Bluey

uad

A little hard to tell, but i would suspect something on the paint surface rather than a paint problem at this stage. Maybe sap.

I would start by cleaning the area, then running over the area with a clay bar.

http://www.autodetailingsolutions.net/auto...g-clay-bar.html

This will remove all the contaminants on the surface of the paint much better than any buffing. The kit can be got from most auto shops like Supercheap.

Finally got my car looked at for the engine rattle on startup and misbehaving auto dipping mirrors.

They have now ordered all the engine bits needed to correct the startup rattle, and have also ordered a new set of side mirrors to replace the current ones. Car is almost 2 years old and so I will get the work done along with it's second service.

They picked up my car, gave me a loaner, and were going to drop my car back but I was going passed so collected it instead. I didn't have to plead or beg, they just assessed the items and make the judgement themselves.

WooHoo. Very happy with Lexus service. :P

Top job Bluey.

And to think most people will have their touch up repairs done and put up with the poor finish :( . It reminds me of a stunning black 350Z I see parked near work every day (I hate the fact that his car has a better gloss than mine) - until the sun drops low enough to side-light the body and expose every single rotation the rotary traveled over his body work. :lol:

Yep

Still looks clean though. And thats what most people are happy with.

It's actually quite easy to do but does take some time to cover the entire car. That is why I'd rather be careful with my cleaning and drying methods to try and minimise the number of times I will need to be doing this over the life of the car. And the waxing adds an extra layer of protection during the wash process, as well as making the finish look so much better. :P

Random orbit buffer with foam pad and Meguiars #80 Speed Glaze.

Oh and don't forget TLC

Danslex,

Any visible defect on my paintwork (even if you can only see it in the right light), I deem a defect. If it is imbedded in the paintwork - eg a swirl/light scratch or etch, I want it gone! Nearly every polish on the market is abrasive in some way - and therefore cuts into the clearcoat. There is no other way to remove a swirl (light scratch usually caused by the normal process of washing the car) other than removing the surrounding paint to the same level as the deepest point of the scratch (or to the point where it is no longer visible).

I conceed that I may be pedantic at times - my illness I'm afraid. :D

I'm with you Last1

Any defect will need correction, and the defect is in the eye of the beholder.

I had a nasty mark on my drivers door after a car park incident. I had a guy do a touch up job which looked fine when he completed it. Once I got home and the late afternnon sun shone on it I had a huge mass of swirls all over the driver and rear passenger door where he had blended the paint out with a rotary buffer.

I decided to try and correct this myself, and was amazed at the results I got with the right tools and products. Here's a couple of pictures.

BEFORE

AFTER

Hey Bluey!

Yeah I actually do use two buckets exactly as you describe :). I saw this youtube video about a new bucket that holds all the grit at the bottom, cant remember what it's called. I wonder if you can get that in aus? I think it was called a grit guard ?

Btw someone told me there is a laser car wash in Chatswood, I wonder how that works. Anyone been there?

Yeah, grit guard is simply a mesh like platform at the bottom of the bucket so you can rub the wash mitt against it to get the grit off, but also makes sure the grit doesn't swirl back up onto the mitt as it stays below the guard. I haven't used one, but looks like good extra level of security against marring from grit on your wash mitt.

I think the laser wash is simply a "touch free" or high pressure wash. Not bad for a quick rinse but not as kind on your wax or as thorough as your wash mitt.

However I never take my car to a car wash anywhere, always wash at home with a nice bucket :)

Have you tried the two bucket method.........not joking. :P

1 bucket, wash solution

2 bucket, rinse water......this way all grime that gets into the wash mitt, falls into the rinse bucket, then reload with the wash solution.

And remember to rinse often so you do not get the wash solution drying on the paint and leaving water marks, especially important for dark colours.

Hey ProjectIS, could you be more specific on the advice from Bluey?? we want to learn as well.

