JGTNewLexusOwner

Gee and it sounds like me too!! ha ha! But you know what, ddoc is still DA MAN! Something tells me though that I don't think I will be worthy of ddoc like admiration!!! Still, with this detailing bible forum, we might get part of the way there! Good job ddoc (and to you rtj, you have to get a life....finding that post probably took longer than detailing your car!!!! :D )

I have not detailed yet, I have the Carnuba but not the PG+. I don't know if I want to use the combination of both or just try with the wax first. I washed it on Sunday and the paint still looks great, but the AZ sun soon will start scorching it, so I better find time to protect it! Hey AZ, I did what ddoc did and that was 3 coats of Ultima Paint Guard Plus first. I considered this a "sealant" so I did it this way and wow what a glass like shine (I posted pics in my gallery). The next detail I am going to use the Carnouba wax over the UPGP and see what it looks like and I will let you know when I post the pics. I think though, ddoc correct me if I am wrong, but the Carnouba wax is good stuff too, it just doesn't last as long as UPGP! Don't forget to post your pics!

Yes, I do wax sometimes without the sealant underneath as it is a different look. Depending on the wax though, if you do wax only, you might have to do it more often as durability is less (except for waxes like Collinite #845, Clearcoat Carnauba Moose Wax, and others that last 2 -3 months). You don't have to seal every month, I just like to do it just to make the car more reflective and since UPGP is so easy to apply, it is no big deal, but 3-4 times/year is fine. You can also add a fresh coat of wax every month without adding a sealant. If you want to do wax only, you would have to strip off the UPGP by cleaning with with the Sonus Paintwork Cleanser, although I am not so confident that doing it by hand would strip off the UPGP. A great wax for black car is Pinnacle Souveran Paste. Hey ddoc, a couple of things. I think I am going to try the Ultima wheel & tire products next time even though the Pinnacle works good (it is alot of money though). UPGP is really easy to apply....however, I waited 12 hrs for the cure and then started to lightly buff out with a MF but their must have been some dirt on it and I made a small scratch in it (hardly noticeable but I saw it close up). How do you buff after 12 hrs when there might be dirt on it? Do you go over it with quick detailing spray first? Still a little nervous about all this of course...but it looks good! Also, on my next detail, I am going to try the P21s-100% that I bought to see how it looks. ddoc, is there something special I should know about this wax that you can provide advice on? I believe that I should still use a light coat but I have to wipe it off with a MF towel when it just begins to haze...right?

I am with mburnikas. I use the Sonus Der Wunder drying towel. http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-dwdt-2.html Pkg of 2 for $24 and boy does it work!!!! I did my car and my wife's car and had a hard time wringing out any water and it dried them extremely well. Now, when I dried my windows, it left a little lint but nothing that I couldn't clean up. Hope this helps!

AZ, detaildoc and SW03ES are the experts but I used Sonus cockpit cleaner and UV protectant on all of the dash and the plastic and it seemed to do well. rjt, I used the SEALANT first since that is what ddoc said to. If you continue to read through the posts, where I asked this, he recommended to me that I take a pic after buffing out the PG+ the third time and then do the carnouba wax and take a pic to see what I like best. What I have gathered is you can use sealant OR wax OR both. It really depends on how you like the look of the results on your car. Apparantly, some think the carnouba wax gives a deeper color. I am going to do the wax next and then I will post pics....however, I really like the ease of the PG+ sealant. And, as I mentioned, my neighbor complimented me on how he never saw a paint job like this (it was like glass/a mirror). Also, if you look at some car care websites, they have sealants/wax in the same page.....kind of gives credance to the use can use either/or/both. My new pics are below from my 3rd detail with PG+(they were on an overcast day but you can still see the reflections...the spot on the trunk was rain on my camera lens, not the car..thanks goodness!).

Hey rjt, yeah I need to do the gallery thing, just haven't had the time. I did detail again this weekend (Ultima Paint Guard Plus the 3rd time now). My neighbor said he hadn't seen a paint job like that in awhile...said it looked like glass!!! Cool huh? Yeah, my wife's car is below (only after 1 detail...doesn't look bad for not alot of work). TTFN huh? Argh! the instant message thing is driving me nuts!!! ha ha

Hey ira d, so the Toyota dealer did do your service? Good, I have one closer to me and maybe I should try that!

Amen rtj! and thanks....but now what the heck is TTFN...I have enough acronyms at work....ha ha.

rtj is "da man"!!!! I agree 100% Black on Black!!! (of course keeping it clean is not good but when it is, WOW).

My ML sounds great with or without ASL on. To me, the sound is best at about 25-30 volume level. Another thing to make sure you do is listen to and HD radio station and NOT XM! I have XM and like it for sports and comedy but it definitely isn't for the music. Satellite music stations (although it has good "category" music stations) the sould is not high quality....I hope you were not listening to satellite radio and expecting it to be crisp and clean!!!!

That's what I love about these forums, good healthy disagreement. Gotta remember mburnikas, I am an idiot (and terrible at work or inspection of a car)! Anyway, on the loaner, since I am 40 miles from my dealer and the dealer sells alot in this area, they know that noone would buy a car from them unless they come and get it and leave the loaner. This is even for routine maintenance like oil changes etc.! Now, the loaner is a Toyota but hey, that is ok by me!!! Pretty cool huh! (hey, what does YMMV mean....I am still reeling after someone used ONR (optimum no rinse) in the Detailing posts I started...ha ha!). But thanks for the healthy discussion!!!! Always appreciate an opposing view, helps me to learn (49 going on 50 and still learning!!!!).

