I think it is usually available at most auto supply stores.

I was in the same position when I bought my ES300 a little over two years ago. Before that I was driving a little Chevy pos and it was lucky to get washed twice a year (if that) and never mind any waxing or interior detailing. To be honest, it just wasn't worth the effort. But the Lexus is DEFINITELY worth it. I probably spend more time cleaning the lex in a single month than I did the whole time I owned the pos before it (which was 8 years!)

LOL...that sounds very familiar! I HATE (and I mean HATE!) seeing the car looking dirty! I went on a fairly lengthy trip (about a 6 hour drive) last summer to see some relatives and by the time I got there the car was pretty dusty so after visiting a while, I asked where the closest car wash was located. Ever since then, it has been a sort of a running joke...LOL. If I mention that I'm planning a trip somewhere, they say," better make sure there's a car wash close to where you're headed"...lol So, I guess they've pegged me as a bit of a "car nut"....and I don't mind...'cause I am, and proud of it And it paid off today, as a matter of fact! LOL I ran the car through the touchless car wash after work and then went to get some gas. When I told the gas station attendant to fill her up with regular, he looked at me with a puzzled expression and said " .....in this beautiful machine?!" I said, "yep, she runs just fine on regular, and by the way, thanks for the compliment!" ...kinda made my day!


I had Silverstar Ultras installed in mine until about 2 weeks ago. They were definitely better than the OEM halogens. But I finally bit the bullet and bought some HID headlights from XenonDepot. I can't get over how much brighter and better they look. I still have the Silverstar Ultras for the high beams, but the whiteness of the 4300K Xenon low beams make the Silverstars look quite yellow, by comparison.

Good luck with your installs and I'd like to see some more pics of your LS.....maybe some day shots?

 

Great thanks!

lol.. I don't think I ever put the effort in on the 240sx I had. I NEVER hand washed it, and it might have gotten half a dozen machine washes in 5 years. Surpringly the paint wasn't as bad as a 20yr old car could have been. Though it needed some clearcoat.. due to neglect of a protectant over its life.

heheh.. I Just hope I continue to keep half the effort I am putting into it now for the long run. You know how things get when the 'new' wears off and you neglect them a little, and it turns into yeah I need to do it, but I'll get to it later.. (That is why I'm trying to keep it maintained.. the wiping it down after an hour drive might seem a little OCD but I think that is how you keep the effort down to a minimum. The particles from the road never get the chance to 'stick' per se.)

Nice! Awesome to get compliments. I find I've always gotten the most compliments from Oil change type of places with my vehicles. I'll run them in there for a regular oil change if I don't feel like hassling with it and it is sort of an unsaid compliment. They pop the hood, see its clean .. I tell them what weight oil, and so on.. They do their checks and see the car is well cared for and basically come to the conclusion I know a little bit about the vehicle -- So they will say Sir we've done this and that but I didn't check X,Y, and Z because you seem to have that taken care of. Or I'm not going to clean the windows because you seem to just have had it washed lol!

I'm happy with the Silverstar ST's I put in. They weren't cheap, but the difference is incredible. I can't see how these New bulbs could be made to look yellow, but I believe you.

The bulbs I have in, according to back of packaging specs run at 4100K. Which isn't bad for a stock replacement. I still have to aim the dang things. Brights are fine, low beams are a little low. So I think I could aim them without the whole position 20feet from flat wall , mark with tape and so on. Sort of do it by the seat of my pants. Turn screw x amount on driver, and x amount on passenger. Drive it around see how it looks. Adjust as necessary.

So your new HID's are a modification? Right?

Sure -- I'll take some shots in the daytime, hopefully when it is sunny so the shine is more apparent. Thing is with the champagne color it is a little bit like a chamelion. It can look beige in certain light, and in the daytime it looks basically silver. (I prefer the silver look). IE: In my avatar it is closer to the 'beige' look,.. due to nighttime and lights projected on it.

Thanks,

 

Before I installed the HIDs the Silverstars didn't look yellow at all to me, but with both of them lit up side-by-side (HID low-beam and Silverstar high-beam) there is a very noticeable difference in the color.
And yes, the HIDs were a conversion kit. Here's the write-up I did:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...69&postcount=1


Yeah, I find the color of mine changes too depending on the light. It's dark emerald pearl but some ppl have thought it was black from a distance on a dull day. And on really sunny days it almost has a turquoise tint to it.

Looking forward to the pics.

P.S. did you manage to remove the paint splatters? I can't imagine anyone deliberately leaving something like that on the car for so long. You must have been pissed when you discovered how hardened on it had become. Hope it is/was removeable without any ill effects to the paint job.

 

No I haven't removed the paint splatters,.. I just haven't gotten the right product yet. I'm unsure of what I should try,.. it seems it is going to need something very 'dangerous' so to speak.. Not ready to ruin the paint job just yet.

Yes I am pissed at the negligence of it. I'm wondering if I'm ever going to get it off.. But there has to be a way..

