I am a new owner of a used LS 430. It is a pearl white color. I have seen a lot of discussions about Zainos. Can any one help me with the basic step by step instructions and what kind of materials and tools I need to have to finish the job. Please help

Detailing the body - I understand that you need clay bar, z-3, z-5 etc., but I am not sure which order you need to apply them. Do I need towels or buffer machine to do this?


How about detailing the leather seat - Lexol or Armorall good or Mcguires? I need the specific name of the Lexol product


How about Vinyl detailing? Mcguires?


How about tires detailing? Armorall?


Thanks a lot for the help

Mike

 

Congrats as a new owner.

I haven't played with the Zaino stuff but read great things about it. I have used clay bars extensively and it works wonders on a car's finish.

I would never use ArmorAll on any dash or interior pieces. Too shiny and just not good stuff. For leather, Lexol and a number of other products are great.

You should post or look into the details forum for more information.

 

would certainly recommend Lexol,, been using it for many years on the beamers, benz and now my Lexus,,

I use the Lexol Leather Cleaner (glycerin-rich ph balanced)to start

and then finish up with the Lexol Leather Conditioner (preservative),,

will keep it looking like new,,

buy it at Autozone,,

Derry

 

A lot of people swear by Zaino products, but they seem waaay more trouble than they are worth to me. I think there is a TON of placebo effect going on when people spend 2 days waxing their cars.

Re: leather, I like this stuff best:
http://midwayautosupply.com/pc-48549...586465893.aspx
You can find it elsewhere as well. I like the smell and the way it works. Keep in mind, however, that most automotive leather is impervious to conditioners -- the urethane coating on the leather prevents cremes, conditioners, etc. from penetrating just like it does Coca-Cola, baby vomit, and all sorts of other things. That said, I THINK the LS leather is penetratable. The way to tell is to put a drop of water on the spot in question and see if it has soaked in any (leaves a dark spot when wiped away) after a couple minutes.

 

Interior me and the guy who does my car sware by zymol's interior Leather cleaner and Conditioner it's easy it works and it lasts. The exterior is a bit more complicated. I start out washing the car with Dawn to strip any excess wax left over from the last waxing. I then use mothers claybar and claybar the car twice. After that i use mothers cleaner wax 2 coats useally does the trick from there i switch to mcgwires Nano wax 1 coat just to fill the fine scratches then i switch to mothers carnuba wax and do one coat after that i seal it with 1 coat of NU FINISH. I use nu finish because it is the toughest wax i have used so far and it seems to last for about a month. I re aplicate the nu finish once a month for six months untill it is time to redo the whole process. Inbetween evrey coat of wax i always use mothers quick detailer to make sure that the surface is clean and no wax dust is waxed in. I useally wash the car once a week. And after evrey wash i use Mothers quick detailer to really bring out the gloss in the paint. Im staying away from Zino because it seems to bring out imperfections in the paint the only time i would use it would be after i get my car repainted which is comming soon due to all the knicks and dents i get form NYC driving

 

Holey Moley! That must be some gawd-awful environment up there! I'd just have to let the paint fall off my car if it took that kind of work to keep it looking good. I'm glad that one coat of a decent wax will easily last 3 months down here.

 

Yeah dude Jersey's rough when it comes to keeping somthing look good and it's my evreyday driver too so it's not like i have a choice..

 

Moved to the detailing forum, where it can get more exposure.

 

I was directed to this site a short while back, and now I get to spread the word --

go to www.autopia.org

You will learn everything and more than you need or want to know.

Go, register, and read , read and read some more. Detailing isn't lexus specific.. It is an art, and there is alot of knowledge behind it and product/machine selection -- More you read the more confused you will get.. read some more and things will start to make sense and you'll come to some conclusions. Then you can ask your questions about this is what I've come up with -- What do you think?

Remember, hardly anyone does a detail job exactly the same.. so advice should be taken with a grain of salt. Take what you like out of it, leave the rest. Build your own arsenal of chemicals and methods you prefer.

Takes experimentation and time.. (Maybe 300-500$ to get setup properly).

Have fun!