Thanks to the information from this forum, I have been able to develop my own routine to maintain my car. The right chemicals and technique have made this an easy and rewarding task! Thank you!
My LS 460 just turned a year old. I have about 7,000 miles and use it as my daily driver. The exterior still has a great swirl-free finish and the interior is holding up to the abuse of a 4 year old in the back.
Exterior:
ONR wash every 2 weeks with a MF and grit guard. I sometimes use QD strength of ONR to wipe off dust between washes.
I clay with Clay Magic every 6 mos to remove contaminants.
I use Optimum Opt-Seal every 6 mos as my base and top with Optimum Car Wax (OCW) every few months.
Never had to polish this car and don't have any swirls yet
I use Optimum Opti-bond for the tires.
Here are some pics I took today after an ONR wash and after application of OCW about 7 weeks ago and is due for another coat of OCW.
I like the wet reflective look of Opti-seal and OCW. I have tried Zaino and Jeff's W, but I like the results of Opti-Seal and OCW better on my silver car.
Hood reflection:
No swirls:
Tires using Optimum Opti-bond after 3 washes:
Interior:
I use Optimum Protectant Plus (OPP) to clean and condition the vinyl, dashboard, and leather.
Before OPP, I previously used 303 protectant for the dash. However, I didn't like the shiny and sometimes splotchy surface of the dash. To me the OPP evenly applies and is more natural looking. I also previously used Zaino leather conditioner, but found it hard to apply in lotion form and also found that the smell was too strong. Application of OPP is much easier with the ventilated seats and the smell of OPP is much milder.
I applied OPP about 30 mins prior to these pics. I also use ONR diluted to QD strength to clean the wood trim, nav, and gauge cluster.
My LS 460 just turned a year old. I have about 7,000 miles and use it as my daily driver. The exterior still has a great swirl-free finish and the interior is holding up to the abuse of a 4 year old in the back.
Exterior:
ONR wash every 2 weeks with a MF and grit guard. I sometimes use QD strength of ONR to wipe off dust between washes.
I clay with Clay Magic every 6 mos to remove contaminants.
I use Optimum Opt-Seal every 6 mos as my base and top with Optimum Car Wax (OCW) every few months.
Never had to polish this car and don't have any swirls yet

I use Optimum Opti-bond for the tires.
Here are some pics I took today after an ONR wash and after application of OCW about 7 weeks ago and is due for another coat of OCW.

I like the wet reflective look of Opti-seal and OCW. I have tried Zaino and Jeff's W, but I like the results of Opti-Seal and OCW better on my silver car.



Hood reflection:

No swirls:

Tires using Optimum Opti-bond after 3 washes:


Interior:
I use Optimum Protectant Plus (OPP) to clean and condition the vinyl, dashboard, and leather.
Before OPP, I previously used 303 protectant for the dash. However, I didn't like the shiny and sometimes splotchy surface of the dash. To me the OPP evenly applies and is more natural looking. I also previously used Zaino leather conditioner, but found it hard to apply in lotion form and also found that the smell was too strong. Application of OPP is much easier with the ventilated seats and the smell of OPP is much milder.
I applied OPP about 30 mins prior to these pics. I also use ONR diluted to QD strength to clean the wood trim, nav, and gauge cluster.





