Just have to love a freshly waxed car!

I waxed her about a month or so after my May purchase. It really wasn't necessary because the dealership did it, but there is no better way to get an up close and personal inspection than to get your hands on the car. But, OMG, does this smokey granite show road rash. I love the color, mind you, but it is so much more high maintenance than my previous white ES. Oh well, I knew that going in as I have owned a black car before. But, I now wish I had gotten a clear bra. I chose not to and kinda regret it. I mean I owned my previous ES for over nine years and she still looks great. (I get to see her every time get my hair cut. ). I wonder if I will be able to say the same about this car, especially with this soft paint.

BTW, I found that a soft bristle tooth brush works great for getting wax out of the crevices around the door lock buttons.

Note to self....don't run a wax laden buffer over the door handles.

 

We should probably have a topic on wax/polish. I use RejeX and find it to be the best I have ever used.

 

SGM was the 1st color choice for me, but went with TG because of the maintenance of keeping the darker color clean. I have driven the TG for 2 weeks (with no wash) and through several rain storms and it still looks clean. Enjoy your SGM, I am still a little jealous.

 

I have never owned a dark color car before. I am kinda experiencing this high maintenance SGM right now, and am forced to keep it parked in the garage. Even then it gets dusty. My only complaint is that the deer antler scratch shows more on dark color cars. If it were silver or white, the scratch would not show at all. I am posting my buffing experience today on another post... Darn Im gonna need some professional detailing for this im afraid.

 

You know it's a sin to talk about your freshly waxed car without pictures right? lol

 

Hah....that's just what I was thinking, but the sun was too low by the time I got done detailing. It took me like three hours to do everything. I even waxed inside the door wells.

Today I think I will do the boat. The trusty Porter Cable is getting a work out this weekend.

 

Mack,

When I traded in a black MBC240 the dealer sales manager asked how it was that it had only one tiny swirl mark that he could see on the entire body of car. Almost all darker cars according to him had swirl marks all over them.

I said the swirl was there when I brought the car home, on trunk lid top and it was tiny, not something anyone would have a fit over.

I told him the secret is wash the car in those NO touch car washes, certainly BEFORE you ever hand wash it and only ever use the wash feature at the no touch place, don't add wax or anything like that, none of the gimmicks they also offer, just a plain old wash.

If you want to hand wash it after, no problem. You will avoid swirls in the paint if you do this. For every hand wash there should be roughly 6 trips to the no touch car wash in between and try not ever hand washing the car unless you have no touch washed it first.

BTW...check the underside of the car, the painted area right behind wheels and gently get rid of that too, about a 4 inch swath of gunk might be there each side of car, all wheels, certainly front ones. You will have to lay on your side to see the gunk thrown up under there by the wheels.

 

Yeah, I have the Black Sapphire Pearl and can relate to the increased maintenance...

I also have some hard water spots that I can't seem to take out. I tried to wax them out but to no avail. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

If the spots are not too deeply etched into the surface, try a solution of vinegar and water (1:1) on them. You'll have to rewax those areas again b/c the vinegar will remove your wax as well as the mineral deposits the drops of water left behind. Several applications might be necessary as the vinegar might have to get through some layers of wax before it reaches the water spots. Use a very soft micro-fiber cloth to apply it.

 

Thanks Lexucan! I'll try it.

 

Great idea on the touchless car wash before the hand wash with a sponge for my Black Sapphire finish.

 

garsarno,

Doing the no touch, then wash ended up with the curiosity of that sales manager.

Also, matter of taste, but when I hand wash a car it is with Bounty paper towel, several lengths folded, soaked in wash water and then go about it.

It is very soft when soaking wet yet durable enough to wash the car of anything the no touch might not quite have gotten and very unlikely there is any grit or things that will scratch the paint in any recesses of other materials you could use in contrast to when using brand new paper towel.

And you don't have to wring them out and store them for any next time either, you just pitch them out.

You car color is what I wanted originally and got talked into (no pressure, very nice about it and a better price than waiting) one on the lot rather than wait two weeks plus or minus for a black with cashmere, so I have Tungsten instead. It must be amazing looking black.

 

OK, hopefully the moderators won't frown on me for doing this, but here is my number one toy. (It' my thread right? ) Talk about high maintenance. I just spent 4 hours detailing this girl and that's just from the rub rail down. Those outdrives are a major PITA to wax. But is it SO worth it!!

For you motor heads she has Merc 496 HO's. GM motors....425hp per side. It's why I love my 26 mpg Lexus!! I get 2 mpg if I'm running conservative....down to 1 if water condition allow and I'm feeling froggy.

 

I used a new sponge the first time I washed the car but the Bounty paper towels is a good idea. The new Black Sapphire seems to be "bluer" than the older Blue Onyx color. I had a 1974 Camaro in dark blue and it was a tougth color to keep clean but I am up to the challenge, after ordering white metallic vehicles (traded in 1999 Town Car for the ES350 but still own a 2004 Lincoln LS and Mercury Mountaineer in white metallic) since 1999. I could have purchased the a white metallic ES350 Ultra from dealer stock but we agreed that a change in color was needed. Seems to get dusty more than dirty so the touchless car wash works well so far.

 

I would recommend against sponges though. The reason is that the porous characteristic of the sponge would mean that particles can get trapped in the pores and possibly scratch your paint when you wash the car.

Macklin, you posted a picture of your boat before your car?! :O haha.