I Just Spent All Afternoon Cleaning My Ls

[blake918]

I got bored after school, so I decided to do something productive with my time! I did a pretty decent detail using:

Wash with Megs car soap

Dry with water blade

Klasse AIO Cleaner Wax

Megs #26 Yellow wax-a very good wax

Invisible glass for all windows with yesterday's newspaper!

Meg's tire endourance

Pledge on all of the wood which came out very nice

And last but not least the hand held Oreck that picks up the bowling ball!

I'm still working on those stains-you can't see them too well because they're mostly under the mats. They're comming slowly but surely! I bought a new gear shift indicator plate; I just need to go put it in! I threw in a pic of my odo!..only 225k and she runs better than new! A Lexus is forever!!

[99lsguy]

Blake,

I'm smiling all the way :D :D :D

Looks really good - The paint looks glossy, your rear/front pass. seats are good - very impressive! The LS just needed some TLC to bring out her true colors

I use the CWB too....easy to dry with a single towel after that tool!!

What are your feelings on the paint/finish? Did you use an orbital?

Be proud and sleep well, you did a great job

99

[blake918]

Thanks :D ! You got that right about the TLC, see the next post before I cleaned the seats! I think I like doing the work just for the sole purpose of the before and after pics!! The paint...the sides are fine, but the hood and trunk aren't so hot. I spoke to a body man today, and he said that the car needs new paint for $3k. I said not a chance in hell! I don't have the Porter Cable buffer/polisher; I'm about to get one though-I think!...just my right arm to do all the work! I think that if I just keep at the paint it will eventually come around with the right amount of effort and the proper products. The Klasse took a lot of oxidation off which was really good! The paint looks gorgeous from say atleast 2 feet away, but once you get right up there the hood, roof, and trunk are nasty looking. Upclose=bad, and 2+ feet away=awesome!!!

I love the water blade!!!

[99lsguy]

I saw those seats before & after......wow!

I used those mr. clean pads too and they work great - but I'd never imagine they'd clean up those seats the way yours did ;; amazing :D

I think the more you detail the car, the better the finish will get :D Pretty soon up close will = GOOD TOO!!

99

[silvermate]

nice job blake.....

the car has a really deep luster to it, ya know.

keeping black (or in my instance dark green)cars clean and w/o swirls and cobb webbing is very very hard.

but like Agent 99 said. the more you clean and detail your car, the better and better it looks over time, and i'm a strong beleiver in that.

i wash my car by hand at least once a week, and probably take it to the self car wash probably twice a week.

you know you take your care for what its worth, if you care enough about it you want to make her look the best you can at all times,

i think thats what separates us from the average. PRIDE!! :D

[VBdenny]

Hey Blake,

Man, your LS looks great! I really love black when it is clean. You ougt to get some of those clear parking light lenses light Tansupplyman put on his. He was correct that with his new chrome grill and clear lenses, it really updated the look.

I want that stuff too.

VBdenny

[VBdenny]

By the way, are you allowed to drive around in Louisianna without tags?

[silvermate]

i agree with trying to update the older LS like mine, man they can still look brand new, no one ever thinks my car is a 92 model

i've put LS400 badges on it as well as 99 LS wheels, like the ones Agent 99 has. and i just ordered the chrome grille kit i think 2 days ago.

i'm excited to put it on for sure.

[blake918]

Agent-those little erasers are pretty neato huh?!?!?!? :D

Silver-I know what you're saying about the dark colors. This is new to me because my ES300 was Beige-a wonderful color, so I'd wash the car just for the fun of it because very, very little shows up! Whereas, on my 400 30min after I took these pics, the car turned yellow from the pollen. :( . I aim to wash the car every week; it usually happens, but the worst case is every 2 weeks. Over the summer I washed the ES every single week, but now with school, things are much busier=less car time! I think the car will look even better once I get the PC buffer. I only hand wash at home; I've got plenty of room and supplies here at the house plus the water is free! I agree with what you said about taking the car for what it's worth...I need to come to terms with the car has 225k so the paint will NOT be perfect like my last lex with half the mileage, but I still want to make it the best it can be because like you and prob. all of us here, I have tremendous pride in my baby! B)

Denny- The clear lights are nice, but I don't think I'd get them! They're just not my type of thing....it gives Me a feeling of rice for some reason. I dunno why!!! But, to each his own! :) Besides I like the amber lenses! I've kinda thought about getting newer rims too. I think I'd go with the '97 Coach edition rims-their just like the Agent's, but they are painted white. I've got a temperary tag in the back winshield on the passenger's side...you can see it in a few pics. I'm thinking about a personal plate, but the origonal plate must come in first; then, I can apply for the personalized plate. I do need a new inspection sticker though-it's 5 months over due!!!

Thanks for the compliments guys :D

[VBdenny]

Silvermate,

Interesting what you said about no one ever knowing your car was a 92. When I got our Lexus, my wife had it at her work one day and some of the people she works with said , oh you must be doing okay, driving a new Lexus. She told them, no it's a 90 and they flipped. This was last year.

The truth is 90% of the people out there know nothing about cars. In truth, they couldn't care less about cars. Their loss, our gain.

