Parts Catalog Accessories Catalog How To Articles Tech Forums
Call Pelican Parts at 888-280-7799
Shopping Cart Cart | Project List | Order Status | Help



Go Back   PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum > Mercedes-Benz Tech Information and Support > Detailing and Interior

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 03-10-2000, 02:35 PM
AMGCKlass
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
I bought 100% cotton(?) terry towels at pepboys the other day.. OH yeah, they were mad cheap.. just little over $1.. I mean I wanted to buy real quality ones but that's all they got.. So i started to dry my car with it and guess what????? SCRATCHES>>>swirls... I was careful though..........REALLY unhappY...

I am asking all of you who read this. What kind of terry towels do you guys use?? Can you suggest really good ones?? I will be willing to spend more than $1... Brand name or places where I can get some?? Thanks...

Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 03-10-2000, 05:26 PM
Adamou
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Benzmac allready told us that Pepboys are f&%ç"*...
Use GS27 to make your scratches disapear.

------------------
-------------------------------------
http://connect.to/windowsce
A.S.C. 2000
- Mercedes Benz 560SEC 1986 28.000km BRABUS
-------------------------------------
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 03-10-2000, 07:58 PM
AMGCKlass
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Thanks for your reply.I can't believe that You are recommending GS27 to make my scratches disapear. YES, I DO HAVE IT ALREADY AND GS27 DOES NOT WORK!!!!!!!
HAVE YOU USED ONE YOURSELF?? NOT A SINGLE SCRATCH IS REMOVED......JUST LETTING YOU KNOW>>>>>


Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 03-10-2000, 09:08 PM
Bill Wood's Avatar
Retired Webmaster
 
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: Johns Creek, GA, USA
Posts: 5,013
We make our own terry towels out of super plush 100% cotton terrycloth.
Just buy it at the fabric store and find someone with a sewing machine. Be sure to use 100% cotton thread. Wash a few times before using to eliminate any sizing or other chemicals in the cloth.
Works great!

------------------
Bill Wood - Webmaster
MercedesShop.com, LLC
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 03-11-2000, 03:51 AM
Adamou
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
AMG : yes sure I use GS27 all the time, and no problems. It depends how you applicate it on your car...

------------------
-------------------------------------
http://connect.to/windowsce
A.S.C. 2000
- Mercedes Benz 560SEC 1986 28.000km BRABUS
-------------------------------------
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 03-13-2000, 07:45 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Posts: 1,342
Skip the Pep Boys towels even if they don't come from Pep Boys. Unless both the towel, stitching, and any labels all pass the "burn" test it isn't truly 100% cotton and could easily swirl/scratch your car. The fact that they come from Pep Boys just makes them double damned.

As for the GS27...IMO it belongs in the same can, I mean shelf as the Pep Boys towels. Hmmm...wonder what happens if you apply GS27 with a Pep Boys towel? j/k

If you can't find towels that pass the burn test you can order some from Meguiar's that should be more than adequate. You could also try canibalizing some "Cannon" bathroom type towels but your S/O may not take it too well. "sorry honey, I didn't mean to cut your favorite bath towels into neat/foldable pieces. Oh, and don't worry about that smell, that is just the last few rags I've burned trying to find any poly-synthetic fibers in the household towels." Cut at your own risk. Of course, convincing them to sew a bunch of car towels may not be much better but...

Hope this helps...Lee


Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 03-15-2000, 07:13 AM
AMGCKlass
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Thank you so much for your thoughts. I really appreciate it...
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 03-16-2000, 05:30 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 33
What is the "burn" test? I'm assuming you actually burn the cloth, but then what do you look or smell for?

Taison

Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 03-16-2000, 11:38 AM
Bill Wood's Avatar
Retired Webmaster
 
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: Johns Creek, GA, USA
Posts: 5,013
The "burn test" is used to determine if the cloth or threads contain any polyester. Any polyester AT ALL is BAD! It causes swirl marks in your paint.
Polyester turns into a little hard black ball when burned.

