Just read through this entire thread, I don't think there's anything I can add except....
When washing an Expel film or any paint protection film, make sure your wash mitts are clean and new. Don't use tatty mitts that could scratch the film.
I tell people this all the time and I suspect a lot of people think I'm just trying to "sell them", but I'm not. I've made a career out of teaching people how to remove swirls, (funny and weird but also true), and here's my best advice.
DON'T BUY A WASH MITT!
Buy them by the dozens.
Or at least a few at a time. ALWAYS have a clean, new wash mitt in your arsenal in case you drop your wash mitt on the ground or you notice your current wash mitt is getting tatty and worn.
Think about it... how much did the Expel cost you?
Everyone else in this thread... think about how much money you've invested in your car, detailing tools for your car, pads, products, microfiber towels, and on and on an on... you finally get your car to the point where you happy and now all you have to do is MAINTAIN it.
How do you maintain it?
- You wash it.
- You dry it.
- You wipe it with detailers.
In other words you touch it. So make sure everything you touch it with is clean, soft and free from contamination. The cost of having a supply of EXTRA wash mitts, (if you're like me and you wash your cars), is NOTHING compared to everything you've spent on it up to this point.
Have spare wash mitts on hand. As a wash mitt starts to look tatty and worn delegate it to under the bumpers, lower rocker panels, etc. and break out a BRAND NEW mitt to take care of your baby.
Here's my favorite and these are not the cheap ones like you find at Walmart that fall apart, these are the good ones that you can throw in the washing machine and wash over and over again. I use these in all my classes.
Micro-Chenille Wash Mitt 3-Pack
Heck order two 3-packs.
For those of you that heed this advice, there will come a day when you're ready to wash your car that you'll look at your current mitt - shake your head no - and then fetch a brand new mitt that you've pre-purchased just for this day and then you'll remember this post and thank me.
The most common thing that MOST of us do to our car is touch it when we wash it, dry it or wipe it. So make sure the things you use to touch it, dry it and wipe it are of the highest quality you can obtain.
New wash mitts = cheap insurance