 

if you're after a super slick feeling, do the clay bar! it takes time; i usually do it over a span of a coupel weeks. like hood and trunk one weekend, then roof and everything else you want to the next weekend. no matter which wax you use afterwards, it will feel like glass.
you can fix your scratches with touch up paint and then wet sand the area afterwards to make ti smooth. then get some buffing compound and go over it, then polish and then wax.

fior the paint splatters, wet sand those off too. start with 1500 grit wet paper, then go to 2000 once most of it is off. get a sanding block so you get the area evenly done. after the paint is gone, do the buffing compound, polish and wax.

 

I am after the super slick finish -- It won't make alot of difference in appearance, as the color the car is doesn't shine like say, a Black car..

Though the little clay bar like a mini bar of soap is crazy to work with. Can't I get a bigger bar that would save time?

Also, how would you work the clay bar? Can I just use it like I am 'generally' washing the car.. and basically spend about an hour rubbing the surfaces over -- Or do I have to spend 1minute on each little 6inch in diameter area , then move over, etc?

That seems very tedious.. as in there must be a better way.

Heck, why not have a clay bar attachment for a slow rotary where you could go over the whole car. (maybe too dangerous for the paint).

Anyhow, just give me the skinny on how you clay your car (the process).

On the paint:

Sand paper scares me.

I can use the fine paper, but I know I will be at least taking clearcoat off the other paint, and most likely taking some paint off. You don't think that will happen?

 

it actually doen'st take that much time with the clay bar. just do about 1 foot square section at a time. use plenty of lube, the bar should pretty much just glide across teh surface, dont push on it, just slide it around. the hood will really only takea bout 30 minutes to clay it, same with roof, and trunk.
the fine grit 1500+ wet sand paper doesn't really remove that much paint at one time. again, just glide it across using a sanding block and plenty of water.
pro detailers use wet sanding to bring back clear coats from fading and spotting. just go easy on it. the paint splatter is higher than the actual clear, so the block with knock all that off before it really gets into your good paint anyway.

 

As 19psi says, claybarring doesn't really require elbow grease. The most important thing to remember is to always make sure the paint surface you are working on is well lubricated with either a mixture of car soap and water, exterior quick detailing spray, or the lubricant spray that often comes with the bar when you buy it. And when you see the surface contaminants lifting off the paint and sticking to the clay, fold the clay over so you have a clean clay surface to work with. It's also great for cleaning your exterior window surfaces using the same method. And, I find that when the clay bar is so dirty it can't be used on the paint anymore, it is still good for removing brake dust from your wheel rims.

Regarding wet sanding: I'd be pretty leary of trying to wet sand it if you've never done it before. It does take some practice to know when to quit before you do damage to your paint job.
My recommendation is to take your car to a local autobody shop and get their advice on how to remove the paint splatters. And ask them what they would charge you to do the work. You don't have to agree to them doing it, but just find out what it would cost and what process they would use. Heck, take it to two or three shops and compile a list of options. This part shouldn't cost you a dime, just the time to drive around to a few places. Then you will have something to go by with regards to how it can be done safely and if need be, what it will cost to have someone do it for you. ...at least that would be my first step.

 

Yup-- Good stuff guys.

Its raining today.. and is supposed to all weekend. I hate it. I didn't want to get my car out of the garage earlier... but when you gotta leave you gotta leave. -- Of course I wiped it down with a towel when I pulled back in the garage.

Sigh,.. I've never been this **** about a car. What is it with the Lexus?

When I drive I also am aware of the dirt and puddles/potholes etc in the road at all times. I drive around any free dirt, and puddles etc if at all possible. Earlier heading into the office I actually slowed way down on a 50mph zone to go through a deep puddle slowly .. sigh.

I am going to do a little maintenance to the car in a bit, then run it by Novus here, and see what they say about the paint. Then bring it to an audio shop to see if they have an idea of why my aftermarket head unit install makes the subwoofer pop when you turn the ignition off. Though I love my new Alpine!





The USB/Ipod ports are my favorite part. I just can't believe I can plug in my 8gig Thumbdrive with 7,000 songs on it and the Alpine picks it up, lets me browse folders/songs/artists/album titles etc. It lists the Artist/Album and song name on the unit too. Like a mini-computer. All that for a head unit under $299 .. If anyone is considering say Pioneer vs Alpine -- I put them both in the LS 400, and the Alpine made a substantial difference in sound quality.

Not sure why, but it is night and day difference for me.

Its 1pm.. I guess I better get going in the next hour to get some of this taken care of.


*Last question.. I was wondering about the Wash/Wax and how it holds up to the elements.

With this rain I'm driving in today and will be the next few days. --

How will my wax hold up?

I'm basically asking.. can I simply wash it , say Sunday when the rain gets out of here and it will look close to what it did freshly waxed? Or will the wax be mostly rubbed off and it needs to be waxed again? ughh..

I know I shouldn't wax it ever 5-7 days, nor is that necessary. So about how many car washes/rain storms can it endure before it would be a good idea to wax again?

Thanks