bjgross

Sweeeet! Looks fantastic! What kind of tinting is that? Where did you have it done and how much was it?

Your link to photobucket just takes us to the main page and I can't see your pictures. Try editing your post and then copy the IMG Code (see circled area in photo below as example) on each photo and paste into your post.

Since someone revived this thread, I should comment that I finally got my Optiseal and love the shine and slickness it gives. I have also started using ONR, so now wash Miss Moneypenny in the garage. The stuff works great!

The humor in the two previous posts escapes me! Someone asked what I thought was a serious question and I directed them to a site that they could get more information. Guess it is my turn to put up the unsure icon

You should look up on the Pakshak forum - there is quite a bit of traffic about Swissvax AND they are a dealer. http://www.pakshak.org/forums/

I have a similar problem, but on the lower part of the front bumper, where I just kissed a curb and put several scratches in the plastic. I put some touch up paint on them, but they are slightly raised. I checked out the linked sight and they have some other small hand tools (small nib files and wet sand block sets) that I plan to use to smooth out the plastic, re-touchup and then buff smooth (unless someone has a better approach) thanks for the tip!

We looked seriously at the 07 A4, but in the end just couldn't get over the abortion Audi calls the center arm rest/console. That thing totally looks like the designer finished and then someone pointed out they forgot the center console, so they just stuck something on. Not only is it just about worthless, it interferes with the hand brake. That was the crack in the armor that got us looking elsewhere. Yeh, and those hints of electrical and engine quality issues were started to make us feel very uneasy as well. In the end the Audi couldn't match up with Lexus for styling and luxury. Wish I had the Audi rock hard paint though!

Thats a tough one - Have you thought about trying the Optimum No Rinse car wash. You could wash your whole car with just a couple of gallons of water. Of course, then everyone will think you are wasting water, because your car will be so clean. Given the choice, I would go with the clean car!

I think the AFS is great on country roads at night, and really don't notice them too much. When I do notice them is in town when turning street corners, but it really doesn't bother me. BTW - Congratulations on your 07 IS AWD - same year and model as mine, although I got Smoky Granite. Black is a beautiful color, but it will take a little more effort to keep her looking great. There is a lot of great advice on the detailing forum. My advice - buy a good supply of microfibre towels and some quick detail spray, so you can wipe her down often, between washes.

A Lexus is "just a car" - Not to many of us! Pride of ownership is one thing that drew me to this forum to begin with. Researching and finding out how to make our baby look her best and to protect the finish is well worth the effort. As far as product recommendations, I asked if anyone had tried OptiSeal in a previous post on this thread, and now have some feedback to pass along. I tried the OS on our daily commuter (94 Accord), to check it out first, and the results were fantastic. Repeating what others have already said, the preparation steps are the most important part, so having seen the difference that claying and polishing did for our 12 year old Honda, I am definitely a believer. After the Honda, I did our 07 IS250 AWD (Smoky Granite Mica). The OS goes on super easy - you spray the clear OS onto a yellow foam applicator that comes with the product, then wipe it on in slightly overlapping swathes. There is virtually no pressure required and unlike wax where you rub it in, you simply are pulling the applicator across the paint. Its hard to tell that anything is going on, but if you look at just the right angle to the light you can see a slight film that flashes off pretty fast. It takes about 15 minutes to do an entire car, and if you do it correctly, that's it!! That is why they call it a WOWA product (Wipe On Walk Away)! I re-loaded the applicator a little more frequently than required and had a couple of minor streaks. All these streaks required were a gentle wipe with a MF towel and the finish looked perfect. As I stood back I thought, "this looks really nice", but I was hard pressed to say it looked better that a good wax job (it just took less time). Then, a couple of days later, I was in the garage getting ready to head out to work. After turning on the lights I was amazed to see the finish was just "glowing". The shine was somehow deeper and wetter looking - the term liquid comes to mind. It is really hard to describe, and the picture I took just does not do her justice! Based on these results I plan to use OS from now on. BTW - I am not a professional detailer, having just purchased our Lexus in August, and I just started researching and reading about detailing at that time. I don't have a PC and do everything by hand, so even beginners can get fantastic results! Hey tex2670, Optiseal is so easy to use, even you might have enough to time to make your Lexus more than "just a car"! BJ

We got our 07 IS250 AWD at the beginning of Aug 07. We consistently get 24 mostly in town driving and 29-30 highway driving. Very satisfied for weight and power of this car!

I saw this on another forum, so can't take credit for it - but I had basically the same question. Here are some before and after photos, showing what the Surf City Maximum Metal polish did. Think I will order some!

We took another trip to Eastern Washington last Sunday, and just got around to washing and reappying a quick coat of P21S. Damn, that stuff goes on and off nice. Have ordered some OptiSeal for a little more protection, but haven't received the order yet!

Has anyone tried the OptiSeal sealant, instead of Zaino. They are the same company that makes the ONR wash, which gets good reviews on this site. They also claim to get 9 months between coatings, lots of gloss from multiple coats, etc. Also claim their product's polymer formula cross-links with previous coats to make it more durable. I have ordered the OptiSeal and spray wax, but haven't received yet, so can't give my review yet. Here is a link to the Optimum products forum, in case anyone is interested. http://optimumforums.org/index.php?act=idx

Nice looking ride! Personally, I would never wash my car without the lubrication of a good automotive car wash. Perhaps the silver color doesn't show fine scratches very easily, but with a dark color I think washing with water only would be asking for trouble even with a good quality MF mitt. But I do love the leave blower idea. I picked up on that one from this forum and it works so well, especially for blowing water out of small cracks, that I wonder why I didn't think of that years ago! Not only does it save a bundle of time, it also reduces the amount of rubbing you have to do with a towel (and hence further reducing the chance for scratching). BJ