Rxhopeful

I've been loving my new Obsidian '13 RX, except for one thing- I've had it washed twice in the month I've had it, and last night I noticed swirls in the paint. I contacted my sales rep at the dealer about and she said that, unfortunately, that will continue to happen no matter who washes it, or whether it's hand washed or washed by a machine. She said its because the black paint is the only one that is flat based, with no pearl or metallic. She said that's the only downside to owning a black car. Shecsaid she would the service mgr look into it and see if they can help with the cost of possible repairs to the swirls. I was just very surprised because I was getting it washed at the dealership. It seems like since its luxury, they would find a way to make it not proned to have swirls, maybe I was expecteing too much. Do any of you with obsidian rx's have this issue? Do you know whether the swirls can be removed, or if there is a way to wash that doesn't cause swirls on black cars? Any help would appreciated. I live in the Dallas area in case anyone has specific recommended detailers in the area. Thanks!

corradoMR2

Truth is the swirl marks are there even on other car colors, however it's far less visible than on black. The clear coat scratches up at a very fine level over time with washes. A good wax job masks the swirls and if the dealer is willing to help, here's how they can. Good luck.

Droid13

I happened to have spent 10 or 15 minutes looking over a 2010. The paint looked like a time lapsed picture of the night sky the swirls were so noticeable. I imagine it was regularly run through car washes though. I've had a black car before, its a high maintenance color, tough to keep the swirls from showing in bright daylight. There's a reason why Batman never takes the batmobile out during the day

It's what MR2 says, they are there with every car, just shows more with black. Careful cleaning, only allow perfectly clean cloths to touch the paint, properly applied good wax'll keep it looking very nice.

CSSLDR

There's a brand of acrylic wax I've used called Klasse. It can last for 6 months to a year. It will protect your paint from frequent washes. On this you can do a monthly carnuba wax. results are excellent.

I got mine from http://www.autogeek.net/klasse.html. There are other products similar to this as well. Do your research.

RXSF

I vowed to never buy a flat black car ever again. So I now own two metallic black cars. I noticed the Lexus clear coat swirls extremely easily and also chips more easily. Not sure why that is so. People used to say that Lexus had to conform with environmental standards for paint and the result was "weaker" paint but other brands seem to be doing just fine.

A good detailer would be able to reduce the swirls and protect against future ones. However, if you find a bad detailer, it will make the situation worse and you will end up with buffing swirls as well.

jdoolitt

This may be worth a mention. In 2007, my wife and I picked up identical 2007 IS250s (don't ask why the same car ). She got a Smokey Granite Mica, and I picked up the Obsidian. The dealer suggested a PermaPlate/Coat option on the Obsidian. In the past, I had strong doubts about this type of treatment for a vehicle, but the dealership was guaranteeing the finish, for five years.

Fast forward nearly six years. My 2007 Obsidian IS250 looks like the day I bought it... less a few paint dings here and there. I currently wax it with Meguires NXT, but there are zero swirls in the paint. Zero. In fact - we recently traded one of the IS250s on an RX350, and each of our IS250s had nearly the same mileage, and service history. We traded the Smokey Granite... in large part - because the finish on our Obsidian was still so spectacular.

So - apologies for butting into your thread, with what appears to be an ad for what some think of as a questionable, dealer profit/mark-up... paint treatment --- but I am a believer in Lexus/Dealer applied and installed paint treatment. If it isn't too late - I would ask the dealership if they offer it. In my case, the treatment included 3 'refreshes' -- where they took and re-applied the permaPlate a couple of times.

rayaans

Nice to see you on here again Rxhopeful!

Ok basically, the sales rep is lying. Lexus paint is soft, theres no doubt about that. Metallic paint is not stronger than solid paint. This is a common myth but its not true.

Also, I suggest you do not use the dealership for washing your car. Swirls will naturally happen but the best thing to do to prevent them is to take the washing into your own hands. Even touchless washes will damage your paint. Use the two bucket method with grit guards and a high quality drying chamois or cloth, not just any random towel or tee shirt.

