I just got a new paint job and the body shop told me not to use a wash mit on it. They gave me a 3M foam pad that is used to apply polish and said to use that. I have used it twice, but it seems to me that it would be more likely to scratch the paint because dirt particles don't really have anywhere to go. What do you guys recomend that won't cause scratches? I use microfiber towels to dry it.
Wash your car, your body shop gave you some extremely bad advice. Make sure you use a good quality car wash and wash mitt. The softer the better. No dish washing detergent. That is too harsh for car finishes and even worse for new paint.
I would use a good natural sheepskin wool mitt. You can tell if it is real by looking inside, it should look like raw leather. I have had good luck finding them at Advance Auto Parts or WalMart. The deep nap will trap debris and pull it away from the paint. It also helps to use two buckets, one with just fresh rinse water and the other with your car wash/water mix. Rinse the mitt each time before you reload with soap. Here is a good article from www.bettercarcare.com on washing and drying your paint. http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=9
I did some reading on Autopia.org and it looks like the natural sheepskin mits are the way to go. I am suprized to see that alot of people are using the ones from Walmart. Thanks for the advice.