XenonDepot makes an excellent product. I used them on my GX470 and bought a new kit for the LX. The new kit is very nice and actually has rubber grommets on the wires for each side to seal the holes you need to drill as shown in Celsior's earlier picture.

 

Great job! Can you do mine too? JK.
The car is sooooo shiny, I need some shades just to look at the pictures.
Black is beautiful when it is kept this clean.

 

Thanks for the compliments!

LOL, if the LX was a bit smaller, I'd be tempted to say yes! I love detailing.

 

What a great job
I have the beige interior too.




I've used the leather cleaner (Z9) on my dad ES350, with teeth brush to clean the seats! WHAT A DIFFERENCE IT MADE. then used the conditioner Z10.


do you recommend using Z9 (Leather cleaner) and Z10 ( Leather-on-bottle// conditioner ) on LX570 leather? or do you recommend using genuine lexus leather cleaner and conditioner ?

 

Thanks! Z9 and Z10 have worked great on the LX leather. At first, I wondered about the semi-aniline, etc., but it worked like a charm on the softer leather. FWIW, I use a very soft detailing brush to dust the seams and microfiber and cotton towels for cleaning. I don't have the guts to take a toothbrush to it, though I imagine it would be fine if the bristles are soft enough.

I don't know who makes the Lexus products, but it's likely a mainstream manufacturer's product with a Lexus label, so I personally would not bother. Many of those work great (I've had good experiences with Meguiar's and Mother's); they are just unlikely products made by Lexus or tailored specifically for Lexus leather.

A funny story from a few years ago...

I remember talking to a former neighbor who loved anything that said Mercedes on it. At the time, he had bought a new C-class coupe and was getting into washing and detailing. He knew I was into that too, so we talked a bit about detailing, and he inquired about my products. After I told him, he talked pretty much all of them down, since his products were "Mercedes" detailing products.

One day I read the labels on his bottles, and all his "exclusive" Mercedes products where rebottled Meguiar's products, which he - of course - had paid 2x or 3x for...

This is why I don't bother with the Lexus branded items (though I am a sucker for anything that says Lexus on it )!

 

Thats a lot of waxing for a big car! I get exhausted just detailing my LS. I can't even imagine a LX570

 

that's quite a beast to detail. Nice work!!

 

Thank you m3nv and Hoovey2411!

Detailing this thing certainly makes the times many years ago when I used to detail a friend's Lincoln Town Car look easy!

 

I just got my self into detailing and I would love to do my lx570 if I got the right tools and techniques.
I was advised to ask somebody who did his car before.
As I've been told lexus paint is very soft. you can eliminate swirl or scratch your paint very easily. is that right?
What kind of combo used to polish the beast and what pads did you used on this job?
I think as beginner I should start with Dual Action polisher to reduce risk of burning the paint. What do you think?

 

You are going to have a lot of fun - this thing is huge!!

I have read the complaint that Lexus paint is soft and scratches easily in several places on ClubLexus, so there is probably some truth to that, at least on a relative basis. Personally, I haven't found Lexus paint to scratch noticeably more easily than the paint on other cars I've had, but then again I have only owned Japanese or domestic cars.

In terms of swirl removal, dual action may not - according to the pros (of which I am NOT one!) - be as effective as a regular buffer. However, I am with you that it is the only close-to-certain way to prevent burning damage to your paint. When used with products that are designed for such a machine, a dual action polisher works wonderfully, since these products do not require the higher temperatures that some of the more traditional ones need to work effectively.

I use Griot's Garage's Random Orbital with orange foam pads and their family of machine polishes and would not have it any other way. It took a while to find the fortitude to use abrasive products on my Lexi, but I have had great results: both on the GS350 and the LX. This said, I don't use abrasives on a regular basis, even though Griot's 3 and 4 are very mild. On the black GS I only did this once to correct for the dealerships poor washing practices pre-delivery. Ditto on the LX (and well, there is the water spot incident I described elsewhere...). My dark blue 6-year old GX never saw abrasives, and overall looked great.

More commonly, I've used glazes or other products that fill in the imperfections. Obviously, I don't know the exact condition of your LX, but if it isn't bad, and considering it is white (right?), this might be an alternative to keep in mind, since white is that much more forgiving. Ultima Paint Prep glaze is great (I have recently fallen in love with some of their products), and 3M makes a glaze that is great (the dark car version is unbelievable - I imagine the light car counterpart would be awesome as well). Zaino Z-5 is also meant to fill in imperfections, though as much as I like Zaino products, I haven't found Z-5 to be particularly impressive in this department (shine and durability yes, but not filling swirls).

Ultimately, back to polishing... Beyond the Griot's products I've had a great experience with, there are other swirl removers out there with great reviews: Menzerna, Meguiar's #9 and Sonus, to mention a few. I'm sure others will have more suggestions. Also, you can take a look at autopia-carcare.com, autogeek.net and properautocare.com for product reviews, tips, techniques, etc. They are all great sites that are very easy to spend too much time on!

 

Yes I've been spending 3-4 hours daily browsing auto geek and DW forums.This is very addictive stuff. DA polisher would be the best choice to eliminate 80-90% of scratches and swirls safely. My white lexus has been washed wrongly causing swirls and tiny scratches all over car bonnet, door, headlights. fillers are fabulous for few weeks and few washes then swirls would appear again! (at least in our harsh weather).No I have no plans to risk my paint thickness so I would go with the light-polishing.Then protecting my paint for life time. I have this planned out in head for awhile. I can't wait to go back to Qatar with all my detailing toys and try this combo.
1)Wash ( OFCOUSE! )
2) Sonus Ultra Fine Clay with QD as lubricant.
3) wash again and dry.
NOW TO THE POLISHING!

1) Menzerna Intensive Polish (PO85RD 3.02) with Chemical Guys - Hex-Logic Pad (White Polishing Foam)

2) Menzerna Final Finish (PO 106 FA) with Chemical Guys - Hex-Logic Pad ( Black Finishing Foam ) - ( this step to eliminate any scartaches made by first polishing step add more gloss as well )

3) Menzerna Final Finish (PO 85RD) with Chemical Guys - Hex-Logic Pad ( Black Finishing Foam ) - ( this stuff has no cutting ability its all about the shine! )

Then I would use

AG wax cleaner with a applicator
or Dodo Juice - Lime Prime with Blue Hex-logic Pad .. to prepare the car for waxing
(I've been told that LP has an oily finish so sealant would not bond as good as they should be)

Then I would choose Menzerna Power Lock Sealant BEST SEALANT OF THE YEAR!
(Amazing reflection you should try it on your LX they look the best on Black).

then after 24 hr I would add layer of swissvax best of show Carnauba for protection.
As my country weather is very humid and extremely hot. In term of durability, i can't go wrong with Swissvax BOS.

Thanks for your much appreciated inputs. I would post some pictures in the forum when I'm done with the detailing.

 

A bit late to reply here...

This is great; you have all the good stuff! Definitely post pictures when you're done. I am a big fan of your color on the LX.

I did mine (after many months) last Sunday. I did not do any swirl removal or other polishing but did clay it, put a coat of glaze and multiple coats of sealant, and it still took a long time! In all fairness, though, I did also have to thoroughly clean the clear bra (particularly on the front bumper), which had all kinds of stuff stuck to it. The cleaner that Xpel makes followed by their sealant definitely came through.

I am still shocked at how much grime the clay took off. The liftgate (and rear glass) is - by far - the worst part, followed closely by the rear bumper areas on the sides and the front doors. Amazing! And this only after 4k miles since the last detail (total mileage is about 6.5k)...

No pictures... You've all seen it already!