Max707

Figured I would use a paint sealant/ wax for the outside metal part of my LX but what do you guys use on the body cladding? Paint sealant?

1loudLX

treat the paint the same as you would the fender/hood or whatever. Just know that if you are buffing it, that the plastic cladding is softer then the metal.

Max707

What do you use, silicon paint sealant like Nu Finnish? or do you use a Wax?

1loudLX

eagle one nano-wax on the whole car. Usually do a quick glaze with the Malco stuff beforehand.

aedgington

Why would you treat it any differently than the metal paintwork?

The paint layer and clear coat layers are identical, which are the layers you work with when sanding, buffing, polishing, waxing, etc.

Max707

I've heard about nano-wax, is it as tough as a silcon sealent?

1loudLX

i wouldnt know...its bout the only wax ive used for the last 3 years, but it works well on my truck.

V8_Fan

Cladding paint is the same as the body paint with the only difference being it uses a plastic primer instead of a metal primer. It's the same type of paint (urethane) w/ clear coat on top. The main reason to use a urethane instead of, say, a poly-urethane (used on yachts and aircraft) is the urethane is much more flexible, plus you can mix virtually any color. Lifespan of a quality urethane like Dupont is ~15 yrs. A poly urethane like Imron costs more, lasts longer (like ~30 yrs w/ no waxing and extreme UV exposure), but is more brittle and comes in few colors. If you bumped a soft plastic part painted w/ the poly, it would flake off. I've only seen it used on rigid composite and metal bodies. Enamel has the least lifespan, more like 10 yrs. The color will also determine how long it lasts. The paints that we buy are usually enamels, as the urethanes use a catalyst and sets to the touch in like 3 minutes...no room for error, plus you need a special vented paint clean room and can bake the final finish in a room-sized oven. This is how my ARB/Kaymar bumpers were painted (urethane plus baking).

Max707

So Jim how do you care for your cladding? Wax or one of the high tech sealants?

V8_Fan

Hand wax. I use low-tech turtle wax and a rag, have for years on all my cars. Seems okay to me.

Max707

The only reason I was leaning toward the dealers $79 deal is that you get the car done so it looks like it did when it was delivered to you at the dealership. Hand wax, interior leather treatment, carpet cleaning, rainx on the windows and a loaner car while they do the work. Figure if it isn't a great job, it is easy to complain and get it redone or $$$ knocked off at the Lexus dealership.

1loudLX

youve got your threads mixed up bud...

...I still think the only "Deal" is the free car wash. At least you dont have to pay for it. The dealer I go to sometimes doesnt even need me to get my truck serviced to take atvantage of the free wash.

Anyways, back to the cladding, treat it like any other regular car paint, its the same stuff.

Max707

Thanks, I did I used that micro wax, great for black paint and the clading, left no white crap and was real easy to use.

1loudLX

good to hear. I was gona wash n wax my truck last night but couldnt figure out how to turn the water on! LOL I just moved and the water for the outside is turned off.

V8_Fan

My dealer charges $125 for a full detail (including carpet shampoo, leather cond, engine detail, etc.). I do the seats myself and use leatherique. I think it's better than the dealer's lexus cleaner/conditioner (I think the just use the lexus cleaner/cond; I got those at Sewell lexus for like $5 each). The leatherique isn't cheap, but the guys on ih8mud swear by it. The rejuvenator oil replenishes the lost oils/proteins from the leather and sucks out junk like salts from sweat, waxes, lanolin, etc. You then apply the cleaner which removes all the muck that the oil extracted from the leather. I heard this is what Bently recommends for their leather. The leatherique contains no lanolin while the lexus conditioner does, so there are two different philosophies on leather care.

Since I keep two sets of floor mats in the 2nd and 3rd rows and the nifty catch-alls up front, my carpets have stayed clean so far. I also have indoor/outdoor carpet on the tailgate so the dog doesn't get her dirty paws on it. Maybe after another 20-30K mi when the engine compartment is really dirty, I'll consider an engine detail!