I have a 2003 Suzuka Blue S and have had it for close to 3 months now. I just washed it yesterday and was drying it off in the garage and realized that I am beginning to accumulate small scratches in the clear coat that are really fine, but if you look at them up close they appear lighter than the paint.
I am beginning to think that the sponge is the culprit. I usually rinse the car off really well, then apply a generous amount of maguirs gold class carwash in a clean bucket and soak the sponge really well then place it in the bucket, then wash my car. I then dry it off with an absorber, which I make sure is clean and dirt free.
I am wondering if it is my sponge, what is the best thing to use so that I can no longer get any more of these scratches while washing my car, and what products do you recommend for ridding the car of these scratches without doing any harm to the finish. Thanks for your time.
Jeremy

 

i use the best mitt i can find and get rid of it every 6 mos or so...
(often just use it on my other cars that i dont care as much about!)

 

Agreed! The sponge has too many places to trap fine grit!

 

I also agree. I us a Turtle Wax Wooltex Wash Mitt which is a synthetic. Cotton towels will also cause swirl marks. Use a Microfiber towel to dry the car.

 

I've switched from a mitt to using a microfiber towel for washing. It just "seems" better in a number of ways. I have more surface area to use by folding, and it seems to shed the dirt in the water more readily than the cotton mitts I was using. It also washes out "cleaner" than the mitt.

I don't know if it really is better, but I like it, so that's what I'm using.

 

I use a wool covered sponge but also have a turtle wax mitt.

Microfiber also works pretty well.

 

Don't use either. Use a boar's hair brush and shake it around in the wash bucket well each time before touching the paint. Any grit or grime it picks up comes right off in the bucket. Got mine from Griot's about 3 years ago and it's still like new.

 

Hey Guys,
Thanks for all the recommends.... does anyone have a favorite company that makes a great quality mit????

 

I use a sponge with little trouble, but I am taking a risk, I also have a mit that I got from Target. I'll probably end up using that from now on.

 

Can't go wrong here.

http://properautocare.com/spongesmitts.html