Microfiber wiping/drying/buffing technique

[JJH]

Any particular way you guys like to run microfibers over the paint? This includes drying, buffing out wax/polish/compound/sealant, or using them of a rinseless wash such as ONR

I've heard of people only running the microfiber vertically or horizontally and always wondered why.

[Bunky]

Carefully. A light touch is best.

There are a lot of theories about directions but I tend to run horizontally if anything to tell if my practice is causing marring.

[Bigbull2984]

For onr i like a nice plush towel such as a cobra 600 or 530. For buffing out anything soft and thin so i have more control. Then i go over with a plush towel to pick up any dusting. I also do horizontal lines, but I have soft Honda paint so i have come to peace with light scartches

[Infinitiman]

There are multiple ways that you can do this that are very safe. My method is to mist the panel to be dried with a instant detailer ( currently using Dodo's time to dry, this is a great product ) or a spray wax ( never tried this method ) to add lubrication to prevent marring. Then take a WWMF towel and blot dry or lay the towel on the surface and slowly pull across the panel. This will cause a haze that will need to be buffed off, but is worth the added protection. This method is great for maintenance washings but is not necessary if you will be polishing afterwards. Another method that I have not tried is to use a damp MMMF towel, I read is absorbs more water that way.


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[magna_power]

The straight line thing is to reduce swirls. You can see swirls from every angle because they are circular marks, so there is no hiding from them, some part will show up no matter what angle you stand at. A straight line scratch is much harder to see. If you "follow the line the air would take when passing over your car" (to loosely quote a great man) I believe you will be consistent with the scratching that you do put into your car, but they won't be "swirls", so will be less obvious out in the sun, and only seen from specific angles.

That is my understanding of the straight line technique, which goes for applying wax also