New Car Help for a Newbie

M

MiamiS430

New member
Hi everyone,

I just took possession of a brand new Lexus GS 350 F Sport in their atomic silver paint with alloy wheels. It has the leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob and flaxen leather with Naguri aluminum trim interior. It will be my daily driver. It will be kept outside overnight and weekends and in a garage during the weekdays at work. I do plan on using a good car cover while outside due to Miami sun/birds. I have the all-weather mats inside. I have a sunshade blind that I place on the dash whenever it will be in the sun.

I need help to understand what I should do now to start protecting the car now.

  • I am a newbie at car maintenance but am willing to put in the time to do it right
  • I am willing to wash the car weekly and wax monthly
  • I have a polisher but it`s the cheap one from the local auto parts store
  • I don`t have a lot of experience polishing cars and would likely do it by hand

Questions:

  1. What should I apply to the exterior of the car today given how I will use and store the car?
  2. What should I apply to the tires and wheels to protect them?
  3. What should I apply to the interior elements of the car (leather and plastic) to protect them? Do you think 303 protectant is good in this case given the heavy Miami sun?

Any other thoughts or suggestions are most welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks for helping out an enthusiast, guys!

Best regards,

Art from Miami
 
Based on your car being silver, and they way you will store the car, and the hot environment, I recommend Collinite 845 wax. Two coats. Follow the instructions and do not let it dry too long.

Use the Collinite 845 on the wheels too! No need to buy a special wheel sealant unless you just want to.

On the tires, meh, any good water-based dressing applied liberally and worked in, every two weeks, should work. Freshen up when needed. I like Poorboy`s Bold & Brite.

303 is fine for the plastic bits in the interior.

I don`t have a recommendation for the leather, other than to say I would not use 303 on the leather.
 
MiamiS430- Welcome to Autopia!

IMO the main thing is to avoid doing any damage.

For the interior, that basically just means you need to keep it clean. Modern auto leather seldom needs much of anything other than that (dirt will cause issues as it will abrade the leather, harbor moisture, and otherwise do damage). One of the "Interior Quick Detailer" products might be all you need (it`s about all I ever use). Try to avoid scratching delicate surfaces like wood (usually "painted" with a thin/soft/fragile clearcoat) and any high-gloss plastics. Vacuum the carpet and upholstery if it`s dirty. Keep the glass clean. Maybe buy a bottle of Interior Cleaner to use on stains/spills/etc. (cleaning the "grab surfaces" of the steering wheel would be another use for it). But generally today`s auto interiors just aren`t all that fragile and it`s all about keeping them clean and dry.

I myself would expect the glass`s UV-blocking properties to take care of any FLA Sun issues, but see what other FLA residents (oh, RON.....) say.

Learn how to wash the paint without marring it, a rather involved subject that`s beyond the scope of this post. Don`t set things on the paint, don`t touch the paint when opening/closing doors/trunk/etc. I basically *NEVER* touch the paint of my vehicles except when I`m washing/etc. them. Never.

The Collinite 845 Insulator Wax is good and very user-friendly. Even works fine on exterior plastic trim if you buff it off before it dries completely. Unlike WaxAddict, I do let it dry completely on paint, but that`s just a personal preference. IF the paint is contaminated or marred up (yeah, even on a new car) you oughta deal with that prior to using the 845 as it`s best over an already-prepped surface. I`d probably recommend an "All In One" (AIO) product for that as they clean the paint well and are usually very user-friendly even if they don`t really "do it all" in the sense of effective polishing and/or lasting protection. You`d go over the car with the AIO and then, after the next regularly-scheduled wash, apply the wax (doing it all in one day is fine, but also a lot of work).

I suspect that your current polisher will prove utterly ineffective and simply won`t do much of anything. A good polisher (which actually shouldn`t be needed very often) is another topic beyond the scope of this post. Doing it by hand will almost certainly be an exercise in frustration (how many hours do you want to spend on each panel...hard hours?).

What you use on the wheels will depend on how you plan to clean them. If you wax them they should clean up with just regular car shampoo (don`t buy cheap stuff, yeah it really can make a difference). If you don`t wax them (and again, you need to prep them before applying wax) then you should buy a Wheel Cleaner and use that instead. (Wheel Cleaner will clean wax off along with dirt.)

As WaxAddict said, whatever you use on the tires will almost certainly be fine as long as you stick with a water-based product. Don`t use too much, wipe off any excess to avoid "slinging" onto the surrounding paint.

Sorry if this response doesn`t cover all the bases...the whole subject is a little like "I just bought an acre of land and plan to build a house...how should I do that?". So get back with specific Qs. The people here might not always agree on the answers, but there`s little we haven`t dealt with and we enjoy discussing this stuff.
 
For interior (tried and true) Poorboys work Natural look. 303 is great but don`t like on leather, and shines too much for me if you don`t buff it off right away.

You`ve been given great advice on paint care so I`ll leave it at that.

I hat car covers, so :X
 
Accumulator said:
Hey Ron! You find that the sun down there is a genuine issue Re interiors on modern vehicles?
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*Most* newer cars here get their windows tinted, so the only real "danger" is the front dash, I haven`t seen many newer cars with bubbled/peeling/splitting dashes.

