Took delivery on my IS 350 Saturday after over 4 months of wait time. Well worth the wait! The ride from Jax to NOLA provided me with over 500 miles (eating up the controversial break-in period).

The question I have is for all of the detailing gurus. I have the SGM with black interior. I like the "undetailed" look/color of the dash and paneling. I don't necessarily want to "Amour-all" it and have it all shiny.

A) Is it cool for me to leave it "unprotected" in the sun.

and

B) Is there a protectant on the marked that won't give me the blinging, glossy finish?

 

Amour-all low gloss

 

Congrats on the purchase! I'm glad you didn't buy your IS at Lexus of New Orleans... **** poor service, but that's another story...

Anyway, Meguiar's just came out with some wipes that clean and protect, but don't leave your interior looking and feeling like a grease bucket - they're called 'Quik All Surface Interior Detailer Wipes.' Gives UVA/UVB protection, and smells good, to boot!

Javier

 

Thanks, man.

You are absolutely right. Lexus of NOLA is sub-par (at best). I bought my wife's RX 330 from Jax last year, and happily made the trip again after trying to deal with Lexus of NOLA.

I guess "Elite" status for dealerships really means something (then again, maybe not).

 

i use the regular armor-all but i don't get any gloss at all due to the texture of the dash.

 

Sonus Cockpit Detailer (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/) leaves a fresh, matte finish without a trace of gloss or grease.

It had my '01 IS300's interior looking like it just rolled off the assembly line.

 

I use Aerospace Protectant 303 and have been using it for 7 years already. My first car of 10 years didn't have it and now the dash and leather looks a bit ragged. I've used it on my second car of 7 years and until now the dash and leather still looks great.

Now I'm still using it on my IS350 and I won't change to anything else unless it's proven over the years.

http://www.303products.com/main.php?infopage=protectant
It's also highly recommended by Autopia.org (becareful you might turn into a detailing freak and spend lots of money on products if you get stuck on this site )

 

also....Aerospace protectant 303 doesn't leave the ugly shiny finish when you apply it. It won't make your leather look like you've been using soul-glow curl activator in your jerry curls.

 

Aerospace 303 protectant ... Much better than Armor-all.

 

Can you use 303 on the instrument panel, the shifter plate, the dash components like the radio and climate buttons (not the nav screen of course)?

 

In your area, I would definitely put some protectant on the dash, especially if you do not or cannot put the car in a garage.

Definitely get a product with a sunscreen, such as Meguiar's Natural Shine protectant, Aerospace 303 (if you can find it), or Vinylex (made by Lexol). I would avoid Armor-All products since they contain undesirable silicones.

Also, keep in mind that whatever you put on the dash will leave a little gloss depending on how hard you buff it off. However, that gloss will diminish over about 2 weeks as the protectant evaporates.

 

Hi Bigchief - we have a detailing forum for questions like these... I'm moving your post there

 

303, VInylex (By Lexol) or Interior Protectant by Blackfire...all very good products with very low gloss.

 

Armor All has been water based for a while now. For a natural looking dash I would use either 303 or Meguiar's #40 as a protectant and Meguiar's Quick Interior Detailer as a cleaner.

 

To answer a previous question regarding what these protectants can be used on, well...anything vinyl, plastic, rubber. That includes ***** etc.

With low-end products, *some* of those protectants can leave a slippery feel, (not so with 303 and some others) so use caution on running boards, pedals etc.

Always avoid clear plastic bezels though - it can permanently stain them, and never spray them on interior parts, always apply to a cloth and wipe on.