rjackson10

I bought a LS460 2007 in August 2008 with 7000 miles on it and did not notice until several months later that there seemed to be swirls in the paint.

I reported this to my saleman and dealer and they ask me to bring it in.They had some one buff it out and that lasted for a while but soon the swirls came right back. Now they say there is nothing they can do. This Black Osidam Lexus still has the original warranty on it.

Has any one else had this problem?What can I do?

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Black is a constant battle for swirls and spiderwebs. It looks the best when it's clean, but is the hardest to keep that way of any color. It shows every imperfection.

Please read our detailing subforum and search for 'black swirl' and you'll get tons of threads on options and maintenance of your paint.

One thing to do is NOT to let the dealer wash the car in their drive through wash after service if it's like my local one (has brushes, not touchless). That leaves a trail of fine scratches that has to be buffed out.

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

That will happen to any black car, bring it to a detailer or detail it yourself

terrain

Agree - did black once and will never do it again. We all know they look the best when MINT/NEW - but can look the worst shortly thereafter.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

yup, that's the price you pay for black cars. lexus paint is also on the soft side, so it get swirls more easily, but also more easily to buff out.

one thing you really need to make sure is how you wash your car. that's the time you get most of the swirls. if you don't wash it correctly, you are off to a very bad start

clambros

Welcome to black cars. My 2007 LS460L is black, and I live through the same as all the others have mentioned. I buff and wax regularly to try to keep the swirls to a minimum. But they still surface. As mentioned already .. it’s not how often you wash; but HOW you wash that will keep the swirls to a minimum.

BTW .. If you're looking to do the work yourself. The Menzerna line works very well for buffing, polishing, and protecting. But you need to do ALOT of prep work, and keep on it.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

yup, detailing the ls460 is a complete pain. i had the lwb and i did a full detailing on it. took me 16 hours.....

terrain

When you say its "HOW you WASH" - please provide detail.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

like what you use to wash, high pressure washer? normal hose? what bucket do you use? what kind of cloths? how do you dry? microfiber? etc...

bottom line is when washing the car, how you get the dirt off the car and how to "rub" the surface together with how you dry the car, those are all huge "risks" on putting swirls, which are nothing more than very fine scratches

clambros

My "washing" is more of a ritual than anything else. I use the (2) buckets wash method, and a foam gun, 2 separate water filters (recycled water is tough on the paint), and a wool wash mitt. I'm very careful about cross-contamination (tires, exhaust, paint) so as not to "catch" some dirt in the mitt and drag it across the paint. I also use a blower and separate micro-fiber towels to dry. As I dry, I keep the micro-fibers lubricated with a quick-detailer (more scratch prevention).

A good, careful, wash .. less often is safer to the paint than more frequent washes with the wrong technique or contaminated items.

Yes .. some call me a little obsessive compulsive. But I don't understand why ?? :-)

Nospinzone

There are a couple sites with great info on car care. There is one that was posted in this forum some time ago that linked to a video where a guy took you through his meticulous steps to washing a car.

Here is a link to one site -

http://www.detailedimage.com/guides.php

(click on the "Washing & Drying Process" link)

tclk

There's nothing the dealer will do. The swirls is part of life, especially with a black car.

I bought a new black 08 ls and it had some minor swirls and scratches as well. My friend just bought a brand new black prius and the hood was badly swirled. I agree- most of the swirls come from the way the car is washed. Never wash the car in the direct sun and always wash from top down. I, like clambro, use the two buckets with grit guard. I also use three wash mitts- one for the top of the car the other for the bottom and the third for the wheels.

You should try removing the swirls using Meguiars M205. I did it with a dual rotary buffer and it takes the swirls and fine scratches away. Follow it with NXT will make the car shine like you won't believe. Go to www.meguairsonlines.com for discussions and pictures of various before and after shots of makeovers.