illtww

The laminx after wet sanding is a good idea. Never thought of that.

xtr3me

Sorry for slow response... for some reason all responses to this particular thread have been going to my Spam folder.. Okay, let me get this right, you want me to take a pic of my headlight at night... correct
No problem, I'll take pic and post in the next few days, but note it has been like 2 years since I sprayed them

That's a clean LS430 - love it

Looks good FSportIS

xtr3me

I totally missed this post with your question Feliciano (all CL replies to this thread have been going to my Spam folder) just emptied it
Short answer - current product you're using
Long answer, w/TMI - continue reading if you dare as I'm bored and may rattle on...

Oh boy, here we go -
IMO waxes and sealants ( LSP) are subjective,. I have many different brands of waxes, only because of my clients needs, taste and preference. What looks good to you may not look good to others. It's all about the prep work anyways. If you want to improve the looks of your paints appearance, it starts with paint correction. Afterwards a wax or sealant will enhance the look of your paint and protect it. Depending on the paints condition you will need a (one step-polish or two step-compound & polish) removing any water spots, micro marring, swirls or rids ( random isolated deep scratches) so your cars paint will reflect rather than refract light. The majority of these blemishes are caused by improper washing and drying techniques and the remainder from the elements. I use a foam gun, then 2 bucket wash with a lambswool or sheepskin mitt for the upper half and good quality microfiber mitt for the lower quarter of vehicle. Always starting from the top and working my way downward. I usually dry a vehicle using a waffle weave towel unless it's black or dark blue with a soft clear coat, then I use a blower..

Best way to view these blemishes is by artificial lights (halogen, led). if you do not have a light, the next time you're at a parking lot at night with overhead street lights look at your paint closely from different angles, this will reveal some of your paints imperfections. Personally, if I were you, I would stick with 50/50 instead of looking for another wax and apply those funds towards purchasing a da polisher like Meguiars 110V2, Porter Cable 7424XP or Girts Garage - the GG having a lifetime warranty) and correct your own paint, if not already corrected. DA polishers are user friendly and before long, you'll be showing us a pic of your upgraded polisher, a new Rupes.. Wash, clay, compound/polish, coat with your choices of LSP and the final outcome will be rewarding. My preferred polishes are Menzerna FG400/SF4000/SF4500 and Meguiars M105/205

I use blackfire wet diamond sealant topped with either pinnacle souveran, signature series II or Dodo Juice SN (flip flopping between em) on my brilliant black pearl metallic paint (my truck). IMO, this combo would work well on any dark colored vehicle. I'm getting tired and old so after I deplete my BFWD inventory I may start coating with CQuartz UK. Just like waxes, sealants have different characteristics - ease of use (on/off), appearance, longevity, etc.. I use ( $20) Collinite 845 wax by itself on my LS430 - Parchment Crystal Pearl and people ask me all the time what wax do I use or they say "New car, huh" ( it's not only the wax or coating, it's corrected paint). I was using Cquartz UK and Opti Coat 2.0 coatings as a LSP for the majority of my details sometimes topping with clients favorite wax and periodically refresh each of these coatings with Reload. OC 2.0 has been discontinued so when I deplete my inventory it's gonna be CQuartz UK... I have yet to try Opti Gloss Coat that replaced 2.0 (need to start reading feedback of others)...CQuartz UK and Gloss Coat are consumer grade products, available to anyone (no authorized installer required) and easy to apply. You may wish to look into each of them as a potential coating for your DIY LSP

If you do have swirl marks and you wish to mask them w/o using a polish to correct the paint, an option would be to use a glaze or swirl mark filler wax, anything with the active ingredients kaolin/kaolinite, however it's just a short term bandaid. Top with a wax to extend longevity of the swirl filler.

You could post this question on the Club Lexus 'automotive care and detailing' forum and get some good recommendations as there are many knowledgable members and professional detailers hanging out there.However, use caution...Don't get caught up in the marketing and fanboy hype, it's unavoidable. You'll find it it in every detailing forum. I say, if you like 50/50 stay with it, it's a good wax from feedback of others and it's protecting your cars finish from the elements. Celeste looks good on dark colors and 50/50 should also. The only downside to Celeste is that it only lasts for 4 1/2 - 5 weeks and for a boutique wax you would expect more. It's in my inventory because I have a client that loves the look and is okay with the durability characteristics of protection it provides. You ask what is best in my list, I love Auto Finish Desire... no wait, I really love Zymol Glasur. No, it's Esoteric Signature Series > Got plenty of money, try one of them top dawgs.You'll love em

Truthfully, you have answered your own question as I believe there are two key elements that make up the perfect DNA for a " best wax". First one being a wax applied over a properly corrected paint surface and the other being a wax you enjoy using because of either enhanced looks, ease of use, price, etc.

