Cleaning And Maintenance Of New Es350

[rjt65]

All another good u tube vid showing flex vs porter cable - quieter and about half time to get out swirls

[rjt65]

hahaha hey jgt new lex the guy who posted this (from 2007) sounds like me!

" I just finished detailing my car. After all the swirl marks and scratches (inside and out) from the idiots at the car wash, I decided to invest on some detailing products and do everything myself. I bought everything from autopia and used mostly Sonus products. I love this stuff,.........

I just had to post this here ... that was from DDOC in 2007.. hahahaha so in 2 years maybe we will be responding to newbies like us know!

[JGTNewLexusOwner]

hahaha hey jgt new lex the guy who posted this (from 2007) sounds like me!

" I just finished detailing my car. After all the swirl marks and scratches (inside and out) from the idiots at the car wash, I decided to invest on some detailing products and do everything myself. I bought everything from autopia and used mostly Sonus products. I love this stuff,.........

I just had to post this here ... that was from DDOC in 2007.. hahahaha so in 2 years maybe we will be responding to newbies like us know!

Gee and it sounds like me too!! ha ha! But you know what, ddoc is still DA MAN! Something tells me though that I don't think I will be worthy of ddoc like admiration!!! Still, with this detailing bible forum, we might get part of the way there! Good job ddoc (and to you rtj, you have to get a life....finding that post probably took longer than detailing your car!!!! :D )

[rjt65]

Actually I was browsing thru a main detailing post, thought it was current but than when i saw that message I said WOW didn't realise so old.

took me like 5 mins to find it....

But have to say when work is killing me I luv browsing thru the site for a break, picking up gr8 stuff allover.

hahaha hey jgt new lex the guy who posted this (from 2007) sounds like me!

" I just finished detailing my car. After all the swirl marks and scratches (inside and out) from the idiots at the car wash, I decided to invest on some detailing products and do everything myself. I bought everything from autopia and used mostly Sonus products. I love this stuff,.........

I just had to post this here ... that was from DDOC in 2007.. hahahaha so in 2 years maybe we will be responding to newbies like us know!

Gee and it sounds like me too!! ha ha! But you know what, ddoc is still DA MAN! Something tells me though that I don't think I will be worthy of ddoc like admiration!!! Still, with this detailing bible forum, we might get part of the way there! Good job ddoc (and to you rtj, you have to get a life....finding that post probably took longer than detailing your car!!!! :D )

[rjt65]

Hey DDOC and others:

what are you using to clean the wheel wells?

Not much room for a brushthinking i might use my ez brush when i get it, thoughts?

[SW03ES]

We get about 35MPG with our Prius in our combined driving, on the highway we get about 42. If you have a highway commute and you're getting 35 in a Yaris...or even a Corolla. With a 40 mile commute one way, thats 80 miles a day, or 400 miles a week. Thats 11 gallons of fuel in a Corolla or Yaris, 10 in a Prius. That one gallon a week, even at $10 a gallon is only a savings of $40 a month, the cost of the Prius vs the other car is going to equal a lot more than that in payment...

Well I have a Lexus 400h and a Prius and somehow I seem to do better than average on both cars. With my Prius I get around 52 to 55 MPG on the highway in the summer months with the AC on and driving 70 MPH, city wise my trips are real short usually 2 or 3 miles max and I only get 40 to 45 MPG city.

As for looks, I like it and as for comfort, yea its no a Lexus 400h, but its not uncomfortable for me either. So much so that we often drive it on vacation trips of up to 400 miles one way. Longer vacation trips we take the Lexus.

I looked at the Yaris and Fit, no way not comparable in my opinion and as for the extra cost of the Prius, just look at the resale value of the Prius and that will only get better as the price of gas continues to rise.

Also to respond to your earlier comment about the Lexus Prius being an ES, well the dealer told me it is supposed to be a new platform for Lexus, not a shared IS or ES but something in between like I said in my last post.

I just take a wheel dedicated microfiber and clean them by hand.

[detaildoc]

Thanks Again DDOC.

ACC meant to spell out Accessories. Pads and polish (u answered thanks!) and I saw someone recommend the flex attachment for flex. do you use or just stick with basic 6" pad loop and hold. You store in a regular tool bag or really need the flex bag to store it.

test the new Flex Adaptor specifically designed so you can use all sorts of

pads ! Pads will be perfectly centered (so no more off center pads which cause even more vibration )to the machine which in turn wear the bearings out very quickly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FykiFauXtB4

DDOC and others: Thoughts on polishing?

