on windows.


They do not scratch and absorb a lot of water. You can find them at auto supply stores, Sam's, and many auto and home catalogs.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will definitely not be getting another chamois. I really hadn't thought about it rubbing the wax off, but it does make sense. The microfiber cloth sounds interesting. Just did a search and found a microfiber kit with washing mitt and 2 window towels and 2 drying towels for $22. Might as well get rid of my sponge which is also falling apart and probably not as easy on the finish as a microfiber mitt. Now if I can just find a kit that comes with a gorgeous female to demonstrate the proper use of microfiber.

Rich

 

One of the drawbacks to cloth towels is their limited ability to soak up water. Esp if you're good about waxing, a lot of water will bead up on your car. You can soak 2-3 dish towel-sized rags just wiping the roof!

To address this, I like to use a squeegee - not to dry the car - but to wipe most of the water off before doing a more thorough job with a towel. I found a pretty neat squeegee that has a very soft gel blade. It forms to the shape of the car with very little pressure and doesn't retain any grit.

I personally have found it worthwhile to spend a little more money on the terry cloth. Cheaper brands leave some fuzz no matter how often you wash or shake them out. I've been meaning to try microfiber, so was glad to see the suggestion below.

 

Try an "Absorber". I've been using them for almost 20 years and they are GREAT (IMO). I actually lost them before they wore out too!

They absorb great and are even cheaper than a quality chamois, around $9 at the cheaper stores. I'm a fanatic when it comes to car care and this is one thing I wouldn't be able to live without.

 

This past weekend I bought a Microfiber drying cloth, microfiber washing and drying clothes for glass (they were on sale 2 for $2.99), a microfiber covered sponge, Meguiar's Nxt Generation Tech Wax, and Meguiar's Nxt Generation car wash. Using the technique of removing the nozzle from the hose and just letting the water run out of the hose to do the final rinse left a lot less water to dry off the car. I saw this trick on Meguiar's web site. I was able to dry the whole car without having to wring out the drying cloth. I can't believe it took me this long to learn this neat little work saver. A friend of mine recommended Meguiar's wax and I have to say I was extremely happy with the results. The whole car is now as smooth as glass with a deep rich shine that I think rivals the showroom shine. I went on a long drive today and when I got home there were very few bugs on the hood and bumper. I don't know if it was a low bug day or the bugs were just skidding off the wax.

Rich

 

I've never had luck with those microfiber things as the ones I got left a residue. One thing I say DO NOT USE is one of those giant squeegees. Total waste of money!

This past weekend I picked up some Meguire's Hi-Tech Yellow Wax on clearence. Price was marked down to $1 a can! When got it to the register it rang up as ONE PENNY per can! You should of seen me sprint through the store to buy the remainder.

 

I have a dumb girl question: is there a reason you're washing by hand and not just going to the carwash? Are hybrids not able to go through those?

Sorry, but my husband has the hots for the HAH and if it can't go to the carwash he can't have one