------------------
Bill Wood - Webmaster
MercedesShop.com, LLC
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 03-18-2000, 12:14 AM
Robert W. Roe's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Lehigh Valley PA
Posts: 1,330
Interesting thread; you guys are helping me resist the temptation to buy one of the huge bags of cheap towels at my local BJ's and Sam's wholesale clubs. My wife "retires" old towels when they begin to fray around the edges. I'm wondering, if they pass the "burn test," is there any reason I can't use them for polishing?

I've been looking for the elusive "soft terry" and perhaps I'm being too picky, searching for ultra-soft $100 bathrobe terry. Can a normal Cannon or Fieldcrest 100% cotton towel be used safely? Does it matter if they are colored fabric? Thanks for all your expert advice. Getting the "itch" to wax the SD as soon as the wind chill stops being a factor

------------------
Robert W. Roe
1984 300SD 169K mi
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 03-21-2000, 02:00 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Posts: 1,342
Robert,
If the Cannon or whatever "designer" brand of towel passes a burn test then it should be good to go. Color shouldn't hurt anything other than making it harder to tell about what you are removing off the finish. Just make double sure the seams/edges/designs are not sewn with even one synthetic thread or it will scratch. Even if you have to cut the edges off the terry it still may work. Just be very wary of tags, seams/binding, and any designes embroidered in. Just do a autopsy and burn test on one to find out. Let me know how it turns out for you.

Hope this helps...Lee
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 03-21-2000, 10:40 AM
Brian16V
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
100% cotton towels -- are we talking for "drying" the car or applying/removing wax? If "drying", I ALWAYS use 2 chamois -- one to remove a majority of the water, the second to finish it off. If we're talking "waxing" cloths, I just cut-up my old T-shirts. They've been washed many times, are soft and are perfect for the job (just don't use ones that have plastic/rubber aplique logos). Also, has anyone priced used cloth diapers from a diaper service (washed of course )? I'm positive they're 100% cotton, tho' not sure about the stitching.

Brian
1986 2.3-16V
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 03-21-2000, 11:15 AM
yal's Avatar
yal yal is offline
Benz-smart
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: New York, Long Island
Posts: 2,707
Brian I do the same thing...just cut up a bunch of my old cotton t-shirts they work great... I am sure if the average guy looks through his stuff he'll find some...besides it saves the 'buy and burn' hassle of looking for 100% cotton terries.

yal
88' 230E W124
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 03-21-2000, 04:52 PM
Bill Wood's Avatar
Retired Webmaster
 
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: Johns Creek, GA, USA
Posts: 5,013
Well, I'll say this about that...

100% cotton T-shirts won't hurt your car as long as there is absolutely NO polyester in the threads but, you will find that it is ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE easier to remove polish and wax with 100% cotton thick nap terrycloth towels.

It's like anything else, having the right tool for the job makes the job easier and improves the results. Would you work on your car using only a pair of plyers and a screwdriver?

In my book it's worth spending a few bucks on good toweling because most of the time it's cheap rags that ruin paint. I put swirl marks all over my (then new) 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo by using old diapers and T-shirts. I learned a good lesson.

------------------
Bill Wood - Webmaster
MercedesShop.com, LLC
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 04-30-2000, 12:47 AM
Robert W. Roe's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Lehigh Valley PA
Posts: 1,330
I've been looking at my towels as we do laundry. About half of my towels are 100% cotton, others are a polyester mix. There doesn't seem to be a definitive brand that is always going to be all cotton, but whenever I am with my wife when she buys towels, I'll check the tags so I'll know which of my towels I'll be using for detailing when the (probably polyester) edges start to come off A word of caution, be sure to check the labels before detailing; just because a towel is a Fieldcrest or Cannon, it might be part polyester.

Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
cotton terry towel for exterior paint ktlimq Detailing and Interior 2 02-08-2004 07:55 AM
What's up with Pep Boys terry towels? ss109 Detailing and Interior 2 07-11-2000 12:02 AM



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:47 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2024 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Peach Parts or Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page