I've always hand washed my cars, and find the LS a real charm to wash. My past cars have included Vans, Sports cars, Sedans & Coupes. However, this LS's graceful and smooth lines encourages regular upkeep.

Have other owners noticed?

 

Well I wouldn't want to take the enjoyment away from you, so you can come over and wash mine!

Actually I don't have my LS460 yet, but I did take note that the wheels would be much easier to wash then my current BBS honeycomb style.

 

Very easy.

Sometimes, I just spray the car with soapy water, rinse, then let it "air dry" while driving on the freeway for about five minutes. I just wipe off any water spots left over as soon as I get back home...

 

I usually drive into the city once a week and I have the attendants hand wash the car. They do the best job. Better then the local car washes. The interior and exterior sparkle.

A clean Smokey Granite is the best.

I did wash it myself a couple of times. It is easy. I don't get too much brake dust like the Mercedes. That was awful. Every time I drove the car, the front wheels would turn black.

I bought a special spoke fur brush to clean the wheels but do not really use it that often on the Lexus.

I just wish it would stop raining in New York so the car would stay clean longer.

Oh well, better then snow.

 

I take mine to a carwash here in town that is really good. Absolutely NO HAND WASH because those mitts will always cause swirl marks. Also, I get the package that has this new Rain-X full body protectant and because they use Neoglide (foam) brushes in the tunnel the car comes out glossier and glossier everytime, ZERO swirl marks. Some carwashes are really good, the technology is much better these days. BTW it takes 3 minutes when there is no line.

 

I think it's an interesting feeling one must get washing the LS 460, to think that the vehicle has already been hand-sanded twice by Lexus paint technicians.

 

When it comes out of the wash, aren't you running the risk that the carwash attendants will leave swirl marks or be careless when they wipe it dry?

 

I thought the swirl marks were a risk with ANY non-TouchLess car wash.

Is this true? What is the safest way to wash the car that won't lead to swirl marks?

The problem with TouchLess is that they don't get the car as clean....

HBH

 

safest way is to wash the car yourself. pick up some microfiber towels for drying and youre done.

 

I always use a 100% Sheepskin mitt to wash. It won't swirl the paint.

Craig

 

I wash mine myself and only dry the car with quality microfiber towels. I always decline the free dealer wash.

With washing, I use either the 2 bucket method if the car has caked on mud or I use the rinseless wash (Optimum No Rinse Wash "ONR") for just normal dirt. The rinseless wash/dry only takes me about 15 minutes to complete and leaves NO swirls or scratches at all. I learned about ONR through the detailing forum www.autopia.org.

The 2 bucket wash method takes me about an hour to wash/dry. However, I only have to perform this about twice a year.

I also use a sealant called Jeff's Werkstatt http://www.jeffswerkstatt.com/index2.php
The sealant only takes about 15 minutes to apply/remove and makes the car really easy to clean since the dirt just slides right off with no pressure or scrubbing needed.

IMHO, if your paint is properly sealed, washing the car becomes easy because the dirt is easy to remove and will reduce the chance of swirling your paint. Also if you use proper washing techniques, you paint should remain swirl-free.

IMHO, the problem with commercial washes (whether hand wash or touchless) is that they need to work fast to get through their cars (there are some exceptions). With touchless, the wash chemicals need to be powerful to take off the dirt and usually take off your sealant/wax on your car. With a hand wash, the wash chemicals are usually harsher than your home-made solution and are usually applied quickly with too much pressure on your paint (which leads to swirls). When drying, the commercial washes use cotton towels which are not as good as microfiber towels that literally suck up the water with no pressure on your paint. Again, the commerical washes need to move really fast and usually apply too much pressure on your paint when drying your car. Since it takes me only 15 minutes to wash/dry my own car, taking my car to the car wash is more time-consuming than doing it myself.