Polish and wax, wow! (1 Viewer)

[Whewdoggie]

Took a couple of days to clay, polish and wax my 20 year old LX. Came out better than I thought it would. It needed it as there was zero protection on the paint. Going through the AHC system this week, picking up tires and hopefully heading to Colorado soon for its first long road trip.

 

[Tower1]

Enjoy the trip. Colorado is awesome

 

[kruisinkid]

all by hand or machine too? which products did you use? i got mine (also black) to shine up but its seems like there are a million pin head sized divots in the clear coat, but i also thought the black on these trucks is single stage.

 

[Whewdoggie]

Enjoy the trip. Colorado is awesome

Thanks. My brother lives there. It is a great state. Haven't been there in years. I tried to talk my wife into moving there years back.

 

[Whewdoggie]

all by hand or machine too? which products did you use? i got mine (also black) to shine up but its seems like there are a million pin head sized divots in the clear coat, but i also thought the black on these trucks is single stage.

I polished with an orbital. I used the new turtle wax hybrid solutions. Ceramic polish and wax followed by two coats of the ceramic spray coating. I was going to do a light compound first but decided not to. I also wanted to try the black product but could not find it.
Not sure about the paint, I have read the same regarding single stage. While I did have some black on my polish pad it seemed more like old ground-in dirt to me, especially from the roof. I also only did a very light polish, not sure.

 

[wvrx]

I have a black one as well, pretty sure it’s a two coat base/clear as my clear coat is definitely peeling off on the hood

 

[sacman]

I use Klasse on my cars and I highly recommend it.

 

[Mike NXP]

Too many trail scars on my rig to do this, but I am jealous of that shine.

 

[OEMGUY0720]

Outstanding job on that Lx
Sharing my work too. Black is my favorite color to work on. Double the shine once ceramic is fully cured and prep’d.

 

[kruisinkid]

tell me more about this new age ceramic stuff....

 

[OEMGUY0720]

tell me more about this new age ceramic stuff....

It’s basically another layer of clear coat on top of your existing factory clear coat. But this time that ceramic layer is super hydrophobic, doesn’t oxidize or turn your paint finish to ashy or dull finish.

Mind you not all liquid ceramics are created equally. Each and every product behaves a little different, and not all hold “shine” or “luster”consistently a professional eye looks for. Personally I look for three things on a ceramic product: robustness, reflective capacity and longevity.

 

[kruisinkid]

interesting. what is your preferred product?
even after doing a pass with 3M rubbing compound with a machine with a foam pad and then turtle polish, its like there are millions of tiny potholes in the clear coat that the polish gets caught in that then momentarily appear as white dots (on a black truck). i was hoping the rubbing compound evened those out. i got some maguiers ultimate rubbing compound and am going to try that with a terry cloth pad. it really just needs a respray but thats not in the cards for a year or two.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Try to find maguiars 105. The "ultimate compound" stuff is still pretty mild. 105 cuts better and is more meant for aggressive correction. The ultimate compound and ultimate polish are the "safe" products at Walmart and basic parts stores. The good stuff is in the numeric product line.

 

[Jwoodywild]

Anyone ever consider one of these new age films that people put onto their cars as protection? Had my new LX get tinted today and the guy at the shop was talking to me about it for the front bumper, hood, etc.

 

[TheForger]

Anyone ever consider one of these new age films that people put onto their cars as protection? Had my new LX get tinted today and the guy at the shop was talking to me about it for the front bumper, hood, etc.

A lot of vehicles come that way since it’s a dealer-installed option. Both my 200 and T4R have it on the front bumper, first 6” of the hood, and inside each door handle. My ‘14 Avalon has it on the fenders & doors behind each wheel. It severely cuts down on paint damage from rock chips. And the newer stuff is self healing so if you hit it with a heat gun real quick all the scratches will work themselves out. Highly recommend doing PPF (paint protection film) and then ceramic coating it for the best protection & shine.

 

[Kabanstva]

What’s a “ceramic polish” lol? That’s a typo right?

 

[Whewdoggie]

What’s a “ceramic polish” lol? That’s a typo right?

Product name

 

[suprarx7nut]

Anyone ever consider one of these new age films that people put onto their cars as protection? Had my new LX get tinted today and the guy at the shop was talking to me about it for the front bumper, hood, etc.

On the Cypress 06 LX I have my entire hood and front fenders done. Those were done professionally. Many will say that's insane to pay to have done on an old Lexus you're taking off-road, but I've done paint work. I know what it takes to redo paint anywhere near OEM quality and it's waaaaay more labor than the cost of PPF. My 99 was wonderful when I bought it, but the hood and roof were gone by time I sold it. PPF can prevent that entirely.

I'm also doing the side doors and rear quarters myself. The hood and fenders I wanted to look nice and they have complex curves, so I paid a pro. The sides I want done just so it doesn't look pinstriped the way my 99 did. Tight trails leave a mark.... or 200 marks...

Given how much work is required to do paint "right", I think PPF is a great investment. You definitely have to be the person that wants nice paint, though.

It seems a bit contradictory on a rig with armor, but whatever. The bumpers and skids can get beat to hell, but I want the upper body work staying nice.

 

[OEMGUY0720]

PPF has come a long ways now. Unlike 10yrs ago they turn yellowish or patina. CeramicPro even got into the PPF game now alongside with the big players like 3M. Checkout “Body Fence” they call it self-healing type PPF.

 

[Rjt30114]

Black sure is pretty with enough time and attention. I use the Griot's compound, wax and orbital buffer.