Question on Costco MF Towels

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fastfurious23

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There are many threads on this forum about these Costco yellow towels. The consensus seems to be that they are not to be used on paint. However, since I have Opti Coat on my paint, should I be less worried and concerned about swirls/scratches if I do decide to use the Costco towels on my paint?

I'm not a pro detailer by any means but my reasoning is that I have a "layered coating" on my paint that would protect the paint from any bad things these Costco towels may or may not do.

Hope someone can answer this specific question.
 
Costco towels are alright towels IMO there not high quality nor like 600gsm or 700gsm towels but they get job done just be sure to have extra lubricity when using these towels on your paintwork.
 
I use them all the time on my black sand pearl tacoma and wife's black highlander with no problems... Love the price of them, and they seem to be holding up quite well after many uses and washings...
 
OC scratches just like paint. Treat the paint with the best products you are able to obtain, regardless if it's OC'ed or not. If Costco towels are the best you are able to obtain, so be it.
 
My opinion and experience with Costco towels on super soft black Porsche paint.

Costco towels surprisingly soft and plush compared to other entry level MF towels. They are PERFECTLY FINE for paint as long as there is some sort of coating, wax, or lubrication. The only time i wouldn't recommend them is during polishing where there is no lubrication or protection. Be sure to remove the tag.

Waterless wash - ok
Buffing off wax - ok
Interior cleaning - ok
Quick Detail - ok
GDWM Rinseless Wash - ok

Buffing polish residue - not ok
 
fastfurious23 said:
There are many threads on this forum about these Costco yellow towels. The consensus seems to be that they are not to be used on paint. However, since I have Opti Coat on my paint, should I be less worried and concerned about swirls/scratches if I do decide to use the Costco towels on my paint?

I'm not a pro detailer by any means but my reasoning is that I have a "layered coating" on my paint that would protect the paint from any bad things these Costco towels may or may not do.

Hope someone can answer this specific question.
Click to expand...

While coatings do (technically) offer some protection against light marring, any rough towel will still scratch the coating. The coatings can only claim resistance to scratches because they are technically harder than the clear coat, but they definitely can still be scratched easily. Treat it as if it was just clear coat... be very careful and use only the best towels if you can.
 
Thanks all for the replies.

Would it be possible that the Costco towels or even lower quality MF towels would penetrate the Opti Coat and leave the paint exposed? Or is scratching and swirls on only the Opti Coat the worst that I can expect if I use non-premium MF towels for a long time?

If it does not penetrate the paint, then I guess that's good. But Opti Coat isn't cheap either so I can see why I would want to protect the coating as well.
 
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Costco towels are G-R-E-A-T towel for the money for interior/wheels/jambs & such. I only use them on paint when the vehicle hasn't been taken car of previously or in other words "Trashed".
Even with Opti-Coat being as hard as it is, it can still scratch, but will not penetrate through the coating unless you have sticker-burs in your towel or something.
 
Cheap MF towels definitely have their place and although I use them very often, I'm just not comfortable using them on paint.
 
Think about it: If your car's finish can't stand up to a cheap microfiber towel, what chance does it have in the real world?

Besides, how do we know these expensive towels are all that great? Just because someone describes his towel as the supreme luxo ultima del oro towel doesn't mean that it is. Furthermore, even if your supplier is operating in the utmost good faith, how do you know his supplier isn't lying to him?

Today I washed my car and used 27 el cheapo towels. The car wasn't particularly dirty. I could afford to be unstinting in my use. Had I been using fancy towels I would have, consciously or unconsciously, using fewer and maybe taking a swipe or two more than I should.

In this area, quantity beats quality in my opinion.
 
problem with the costco towel is the nap is a bit short compared with more expensive products thus the dirt hiding capability is less.

still good bang for the buck tho.
 
I use them all the time on my 13 escape that is tuxedo black ford has super soft paint and the Costco towels did fine as long as it was protected now the vehicle is opti coated and I still use them just be careful
 
If I only I could, someday, be able to afford to have my vehicles polished to perfection,
and then have them Opti-Coated:

That, by then:
I would also be able to afford the microfiber towels that the vehicles are then so well deserved to have.
(I surely do not want to cause effacement to said Coating by doing otherwise)

That is my hope...Nay!...That is my prayer.

Bob
 
if you have the option of going to sam's club, check out their towels.. they seem to have a "plusher" nap than costcos (or atleast the ones ive had) and they already come tagless :xyxthumbs:
 
anonymoususer said:
My opinion and experience with Costco towels on super soft black Porsche paint.

Costco towels surprisingly soft and plush compared to other entry level MF towels. They are PERFECTLY FINE for paint as long as there is some sort of coating, wax, or lubrication. The only time i wouldn't recommend them is during polishing where there is no lubrication or protection. Be sure to remove the tag.

Waterless wash - ok
Buffing off wax - ok
Interior cleaning - ok
Quick Detail - ok
GDWM Rinseless Wash - ok

Buffing polish residue - not ok
Click to expand...

:iagree:
At least for the most part.

Only you know your paint. Single stage black you'll never get away with it. BC/CC (on most vehicles) they'll work.

BUT!!!!!!!

Wash them first, carefully remove the tags. That is good information for ALL your microfiber collection. ;)

You'll hear on detailing forums that any towel that didn't cost as much as a new set of tires isn't worth having. :eek:

I can tell you however of a local high-end detailer that uses nothing but "virgin Wal-Mart" towels. He'll use them once, then throw them away. He never washes them either! Uses them for paint correction, polishing, even final wipe down with Menzerna Power Lock.

Swirls are caused by the user. The user needs however to decide what risks he is willing to take with whatever towels he chooses to use.

I can say that I've SEEN the "virgin" towels used on soft black Porsche paint. I didn't like it, and in those instances would much prefer the Costco Kirkland "gold" towels. (Not the earlier Costco Eurow "yellow" towels, even though those are still MUCH better than Wal-Mart towels!)

Cheap towels will mar paint, period. What level of marring you are willing to accept is another matter all together. You might say be willing to accept what you get after compounding, knowing that you will polish it all out in the next step. But that brings to question what towels you might use after the polishing stage. :dunno:

As for the Kirkland "golds" I've had great luck overall with them, especially on hard GM paints. Washed first, used carefully, you'll probably be fine on most cars. My G35's red paint however doesn't like them. Weight I'd say is at least 350gsm but they don't compare at all to the 360gsm's that you may see at AG or Microfiber Tech.

Bottom line is you have to decide what works for you. No need to spend a small fortune on towels if you don't need to, but the other side of that coin is after you've spent hundreds in polishing and coating you would be better of safe than sorry. ;)
 
you got to ask yourself if using a microfiber towel that is questionable is worth the risk in which you will have to re-polish if they marr/scratch. the kirkland costco mf towels do have their place, but i personally wouldn't use them on paint. if you use them and carefully inspect the paint and there are no ill effects, then by all means keep using them...
 
I've used the Kirkland towels before on rather soft clear and had no issues with marring. For me, they have performed better than some towels costing 4 times as much. If they work for you, that's all that matters.
 
Great comments, thanks all.

Whatever I decide to use the Costco towels on, I've been wondering which side of the towel I should use. I noticed both sides do not feel the same. Should I use the side that has the tag on it? Or the tagless side?
 
fastfurious23 said:
Great comments, thanks all.

Whatever I decide to use the Costco towels on, I've been wondering which side of the towel I should use. I noticed both sides do not feel the same. Should I use the side that has the tag on it? Or the tagless side?
Click to expand...

What are you going to be doing with the towels? Wax removal, quick detailer, Rinseless washes, etc.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using AG Online
 
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