fahody

Hi

iam about to buy a GS430
am confused between 2 colors

the black color like : https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...&postcount=361

and obsidian like : http://www.carbuyersnotebook.com/arc...007_GS450h.jpg

but am thinking of the washing way , of course u know that with fark colors u need to be carefull when washing it so u dont Scratch it , but i dont know the way

i have 2 questions :

1- Is the obsidan color shows less dirt on it than the black one or they are the same ?

2- What is the best technique of washing a dark color without scratch it ? and make a little Circules on the body of the car

rominl

iTrader: (4)

the 2nd one is probably a bad illustration of obsidian. lexus gs has only one full black, and that's obsidian. the black saphire (sp) has blue in it

if it's the "dark gray" one, that's the smoky granite mica. it has pearl in it so it hides dirt much better

wash without swirl, you need to make sure you use a lot of water to hose things down, and the micro fiber cloths

AlBoston

smoky granite mica has all the bad qualities of black except the wonderful black shine.

I personally would get a white GS, I think it looks fantastic in white.

Washing without swirls... you need to constantly rinse your wash mitt. After washing every half of a panel. Also get microfiber drying towels.

jujulo700r

I wish someone would have told me that! This is my first dark colored car ( black sapphire pearl) and man if you look at if funny it will scratch! I traded in a silver jag for the GS and I used to was it hard and it would never show scratches. Somestimes, if it got a scratch on it I would actaually apply pressure to the area were the scratch was and it would go away. I tried that with the GS and I was like WTF? Is there something wrong with the paint? The only advice that I can give you is that if you plan on getting the dark colored car, please be advised that it takes twice as long to wash it and you have to use soft towels and micro-fiber clothes.

speed28

I have a obsidian GS350. As soon as I wash the darn thing, it is dirty already. I can see all the dust and pollen on it immediately. I don't think there is anyway of not scratching the car, you can only minimize it by using proper washing technique. Where I live, the water is pretty hard. I run the water through a water softener and particulate filer before touching the car. I still get marring after few washes. You can alway pick up a buffer and polish and get the paint back to almost new condition. This is the price you pay for driving the sexy color on a GS (my opinion of course).

Armand

If you like your car to look clean longer then DON'T get a black car. 20 minutes after you wash the car it will look dirty again because of the dust.

The best way to keep spider webbing, marring (the circles) your paint job is to (A) hose down the car very well before you wash (B) use the 2 bucket method when washing. What is the 2-bucket method you ask?

A. you have 2 buckets
B. one bucket has clean water, other bucket has soapy water
C. dunk your wash mitt or sponge in the clean water bucket
D. then dunk your wash mitt or sponge in the soapy water bucket
E. Wash one section of your car
F. rinse the sponge/mitt in the clean water bucket
G. dunk sponge/mitt in the soapy water bucket
H. wash the next section of your car
I. repeat F-H.

Here is the idea behind the 2 bucket method. You are pre-rinsing your wash sponge to get out all the grit, dirt, sand you picked up from the first section you washed before you put the sponge back on the paint to clean the next section. Essentially you have rinsed away a lot of the abrasive particles you may have picked up.

You should also think about getting a "grit guard" to keep a barrier between you wash sponge and the bottom of the bucket.

I see you're in Kuwait so let me show you what we typically use out here to give you some idea of what Im talking about

grit guard

rwdds

-Wash ONLY by hand with Dawn for dishes.
-Get high-quality, expensive, all-cotton towels for basic drying. Wash them separately after use and never use bleach. Some enthusiasts cut off the finished ends that are sewn with poly thread. This can scratch the finish.
-Get a box of small micro-fiber towels to actually wash/scrub with. Mitts tend to pick up dirt and debris and scratch things. If you see little bits of dirt, get a fresh towel.
Wash while the metal is cool. Never in direct sun. Dry with the cotton towels or micro-fiber towels.
-Invest in and learn to use ZAINO polish, it is the best. Zaino will give you the deepest mirror-like 'wet' finish possible. Black looks incredible - better than any color, if it is Zainoe'd properly.

Black is beautiful if cared for carefully. I would also follow the post above (Armand) exactly! Great technique.

jenadamson

Dishsoap?? Really?? I thought that stripped the wax off or something? Or does it specifically need to be Dawn?

AlBoston

yeah don't use dish soap. Bad move. Zaino is obsessed with it but you don't really need to do it. I've been using Zaino for over 8 years and don't use DAWN. Works fine.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

correct. it's good if you WANT to take off all the wax and whatever on the paint before you seal the paint or put on polish/wax. but washing it every time with dawn that's a horrible idea...

vietdeluxx

iTrader: (2)

Black is sleek but its a beat down to wash and keep clean!... You have to pay to pimp though.. hehe =)

G2GS

iTrader: (1)

+1 for what speed28 said.

rwdds

Using Dawn dishsoap is ONLY supposed to be in preparation for a Zaino application. It does remove all wax and petroleum products very well. After the first coat of Zaino, any automotive soap will work well.

Last weekend I did my (first of the spring season) Zaino application on my Black GS. Next morning, the whole frakin' car was covered with pollen I'm just outside Philly (go Flyers and Sixers). I find that a quick once over with my California duster removes 98% of that stuff and I'm back to the wet, mirror shine.

whlkev

why are your rims pink in your sig?

flipside909

Don't use any kind of dish washing detergent on your Lexus paint. Dish washing liquid has different pH which is specific to cutting grease and grime on dishes not for your car. Today's paint materials are a lot softer and more sensitive to the elements and how you maintain it. No matter what brand protectant you use to maintain your Lexus' paint finish, use pH balanced, car wash specific soap. Leave the dawn by the kitchen sink only.