Kaius88

The manual says that the brushes and sprays at a carwash can affect the paint and finish. But the dealership puts it through its own carwash before they deliver the car to you. I'd love to wash the car on my own, but with hard water and dark color, i get spots like crazy. The dealership carwash is nice and fast, but how do you prevent carwash from destroying the nice finish. Is it normal is see some faint swirls on hood after wash and wax? I see some very faint cleaning patterns under dim light at an angle.

twister

A little off topic but on a same subject, my sales guy told me they (not sure if Lexus or dealership directly) apply a 1-year wax coating to protect the paint. Is that a requirement for every dealership, or does it come directly from Lexus like that?

PaJaHa1

I'm sure the manual is just a disclaimer for people that are careless about washing their car, though I have heard rumors that the paint on the new Lexus is "soft" and shows a lot. I always wash mine myself and am very careful, and still had swirls on my black. It's just unavoidable. If you could find some kind of insurance for this be very skeptical. I doubt they will provide you with a new paint job based on swirls.

PaJaHa1

btw Twister that sounds suspicious to me. remember that seinfeld episode where they nailed jerry for "rust proofing" and admitted that it was just a scam

twister

Nobody charged me for that I just asked them while picking up my license plates about taking care of the car in terms of waxing. So, they replied a special coat of wax was already applied to protect paint and the shiny look for a year. Its not a special guaranteed protection, just a waxing that some do after buying a new car to protect from sun/rain damage and winter salt corrosion. I'm terrible at taking care of my car, and my previous black Altima had an oily grey layer on top of it After detailing it last weekend, I couldn't believe how they restored a factory look after 8 years of my negligence. That also helped to sell the car after the first day I put it in the newspaper!

Lexus commitment to free car wash with an oil change is a great thing, but waiting 5k miles for that is too long.

Kaius88

I heard if pressured water is sprayed too closely to a car, it can make a dent! Thats kinda scary if the panels are that thin and delicate. I hosed down my car on sunday, and the sound of water beating against the door got me thinking....

twister

Bizarro-bro, you should get California Magic Duster.



Get it in any auto store for $15-$20. Its an amazing thing w/wax treated strands, and the dirtier it gets, the better it works!!! Also, does a great job on rims. Give it a try!!!

Celibon

Funny you should mention it... I just used it to get the dust off my car 10 minutes ago. Very easy to use and is very efficient against dust.

BobsGX

Wal-Mart has the same California Duster for less than $10.00. It does have a plastic handle, but that's the only difference.

Kaius88

that looks real handy...i might not need a carwash as often since most of the visible stuff is plain dust and dirt. NICE!

but the question is: can water from a garden nozzle or car wash facility be strong enough to dent a japanese car? I notice american cars have slightly thicker sheet metals. Im thinking the metal probably is flexible enough to bounce the water off like a drum surface....but i dont know in the long run if anyone has ever had body damage due to sprayed water....

Nextourer

nah, it should be fine. The rear quarter panel on my Prius is really soft. You can use your thumb and press against the body and you can "dent" it in. It's fine after going through a touchless car wash.

Ingram4868

The Mr. Clean car wash kit will keep the hard water spots off the car in our area. My neighbor uses it on his car and it works. The key element in the kit is the rinse filter that treats the water. Having said that, all water supplies are different and can contain different elements within the water.

PaJaHa1

be very careful that those car dusters never touch the ground. all you need is a pebble to get caught in the bristles and you are in for a bad day.

twister

Ouch! Never thought about that. I used to own one of those dusters for a very long time until I lost it during moving, and I always kept it in a holster it came in. Now, I got a new one for ES350. Will have to be extra careful while cleaning rims not to pick up any pebbles... Thanks for the warning!!!

07ES350

I too live in an area where hard water is present. What I have done when I wash my car is first use a car wash liquid with carnuba wax. Then rinse once with water and then invest in a garden sprayer and use a small amount of fabric softener (Downey). That will soften up the water and prevent water spotting. You could also use a water bottle sprayer with the softener solution for in between car washes. Also invest in a micro-fiber towel to dry your vehicle. The work great if you use a small amount of water to clean your windows. Check out Costco for the micro-fiber towels.