I just got a new black LS460. When should I wax it? Also, does anyone know if anything wax or sealent is applied at the factory (the dealer personnel could only offer opinions). Thxs.

The answer is, whenever you like!

The car was waxed at the dealer as a part of the new car prep. That protectant will be gone from the paint in a couple months at most.

Your black LS has no clearcoat, its single stage paint that scratches very easily. Be sure to read on here about proper wash/wax techniques and get some good microfiber towels.

Thanks for the advice. Is there a wax you recommend? Also, are there other treatments you would suggest each time I wax (clay bar, paint cleaner, polish, etc.)? If so, again any recommendations would be appreciated.

Welcome and g luck with your new car----


I have a black ES 350 (no clearcoat) and the good (a gr8 gr8 shine) the bad is any carwash will scratch or swirl mark it--so u should always do by hand or get someone to do for u.

I learned the hard way.

Looking in this thread search you will find a ton of good product rec's and processes.... Recommended to me that i used over the last year plus to fix the swirls lite surface scratches (I learned hard way brought to a car wash I was floored seeing the swirls and scratches after)was the
sonus clay bar, (green) , Claymagic lube i used ((blue clay bar i used for the wifes truck),
Merzena Top inspection to clean off the polish,
Sonus fx 2 and 3 polishes (suggest u get a flex or other type of orbiter for machine application),
Ultima Paint guard plus sealant,
Opti seal sealent,
Danase wet Glaze (DWG)
FK 425 quik detailer (great detiling studff1)
and i love the ultima paint guard wash for the wash I also use Optimum No Rinse (ONR) for Winter washes with the no rinse allowing me to clean in the garage (I live in nY so cold winters snow etc--still try to hose it off if a lot on before ONR) ONR can be used as a clay lube and quik detailer too (I use to remove bird "presents" as well)

A ton of MF towels, applicators drying towels, buffing towels, glass towels all MF the online ones recommended are much better IMO and tohers than what u get at the target, home depot etc.. quality wise... (Danase PHAT towels I luv, the DER wunder drying towels as well)


So read up in this thread! a ton to learn --Idid and my car is 100X cleaner, protected, sealed and outshining other black cars!


G luck!!

I agree, read around here. Plenty of info to get you started...

I would claybar the car well. Rather than follow the directions on the clay, I use a bucket of very clean water with car wash soap added. I then use one of the fuzzy wash pads which makes the clay easier to hold. On black it is very important to clay first as it removes any imperfections and old wax and makes the paint like glass. I doubt you need to use any paint cleaner but you should clean the entire car with detailing spray and a MF towel before waxing. Then lay on a couple nice coats of quality wax. I use a wax called Collinite #845 Insultor Wax. It isn't exactly car wax as it was developed for treating high tension power wires and connectors, but it last a very, very long time. I always finish by rubbing the car down with McGuires Ultimate Detailer.

My wife had a black car for awhile and after that, I said no more black cars. They look fantastic when clean but it is very difficult to keep black clean.