tmnt25

Does the pledge have any protecting characteristics? I bought mine used, but the wood looks dull and feels a bit rough. I was wondering if there was some way to buff it to bring back the shine, as well as protect it. Everything i have read talks about vinyl and plastic...

Already ordered a retractable on monoprice...Thanks for the advice guys. Now what to do with my monster cable...

You must have one skinny cord, because i really have to force the center console to close

ONR = Optimum No Rinse. The Grout Sponge from Lowes is for washing your car. It is ultra soft and won't cause swirl marks. For the leather, I strongly recommend Sonus leather cleaner and conditioner, which you get from autopia. It is great, very mild and effective and actually brings back the new leather scent instead of using heavy perfumes to create a temporary effect. Below is a list of products that I use to maintain my vehicle (these are the actual links). Forget the swiffer, not for the interior or exterior as it can scratch. Lexus has ultra soft clearcoat and it is easy for low quality products to scratch it. When washing, always use a two bucket system, one with the shampoo and the other for with water to rinse out your sponge. Wash one panel at a time and then rinse out your sponge in the rinse bucket then put it back in the shampoo bucket for more suds. Never wash or dry in circular motion, always in a straight line. When drying, it is better to blot dry (patting the paint with the towel) rather than the traditional way. Drying is where most of the scratching takes place. Never use a microfiber towel from an autoparts store or walmart, kmart, etc. Not all MF towels are created equal. Those are not of a good blend of fibers and are guaranteed to scratch your paint. Technique is the other half of effective maintenance. There is a lot that goes into it, you can read a lot more here: http://www.autopia-carcare.com/how-to.html. Read all the articles, they will instruct you well. The other part of maintenance is learning to remove swirl marks effectively and safely by polishing with a dual action machine such as the Ultimate Detailing Machine. These articles and the autopia forum will be very useful to learn more about it. STAY AWAY FROM CAR WASHES AND DEALER CAR WASHES AND DEFINITELY DON'T EVER RUN YOU CAR THROUGH THOSE MECHANICAL CAR WASHES AT THE GAS STATIONS. shampoo: Ultima Paint Guard Wash http://www.autopia-carcare.com/ult-5022.html Sponge: Lowes Grout Sponge by Proline: http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=prod...&lpage=none drying towel: The Sonus Der Wunder Drying Towel http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-dwdt-2.html wheels: Sonus Tire & Wheel Care Kit http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-wheel-kit.html leather: Sonus leather cleaner and conditioner with the Sonus Applicator http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-600-610.html Interior (dashboard, vinyl): Sonus Cockpit detailer and Sonus Total Eclipse: http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-600-610.html and http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-700.html Paint Protection: Ultima Paint Guard Plus: http://www.autopia-carcare.com/ult-1004-100.html If you purchase from them, use the coupon "autopia" for a 10% discount. Their customer service is excellent, you will be very happy with them. Great info! Thanks. Any recommendation for the polishing/protecting of the interior wood paneling?

I bought my used Lexus through Lexus of Kendall. Salesman was real nice, I don't think i necessarily got a great deal, as I didn't give much pushback on the $689 dealer services fee. Finance guy was real straight forward and easy to deal with as well.

For those of you connecting the ipod to the car with the simple cable, are you simply leaving the middle console open while using the ipod? I don't want to forcefully close the console, squeezing the cable, but I also don't like driving with the console open. Thanks