Light swirls can be removed by polishing the car, possibly with Autoglym Super Resin polish which I have found to mask swirls very well. Top this off with a high quality wax, I use Autosmart WAX. Its expensive but to be perfectly honest, any cheap wax will do the job. Itll just need topping up more often and possibly need more coats. Simoniz Carnauba Wax is the best cheap option in my opinion. It takes hard work to take off but id say its the best cheap wax to use.

Another way of preventing swirls is getting your car wrapped in 3M. Its not too visible and helps with stone chips also.

JRey350hou

I purchased RX2013 Obsidian in Nov for my wife. I've only hand washed it myself several times and have seen no visable swirls marks. One thing i highly siggest is to not let dealership wash car for you. i know a little about your situation ...being you are single woman and such I doubt you will be doing the 2 bucket approach etc, or even 1 bucket approach....lol. Best advice to give, if you cant do yourself is to find a highly reccomended car wash in DaLLas area...brushless preferably . I take my 2010 ES350 through neighborhood wash that has not brushes but not sure what they call material that slaps over the vehicle as it runs through...not brushes imo. and have no swirls on the black sapphire.Not talking about the cheap quick drive thru attached to gas station...you really asking for trouble. One I go ( sure several in Dallas area ) to you see expensive Luxury vehicles using their service all the time. One other suggestion would be ..as mentioned...to put a wax or sealant on vehicle asap and this will give it some good protection. Good luck !

S26kim

I recently purchased a black (obsidian) 2015 RX. It had swirl marks too and needed some love.

Here are some pixs of what I did.

What I did:
1. Local car wash (since Cali is in a drought with water restriction)
2. Clay bar kit - Meguiars
3. Swirl X - Meguiars
4. Ultimate quik wax - meguiars

A lot of the swirl marks were gone. Black paint is really tough to maintain.

NateJG

I used this on my black car with good results: https://www.turtlewax.com/shop/produ...ailer-23-fl-oz

garbo

First you must have a cloth which is 100% cotton. Even though certain items state that it is 100% cotton it is just not true. An example is a towel, it is not 100% cotton and will therefore create swirls (there are man made fibers in it). As previously stated one needs to use 'clean' 100% cotton cloths to clean the vehicle which means constantly rinsing and or changing cloths as one washes the car. if you use a cloth which becomes dirty the embedded dirt will 'scratch' the paint and you will see swirls. I hand washed my previous car for the11 years I owned it and it did not have any swirls. I recently bought a new Lexus 350. I could not believe it had swirl marks on the acrylic logo located on the front grill. I would NEVER let the Lexus dealer wash my car.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Swirls and scratches will appear on every vehicle regardless of color. Darker colors (especially those that are not metallic) will show defects much easier than lighter colors due to the reflective nature of darker paint.

Swirls are caused mostly by washing and drying. The unfortunate truth is that anytime you touch the vehicle, you risk scratching the paint. Improper washing and drying will greatly increase the rate at which your vehicle accumulates swirl marks, and on soft jet-black paint can make your vehicle look very poor after just one bad car wash.

The Real Cost of a “Cheap” Car Wash by Zach McGovern



The good news is that the majority of light to moderate surface defects can be removed through proper paint correction processes. Paint correction is a process which utilizes machine polishers, pads, and compounds to remove a fine layer of paint in order to level the surface to produce a flat, defect-free finish.







This process can be learned by the average car owner, but it does take a considerable amount of time and patience to master (as well as a sizeable investment in tools and products), however I do find it very rewarding! If you're not the DIY type, a professional who specializes in paint correction would be able to help you out, however do not just trust this task to anyone who claims they can "buff your car"... a real paint correction professional is leaps and bounds different from that $200 detail shop who will "cut and buff". I'd be happy to recommend a trusted professional in your area if you'd like.


Since the paint correction process is a very time intensive one, it is best to learn how to carefully care for your vehicle in an attempt to greatly reduce the amount of swirls that are introduced over time. This is most commonly achieved by investing in high end car care products and understanding proper technique for washing (ie 3 bucket wash method shown in the article below).

How To Properly Wash and Dry a Car by Todd Cooperider


If you've got any other questions, please let me know and I would be happy to elaborate on any detailing process, products, etc.

You may also find it helpful to look through this comprehensive Detailing Guide and also some other articles on the Detailed Image Ask-A-Pro Blog where myself and other top professionals write helpful artices.

Thanks

-Zach