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Brand new 3 week old (178mi) 300h Luxury. When performing a full clean, decontamination and ceramic coating noticed these apparent "stickers" at rear panels on both sides. Are these removable or they have an specific function?
Brand new 3 week old (178mi) 300h Luxury. When performing a full clean, decontamination and ceramic coating noticed these apparent "stickers" at rear panels on both sides. Are these removable or they have an specific function?
You seem really on top of the exterior maintenance game - what kind of exterior treatment would you recommend for a 300h that does 20k highway miles a year? I've driven the same route for 10 years, it's a highway in the country and I don't get a lot of rocks, but I do get lots and lots of bugs and fine dust.
You seem really on top of the exterior maintenance game - what kind of exterior treatment would you recommend for a 300h that does 20k highway miles a year? I've driven the same route for 10 years, it's a highway in the country and I don't get a lot of rocks, but I do get lots and lots of bugs and fine dust.
I am by no means an expert in car detailing. But I have always tried to maintain my car's paint with a good initial wax (eg Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax) and then do followups waxes every 3-6 months. As soon as you notice that there's a decrease in "water beading" on the paint, it is time to wax. When waxed, the car should keep clean for more time, and fine dust and bugs should come off easily during a wash. If you can DIY, then:
Wash your car really well
Decontaminate the paint using clay (I recommend Griot's Synthetic Clay)
Correct small scratches and/or swirl marks, if any.
Apply a good wax / ceramic.
There are a lot of videos on YouTube for points 2-4. You can apply the wax by hand, but I have a Griot's G9 with the orbital conversion from 6' to 5' which cut my application time considerably and got better results (really recommended).
When I bought the car, the dealer offered me a "Professional Diamond Ceramic Coating" with a 5-year paint warranty for 2k. As soon as the sales man told me that I had to wait a few days to bring my car because there were only 2 specialized employees for that and they could only do 2-4 cars a day, I immediately knew that something wasn't right. When I initially waxed my DW Rav4, the process took me almost 6 hours and I'm not that meticulous. So I decided to research about ceramics coatings and quickly noticed that a good professional 2k ceramic service take various stages in 3-4 days. So I decided to save wasting $2k and bought a $25 jar of Griots All-in-One Ceramic Wax and did it myself in less than 5hrs. The process is a little easier on a new car since the paint is new with minimal to no damage. Also, bought a $25 Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Spray for follow ups between washes. So those $50 in products could cover me for the next 2 yrs easily on my 300h and DW SUV.
I’m at 11,000 miles on pearl white paint and about to peel them off. Kind of ugly and they stand out.
Since now I know that they are there for protection, I'm in no rush to remove for now. But I'm really considering some aftermarket Mud Guards as there's no OEM guards. If I can get those guards painted in a matching color I would probably peel them off since mud guards will deflect trajectory to that area (I think).
I am by no means an expert in car detailing. But I have always tried to maintain my car's paint with a good initial wax (eg Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax) and then do followups waxes every 3-6 months. As soon as you notice that there's a decrease in "water beading" on the paint, it is time to wax. When waxed, the car should keep clean for more time, and fine dust and bugs should come off easily during a wash. If you can DIY, then:
Wash your car really well
Decontaminate the paint using clay (I recommend Griot's Synthetic Clay)
Correct small scratches and/or swirl marks, if any.
Apply a good wax / ceramic.
There are a lot of videos on YouTube for points 2-4. You can apply the wax by hand, but I have a Griot's G9 with the orbital conversion from 6' to 5' which cut my application time considerably and got better results (really recommended).
When I bought the car, the dealer offered me a "Professional Diamond Ceramic Coating" with a 5-year paint warranty for 2k. As soon as the sales man told me that I had to wait a few days to bring my car because there were only 2 specialized employees for that and they could only do 2-4 cars a day, I immediately knew that something wasn't right. When I initially waxed my DW Rav4, the process took me almost 6 hours and I'm not that meticulous. So I decided to research about ceramics coatings and quickly noticed that a good professional 2k ceramic service take various stages in 3-4 days. So I decided to save wasting $2k and bought a $25 jar of Griots All-in-One Ceramic Wax and did it myself in less than 5hrs. The process is a little easier on a new car since the paint is new with minimal to no damage. Also, bought a $25 Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Spray for follow ups between washes. So those $50 in products could cover me for the next 2 yrs easily on my 300h and DW SUV.