Denny

[99lsguy]

The truth is 90% of the people out there know nothing about cars. In truth, they couldn't care less about cars. Their loss, our gain.

Your are absolutely right Denny :D

Silver,

I'm expecting a "killer" polish job from you this weekend

Take Care guys! I've got some golfing tomorrow :D

99

[VBdenny]

In Kansas City????

[99lsguy]

In Kansas City????

Yes.....

It's going to be 70 degrees :D

althought windy, a golfers worst natural enemy <_<

We've got a group of regulars to play on Friday's; had it for many years. Lot of fun, we all shoot about 80 - and leave the weekends for our families & of course, the LS :D

Your Caprice looks like a smooth Cruiser...more room than the LS??

[93LSOwner]

Hey Blake,

Nice job, I wish my car was black. What product did you use to clean the leather and what do you use to maintain them (conditioner).

[SW03ES]

Blake-

Looks great!

Can you post some close up pictures of the hood and roof for me? I don't think it needs new paint, it came out so well...

I dunno about that body shop, you PMed me with him saying he doesn't buff or compound which can't be true as you HAVE to buff and compound new paint to make it smooth, its part of the bodywork process.

I think he's just trying to get the $3,000 out of you.

You may want to try some Novus plastic polish on that instrument cluster and see if you can get rid of some of that hazing.

[blake918]

'93- Thanks! I used Mr. Clean Magic Erasers; see the post above(Great New Cleaning Tool) for the whole story and some before and after shots of the "Magic" they worked on my seats. I use Griots Garage Leather Rejuvinator to maintain, but I'm going to fork up $60 for Leatherique real soon!

Steve-I'll get those pics today. First, I need to go get a scraper to get all of the pollen off of the car! For the gauge cluster, I think I'm just going to replace the lense because the marks on there are really bad, and the ECT Power light is burnt and I want to get that replaced, so I figured I might as well change the lense while I have the thing open-newlexusparts.com has it for $20...not too bad to me! I don't ever, ever use the mode, but it just bugs me knowing that it's burnt out!

[SW03ES]

Blake- I wouldn't use a "scraper" to get rid of the pollen ;)

What you need is a california car duster, they work awesome, ESPECIALLY on pollen.

I use mine everyday the car is clean before I back out of the garage.

http://www.lexuscarcare.com/vk-110.html

For $20 sure, replace the cluster lens. I figured it'd be a lot more than that...

The Lexus black is probably single stage meaning it may LOOK like it needs to be painted but in reality it doesn't. Did you get any black on your pads when using the AIO?

[blake918]

Blake- I wouldn't use a "scraper" to get rid of the pollen ;)

I was just being facetious! I did get a good bit of "black"-I suppose oxidation and what not-when I used the Klasse AIO. Can any dirt on the paint's surface be hazzardous when you use the car duster? I'll have the pics this afternoon-my mom has the LS because I needed her SUV to go get my seat, console, and steering wheel :D ).

[SW03ES]

Ah okay! Scared me ;)

Actually that black is black paint and confirmed what I already assumed, your car does not have a clearcoat (most Lexus black does not). Any product with abrasives or solvents will remove paint. When a car is clearcoated you don't get any color transfer to the polishing medium (towel, pad etc) because the paint you're removing is clear (the clearcoat). Whenever you have color transfer that is the color of the car (in your case black) then it means the car is single stage paint and has no clearcoat.

What this means to you is that the surface damage you see on the hood roof and trunk can probably be removed, if not with a PC than by a professional with a rotary buffer. To the untrained eye it probably looks like clearcoat failure which is why the bodyshop guy told you a repaint was needed.

It also however means that the car is going to be more difficult to care for as single stage black is THE SOFTEST and EASIEST TO SCRATCH paint there is because carbon (one of the softest elements) is used in the pigment. So proper washing and good microfiber towels are going to be really important.

As for the duster, I wouldnt use it if the car has been rained on or if there are bonded contaminants in the paint. Its great for dust, pollen and the like.

[blake918]

WOW, I completely forgot about this Steve! :( Here ya go:

That what you are looking for? After thinking about the paint day and night for a while, I really think the car will need to be repainted. Those white spots seem to be where the paint has chipped off and is dried out and started to peel. I despise black(not even because it shows dirt but because every freakin scratch on the car shows up as if it were painted in yellow). I want beige again!!!!!!!!

[silvermate]

GEEZ!!! was that after the detail blake???

that looks awfull man.

you are in need of some major work on the hood my freind, and that does include a buffer. :o

i coulnd't go to sleep at night knowing my hood looked like that.

[blake918]

Yep, that's after the detail. No buffer. Fortunately, you can only tell that the paint is that horrific right up close-I'd say only within 2 feet of the car. I think I'm going to have to break down and get the PC real soon! I can sleep only because I know that the car has lived on the highway for more than 200k miles. Lousey paint is a small price for an outstanding automobile like this one. Good paint-bad paint I still love her to death, and she's the best car I've ever driven(maybe my friends '99 Vette was kinda close, but man was that thing the biggest rattle trap ever)! :D

[SW03ES]

That doesn't look too bad to me actually. The water spotting is etching and oxidation. The PC with a cutting pad and a good polish will help a LOT.

[acf]

Looking good, Blake! You're getting there.