Today there are a lot of good products on the market to choose from, it's crazy - a good crazy though. However, there is also a lot of hype within the industry and faithful fanboys that swear by products they use, whereas you may get good feedback and read great reviews and comments in forums only to be disappointed with buyers remorse. Do waxes with dyes in them like Megs Black, Dodos' Purple Haze, Blue Velvet, Orange Crush, Hard Candy, etc enhance darker color paints better than other waxes or is it just marketing hype? I don't buy it, pun intended.. If it does, IMHO you'll never see the difference with the naked eye applied on a corrected paint surface

As for your mention of 3M being hard to remove, I agree. I like the looks of '3M Perfect-It' Show Car paste wax on my 02 LS, it's cheap in price, sometimes requires misting of water from spray bottle for easier application and it is not a pleasure removing if you let it set too long, plus only provides 3 - 3 1/2 weeks of protection. Now '3M Perfect It' compound and ' Finesse It II ' polish are my go to products for gel coats on boats or RV's. In regards to Jet 109, I also agree that it lacked compared to the competition.

I know you're most likely aware of everything I have just written from your experience in the products you use, interest in car care and that you were only asking about a recommended best wax for your particular color but I found myself bored and it really does start with corrected paint. I would maybe consider trying either Souveran or Dodo Supernatural in a sample size and see if you like it, just put it on as thin as possible, thin is in...

Just to keep this post relative to the subject matter of headlights, I've added a pic of my drivers side restored headlight. Car is a daily driver and stays parked outside in the elements, it has been topped with Collinite 845, a one step correction was done about 10 months prior to picture using a Meguiars 110/V2 da polisher (back up). Fresh wash and coat of Collinite wax applied just a few hours prior to picture. Not too bad for $20 wax, minus the paint chips and the fact its due for a claying and some spots of dried wax I missed on the headlight..

To view corrected paint on our LS430 black door pillars, check out -this link .
Zach has posted some good 50/50 pics of what most door pillars look like under a light that need correction. I've posted some before/after pics of what they would look like to the naked eye w/o any artificial lighting.

As for clear coats... I just started using SPI clear coat and it is user friendly, spray it on like you want.. in otherwards spray full coats from start instead of a medium coat, then a full coat. I like it, time will tell as far as durability but it lays down nicely and finish product looks amazing. SPI Universal clear is a soft clear coat,flexible and buffs easy. SPI Euro is a hard clear coat recommended for black paints..gotta love soft clear on black, NOT..
Next time my black door pillars get scratched up, I'm going to spray them with SPI Euro clear.

Last...Just saying, everything I mentioned in this post is my opinion only and written w/o being too bias... Yours and everyone elses opinions will/may vary

g1kon1whee

iTrader: (4)

i recently did my headlights as well. mine were hazed and heavily scratched from sand and road debris. my process was:

1. washed them
2. taped up the headlights surroundings
3. clayed them
4. wetsanded with 1000 grit, 2000 grit, 3000 grit
5. polished using Meguiars M105 and a 3" Meguiars microfiber cutting disc
6. polished using Meguiars M205 and a 4" Meguiars yellow foam polishing pad
7. wiped them down with a 15% IPA solution and then coated them with Optimum Opti-lens

i used a Meguiars G110V2 DA polisher for the polishing processes.


i personally think applying a wax after taking the time to properly restore them is a waste of time ( especially if they needed alot of sanding ) unless you are willing to apply it constantly.

g1kon1whee

iTrader: (4)

and the final pics.

FSportIS

iTrader: (13)

Very nice work g1kon1whee!

g1kon1whee

iTrader: (4)

Thanks for the positive comments, I really appreciate it.

FSportIS

iTrader: (13)

I did the Plast-X after sanding and the result was good. When I look at your headlight when you do the M105/M205 polish combo after sanding, it seems even better. From your pictures, I'm convinced that your approach is the best for restoration.

I, however, would go with Lamin-X or 3M film for the last protection step though because not only does it protect the headlight from UV lights but also rock chips and scratches. My headlight still look perfect like day 1 after 3+ years and still going clear and strong. The film is also a lot thicker than any clear coat or protection coat. That extra money for the film, IMO, really worth it.

g1kon1whee

iTrader: (4)

I don't think I would do a film personally because of the ease of needing to correct anything. When it's just coated it's simple as opposed to it being covered. Different strokes for different folks I guess. Lol. And I'm very picky and have the mind that if I can't do it myself I wouldn't be interested. Lol. I ALWAYS try to do every possible thing I can, even if it's not cost effective I will still try it just for the sake of being able to say I did it. It seems like every time I do let someone else do something for me I always have a problem. Probably my ocd and pickiness when it come to my cars. Lol.

FSportIS

iTrader: (13)

Yeah, you are a very good DIYer. I guess you also detail your car by yourself too right? Regarding the film, you can actually buy the Lamin-X pre-cut film and do it yourself too Since I look for perfect finish, without much experience in applying film, I let the pro handle it for me. They did a great job on it.

Yeah, I know what you mean by doing everything yourself, that sense of accomplishing is priceless! It is a great feeling. I also DIY on detailing my cars both inside and outside on a very frequent basis. The reward is the gloss, shine that set my cars apart from other daily drivers