Which Brand of Chamois Do You Use?

[Daz 27]

I've tried many brands of Chamois' (genuine and synthetic) on my car and haven't been real impressed with any of them. They tend to leave very fine water spots/marks.

What do you use to dry your car and where did you get it from?

i use a Meguiars synthetic chamois & get a perfect finish all the time. it's easier to get a good finish if you're using good quality products to wash your car, don't leave it all up to the chamois.

[Benny]

In my 50 years of washing cars, the best chamois I've ever used is the Meguirs Microfibre Chamois.
Not only does it do the job, but it feels nice and soft in your hands and you can use it dry. No need to get it wet first.
I just leave one in the boot of each of my cars and even when it's bone dry, it's still soft and soaks up water like you would after a week in the desert with no water.
Try one, you'll never go back to a normal chamois again.

[fil]

I work as a marine detailer on some of Sydneys biggest boats ( read very picky owners) ive tried all types of chamios expensive cheap the lot and after a week of work there all the same.
The best trick is to keep them very clean, rinse them many times when washing. Although you have washed and rinsed the car dirt still remains in the water drops, this is what causes the streaking effect.
If streaking remains follow directly after you chamios with a clean dry towling or microfibre rag.

i'm going out to wash Crystal for her QLD lights run tonite, plug the Karcher in, check that it's full of CT18 truck wash, plop the $1.50 big sponge in a bucket of CT18 bubbled hot water,

Mate although the karcher might seem easier it does not get all the dirt of it simply moves it around. AND DONT USE CT-18 it is very very heavy duty, at work we only use it on engine rooms and very old crappy dirty boats. YOU WILL DO DAMMAGE TO YOUR PAINT.
Cheers

[Daz 27]

Mate although the karcher might seem easier it does not get all the dirt of it simply moves it around. AND DONT USE CT-18 it is very very heavy duty, at work we only use it on engine rooms and very old crappy dirty boats. YOU WILL DO DAMMAGE TO YOUR PAINT.
Cheers

CT-18 is really good for taking off wax & polish.

[AJ]

LOL.......i guess i was expecting to be jumped on after the lighthearted & smartarse way i posted

guys, i was neither soliciting, nor dispensing advice on the maintenence of anyones vehicle, & i'd never suggest MY way was the best way as some are wont to do.....suffice to say, i did a lot of research before i started using the detergent i'm using, relative to MY situation & am quite convinced that a) the detergent contains no traces of caustic soda as far as i'm aware & b) the karcher is far from an effective paint stripper, having used both over a period of 5 yrs without negative results on a variety of vehicles & applications, i'm quite comfotable with my methods & have no wish to open what stan terms a "COW", preffering to live in blissful ignorance thinking the milk i enjoy so much comes in a plastic container rather than from a stinky old animal that chews the grass it shits on

[fil]

No dramas AJ, if you dont mind me asking what made you decide on the ct-18. I agree with you on the 1.50 sponge, a sponge is deffenatley just a sponge.
As for the karcher what ever ways works for you, as much as people are scared of karchers you would have to be an idiot to do actual damage with one, esp the low powered ones. I find that they are great at getting most of the dirt off the car but due to the lack of water volume much of the dirt remains.

[JBT]

Well whatever AJ is doing to the car it works because it always (except after last Saturday's wet run) appears to be gleaming. Not an easy thing with black paint.

[AJ]

thanks JB, coming from a guy who keeps his baby in such good condition, that's a pretty big compliment in my book

ok Fil, you asked, i'll answer........i normally keep my opinions to myself unless asked directly, because 9 times out of 10 somebody comes along & tells you you're doing it all wrong...........LOL

