Nubie Questions And Feedback Appreciated

[F4DPhan]

Hello to all my fellow Lexus owners,

Just purchased a new 2006 IS 250 AWD in Pearl Onyx, and am hoping to keep it looking new as long as possible.

I've read thru the 'What should I do first' , as well as reading extensivly thru past posts, and have a general idea of what should be done.....

...for now, I'm planning to do as much as I can myself, and for now, by hand- will likely go the route of professional detailing twice a year per suggestions on this forum. However, I'm still considering purchasing a buffer myself and trying my hand at machine finishing later in the fall.

Given the dizzying array of chemicals, methods and preferences discussed on this forum, I've pretty much had to guess at what to start out with, and wanted to run my thought by the group for clarifications/comments prior to purchasing, to make sure I'm not missing anything, not replicating something or just plain getting the 'wrong' stuff. So, here goes:

Wash: Pinnacle Bodywork Shampoo

Sealant/Glaze: Klasse AIO (I hope this is the one I want- I want the deep 'glass' finish, not the plasticy finish Steve described from one of the products)

Cleaner: Meguiars No 9

Wax:Souveran Paste wax

Quick Detailer: Meguiar's Final Inspection

Tires/WHeels: Menzerna 7.5 cleaner & Eimann Fbrik Black Sapphire Tire Gel

Plastic: 303 Aerospace Protectant

Wipers: 303 wiper treatments

Glass: Invisible glass

Lether: lexol

Interior: Optimum Protectant Plus (just read Steve's comments- seems like it will give the effect I'm looking for)

Big Blue III drying towels

Sheepskin wash mit (or MF- I'd appreciate comments as to which is preferred)

Perfect Shine Buffing CLoth

MF towels- not sure if from Pakshak or otherwise- any general comments as to source/brands, etc?

Wheel foam applicators

OXO spoke wheel brush

OXO body brush

So, let me know what everyone thinks before I go dropping a lot of money on the wrong stuff..

Also, appreciate comments on a few other things:

1. Aluminum exhaust pipes-on past cars, I've used Flitz metal polish; is this ok on my Luxus, or are there other suggestions.

2. Wheel wells: read a lot of suggestions on the group, and agree, its high priority when cleaning (especially on a black car!) Interestingly, the inside of my 2006 IS wheel wells almost looks like a 'felt-like' fabric finish, which is just holding the dirt! As far as I know, no aftermarket coatings were applied. Makes cleaning difficult...any experience or suggestions?

3. Winter cleaning. Ok, so here in the DC area, we get lots of sand and salt on the roads in winter, and I can't see washing my car at home without freezing everything- are the self wash stations safe to use, or is the water recirculation still an issue? For Steve, I'm referring to the place like the car wash on Rockville Pike near Gude Drive.

4. Finally, again, probably for Steve, any good Pro Detailer recommended in the DC area; I live in Alexandria. I think you commented you could recommend one in Fairfax?

Thanks for your patience and look forward to your suggestions.

Cheers,

Mike

[SW03ES]

Looks like a pretty good place to start out! Remember though, products aren't going to give you the best results, technique will. The only way to learn the technique is to practice.

1. Aluminum exhaust pipes-on past cars, I've used Flitz metal polish; is this ok on my Luxus, or are there other suggestions.

That should work fine.

2. Wheel wells: read a lot of suggestions on the group, and agree, its high priority when cleaning (especially on a black car!) Interestingly, the inside of my 2006 IS wheel wells almost looks like a 'felt-like' fabric finish, which is just holding the dirt! As far as I know, no aftermarket coatings were applied. Makes cleaning difficult...any experience or suggestions?

I know, I hate that. Its even worse in the fall when the leaves are down. The only way to clean them really is a power washer.

3. Winter cleaning. Ok, so here in the DC area, we get lots of sand and salt on the roads in winter, and I can't see washing my car at home without freezing everything- are the self wash stations safe to use, or is the water recirculation still an issue? For Steve, I'm referring to the place like the car wash on Rockville Pike near Gude Drive.

The wands are okay for spraying water, but I wouldn't use the soaps and definately not the brush. You might want to look into something like Protect All Quick and Easy Wash or Optimum's No Rinse. These products can be used in a bucket of warm water in your garage during the winter. Thats what I do.

4. Finally, again, probably for Steve, any good Pro Detailer recommended in the DC area; I live in Alexandria. I think you commented you could recommend one in Fairfax?

Absolutely, if you want to PM me your name and phone number I'll get it to him and have him contact you.

Welcome to the club!

[F4DPhan]

Steve,

Thanks for the reply and comments- much appreciated.

Will PM for the Detailer contact info.

Thanks.

Mike