Full Body Treatment

[KY350]

Got my 1991 LS400 about 1 month ago. Mechanically it is in immaculate condition, having been serviced at the Lexus dealership all its 260,000km.

However, the same cannot be said of the bodywork. The previous owner scrapped the front left wheel arch fairly deeply a while ago as some rust is showing. So next week, the LS goes in for a minor surgery to repair the damage and the numerous blemishes on the other panels left by uncaring motorists opening their doors onto the 400's panels, not to mention clashes with shopping trolleys!

After that, I'm giving the girl to the full detailing treatment starting with clay, swirl remover, sealer and glaze, and finishing with canubra wax. As the previous owner only ever took the big girl through the drive thru car wash, she's never had any wax applyied in at least the last 9 years. So I assume then that I don't need to use a pre wax cleaner, as the clay should get rid of any minor wax residue (if any). Is this correct?

Finally, onto the wheels. She wears standard factory edition 1991 alloy wheels, but they have a light yellowish tinge, not to mention heavy build of brake residue that does not come off with washing. Also, the surface of the wheels at the "spokes" is slightly pitted in some areas. I don't kwow if the 1991 wheels ever had a clear coat on them. If they did, would it still be present after 13 years? I want to clay bar the wheels also, but am unsure if the clay would ruin the wheels. The LOC Car Care How to section states "Clay is not recommended on wheels that do not have a factory clearcoat or powder coat finish." So should I clay my 13yo wheels as I don't think that even the strongest wheel cleaner will get 13 years of baked on brake residue off.

[SW03ES]

Welcome!

Pre-wax cleaner: The Swirl Remover will act as your pre-wax cleaner here.

Wheels: They are clearcoated and you can clay them. In all honesty you'll probably want to look into replacing them or having them refinished. A brand new set of those wheels (or at least freshly refurbished) can be had for a few hundred bucks. Well worth it. Wheels are the focal point of your car really, no matter how great the car looks if it has ugly wheels it won't look its best.

[KY350]

SW03ES - thanks for your response and thank you for the pinned therads and other information you have shared on this forum - very valuable.

WRT wheels, I believe that the 1991 LS wheels are very plain looking to start with. I could not justify spending money on these wheels to make them look good as I don't think they look good even in pristine condition. So I will clay my wheels and get them looking as good as they can and keep an eye out for some 2nd hand 16" LS400 wheels.

PS - I have a friend that can get me as set of 20" wheels for minimal money, but I have passed up the offer as I believe that these wheels are way too big for the LS and make it look pimp. Not to mention that the wonderfully compliant ride that Lexus spent thousands of dollars developing would be ruined.

[SW03ES]

No problem, I'm happy to help.

Remember that ALL LS wheels are interchangable so you can fit LS wheels from any generation to your 91. Silvermate has 98-00 machined LS400 16" wheels on his first gen LS and they look great. If you want something bigger you could also go to the LS430's 17s or even 18s. I agree, 20s is overkill on an LS and would ruin the ride.

The 16s from the 01-05 GS look good on the first gen LS too.

[KY350]

Well, the treatment started today. I washed the car this morning and then spent 3 hours claying the body. After all that claying, my own body is in need of some TLC!

However, the results are worthwhile. Clay bar is a miracle product. With much rubbing, I managed to get 14 years of ingrained tar spots, bug guts, minor paint spots left by other car doors, off the LS's panels. There is just two small paint marks from a scrub with another car that I could not get off, so I'll ask my panel beater to buff this off for me when I take the car to him to repair the tiny rust spot on the front wheel arch.

Even without any sealer / glaze or wax, the paint job looks very good - this is testament to Lexus's high quality paint finish.

Tomorrow, I'll apply scratch remover over some minor scratches (luckily my silver colour does not show swirl marks) followed by sealer / glaze and a layer of canubra wax for a showroom shine.

Cannot wait for the end result!

[KY350]

Finally, after 8 hours of cleaning, rubbing and buffing, the LS is looking almost like new.

Mother's Scratch remover is another great product. It eliminated the obvious scratches on the bootlid that my better half was complaining about yesterday. It also was great at reducing (but not totally eliminating) the small paint marks from previous battles with foreign car doors.

Now just a little plastic surgery at the panel beaters shop and the extreme makeover will be complete!