Gee, I hate reading these posts. Very sorry to read about your disappointment. But reality is real. You are not "nick picking" and 40 on the stereo is NOT loud. Any "luxury vehicle" at this level should not have these issue from the start. My wife's IS250 has been somewhat of a disappointment, considering it's a Lexus. My good friend bought an IS250 2007 for his wife, shortly after we bought ours, and they are already talking to their lawyer about the lemon law. After three tries by the dealer/factory to fix the problem, here in AZ, you can "lemon law" return it. I'll know more after he's done returning it. He asked me what other manufacturer I would consider? I told him "At this point, in reading about all these problems with the new cars, I'm not sure where in the heck to look for decent quality car, in any brand! I think he will end up with an Acura TL, but time will tell. Unfortunately, it seems once Toyota took the top spot in the world, suddenly their historical quality (that allowed them to blow past decades of dominance by the USA) has dropped like a lead balloon. Higher profit seems to be the primary goal now, at the expense (and checkbooks) of middel class Americans willing to pay a little extra for a "quality" vehicle considered by most in the automotive world to be a higher class "luxury" vehicle. Something's wrong with this picture. Hey Randy, I agree that Toyota/Lexus by driving to number 1 they are starting to miss the boat on what got them there....quality and the little things like not creaking inside/etc. I love my 08 but have had some minor issues but still love the look and the ride quality. Hey 40 on the volume IS loud!!!! Can you hear me know? ha ha :D Seriously, I hope that Toyota/Lexus goes back to their roots or they may find American car manufacturers catching up. I saw a report a few months back that Buick beat Lexus in quality (of course Ford says they match Toyota's quality in their ads but I don't believe that for a second. I might believe Buick has but I don't think Ford is there yet!).

yeah, i have fixed a few of them. piles of junk they are. :( too bad too cause when they work they are frickin cool machines...they wobble like a weevil but they dont fall down! Hey ArmyofOne, you sure you are talking about M88A1s or M88A2s.....the older ones are A1s and the newer ones A2s. Maybe I can help, I will send you a PM and we can talk about it. HOOAAH

I am in the SW camp here (about the Lexus dealer not Nordstroms :) )! When you consider the cost of your time and the time away from work/family/golf/etc, it is worth it to have the Lexus dealer do it. Plus they dropoff, pickup and provide a loaner for free. Used to do this stuff, but with the high tech and warranty issues, I go to the dealer. But to each his own!

HOOAAH Army of One! Looks like you are on your way. How is Ft. Drum, NY? Haven't been there in a while! You got some of my M88A2 recovery vehicles up there!

Pho Tai, use the link below to the post that I started on detailing. On page 5 detaildoc outlines detailing inside and he is really good at this stuff. I am a novice that is why I started the post. It is up to 12 pages though but on page 5 is the inside detailing information. You may want to peruse all of the pages to see pics and get other detailing information. Good luck!!! http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...45222&st=60

The car had rattles everywhere--dash, headliner, sunroof and package tray. Car had slipping transmission--never knew what gear it wanted to go in. Rear suspension made thumping sounds over bumps. Turned out to be bad strut mounts. Toyota claimed these problems were "normal". They issued TSB's for these problems after I had already traded the car in for a Hyundai Sonata v-6. FYI, the Hyundai had the best shifting tranny of any car I have ever owned, and I have owned many. I have no allegiance to any car manufacturer, and I have been up and down the alphabet. In reality, Hyundai is as good as any but has terrible resale value. The only reason I sold it was that my wife wanted me to have more of a marque brand as she has a Lexus herself-- a RX330. It shifts flawlessly and the motor runs as it should. I don't think I am any more picky than your average Lexus owner, as another poster has suggested.I just expect to get what the marketing department says I should be getting. Man, jig50, you have had bad luck with Toyota products. My luck (knock on wood) has been pretty good. That being said, I know that my minor problems are disappointing especially when you spend more for a car and don't expect these kinds of issues. Again, good luck.

As some of you may remember/know, that I have had some minor issues. And for a first time Lexus owner, I am a little disappointed. I (and this is just me so I am not making judgements here) would not call my Lexus a bomb. The ride is comfortable and, for the most part, quiet. The ML stereo is great; but holy cow though people...40 or 45 on the volume!!!!. I know that when Peter Frampton comes on (showing my age), I want to turn it up but 40-45...whew!!!! I can only get to 28 and I am happy with blowing my ear drums out!!! ha ha! Back to the subject....but I can understand jig50's disappointment. To go up to a Lexus, like most of us have done, we probably expected more than was reasonable. I haven't gone in the LS forum, but there is where I would really be upset if some of these things happened and I paid $70K for a car!!!!

A friend of mine just bought the IS. He loves it! He and his wife are small and they do not have kids. It definitely is alot smaller. But, I was surprised that the trunk seemed to be made to fit 1 set of golf clubs (maybe 2). I still prefer the ES but the IS looks like it would be fun to drive! Have fun Baddboi70!