New Car Care Tips

[theend1077]

Hi There,

I recently purchased a 2013 IS 250 and have been reading up on proper detailing techniques: wash, claying, wax, wheel care, leather, etc. For those interested, I have found www.autogeek.net to be a fantastic resource though you will have to put up with shameless promotions of their products. Admittedly, it's effective as I ended up purchasing a number of their products while learning many great tips and tricks.

Still, I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on car care such as how long I should wait to wax a new car. Is there anything that uniquely applies to new cars? Any general guidance around keeping the car pristine, inside and out, would be appreciated. It seems tough to prevent scratching the clear coat no matter how much due diligence is paid.

Here's a small number of links I've collected:

Detailing Tips

http://www.autogeek.net/detailingtips.html

Car Waxing

http://www.autogeek.net/car-wax-detailing.html

Cleaning Leather

http://www.autogeek.net/leather-car-care.html

Clay Bar

http://www.autogeek.net/detailing-clay-bar.html

Wheel Care

http://www.autogeek.net/wheelstires.html

Car Manual | Cleaning and Protecting

http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM53B64U/pdf/sec_04_01.pdf

A helpful diagram for me:

Thanks so much.

[Steve]

hi and welcome to the club

Clay is something you may not need for a little while.. as its new it wont have too much road contanminents

[theend1077]

hi and welcome to the club

Clay is something you may not need for a little while.. as its new it wont have too much road contanminents

Totally agree and thanks for the warm welcome. While I purchased clay, I know I won't been needing it for a while.

I'm located in the Austin area and had some trouble finding access to self-serve car washing bays without chemicals. Seems most people prefer the automatic car wash.

[reyoasian]

hi and welcome to the club

Clay is something you may not need for a little while.. as its new it wont have too much road contanminents

disagree

just because it's new doesn't mean it's not been through this and that

through transportation and sitting in the lot, it can get prettty dirty (brake dust, especially if transported by train)

on a new car, best way is to do a thorough full detail

1. degrease lower half

2. wash

3. clay

4. light polish to bring out shine and remove possible swirls

5. good wax

then after that just do quick washes every week or every other week

i usually do a full detail 2x a year (winter prep and after winter)

wash once a week (quick washes) and finish off with some spray wax

once a month i'll put on a new coat of wax (using collinite 845 for protection, and zymol japon for shine)

[Buk]

Run it through a touchless car wash, then take it home.

Buy an assortment brushes for your rims and tires, never use them on the paint no matter how soft they appear to be. Buy two 5-gallon buckets, most lumber yards (Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards) have them. Pick up or order the many products you've read about in your articles.

Once home, start by washing your wheels with a quality automotive soap.

Now do a two-bucket wash of the car from the top downward to the rocker panels.

Throughly rinse, dry with a quality chamois or synthetic chamois, then a waffle weave towel. Better yet use an electric leaf blower. Better because you're not touching the paint.

Clay the car using a good lubricant. The car may have been made in Japan, rode in a steel box on a ship for a month, then rode on a train and that covered the car with rail dust and then it may have ridden on a transport and gotten covered with other contaminates and if it spent any time on the dealer's lot, no telling what birds dropped on it. Claying removes bonded contaminates to help create a smooth surface for all your other future work. A smooth surface helps with creating excellent reflections.

You can hand polish after claying, but machine polishing with a dual-action buffer is easier and produces a nearly defect free surface for waxing.

Find a wax you like and use it often.

Don't wait, there is no reason to wait. The paint is dried, cured and ready for your love by the time it left the factory. Wax now.

Learn proper washing techniques, most defects come from washing. Touching the paint anytime can leave a defect(s).

[Lexually Explicit]

Agree wholeheartedly with all of this...most defects come from washing. Don't touch the paint. You can think about touching it but DON'T touch it! I'm sure you're enjoying your new car. Congrats!