adamsear

No, I'm saying you shouldnt worry about washing your car every day. Just hand wash it once a week, it will take you an hour tops. In fact, I can wash, dry, and vaccum a car in 25 minutes when I'm in a hurry. Your car will stay VERY clean if you just wash it once a week, its a daily driver if you're obsessed with always keeping it clean you will make yourself crazy. Mine gets washed once a week, and if you keep them waxed water wont spot that bad and dirt won't adhere to the paint that bad, mine looks gorgeous nearly every day too. IMHO, it is better to drive around in a dirty car than wash it with those harsh chemicals every other day, yes. Dirt won't hurt the car, those chemicals every other day built up over the years will. Its your car and your choice, but you're asking for our opinions and thats mine. I've seen cars 2-3-4 years old that have had excessive washing in those machines and the state of the plastic trim and rubber seals is that of cars 2-3 times as old that have been regularly hand washed or weekly automatically washed. The problem isn't the water, its the CHEMICALS. Touchless washes have the harshest chemicals out there, how else do you think they clean the car without touching it? Those chemicals fade and break down plastic, and a LOT of the car is plastic, the emblems, the window trim, the seals in the doors and windows, all the lights, the trim around the mirrors. Wash it in a touchless wash every other day, in 2 years all that trim will be grey and peeling I promise. I'm a little confused by the difference between various types of automatic car washes and the terminology used here. Near where I live there is one car wash that uses brushes and then attendants just dry the car, wipe the insides, etc. There is another car wash that I used with my former car that has NO brushes, that bills itself as a "hand wash", and as the car goes through the tunnel guys will use some elbow grease on washing the car, and then will also dry it by hand. Is that second car wash a "touchless" car wash because it does not use brushes? Also, if I had to choose between going to one of these car washes above (I know, it's best if I hand wash it myself or get it done by a detailer), which would be better for the car? Many thanks--I'm in the final stages of putting together a car care plan that fits my schedule, interests, and wallet!

Thanks for the info. As you can tell, I'm a newbie, so this help is really valuable. I’ll check out autopia for a detailer. Meanwhile. . . I live about 5 blocks away from the beach. My new car is parked outside during the day at work (in an alley of sorts), and is under a carport at night. In the morning there is sometimes a very fine layer of dust (fallout?) on the car. I’m a low maintenance kind of person, and like I said before, very unlikely to do a wash myself every week, but I would like the car to stay looking good. Since I live in an apt. complex, I’m not sure I have a place where they would let a mobile detailer come and work on the car. My questions: 1. How often do you recommend I get a wash? A wax? A complete detail? 2. My guess is you’ll likely recommend the washing once a week, but if I’m paying for it that’s going to add up quick. Is there a chance I can get a wash every other week but on the alternate weeks do something quick myself like ONR? 3. What do you recommend for a really quick touch up if I notice something (bird droppings, etc.) on the paint--does Quik Detailer work? 4. And a random question about the interior—I’ve read somewhere in a posting that for quick touch ups Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer is recommended. Do the Quik Interior Detailer wipes work as well? And would they work on the nav screen and on the wood areas? Thanks again.

Eh I'd be leery. Get references, look to see car ENTHUSIASTS and COLLECTORS using a place you choose. For every 1 good detailer there are 5 bad ones, and the bad ones usually are the more expensive. I checked out that site, they look good but visit their shop and enquire about their materials. You want to see microfiber towels, cars taped off while polishing, etc. Don't use: Automatic Carwashes Tunnel Hand Washes Most detailers Do use: A good detailer that has excellent references and uses the materials we discuss here Yourself ;) Oh, that's interesting--I thought the place I used for my old car, since it was a tunnel hand wash, was okay. Is there a website where I can find suggestions about a great detailer close to where I live? Also (since I've never used a detailer) do they specialize or are they generalists? In other words, do I need to find someone who has a speciality in working with Lexus cars?

I just bought an IS250 (Silver w/black interior) and live in Southern California near the ocean. Do you have any specific suggestions for the kind of place to use (or NOT use) to get it washed? Thanks.

Hmmm.... You may have heard correctly. Lexus has removed the Sirius option from the website. Wonder why. :cries: Hi, all. I checked with Lexus Customer Satisfaction the other day, and this is from their response: "We do apologize that the Sirius Radio is not available at this time. As part of our commitment to provide the best products and services, Lexus releases a product when we are confident it meets standards of excellence. We acknowledge a good segment of our customers are interested in Sirius Radio and are aggressively pursuing it to be a part of our accessory line up. Please keep in contact with your Lexus dealer regarding the availability of Sirius Radio for your Lexus vehicle. Currently we do not have an anticipated re-release date. After introducing Sirius Radio, we received feedback from some customers that the product wasn’t operating to their expectations. It was appropriate to re-evaluate the Sirius Radio product to ensure it continues to meet quality standards." So I guess it looks like XM for me. But can anyone confirm/deny whether reception is poorer if the XM antenna is mounted under the rear deck vs. on the trunk? Thanks.