03-18-2015, 11:10 AM | #1 |
Drives: 2014 2SS/RS Camaro Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 2,421
|
Anyone use real Chamois anymore?
Back in the day, I used to use a chamois to dry my car. It was the real thing, leather, not synthetic. You'd get it wet, wring it out, then wipe the car. Rinse, wring and repeat. It did a great job of drying the car with no water marks or streaks.
Just wondering if anyone still uses this method or if there is a reason not to? I recently used a MM Dry Me Crazy and a few other popular towels. They worked great, but I kind of missed the old shammy..... Help an old guy out... is the shammy out dated?
__________________
2014 2SS/RS, L99, SW LTH w/HF Cats, GMPP Ex. Z/28 CAI, FR41s in PVD Black Chrome, Recaros, Pfadt Sway
377hp, 383tq 12.739@110.44 MPH |
03-18-2015, 12:23 PM | #2 |
Drives: The shiny ones. Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: In the detail shop!
Posts: 5,979
|
I'm there with you man... I remember the old genuine calf skin chamois (shammy) days. It was all I used back in the day. There isn't anything wrong with a chamois per se, but there are some reasons MF has advantages.
Genuine chamois would eventually become less effective. Remember you had to soak them in warm soapy water before the first use to get all the excess oil out? They were impregnated with fish oil (cod liver) and thats what kept them soft and gave them that slippery feel. With each wash you lost some of it until it got too brittle to keep using. Microfiber will last many times over what a chamois would with proper care and doesn't get less effective with time. Theres also the move towards using a drying agent (detail spray or other lubrication while you dry to make it easier, faster, prevent spots and swirls) A chamois will not be able to pick up the chemicals and release them again like a microfiber can in the wash, it pretty much just ends up smearing the product around. Thats the long and short of it - I still have a high end chamois in my garage in a bag somewhere that never got used. I can't bring myself to throw it out even though I probably won't use it. Last edited by Adam's Polishes; 03-18-2015 at 12:47 PM. |
03-18-2015, 12:37 PM | #3 |
Drives: 2012 45th Anniversary 2SS LS3 Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 2,812
|
RIP chamois.
__________________
|
03-18-2015, 03:39 PM | #4 |
Obsessed
Drives: 2016 Hyper Blue 2SS RS Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Riverview, FL
Posts: 2,603
|
Doesn't the Chamois also drag dust and maybe dirt across that clearcoat???
I thought for sure that would be the first statement.
__________________
2016 Hyper Blue 2SS |
03-18-2015, 03:58 PM | #5 |
Drives: 2021 Shadow Gray 1LS Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Streetsboro Ohio
Posts: 1,371
|
I thought for sure someone would think of this guy before I did............
|
03-18-2015, 04:09 PM | #6 |
Drives: 0000 Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: none
Posts: 264
|
I think AutoZone still has them.
|
03-18-2015, 04:13 PM | #7 |
Drives: 0000 Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: none
Posts: 264
|
|
03-18-2015, 04:19 PM | #8 |
Drives: 2014 2SS/RS Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Eastern Nebraska
Posts: 454
|
Years ago a buddy told me that he switched to towels because the chamois would take off some of the wax each time the car was washed. Soft towels would not, according to him... About the time I switched to towels, they started delivering cars with clear coat, so I'm not sure if that statement still applies..
__________________
|
03-18-2015, 06:33 PM | #9 | ||
Drives: The shiny ones. Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: In the detail shop!
Posts: 5,979
|
Quote:
Quote:
One could argue, given the fiber structure and density of a microfiber towel, that MF would remove more than a chamois would - but since neither really does its a moot point. |
||
03-18-2015, 07:05 PM | #10 | |
|
Quote:
Chamois had it's time and place. RIP
__________________
'11 IBM 2SS/RS Built and Tuned by Vengeance Racing Vengeance PCM
Vengeance Racing Mast Black Label LS7 Headed 416 ProCharger Stage II D1X Race ,Monster Triple,Alky Control Meth Inj, Forgestar F14 Drag Version and a bunch of other blah blah blah.838/688 at 12lbs Street Friendly |
|
03-19-2015, 02:07 AM | #11 |
Drives: 11 Camaro V6 RS, 03 BMW Z4 Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Beijing & Michigan
Posts: 476
|
I used to use them, and still have some lying around, but they became very brittle and frayed. I use an imitation which has all the benefits of the chamois but none of the drawbacks. Highly absorbent, no streaking and after using it the car doesn't get dusty as quick!
|
03-21-2015, 03:44 AM | #12 | |
Drives: 2014 Camero 2SS/RS Vert Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: CA
Posts: 53
|
Quote:
|
|
03-21-2015, 09:56 AM | #13 |
Drives: early 2011 Camaro convertible Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: House Springs, Mo
Posts: 2,002
|
all of my chamois died and left tiny pieces of cow all over the place. Had to clean it up with a chamwow
__________________
Early 2011 LT Convertible, ZL1 bumper, hood, side skirts, belly pan and wheels, Truecarbon ECF hood extractor, K&N CAI, Elite catch can, Big Worm Bow Tie emblems, Jacfab bracket, Vitesse TC, BMR strut brace, BMR tunnel brace, NPP exhaust |
03-21-2015, 02:46 PM | #14 |
Chamois is actually a member of the antelope family.http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamois
__________________
CAI intake, ADM scoop, Roto Fab WW relocation kit, BBK 95mm TB, Kooks Headers full 3" exhaust with mufflers and HF cats, MSD 8.5mm plug wires,Tune by Southwest Speed
|
|
|
|
|
|