I use the Griot's products,too. Their headquarters and showroom are on my way back from our local Lexus dealer in Tacoma. When I bought the car used earlier this year, I followed the steps above and waxed it using the same wax. Our car is white and it was amazing how much better it looked after a full detailing. I waited a couple of weeks and applied a coat of the ceramic spray wax and it came out even better. It is holding up well and doesn't need another waxing. They also make a hose end foamer for washing the car. That has been a game changer in making the car easier to wash and uses a lot less water and cuts the time to wash the car nearly in half.
I use the Griot's products,too... They also make a hose end foamer for washing the car. That has been a game changer in making the car easier to wash and uses a lot less water and cuts the time to wash the car nearly in half.
Don't clay a new car. don't clay a car if unnecessary. don't use clay bars unless your car has been sitting in a barn for 40 years.
use a professional clay towel. clay bars should only be used for said barn finds, or for spot claying or particularly stubborn spots. clay will scratch your car. a clay towel will not.
detailing involves a lot of nuance. people sometimes go straight to < insert trendy key word here > without first asking "Wait... why do i need to do this again?"
evaluate your car, evaluate your next steps. don't do something unless it does something!
as for griot's... they tend to be at the top of the walmart food chain. they work.and some of the products work nicely. but i wouldn't write home about them. but for most, that's good enough. i don't subscribe to a brand, i will choose a truly outstanding product, but also make sure it's not unnecessarily expensive. depends on the category. again.. nuance!
If you want a good strong decon tip involving clay towel:
bucket of rinseless 256:1
iron removal spray
synthetic perforated (clay) towel.
Spray panel in rinseless *and* iron remover spray (two sprays per panel) and take your dunked/soaked towel, fold in 2s or 4s, then gently (with zero pressure) wipe the panel until smooth. this is the safest way to decon/clay your paint. if you want extra lube, you can use a specifically designed clay lube to supplement all the above) but not needed.
you take a little fist size chunk of clay to your panel and you start scrubbing back and forth, it will be smooth but you will scratch and gouge your panel.
Don't clay a new car. don't clay a car if unnecessary. don't use clay bars unless your car has been sitting in a barn for 40 years.
use a professional clay towel. clay bars should only be used for said barn finds, or for spot claying or particularly stubborn spots. clay will scratch your car. a clay towel will not.
detailing involves a lot of nuance. people sometimes go straight to < insert trendy key word here > without first asking "Wait... why do i need to do this again?"
evaluate your car, evaluate your next steps. don't do something unless it does something!
as for griot's... they tend to be at the top of the walmart food chain. they work.and some of the products work nicely. but i wouldn't write home about them. but for most, that's good enough. i don't subscribe to a brand, i will choose a truly outstanding product, but also make sure it's not unnecessarily expensive. depends on the category. again.. nuance!
I tend to agree - I've used clay only one time ever on a car that had been sprayed with some sort of sap that I could not remove any other way. My ES is now nearly five years old, parked outside all the time and the paint still feels silky smooth to the touch. Granted I wash it every week and wax or apply sealant often.
I tend to agree - I've used clay only one time ever on a car that had been sprayed with some sort of sap that I could not remove any other way. My ES is now nearly five years old, parked outside all the time and the paint still feels silky smooth to the touch. Granted I wash it every week and wax or apply sealant often.
constant maintenance is key.
clay as needed only! you can use the back of a plastic credit card to gently swipe/drag over a small area of a panel to gauge the general condition. (After washing) if you hear sandpaper, time to (properly) clay!
+1 for the Griots G9 Orbital buffer. I just happened to be using mine this weekend on my son's car. After cheaping out some random buffer and quickly burning out the motor, I pony'd up for the G9, and WOW what a difference. Quieter, better ergonomics and more powerful - so much easier to use. 10/10 recommend
09-02-23 | 11:29 AM
New 300H, removable rear panel stickers?
