07IS350

sweet, thanks again.

I decided that I am going to invest in a clear bra. I did some research and found the clear bra can be washed and waxed the same as the rest of the car. Plexus is a good product to use on clear bras.

I did however have a question. Will the shine in the section of the car that has the clear bra, be noticeably different than the rest of the paint? Will the paint be damaged if you decided (for whatever reason) to remove the clear bra?

Got it fixed!! Looks purty good, but I didn't take any pics. I have it back exactly one day, and now it needs its 25,000 service. The indicator has already come on. So guess it's going into the dealership this afternoon......:cries: I missed it!!!!

[/quote

I live in Socal as well. Can you give me the location and phone number to the shop you took your car to.

The dash is actually vinyl. Water:Woolite 6:1 works fine, 1Z also makes a good product called Cockpit Premium but the Water:Woolite works and you can't beat the price.

As for the headliner its not suede and they routinely don't have to be cleaned (my ES is 4 years old and the headliner has never been cleaned save a couple spots, and it doesn't need it), the Water:Woolite works fine here too, just be sure not to saturate the headliner.

Cleaning headliners is tricky...

I did some research on woolite and found this website www.woolitecarpet.com. Is this the right product? If so wich one do yo reccomend? Thanks for you help.

I think the Woolite product that SW03ES meant is this one:

http://woolite.com/products.shtml

I would recommend the Woolite Original Fabric Wash

It is used to cleaning clothing, but if diluted with water (6 parts water to 1 part Woolite) it is also useful for cleaning car interiors, even leather seats.

I agree with SW03ES that cleaning the headliner can be tricky and under normal circumstances, shouldn't be necessary. The material used can become patchy looking if you try to spot clean it, making it look worse than before it was touched. Also, there is an adhesive used to hold the headliner material in place on the panel. If moistened too much with cleaners, the adhesive can weaken and eventually the headliner material will separate from the panel and begin to sag.....not a pretty sight. ;)

The ceiling of my car is not stain, I just wanted to know for future refrence. Thanks for the info. I realy appreciate it.

The dash is actually vinyl. Water:Woolite 6:1 works fine, 1Z also makes a good product called Cockpit Premium but the Water:Woolite works and you can't beat the price.

As for the headliner its not suede and they routinely don't have to be cleaned (my ES is 4 years old and the headliner has never been cleaned save a couple spots, and it doesn't need it), the Water:Woolite works fine here too, just be sure not to saturate the headliner.

Cleaning headliners is tricky...

I did some research on woolite and found this website www.woolitecarpet.com. Is this the right product? If so wich one do yo reccomend? Thanks for you help.

I have done some searches on it but didnt have a good answer to my questions.

1. The dash on new IS's is not vinly or cloth, its like a rubbery textured material. What products (if any used) have you IS owners use?

2. The ceiling inside the IS is suede (I think) and is difficult to clean from what I hear. What product is good to use?

You can buy Woolite at the grocery store, and Woolite dilluted 6:1 will be a fine cleaner for the dash.

Have you looked back through some of the older threads here in the detailing forum? Tons of good ideas in there.

I have but not have came across anything yet. Ill take another look. Thanks, Steve

You can clay first, but fix the chip before you polish and wax.

I reccomend touchup pens for most people, you can get them from www.paintscratch.com

Thanks I appreciate it. A few more questions. Where can I find woolite? and What is a good cleaner for my dash?( I dont know if you seen the dashes of the new IS, dont know what its made out of, but the salesman who sold me the car said not to use armoral)

Clay Magic probably makes the best all around clay (you want the blue bar, NOT the red bar). You'll want to do that after, or while you're washing. Search on here for clay bars, and extensive tutorial was written some time ago.

If you find swirls (if you had them you'd see them) really the only way to remove them on modern paint is with a polisher. Unless you're at the stage where you want to purchase and learn how to use a polisher, just concentrate on hiding them. For you, this is what I would do:

Wash

Clay

Polish with the P21S GEPC

Wax with the P21S Wax.

Should I fix the paint chip after I wash the car and before I clay?

You've got a good set of tools there.

The first thing you need to do is assess the condition of the paint. What color is it, does it feel smooth or rough? Are there any scratches or swirls that need attention? Did you specify no prep to the dealer, or did they clean and wax it before you took delivery? Once we have the answers to these questions we can advise you further.

As for washing, if you look around here there are plenty of tutorials on proper washing. The Sonus Gloss Shampoo is simply a carwash, it would be used instead of the NXT wash if you wanted to.

The color of the paint is smokey granite(charcoal, dark grey), the paint does feel a littel rough. I dont see scratches or swirl marks(just in case I do find some while I am washing it, please include the proper product and in what step to use the product). All the dealer did was wash the car, no wax.

I just read a topic were you suggested to clay a new car as soon as you get it to prevent rail dust. What is a good clay? When should you apply it in the detailing process. I also noticed a chip on my hood today(bummer), would you reccomend I buy touch up paint from the dealership and when in the process should I apply it? Thanks

You've got a good set of tools there.

The first thing you need to do is assess the condition of the paint. What color is it, does it feel smooth or rough? Are there any scratches or swirls that need attention? Did you specify no prep to the dealer, or did they clean and wax it before you took delivery? Once we have the answers to these questions we can advise you further.

As for washing, if you look around here there are plenty of tutorials on proper washing. The Sonus Gloss Shampoo is simply a carwash, it would be used instead of the NXT wash if you wanted to.

The color of the paint is smokey granite(charcoal, dark grey), the paint does feel a littel rough. I dont see scratches or swirl marks(just in case I do find some while I am washing it, please include the proper product and in what step to use the product). All the dealer did was wash the car, no wax.

Hi everyone. Iam new to this forum. I just bought my car about a week ago(07 IS350, smokey granite, light inteior, X package), and is ready for its first car wash. I have read the topic on "what to do first". I went out and bought just about all the clean car products listed.

Sonus Der Wunder Drying Towel, Pkg/2

Sonus Der Wunder Polishing Towel, Pkg/2

Meguiars Deep Pile Chenille Wash Mitt

Meguiars Versa-Angle Wheel Face Brush

Meguiars Versa-Angle Tire Brush

detailing brush kit

2, 5 gallon buckets.

Meguiars NXT Generation Car Wash

P21S Carnauba Wax

P21S Paintwork Cleansing Lotion

Meguiars all wheel cleaner(hott rims)

meguiars nxt generation insane shine tire coating

Sonus gloss shampoo(they gave me this for free, dont know where in the process I should use it)

Is there anything I am missing? Do I need to use all of this the first time I wash my car? If not, when should I? Do I need a paint cleaner like meguiar #9? Where can I find woolite? Whats a good cleaner for wood grain and the dash on my IS350? I know these are a lot of questions, but I want to make sure I do this the right way and keep my IS350 looking SHARP! Any suggestions or reccomendations are welcomed. Thanks

I agree if you can find it. I like Quickshine since it is one less item I need and Quickshine is more a multi-taker....Does wonder on windows and more! :D

I agree, its a great product.

As for Windex, I think its overrated. I've rarely found a glass cleaner I didn't think was more effective than Windex.

Hey steve, I sent you an email yesterday about detailing a new car. If you can read it and respond I would appreciate it. Thanks Roy. Sorry for interrupting.