1st C&B....My LS460 at 1 year mark

E

es350

New member
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.



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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.

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Hood reflection:

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No swirls:

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Tires using Optimum Opti-bond after 3 washes:



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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.



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ONR/OPS/OS/OCW is the best looking combo I have seen on lighter colored cars. I have a silver Acura and that's exactly what I do. Nice job on the car.
 
Thanks!



I've learned from reading this forum that the less you touch the surface of your car, the less of a chance you will introduce swirls.



Learning the proper wash technique and exclussively using ONR for all my washes allows me to safely wash and dry my car in 20 minutes including tires and wheels. Like most autopians, I have learned to be obsessed about using clean, quality MF towels on painted surfaces. I'm hoping that I can go many more years before I need to break out the polisher on my LS.
 
Very nice, looks flawless. I still think using a hose every now and then is a good idea, at least in the wheel wells, the under body and places like that.
 
Mark77 said:
Very nice, looks flawless. I still think using a hose every now and then is a good idea, at least in the wheel wells, the under body and places like that.
Click to expand...





I actually use ONR in the front wheel wells that have that plastic surround....using ONR with a MF mitt is easier and more effective than a hose. For the rear wheel wells, there is the mesh material that I do hose out once in a while during the rainy season when leaves and debris get stuck in the mesh material. But once dry weather is here, there's nothing to clean out of the mesh material.



On the LS 460, the bottom of the car is finished off with flush, finished panels...so there is nothing to hose off.



Also being in CA, I don't have snow or long periods of rain to deal with.
 
ES 350 I love the finish on your LS. I have a few questions, what is your ONR process? the more detail the better, ie: do you use a bug sprayer first to loosen the top layer and then ONR with 2-bucket method? What type of MF's are you using and how many do you use/change thorughout washing and drying process? Any different method for wheels Thanks for the help, can wait to hear!



Andrew
 
AZ Ferrari Man said:
ES 350 I love the finish on your LS. I have a few questions, what is your ONR process? the more detail the better, ie: do you use a bug sprayer first to loosen the top layer and then ONR with 2-bucket method? What type of MF's are you using and how many do you use/change thorughout washing and drying process? Any different method for wheels Thanks for the help, can wait to hear!



Andrew
Click to expand...





My wash is really simple. No pre-spray or extra steps.

I use a single 5 gallon bucket with a grit-guard. I fill 2 gallons with warm water and ONR as directed. I use a dedicated MF towel; I set aside several MF towels for this because they usually get kind of grungy looking even when clean.



I take my MF towel soaked in the wash solution and float it over the like half the hood. Then, I rinse my MF in the solution (and rub against the grit guard) and go over the same section of the hood again. The first pass with the warm solution really softens all the dirt and bugs; the second pass makes sure everything is clean. I dry each panel off with a WW MF as I go along. Of course I start with the top of the car and work my way down. The warm solution really makes a difference!



I save the wheels and wheel wells for last. If the wheel well is dirty, I take a MF mitt and go over the interior of the wheel well. For the tires and wheels, I take a tire brush and use the ONR solution to gently wash the wheels and tires. I dry the wheels and tires with my "tire" MF towels.



For my MF towels, I buy only high quality but reasonable priced MF towels from Patrick at Excel Detail. You can also buy from PakShak or any reputable company. I only use high qualiyt MF towels for my painted surfaces and interior. I also buy my WW MF from Patrick as well.



I buy a bunch of cheap MF towels from Costco and use these for door jambs, wheels and tires only.



Yes, I can do this in 20 mins.



Hope this helps!
 
7k miles on a daily after a year ! I do that in 2 months :D.



Looks gorgeous. I love that car, blows away the previous version. Looks like you have your combo down pat, can't beat products and processes that work and are quick!



Keep it up.
 
I really love seeing someone who is just an enthusiast keeping their car in this condition. Man I wish I had customers that were that dedicated.



Really awesome job, and congrats on no swirls in the car in a year. That is really impressive.
 
great job.

Impressive.. 7k in one year?! my dad has driven 22k in 2 1/2 months. He just got the 07/08 Denali and already has 22.7k on the speedo..
 
great work. Clay every 6 months is a little much in my opinion for 7k a year but if t works for you that is all that matters.
 
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