I have tried Megauirs NXT gen tech wax and the clay kit before, they did give the car a deeper shine, but they dont last long as dust tend to stick to the waxed area more easily. and the wax kinda wear off after a few washes. also they do little to the swirl marks or the scratches.

Please share with us tips on how to restore the paint's showroom condition. much appreciated

Later!

uad

Unfortunately paint maintenance is an ongoing process, and not a once off. You are right about the dust, but I think it seems to be more troublesome after waxing because you spend some time and TLC getting it looking its best that you will notice the dust. Once the car is a little grubby you don't care too much about the dust. Also you tend to take more care of the paint during the warmer months, which is also when there is more dust floating about, especially when water restrictions are in place.

Swirl marks and little scratches are a whole other topic. These usually appear due to poor washing technique, or using automatic carwashes. Waxes can give a little covereage but are not designed for this purpose, for a better result at eliminating these you will need to use products and processes that are designed for that purpose.

Hi all, i may have vented my disatisfaction on the paint finish of the IS previously (it's thin and looks non-metallic) but today i am really disatisfied after washing it.

I am now thinking of getting my car resprrayed with this thicker, 3D looking paint. i know there is a name for it, is it Metallic Pearl?

Does anyone know how much to do a respray?

ldc

What are you dissatified with?

How often do you wax/polish the paint?

Good maintenance of the paint will be much cheaper than a respray. Unfortunately simply washing the car will not keep it looking it's best, and some washing techniques can be very detrimental to the long term look of the finish. You may find that you do a respray and then within a year are again finding fault with the finish.

Look after what you have now and chances are a respray will not be required.

I barely use Cruise Control but I will going on long distance drive soon which will be useful and so....from my understanding here....if I set to 100KM\H as my cruise control setting and there is no car in front of me......and then a car overtakes into my lane, which means a car is right in front of me. Rather than me slowing down using the brake, it will actually automatically slow down, right???? And once the car is gone (and no car is in front of me or far away), it will go back to the original 100KM\H setting again, is that correct? If so, that would be very cool.

The cruise is even smarter than that. If a car overtakes and cuts back in then the cruise will not slow your car down as long as the other car is pulling away, even if it's quite slowly.

As we all agree, Black looks best, but is difficult to keep as clean as we would like.

I have employed a philosophy, I think I saw on a forum somewhere; "If it looks good from 5 metres then it's clean."

It may not be in your own eyes, or on close inspection, but most people don't get that close and the car still looks fabulous to them.

My staff will often comment about how my car always looks so clean when I am thinking otherwise.

This thought has taken a lot of the stress out of owning this, my first black car. But I do love keeping it clean.

Black......Black........black

.....Black......black........Black.

:P

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:P :P :P BLACK :P :P :P

How do you copy them?? When I was selling my IS300, I wanted to chuck the newer copy of the DVD from the IS250 in there, and I burnt it on a DL DVD. But the vehicle's satnav computer somehow recognised it as a not valid disc, even though I did an image burn...

I got a copy from the net in .rar form, can't remember where. Unpacked the image, then used Nero7 to burn to a DVD-R DL.

Plugged it into the map reader DVD player, and Hey Presto, updated maps. :P :P

V15?

I only managed to find V14 and burnt it, worked fine, and then discovered I already had that one once I worked out how to eject the disk.

Mine was V14 also, haven't found V15 yet.

How do you copy them?? When I was selling my IS300, I wanted to chuck the newer copy of the DVD from the IS250 in there, and I burnt it on a DL DVD. But the vehicle's satnav computer somehow recognised it as a not valid disc, even though I did an image burn...

I got a copy from the net in .rar form, can't remember where. Unpacked the image, then used Nero7 to burn to a DVD-R DL.

Plugged it into the map reader DVD player, and Hey Presto, updated maps. :P :P

http://poweredby.whereis.com/shop/ItemDeta...&PageID=376

any one has this one installed... ? have a copy.. ? ... any new changes.. ?

i heard it is big .. dvd 5gig.. .. need to burn into. dl dvd copy

please share experience

Yep. V14 also needed double layer DVD. Still, way cheaper than buying through Lexus/Toyota if you could find the download. :P

Brandon

How long ago did they do it?