Saw a lot of good press for porter Cable orbiter, but further investigating revealed it is not that strong at removing scratches and swirls.

Rotaries are stronger but in the hands of an amateur (Like me! ) could be dangerous as we could screw up our paint. Found a compromise I think in this:

FLEX XC3401 VRG Dual Action Polisher - $279 autogeek versus the Porter Cable With minimal/no accessories $129

3600 more RPM's, more power. Is it worth it? For me I have hundreds of hidden scratches from that shatty car wash (boars hair brushes my ___)

1) I am leaning towards the flex to ensure I get full scratch removal, thoughts?

2) for polishing what acc. do u recommend- 1st what pads see a lot of choices in pads

3) What polish(s) - what brands or what grades -obvious some are rougher or lighter- for lots of car wash scratches what is best?

4) Anything else for polishing?

Lot of excellent videos out there for how to polish,god bless the internet

Alos saw a review that liked the Meguirs g110 more power same pricing as porter cable also complained about flex rotating opposite direction from most rotaries, and the numb vibration in hands after us, but recognized the improvement of flex over porter.

G110 ($149.99)

As a conventional DA polisher in the family of the venerable Porter Cable 7424 this baby shines - literally and figuratively. It is smoother in operation than the conventional PC and has a bit more power. There is noticeably less shake and vibration and it does the same great job of defect removal that a machine at this power level is capable of. For $150 with a backing plate and hard case I think it's a must have for any weekend warrior who cares about their vehicles. Definitely an improvement over the PC 7424.

1)Absoutely the Flex. It has better correction capabilities (which will come in handy at some point or another, trust me), it does not vibrate your hands to death as the Porter Cable and UDM do (huge factor here, after polishing a whole car with the PC or UDM, your hands will be numb and in pain for days), less annoying noise, and still fool proof.

2)acc? what do you mean? For pads I recommend the Lake Country CCS Pads or the DAS Pads.

3)For your Lexus, I recommend Sonus SFX 2 and 3. These are mild polishes that are pretty safe to use, but do the job on any Lexus because of their ultra soft paint. If you get the DAS Pads, I would start with the green pad with SFX2, if that does not work then move up to the Orange Pad, then finish off with SFX 3 and the blue pad (these two are more for increase gloss, they don't really polish) If you get the Lake Country Pad I would start with SFX 2 and the white pad, if that does not work then with the orange pad then finish with SFX 3 and the gray or blue pad.

4)For polishing that is all you will need for your Lexus

Forget the G110.

I just use the included backing plate. I have not tried that attachment, which is to be used with the edge pads only. I simply store it in the box, works just fine.

[detaildoc]

Hey DDOC and others:

what are you using to clean the wheel wells?

Not much room for a brushthinking i might use my ez brush when i get it, thoughts?

The Ez brush works great.

[detaildoc]

hahaha hey jgt new lex the guy who posted this (from 2007) sounds like me!

" I just finished detailing my car. After all the swirl marks and scratches (inside and out) from the idiots at the car wash, I decided to invest on some detailing products and do everything myself. I bought everything from autopia and used mostly Sonus products. I love this stuff,.........

I just had to post this here ... that was from DDOC in 2007.. hahahaha so in 2 years maybe we will be responding to newbies like us know!

Lol! That was my first post in this forum. I have significantly increased my arsenal since then and improved my techniques, all thanks to autopia and detailing about 20 cars now.

[JGTNewLexusOwner]

hahaha hey jgt new lex the guy who posted this (from 2007) sounds like me!

" I just finished detailing my car. After all the swirl marks and scratches (inside and out) from the idiots at the car wash, I decided to invest on some detailing products and do everything myself. I bought everything from autopia and used mostly Sonus products. I love this stuff,.........

I just had to post this here ... that was from DDOC in 2007.. hahahaha so in 2 years maybe we will be responding to newbies like us know!

Lol! That was my first post in this forum. I have significantly increased my arsenal since then and improved my techniques, all thanks to autopia and detailing about 20 cars now.

Soooo ddoc, you mean there is hope for us (rjt and me)! Still, we can never be as great as da man...ddoc!

[detaildoc]

hahaha hey jgt new lex the guy who posted this (from 2007) sounds like me!

" I just finished detailing my car. After all the swirl marks and scratches (inside and out) from the idiots at the car wash, I decided to invest on some detailing products and do everything myself. I bought everything from autopia and used mostly Sonus products. I love this stuff,.........

I just had to post this here ... that was from DDOC in 2007.. hahahaha so in 2 years maybe we will be responding to newbies like us know!

