atlgaga

bc6152

You'll get a load of posts from members that all consider their wax or shampoo the best. I would suggest that you go onto the car care forum for the best information. GOOD LUCK!

Poppa

There are soooo many different car products out there, no way to tell you which is the BEST. I can tell you as far as washing my car I have always used Meguiars Ultimate car wash... it has a very thick and luxurious feel to it.. I also use a car wash mitt... Like I said, I'm partial to Meguiares products, but my son, who is a bit of a motor head really loves Turtle Wax Ice products... Mothers also makes a good product... any of these and you'll be fine.

Roland

lesz

The good news is that the atomic silver is a stunningly beautiful color with amazing depth. The bad news is that, compared to other colors, it will more easily show polishing swirls and surface scratches.

My practice is to avoid commercial car washes and only to wash the car myself by hand. I use the the Meguiars Ultimate product, and I only dry the car with high quality microfiber cloths/towels. If you do have to use a commercial wash, I would suggest using only ones with a touchless washing system. Also, if you go to the Lexus dealer for service, I would suggest not letting them do the complementary car wash, which is likely also to come with complementary polishing swirls and surface scratches.

Another issue with the atomic silver is that it is a 4 or 5 stage pearl finish, and it is one of the most difficult colors to match if repairs, whether major or minor, are necessary. Even with touching up very tiny stone chips, getting an even only slightly noticeable repair is next to impossible. Thus, I'd suggest considering spending the money to get a complete paint protection film package applied to the car. Such a complete package would include covering the full front bumper, full hood, full front fenders, and mirrors. It might also include covering the A pillars, door handle cups, door edges, and the front portion of the roof. Such as package won't be cheap, but it will be effective in protecting the most vulnerable areas of the car from stone chips, and it will, thus, reduce the need to do paint touch ups that will be far from perfect.

With regard to the interior, I just periodically wipe down the interior with a slightly damp microfiber cloth. Many here speak highly of the Ultima Interior Guard Plus and Aerospace 303. I would completely avoid using Armorall products and any other products that contain silicone.

Good luck with the new car.

Littleguy

For the exterior you can't go wrong with some sort of CQuartz or other ceramic coating. As far as the interior, I use the simple microfiber with some filtered water as mentioned above, if I use any product it is Maguar's Quick Interior Detailer.

atlgaga

Thank you. The car care forum is pretty intimidating and makes keeping the car clean look like a full time job! My initial thoughts on the paint protection film is that it is a bit like covering the new couch with plastic - does keep it like new, detracts from the look, but makes it nice for whoever gets it after you die. But people seem very happy with the films, so I am taking your advice and looking into it and have gotten a couple of quotes in Atlanta.

Seems that everyone pretty much agrees you need to worry more about which installer than which product.......... so that's the next step.

And I guess I'll buy two buckets, a mit and some towels and the Meguiars and for the time being, stay away from gas station car washes!!!

Appreciate this forum and the sharing.

lesz

With the paint protection film, if you go with the full bumper, full hood, and full front fenders and, thus, eliminate the lines where the film ends, you really don't even notice that it is on the car.

jfelbab

Here's an easy approach to car care.
I prefer sealants for their appearance and ease of maintaining.

Upon delivery:
I washed and applied Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax (a synthetic sealant).
On the interior, I vacuumed and cleaned the leather. I applied Leather Masters Protection Cream to the leather and vinyl.

Weekly:
I use Meguiar's Ultimate Quick Detailer to remove light dust, pollen and finger prints and I follow with Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Wax (D156).

For the interior, I vacuum the leather and carpet and wipe down the leather with a wrung out towel, or Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer. I use Meguiar's QID on a cotton towel to gently wipe down the dash to remove any dust. I also use a soft horsehair brush for removing any dust on the gauges, NAV screen and shiny wood trim.

Quarterly:
I do a full cleaning inside and out and reapply products as I did when delivered new.

I use the same approach on my 27 year old Toyota MR2 as I do on this 2018 ES. This easy maintenance routine works really well here in Florida where the climate is very favorable to this approach. This routine takes maybe 30 minutes a week. 45-60 minutes if I need to do a two-bucket wash. When washing is needed, I use the two bucket method with a new sheepskin wash mitt and Meguiar's Hyper Wash D110.

Living in Florida makes car care a breeze as long as you stay away from love bugs. As long as I follow this approach, I don't need to clay and machine polish the vehicles more than once every year or two. The weekly use of UQW keeps contaminants from bonding to the paint.

lji

I follow Scott with Dallas Paint Correction and Auto Detailing on YouTube. He tends to talk a bit much, but detailed information so skip around the video as needed. He even has an ES350 that he works on so good tips for this forum users.

atlgaga

Followed your advice and yesterday washed (two bucket), dried and applied the Meguiar's ULW.

Car looks great - though I kept dripping sweat on the car between applying the wax and wiping it off !! (The disposable gloves didn't help)
Thank you for your help.

Do you use the ULW on the headlights and plastic parts also? Or just a glass cleaner?

Poppa

I meant to tell you in my first reply to you that I like the two bucket system as well.. I also use a grit gard in the bottom of the bucket

jfelbab

I do. ULW leaves a nice sheen on plastic/vinyl trim even if textured, IMO, it does a better job on the vinyl trim than many dedicated trim dressings, Its protection lasts a long time.

My headlight lenses (most headlights today) are polycarbonate which exhibits a tendency to yellow from UV exposure over time, especially here in the south, so any added protection is a plus. I also follow every weekly wash, or UQD dust removal, with Ultimate Quik Wax, a spray on wipe off sealant. UQW is also known as D156 in the detailer lineup where I buy it by the gallon. I do all the external parts of the vehicle with this spray sealant except for the glass.

jamestpc

I would love to know how to keep the matte factory finish of the leather...after awhile the oils in your hand get them shiny.

st1800

Have a look at this product, have used it, not shiny.


http://www.leatheriquecanada.com

nuraman00

This post in another thread says what I use. I just started washing my own car a few weeks ago.

#16

This thread below, starting with post # 3, is how I got the idea:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/nor...-bay-area.html