Mine makes the noise about 2-3 times per week. I'll let them know before next service.

Come to think of it, with the mirror dipping issue and the crank noise maybe I should get them done first, and I can then report any findings at the service.

At my first service I felt the same. Wanted the lights to come on earlier, but have longer delay before activating. I'd already had the sensitivity set to 1 but was still coming on too late, especially for a black car.

Anyway, they actually did the exact opposite, reduced the activation delay and reduced the sensititvity,

Now the days are getting shorter it's getting annoying with having to turn the lights on myself. My wifes commodore comes on at the time I would consider more appropriate. Maybe I should swap with her........maybe not.... :P

Korvan

The side mirror thing is something that has been noted on this forum. We are waiting for some of us to report to the dealer before we know what the fix is.

The Phone breakup could be due to your phone. I've had 2 nokia phones and both have worked flawlessly, except in poor reception areas. The bluetooth connection has always been rock solid as has the reception to and from.

Ozboy

Check the manufacturer guide inside the drivers door jamb. That will give the best ride comfort and tyre longevity.

If you like a spirited drive, or faster, then about 5psi more all round would be a good start.

I'd get the car checked for possible crash damage. Maybe it's been involved in a bingle that the owner hasn't revealed.

Anyone else having issues where they set their wing mirrors, then after several days of driving and reversing they aren't aligned at their original position!!

It seems to be a recent issue, but wanting to find out how common it is.

I'm having the same problem. Always having to readjust them as they tend to end up pointing higher than I set them.

Same here. Has anyone let Lexus know, and what was the result?

I'll let them know at my next service, but that isn't for a few months.

Anyone else having issues where they set their wing mirrors, then after several days of driving and reversing they aren't aligned at their original position!!

It seems to be a recent issue, but wanting to find out how common it is.

This really sux,I bought the IS250 luxury model on 07 and look at the facts below:

1. ISX/ISF

2. No Auto lock door on 07 model

2. No auto fold mirrors

This is BS!

While I agree with you the really BS part is the Sat Nav/Media Player not working while you are driving.......now that suxs!!!

C'mon guys, lets be fair

Whilst I like to have the latest and greatest, if the manufacturers didn't continually improve their cars I would have nothing to look forward too when it came time to update. I'll live without the auto mirrors and doors until then. I've spent the last 20 years driving cars with less features than what I have now, and look forward to the continued improvements.

The satnav/media thing is just for safety. As the recent advertising has been spruiking, good drivers just drive. Surely watching a DVD means you are not concentrating on the job at hand, same with playing with the satnav.

I know I sound like a killjoy, but I've had too many near misses with people distracted by mobile phones and sat navs to see any benefit in further distractions.

Enjoy your ride, I sure do. :P

I've driven my father inlaws lexus to my place with my sister to pick up my lexus. After showing my sister a few bits, positioning her seat etc. I got back in the father inlaws car and we drove 60km back to his place. When we arrived my sister was panicing as the entire trip the my car was saying key missing or some similar error on the dash.

When she told me I discovered I had both keys in my pocket.

At times on the freeway we lost sight of each other so I don't know if the car has a limit the key needs to be or not - but we got there without any problems.

Nope, no limit to distance. If the car is running it will keep running, but as Peter said, if you stop the cars engine you'll need the key to start it again.

The key is a proximity device when it comes to starting. Seems to me sitting in the drivers seat or key next to the wiper they are both close to the dash (assuming thats where the sensor is) so car may start.

FrankyX

I agree you must firstly enjoy your ride.

Just pointing out the pitfalls of making numerous non OEM mods, and it's especially the case if trading in with a manufacturer dealer as they find it harder to move a modded car, so less trade in value will be offered. I also believe it to be even greater when dealing with more upmarket vehicles like ours.