My First C&B: Lexus RX400h

J

JasonATL

New member
This is my first Click & Brag. This is my Lexus RX 400h Onyx Black. This is our second black car. The black is what led me to Autopia. I'm still learning. This was the first time using #83 DACP. I actually tried #9 and #80 alone first, but it didn't remove the scratches. By the way, I actually put some of those scratches in with the clay by not using enough lube. I know better -- this wasn't my first time claying. Lesson learned. There were quite a few swirls/scratches that were already there. Only 3000 miles and 3 months on this garage queen. Ugh, black.



The pictures of the entire car are actually taken 1 week after the detail. I used Poorboy's S&W and Meg's QD to remove the dust prior to the pics.



Process on Labor Day weekend:



Exterior:

Meg's GC wash

Clay

#83 with PC and medium abrasive polish pad

#80 with PC and light polish pad

Collinite IW 845 with PC and finishing pad, x2 12 hours apart

Collinite on wheels

Meg's high-gloss gel on tires

303 Protectant on trim

windows with MF and H20



Interior:

vacuum

windows with MF and H20

303 Protectant on surfaces



Before:

before1.jpg




before2.jpg




before3.jpg






After:

after1.jpg




after2.jpg
 
NOICE! I really wish they'd do somethng about those tail lights, but overall an excellent vehicle. It's either that or the redesigned MDX for my pops when it comes out.
 
Looks nice! How do you like the 300H? Are you getting anywhere close the EPA estimated Milage? We would like to buy a hybrid for our next car but the results seem mixed so far.
 
Mitchubishievo said:
NOICE! I really wish they'd do somethng about those tail lights, but overall an excellent vehicle. It's either that or the redesigned MDX for my pops when it comes out.
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Thanks. I agree. My least favorite part of the RX 330/400h is the tail end. Especially on the black or dark blue. On white, the tail lights don't stand out so badly. With the lights on, they look okay.
 
zippymbr said:
Looks nice! How do you like the 300H? Are you getting anywhere close the EPA estimated Milage? We would like to buy a hybrid for our next car but the results seem mixed so far.
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There is much discussion regarding the mileage, especially with respect to the official EPA estimate of 27 Hwy/31 City (yes, I got that right). The air conditioner kills mileage in my experience. It draws the batteries down so much that the electric motors are somewhat limited from what I observe. In the last two weeks, with the milder weather we've had, I've driven with the windows open (which probably hurts aerodynamics), but I've seen my mileage increase by 2 MPG or so. During this time, I've averaged 28.5 MPG with a mix of city and hwy driving. My overall MPG over the last 1000 miles has been 26.9 MPG -- with about 80% of that using the AC during our unusually hot summer. This is a little over 40% better than my 1999 RX 300. Plus, it handles much much much better and has a lot more power and kick.



So, in my opinion, it is a winner. Toyota/Lexus seems to have the hybrid thing working quite well. If mine was tuned more for fuel economy than power, I expect it would do even better on the mileage. However, I admit to enjoying the extra power. I almost bought a second one for my wife. She decided to wait until next year for the hybrid GS 450h.
 
mrecktid said:
Was #83 a necessary step? The swirls don't look THAT bad...other than that, I love your car :)
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You're right, the swirls weren't terribly numerous or deep. However, after trying #80 (speed glaze) alone, I tried Meg's #9 (swirl remover) with two passes. Perhaps I wasn't working it correctly, but it didn't remove enough of the scratches and swirls. I only reluctantly went to DACP #83. I want to keep the use of something so abrasive to only a couple of times per year -- and this was sooner than I wanted to use it on my new car. It seems that the consensus here is that DACP via a PC and polishing pad is not terribly aggressive and not likely to remove much of the clear. But, if it removes the scrathces, then it is removing clear. So, I'm going to use it infrequently... I hope!
 
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