Lol! That was my first post in this forum. I have significantly increased my arsenal since then and improved my techniques, all thanks to autopia and detailing about 20 cars now.

Soooo ddoc, you mean there is hope for us (rjt and me)! Still, we can never be as great as da man...ddoc!

After you pick up the Flex and work on few cars, you will get the same type of results.

[rjt65]

Back in the day when I was a youngin' Had a car (Yellow LM Capri with a 'cuda hood) whacked up with bad dents and which I bondo'd up ( ... friends called me Bondo man.)

Bondo's and red-leaded the heck out of it. never made it to paint and polish though, sold when I got a cool Camaro from my uncle).

Friend of all trades showed me how to pull out dents and body fill'er up.

(PS - Bondo = Body filler)

So when I get my flex I will be finalizing my total car body work fulfillment, wonder If I can get college credits!

[rjt65]

Hey: A just did one coat of PG+ this weekend after wash. and I have to say (3 weeks since 3 coats pg+, than carnuba) it looks gr8. the Pollen dusts seems to come off much easier with this as topcoat than wax.

So easy to put on but 2 questions:

1) PPG - Much easier than wax (wipe on -off-buff) besides the look, any reason to ever carnuba again or just use PPG + from now on ? (of course i will carnuba again-but this is so much easier to apply just wondering what wax gives above PPG+ )

2) Had some streaking after application, mostly on the hood I am wondering if that is due to using too much PPG+ ? Buffed it out next day with MF towel no biggie.

cheers

[AZ08LexusES]

Hey: A just did one coat of PG+ this weekend after wash. and I have to say (3 weeks since 3 coats pg+, than carnuba) it looks gr8. the Pollen dusts seems to come off much easier with this as topcoat than wax.

So easy to put on but 2 questions:

1) PPG - Much easier than wax (wipe on -off-buff) besides the look, any reason to ever carnuba again or just use PPG + from now on ? (of course i will carnuba again-but this is so much easier to apply just wondering what wax gives above PPG+ )

2) Had some streaking after application, mostly on the hood I am wondering if that is due to using too much PPG+ ? Buffed it out next day with MF towel no biggie.

cheers

I believe, as I read here before, that the wax adds more "depth" to the paint. That's why ddoc has suggested to put the wax over the PPGP. Other people prefer just the look of the wax, so they do not PPGP. I don't know if I would be able to tell the difference, but I will first do PPGP for its protective qualities, see how that looks, then add the wax and see how I like it best.

[detaildoc]

Hey: A just did one coat of PG+ this weekend after wash. and I have to say (3 weeks since 3 coats pg+, than carnuba) it looks gr8. the Pollen dusts seems to come off much easier with this as topcoat than wax.

So easy to put on but 2 questions:

1) PPG - Much easier than wax (wipe on -off-buff) besides the look, any reason to ever carnuba again or just use PPG + from now on ? (of course i will carnuba again-but this is so much easier to apply just wondering what wax gives above PPG+ )

2) Had some streaking after application, mostly on the hood I am wondering if that is due to using too much PPG+ ? Buffed it out next day with MF towel no biggie.

cheers

I believe, as I read here before, that the wax adds more "depth" to the paint. That's why ddoc has suggested to put the wax over the PPGP. Other people prefer just the look of the wax, so they do not PPGP. I don't know if I would be able to tell the difference, but I will first do PPGP for its protective qualities, see how that looks, then add the wax and see how I like it best.

1)It is completely a personal choice, depending on which look you like. Adding a nuba can add a bit more depth, but sometimes reduces the reflectivity of the UPGP. A nuba can also add more warmth to the paint, but some people don't like this also, so it is purely a personal choice.

2) If you add too much it can streak. It is very concentrated and easy to over apply, but like you said, it is not big deal since it buffs off easily.

[JGTNewLexusOwner]

My experience after 4 details now, the Ultima Paint Guard Plus is great! I too had the streaks but very easy to buff out. The finish on my car looked like glass (the entire car looked like the Panoramic roof but better). And, I was shocked how easy it was. The only trouble was I always felt that I didn't have enough on the applicator, but I really did (it streaked because I had too much). And, on my wife's car, I only did the UPGP once a few weeks ago. And, to back up what rjt said, I just used a hose to spray off the pollen and stuff from the tree over the car. When it dried, it almost (now I said almost) looked like I spent a few hours washing it. Wow, it really is great. I still haven't used the P21s-100 since the UPGP is just too easy and a great result. The old days of spending hours waxing and buffing a car and sweating for those hours are gone with UPGP. And, I believe the results with UPGP is better than when I spent hours waxing a car in the old days. Isn't technology wonderful!!!!! Thanks again ddoc!

