ihartlexus

Got my car June 27, 2006: Mine is Black/Black IS 250 and I Loooove her obsessively.
As I was going OCD on day two I saw my first rock chip So heart broken... so I accepted it with the plan of getting a clear protectant A.S.A.P.
Then today I go to get it hand washed and I don't know what those inconsiderate bastards did, but I see surface scratches and swirls from the drying, WTF?, what did they use?...sand paper!!??
I am livid!!!, especially because my previous car was a 1996 Honda Civic and because this car is paid cash out of my own pocket 36K+. It's my first luxury car and my baby. I'm sure everyone can relate.
I'm not sure what to do from here other than to live in a bubble. If there is a professional one stop shop for the chips, swirls, scratches, clear protectant in the South Bay area please advise.
Thanks in advance.

Kermee

iTrader: (1)

Congrats and sorry to hear about all the problems so far.

Is this your first black vehicle? Black is a PITA to keep looking showroom clean. Easiest way to get rid of the swirls is doing a machine polish so I'm sure you'll be able to find someone but it's going to be expensive. Try to keep the car as clean as possible without doing a "full" car-wash. Get it cleaned once, put a couple coats of wax or other polish, and use detailing spray to clean the car. I ended up puchasing my own Cyclo machine.

Good luck on getting everything fixed!

Cheers,
Kermee

Ichigo

sorry to hear bout the rock chips. I got the clear bra, but it doesnt cover everything... and I noticed rock chips on the roof and hood as well.... It happens and I think the sooner you accept that, youll be ok. I also came from a civic as well and I love my car, but its not going to stay perfect forever... unless you never drive it. Enjoy your car and dont get too down about the chips, swirls,etc

AgBlue

Ouch, yes black is hard to maintain. I have blue onyx and it's hard as well. I got my car hand washed at a place once, because I had no access to any type of hose. Never again will I let someone else touch it. It looked good for awhile, then it was all crappy again.

I personally do all my detailing now and enjoy it. However my hood has lots of swirls and I'm sure some was put in by me. I plan on buffing them out sometime or another with a tool. Probably the only way to get them out.

sailing217

Yep, my Black 250 was scratched when they waxed it at the dealer the day before I picked it up (didn't notice since the sun didn't hit it right). 2 spots they tried to get off the hood by probably scrubbing with the edge of a dirty towel side-to-side. Needless to say, I spent over 2 hours on the hood with a good polish then wax. All swirls taken care of and a clear bra installed immediately after

If it's something the dealership did or if an outside shop that hand washed it, I would complain and demand a free detail. Of course check other cars they just detailed for reference. I would have had Lexus do it but of course I noticed it after I drove 300 miles home.

Thumbs down on the paint durability of these cars.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

EVERY car manafacturer gets their paint from the same paint suppliers, its not going to be a lexus only problem. Be sure to thank the environmentalists that pushed for more friendly paint which trades off in paint durability

qwerty123

May I suggest something. I have a Black IS350 and have wash it at least 10 times with absolutely no scratches or swirl marks. If you are using terry cloth or 100% cotton towels to wash and dry, I would stop.
Buy Microfiber Cloths, you can buy them at your local auto parts. Keep a large stock (15 to 20)and only use microfiber to wash, dry and wax your vehicle. Also don't wash the microfiber with any other towels, wash them by themselves. If you wash them with other towels they will collect alot of strands and lint and they are HELL to get that stuff off. Trust me I know had to throw out 3.
I hope this helps.. REMEMBER THIS IS A SUGGESTION!!
Good Luck

VitB6

Had a black car about 8 years ago and I will never go back. They look great when all dolled up, but it shows every piece of dirt. Every swirl. Every scratch. Every swirl again. It is depressing. Went with Tungten Pearl and I don't have to worry about that stuff anymore because it hides everything well. Just get the swirls buffed out. Should cost $30-$40.

PNice972

iTrader: (6)

i am with you 100 percent. owned a black 98 accord
before my 2IS and it was so tough to keep clean. and i use the term "clean" loosely as it was never really clean to me.

AndyL

One more suggestion. If going for microfiber towels, buy the MF cleaner as well . I find it more effective than the regular laundry detegent. It can actually remove the waxes and polishes on the cloth.

I bought it fron Pakshak.com and it works great.

Hope it helps.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

glad I made the decision to get a white 07 IS

C280to250

Get the aerotect film Best investment you can do for you NEW CAR and start washing your own car from now on. I never trust any with my car specially car wash.

Do a search on the internet about how to remove swirls there are a few wax that can help you with the problem.

Unfortunately the damage has been done. A fresh coat of certain wax can hide the swirls but once its gone your back to square one.

ihartlexus

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and empathy. This is my first black car and I'm going to to take everyones suggestions and take some precautions. It's just difficult to wash my own car because I live in condo and obviously no yard, hose, etc...but I will find one of those DIY areas and bring a bucket and microfiber towels, I'll just have to put plastic all over the interior just like grandma used to do it back in the day

al503

If you wash it yourself always use the 2 bucket method: 1 with just water to rinse the dirt out of the genuine wool mitt (which is the best to wash with) and one with soapy water to lather it back up. Rinse the mitt out often. This will help with the swirls. Micro Fiber will trap the dirt into its fibers so it's not the best to wash with. Start on the horizontal surfaces (top, hood, trunk) car and use straight front to back strokes. On the sides of the car use straight up and down strokes.

The best thing to dry your car is a waffle weave microfiber towel. (Regular MF doesn't really like to soak up the water on the surface of your car.) These are hard to find OTC. You might try autopia.org or pakshak.com for the best towels out there.

Despite using the best stuff and the correct procedures, you're going to get scratches and swirls on black. Doing it right will just keep your car looking better, longer.

Tony1

Best thing to use for drying is the "absorber"..