wannaGX

I have a 2010 GX - black, fwiw. Do all new cars have clear coat or is it something I would have had to order/pay extra for? And what is clear coat, just an extra layer to help protect?

Also, do we need to wax our cars to keep the paint pretty? Mine will almost always be in a garage - work and home. My 2001 4runner I've never waxed it, rarely washed it to be honest, and the paint is still shiny and pretty (when washed). It too was always in the garage.

With this car I want to do things right. I plan to wash it pretty regularly (helps the dealer has free car washes).

So, can I just have the dealer wash it weekly or do I need to be doing more?
Thanks!

akfd

My dealer told me that the car body already has some sort of clear coating to protect the paint, so another clear coat would protect it even more. I didn't have clear coating done on my last car (98 ES300), and after a good car wash the paint was still very shiny, albeit with some blemishes that couldn't be hidden. I rarely wash my car, so I chose Tungsten Pearl, as the color doesn't look too ugly when it's dirty. Black is tough to take care of, but your dealer has free car washes, so it's OK.

Balooo2

Your paint will love you if you used a product like Klasse or Ultima PaintGaurd Plus.
If you are washing your car often you need to do this and if you don’t wash your car often you need something like this even more.

These products are NOT waxes they are new technology polymers that really do a great job protecting your paint and giving it a better then waxed luster that lasts for months and is easy to apply.
There are many other products out there that others swear by some require pre coats, mixing etc.
I mention Klasse and Ultima PaintGaurd plus because I have used both products and they both do an outstanding job even on your glass and plastic trim.
I recently applied the Ultima product to my GX460 and I am EXTREMELY impressed with it.
Bugs wipe right off with just water and when it rains the beading is outstanding.

Now is the time to apply something like this especially to black before you get swirls etc in your paint.
Also keep in mind when you get a free car wash you get what you pay for even if it is your dealer…
Give it a good hand wash with lots of water and I mean loads of water and a good car wash product, not dish detergent (not being condescending many don’t know there is a big difference) before applying either product and prepare to be amazed at the result.
Have fun!

jaxrwld

Lexus Black cars do not have clearcoat. They are a base paint. To hide small scrathches and to keep the paint fresh, you should wax it 3-4 times a year to keep the paint nice. The new age polymers are good, but they will not prevent surface scratches.

Balooo2

You are going to get a lot of debate about wax vs. polymers...

I can only attest to what I have used and had great results.
That being said wax is messy, leaves white goo around trim etc,etc.
Neither will "prevent” deep scrathes, polymers hide swirl and minor scathes etc as well if not better then wax. I tried both on my black car and the polymers (Klasse) worked better then wax in my experience.
As I understand it, reducing surface resistance or keeping a surface dry but slick is what wax and polymers do to prevent grit, oil etc from adhereing to your paint.
This is an old school vs.new school debate wax works well on older paint formulations, if I were looking to protect a 30 year old car with original paint I would probably be inclined to use wax.

Most people are not inclined to put in the work to apply wax or apply it properly heck some even admit to not washing their ride often (see above)...
I am not a detailer and like to keep things simple if it is not easy to use most folks will not do it, that being said polymers is the way to go.

Have money to spend on buffers and 3-6 hours to kill spread out over a full day waiting for wax to dry 3-4 times a year use wax.

The Ultima product went on in 20 minutes a month ago and still looks great.
I'll keep you posted as to how long the application last as this is the first time using it.
The Klasse application on my black vehicle lasted about 3-4 months but again took only 1/2 hour to apply.

BTW, most scratches/swirl happens when a car is not washed properly.

SaniDel

Ahhhh ... the eternal dilemma ... do what is right or do what is easy? Here's the official word from Lexus on the proper way to wash and wax our vehicles:

https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lex...-Car-Wash.html


Very nice ... thank you! However, the reality is that few Lexus drivers are going to bother with hand washing, especially when their dealership offers free washing and some have their own dedicated and automated car wash facility. Time is money and those who can afford a Lexus didn't get their money by wasting their time washing cars.

My take on all of this is that washing our vehicle is more important than how it is washed ... if your vehicle is dirty, take it to your dealership or a commercial car wash rather than continuing to drive it until you have a day to waste on your driveway with a bucket and a hose! ;-)
Regards,

SaniDel

Balooo2

Sanidel,
I agree with you about on all points.
I do take my cars to commercial automated car washes but to get the nooks and crannies a automated car wash misses however I also every now and again give it a good hand wash and apply a protector more recently the polymers. Perhaps you got the wrong impression in my post in assuming I hand wash every time, I do not only trying to explain you should give a good hand wash before applying a polymer or wax otherwise you will be sealing in the things you are trying to protect against as mentioned in the link.