first up i should explain my situation, as it has bearing on WHY i use the products i do.......at the time of purchasing the Karcher, my wife & i were running a 7 day a week business & had 3 vehicles, a mitsubishi canter with a 3.5 metre x 1.8 metre van body on it, a new mercedes sprinter & an almost new mitsubishi lancer MR...........i was using a normal type car wash machine at the bakery we contracted to & over a period of time it got weaker & weaker, so i went off to source a pressure cleaner of my own..........now, Karcher are probably the most popular domestic & industrial cleaner in Tasmania, so naturally that's where i went, spent a good hour there discussing what i needed & they showed me several models, recommending the one i eventually bought, which was the biggest of the domestic range at the time, pressure equal to or exceeding a normal car wash, it's own soap resorvoir & a roll up 10 metre hose with an extended wand, heavy duty enuff to take some licks but still affordable for the average joe, from memory it cost 1800 bucks, so it wasn't a supercheap auto midnight special....LOL...........i also went with the detergent they recommended, which was a "true blue chemicals" general purpose wash.......very quickly found out that altho it did everything expected, because it was thin (almost water type consistency) it was sucked thru the cleaner at an alarming rate, even on the lowest soap setting ....it also managed to leach thru on the high pressure water setting & left streaks on the vehicles..........so off i went again to research GOOD truck washes, hit a few truckies forums (yes, they DO exist....LOL)....talked to several ppl & finished up deciding on CT-18 because a) used correctly, it was heavy enuff to remove the worst of road grime/grease & light enuff to use on a car b) it was more a "soap" than what i'd been using & fed thru the karcher at the correct rate, c) it was readily available @ reasonable cost thru most car accessory shops in a 20 litre drum & d) it is reasonably priced (i think i paid 60 bucks trade price from repco for the last drum)

to explain why i didn't want a detergent that streaks after use, i wash all three vehicles weekly (we now have a newer version merc sprinter, a new 5 tonne isuzu tautliner & the NC)...............with the commercials, i don't have the time or the energy to chamois these dry & need to have something that won't leave residue behind.......with our car (we moved on from the lancer to a new mazda tribute & now the MX5) i am a helluva lot more fussy, but i STILL use the $1.50 sponge & the synthetic chamois


as i said before, i have used the karcher & CT-18 for 5 years now on a lot of different vehicles & other applications & have seen no adverse affects, so i'm happy with my methods, & anyone who has seen ANY of our vehicles can attest to how fussy i am with their cleanliness

[Daz 27]

Karcher are probably the most popular domestic & industrial cleaner in Tasmania, so naturally that's where i went

Tassie's a really long way to go to buy a pressure washer.

[fil]

Interesting, so the method you wash the comercials with dosnt leave streaks or dosnt leave many. How where the streaks when you used the other detergent?
Wasnt having a go at you mate just always on the lookout for ways to make my job easier.
Still not convinced on the ct-18, i can see why you use it on your trucks but on your new nc ? Dosnt really matter however if your changing cars every few years, as you wont realy notice the damage untill quite a few years down the track, even then the dammage is usually blamed on the sun.

[AJ]

the method i use very rarely leaves residue on the paintwork or windows, thorough rinsing ensures that fil, the other detergent was REALLY watery & tended to leach thru even after changing the wand from "chemical" setting to "fan spray" setting, so you could rinse it till the water supply ran dry & still leave streaks


as for using it on the brand new truck & the brand new NC, why would you think the paintwork on an Isuzu would stand up to it ok, but not the mazda????


& no, we don't intend selling the LE in a hurry, how much down the track would you contribute to detergent rather than natural wear & tear on paint???



i'm not having a go at you either mate, just trying to get where you're coming from

[AJ]

Karcher are probably the most popular domestic & industrial cleaner in Tasmania, so naturally that's where i went

Tassie's a really long way to go to buy a pressure washer.

[fil]

so you could rinse it till the water supply ran dry & still leave streaks

There is a system that uses water filtration called soft water that is standard equipment on most superyachts, except its very expensive and not that portable. My problem is it very hard to get painted hulls to dry streak free and i was hoping your method was going to solve the problem.

As for the truck paint, essentailly it should be of the same thickness, however most trucks are painted in basic colurs. ie white as such it is harder to pick. That and i assume you ant your mazda to look better than your trucks.

Mate not to sure on the wear and tear, but i have been tought by many people who have been in the industry for years + people who develop new products. That using such a product on new paint or gelcoat (boat finish) will do damage to the boat in the long run. (also applys to cars)