Keisuke

I just bought my Berlina Black 2005 S2000 a week or two ago. It has 1800, and was always garaged by its previous owner, so it never needed to be washed. I've never owned a car as nice as this, and I want it to stay as nice as possible. Could anyone please give me recommendations on what kind of towels to use to wash, dry, and wax it?

Previous to this car, I have used sheep skin mits to wash my cars and microfiber towels to dry them. Any comments on these?

Any help is appreciated.

animeS2K

Good start with the sheepskin wash mitts and waffle weave microfiber towels.
Use the 2-bucket method of washing (one for soapy water, one with clear water for rinsing the mitt, keeping the grime you take off the car out of your soap mix), you could also get a foam gun to help remove a lot of dirt and grime before you even touch the car with a mitt - it works well, much better than just a simple water-only pre-rinse.

Keep your towels extra clean, rinse the surface with free-flowing water to sheet as much water off the car as possible after washing and before drying. Consider using an electric leaf blower to remove most of the water and blotting instead of wiping with the towels.

The black honda paint is very soft, so you want to do everything you can to prevent marring the surface. Chances are you'll still need at least a light polish every year or so, so consider investing in a Porter Cable 7424, some polishing pads for the PC and some light polishes.

You can use the PC with a finishing pad to apply sealants and waxes, as well. Use high quality microfiber buffing towels to remove.

Keep it clean, sealed and/or waxed and avoid excessive contact with the paint and your finish will thank you

Keisuke

I have a Stihl gas-powered leaf blower. It doesn't blow any particles out but air. I'm just making sure, but is this okay to use instead of the electric leaf blower?

animeS2K

I've used my gas blower before, it's just unwieldy around the car and I believe the electrics actually blow faster, unless you're talking a nice backpack blower

I don't think it would be a problem unless it was hard to handle or dripped gas or oil when tilted at funny angles.

Keisuke

Thanks for your help, animeS2K. I'll probably post up after I get it all shined up. It'll probably be some time next week.

NNY S2k

Can't wait to see the results.

Conedodger

I tried the leaf blower route and found it very cumbersome to deal with. I now use a Water Blade followed up with microfiber towels.

http://www.californiacardusters.com/12waterblade.html

chuhsi

i use thick 100% white cotton towels that I get from the outlets. they're actually nicer than the ones i use on myself

MikeyC

Most people who are fanatical about detailing will recommend you not use a "Water Blade," chamois, or The Absorber to dry your car. Basically, the reasoning is that towels (especially microfiber ones) are the best way to dry your car because they have knap which can trap any remaining dirt on the paint and hold it away from the paint to avoid scratching. The Blade, chamois, and Absorber on the other hand have no knap. So they will press any remaining surface dirt against your paint as you're sliding the tool across it. This will cause at the very least marring and at the worst deep scratches.

I know people will say "well just make sure to wash your car well and you won't have to worry about remaining surface dirt." Well, the other day I washing my car and it was fairly windy. I can't tell you how much pollen, leaves, and other tree parts ended up on my paint while I was washing and I was at least 75 feet away from any trees. I was sure glad at that point that I was using a towel with knap.

If you're concerned about that there is too much water on your car after a wash for one towel to dry, all you have to do is sheet off the water first. It's simple. After you're done washing just run a steady stream of water over your car starting from the top and working to the bottom. Water has a tendency to stick to water so most of the water on your car will sheet right off. The little remaining water is easily removed with one microfiber towel.

blurnj13

I highly recommend pakshak microfiber towels if you don't have any... really really good quality microfiber (not the garbage stuff found in pepboys etc) for a great price. Also, I've tried big blue 2 and I've found the pakshak waffle drying towel definately seems to hold more water before needing to wring out.