Using the products I mentioned takes me about an hour to do the whole job, wash and polymer application. Either you enjoy caring for your vehicle like this or you don’t, this is a labor of love and not for everyone. I clear my head working outdoors and doing things with my hands...
If this is not your thing let a GOOD detailer at least give it a good wax or polymer application a couple of times a year. I believe what is being asked is how to achieve optimum appearance and paint protection just taking your car to a car wash will not achieve that… but it beats infrequently or not all.

DunWkg

Is there somewhere in the manual or a Lexus site I can read about black Lexus not having clear coat? That might make a difference how I take care of the finish. Is it just the Obsidian Black or other forms of black like the Black Sapphire Pearl or Smoky Granite Mica?

Thanks,

Craig B

I think it's just Obsidian. I had that on a Lexus coupe years ago. Black is the best color when it's clean, but takes a lot of maintenance to keep it looking good. That's why I will never order another black car again. I used to always buy black cars. BTW, I never let the dealer wash any of my cars. I'm too ****...

DunWkg

Your comment sparked some curiosity and I conducted a little experiment to see if I could determine if I had clearcoat or not.

I took a white buffing pad, put it on a Porter-Cable dual action buffer, put some mildly abrasive cleaner on the pad and went at a small one foot by one foot area on a metal portion of my car. After repeating this three times, the white pad was just a little off-white from the color of the abrasive cleaner rather than tainted black.

After this little test, I'm thinking my obsidian black car may have a clearcoat. It was manufactured in Japan, if that would make a difference.

Perhaps I'll have the dealer check the vin to find out if I have clearcoat or black paint only. It might make just a little bit of difference what products I use to care for the finish in the future.

Craig B

I wouldn't use anything abrasive on black paint. You should use something without cleaners...

caha14

FWIW, obsidian (212) absolutely positively has a clear coat. Black Onyx (202), on the other hand - only offered on the GX and LX at this point, is still a mystery. Many have posted about this all over CL, myself included, and there are many different versions of the story from dealers, body shops and even Lexus corporate.

I did the whole Zaino process on our LX (very tired and sore after being done with all that metal, but I digress) and did not get any black on the pads, even after using some mild polish in a section. This was true for the metal. However, I'm almost positive that I got some black from the spoiler, which looks a tad different, so I wonder if that has no clearcoat.

Eventually, I'll run Griot's #3 on my doors to treat some swirl marks, and I'll report then.

Balooo2

How do you think you got swirl so soon on your 2010?
You say you did the whole process are you pleased with the result and did you clay your LX,just curious what process you felt needed on a new truck.

I never used Zaino products because of all the steps involved but I have seen the results and I have always been impressed especially on dark colors.

caha14

I can't say for sure how the swirls got there, but my guess is poor washing technique and or tools at the port, the dealer or both. I've seen that a lot with darker cars, though my now-gone dark blue GX was in better shape when new. I don't get the impression (for various reasons I can elaborate on later) that people at the port are any more careful than the average dealer, even though one would expect them to be up to factory standards. No way...

I skipped the clay this time because the paint felt smooth enough. Also, I have never done the wash with Dawn like Sal Zaino recommends and have never had a problem with durability of the zaino products. The stuff they put on at the dealership is so thin and low quality that as far as I'm concerned, the zaino is still adhering to the paint directly for all practical purposes.

On the LX, I went over it with Griot's Spray Wash to get all the dust off from driving it 30 miles from the dealer, then zaino z6, a coat of z5, z6, coat of z2, z6, coat of z2 on hood and liftgate, z6 and finally z-cs. Just thinking about it is exhausting! The finished product looked great.

The swirls are only really bad in the sun. Otherwise, the gloss is great. This is why I'm holding off, and when I take care of them, I'll work on selective areas (doors in this case) instead of doing the whole truck which takes forever.

Balooo2

Zaino recommends washing with Dawn interesting,I would have passed on that recommendation also.
I use Dawn on wheels that have heavy brake dust but thats it, not on a paint finish (I have in the past but I know better now).

I am worn out just reading about your project but I am sure you need to shades to simply look at your ride now it must have an outstanding shine and depth.

All the best.