[rjt65]

Hey JGT:

Some updates:still raining 4 days a week on LI here and the dang Pollen!! Anywhooooo...... had to wash after 3 days rain pollen this Wednesday... and added in 1 coat UGP.... so rained Thursday nite and all day Friday... Not much time this AM so wanted to just detail (Ultima detail spray) dried off top car from rain started detailing and whoa rain spots on the hood!!!!!!

So after detailing trunk, I ran in got my ONR and washed it with no rinse in like 7 minutes...dang so quick I used the bucket on my wifes truck too! stuff works gr8 just know the wash mitts and gr8 and so quik, .MF buff towels get dirtier than if rinsing and using ultima wash.

Point is the ONR will be a real benefit this winter.. In addition the EZ brush is spectacular for the wheels . I highly recommend both!!

[JENunnez]

I'll start by saying that there is great helpful info here. Thanks.

Now to put my two cent in. I like to use newspaper to clean my windows.

Grab some black and white, not color, newspaper. Soak one with water and squeeze out most of the excess water. The other, ball it up and roll it between your hands until it's soft. Next go to town wiping and drying. I don't get steaks, leaves glass with no residue and crystal clear.

Well this is my opinion, but it works and really cheap.

Thanks again to detaildoc.

[rjt65]

I don't like the ink feeling on the papers. I have used on previous car and inside on glass/on mirrors and it does work well.

I am surprised at finding the glass so easy to clean on my new 350, outside cleans well with Ultima car wash, inside i hardly have to clean. Amazed at this.

I Clean with a Good MF towel... little damp is all so far. I also used sonus glass cleaner just once in 7 weeks. (just to try it out since i bought the kit, the glass polish helped to remove a wiper dry burn (my term for the black residue left by a wiper run in between raindrops when I was in a flash hard rain , no rain, hard etc)

Nice pics and good luck with the car, when u detailed for 4 hours (I read your profile) what did you use (what products, rotary or orbiter,polishes, sealant clay etc)?

I'll start by saying that there is great helpful info here. Thanks.

Now to put my two cent in. I like to use newspaper to clean my windows.

Grab some black and white, not color, newspaper. Soak one with water and squeeze out most of the excess water. The other, ball it up and roll it between your hands until it's soft. Next go to town wiping and drying. I don't get steaks, leaves glass with no residue and crystal clear.

Well this is my opinion, but it works and really cheap.

Thanks again to detaildoc.

[JENunnez]

Thanks rjt65, the ink is the chemical that cleans the glass and yea your hands do get a little black from the ink.

For my detailing job I did this one all by hand, my arms felt like they where about to fall off. I just bought a PC polisher , I'm not going through that again! I've always had small cars and it wasn't that bad but this one is a little more than usual plus I'm not getting any younger.

This is what I do, again I say, I do.

Wash with a orange base car wash to get all oils and road grime off the car.

Clay bar it with Mothers using the car wash soapy water.

Polish with Meguiars. Each panel over and over until I'm satisfied.

Then two coats of Meguiars NXT. Two coats just to make sure I get the all the surfaces and of course the rims.

Clean windows with newspaper.

Polish the plastic lenses with Novus polish and Novus clean and shine.

Of course the usual terry towels, MF towels and MF sponge.

I'm not a professional detailer (or have OCD) by any means but this has always worked well for me.

[mburnickas]

I will be detailing mine tomorrow morning...been almost 1-year...I do not have OCD but I will be waking up at my normal time to start; 4:20 am!!! :) Done by 9 am

[JENunnez]

[mburnickas]

:) I overslept. Start at 5:31 am...Then it was off to cut down trees etc

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=48188

[SW03ES]

Newspaper works great. I use latex gloves to keep from getting the ink on my hands.

[JGTNewLexusOwner]

mburnickas, great pics!!! Hey I have been on alot of business travel and missed postings! Hey JE, thanks for contributing! This posting has sure helped me (since I am the dufus that started this thing...but now I am still a dufus but love the way my car looks after a detail)!!!!! Hey rjt, I started to use the P21-100% wax (started on side mirrors), but it was late, knew I couldn't get a full wax and buff in so I went back to the old UPGP and nothing beats the ease of application and the result you get!!! I am still amazed. I just bought some additional supplies and I am trying the SONUS rim cleaner vs. the Pinnacle...just to see (I ran out of the Pinnacle already after just 4 details)!