Imho-The bigger problem here with interiors is from sun screen. Sun screen is the devil !!!! So is sand/crap on good leather seats.
 
Ronkh- Yeah, sunscreen/etc. really can cause issues! The pal who bought my dad`s Audi had to have the steering wheel replaced after just a few months of ownership, the combo of her moisturizer + sun = disintegrated leather in no time.
 
OK Thanks guys.

So, I`ve looked into not doing damage by properly washing the car using two bucket method and materials. However, I`m trying to see how to apply the wax correctly. Do I need to buy a Portal Cable polisher to do it?

Thanks again,

Art
 
MiamiS430 said:
OK Thanks guys.

So, I`ve looked into not doing damage by properly washing the car using two bucket method and materials. However, I`m trying to see how to apply the wax correctly. Do I need to buy a Portal Cable polisher to do it?

Thanks again,

Art
Click to expand...


It helps to apply thin. But no it`s not a necessity, it`s a nicety.
 
Welcome to the Forum, Art !
That is one beautiful Lexus - Congrats !

If you want to keep that beautiful wood they use inside perfect, I would recommend a bottle of Zaino AIO (all in one) polish, a soft microfiber to apply, and another to remove it.. This product really does a nice job of cleaning and leaves a little protection to help it stay that way..
Perhaps you can find a local Zaino dealer around the area or go to zainobros dot com and look for this product there..

I have used nothing but this Zaino AIO for over a decade on every type of Interior wood or wood-like areas in every marque of vehicles and it always leaves a beautiful finish and has never hurt anything.., It only improves everything..

For the rest of the plastics, it is hard to beat Einszett Cockpit Premium and a good soft microfiber cloth to clean, protect, and leave a nice matte finish that is not greasy or slimy, etc.. It has a nice clean scent that fades away in 24 hr or less.. You need to use this product in the shade on surfaces that are cool to the touch..
It has also been in my Shop for over a decade and has never failed to improve and protect every marque of vehicle out there..

A machine like the Porter Cable is pretty good - it was for a long time, about the only machine (and its really a sander), that enthusiasts had to use to learn how to polish out paintwork, or get into the Rotary Power world that I live in...

There are newer, more improved, machines out there now, but this one can do a great job once you learn how to use it..
It will vibrate a lot and needs to be run at full speed to get enough pad rotation to really correct paintwork so that it will be the ready to take your wax and hold onto it the longest.

I had a new IS350 a few years back - wow - that Mark Levinson audio equipment - fabulous ! Lexus really makes nice vehicles and they are exceptional on their paintwork too. Back then, they used to hand sand the paint between coats even.. Dont know if they are still doing it now but knowing Lexus, they probably are..

Glad you have a heat shield for the front glass.. This is absolutely necessary to me and I have probably purchased a dozen of them for all my cars, kid`s cars, and friends cars..

This Forum`s Store above will be a great place to look for products and they have all kinds of great sales, etc., exceptional service and customer service...

Enjoy and again, Welcome, Art !
Dan F
 
Per usual, Stokdgs has given great advice. That ZAIO *is* very good stuff, and the 1Z CP is what I use for the majority of my interiors (the others get the Meguiar`s Quick Interior Detailer).

I myself wouldn`t buy a Porter Cable polisher these days (not hating on `em, still have two), but as long as the potential issues related to the hollow-shaft don`t worry you, it`s certainly still an contender in its price range.
 
Very solid advice given so far, you`re in great hands. I will give a +1 to the use of Collinite 845, it is budget friendly, one bottle will last you YEARS of use for your personal vehicles and powerful when it comes to durability, and since you won`t have to hand wax your vehicle every month, you can just use a quick spray wax after every wash to boost protection and gloss and you`re good. Rinseless wash products are nice as well for those days when you don`t feel like cleaning the car outside in the sun or don`t feel like dragging a hose around and trying to battle water spots.

I personally would not use a car cover,just make sure you have a solid coat of protection on there and any bird bombs can be quickly removed with a few sprays of your rinseless or waterless wash solution without having to wash entire car or hose it down. I like to keep a microfiber towel and small bottle of quick interior detailer in the car(some interior dressings clean and protect in one step so that`s even better), so i can give the dash/console a quick wipe before a drive or when i notice a bit of dust around and that helps extend the durability of that "clean" factor.
 
Migue said:
.. I will give a +1 to the use of Collinite 845, it is budget friendly, one bottle will last you YEARS of use for your personal vehicles...
Click to expand...

It`ll last for years as long as you don`t use a zillion times more than required the way most people do ;) If you use a whole ounce to do a Suburban you`re using way too much.
 
Accumulator said:
It`ll last for years as long as you don`t use a zillion times more than required the way most people do ;) If you use a whole ounce to do a Suburban you`re using way too much.
Click to expand...

I`m sure those who have, learned their lesson quickly (i know i did)...Collinite will give you the workout of the month if you over apply :D
 
Yeah, using "the usual amount" of LSP (Last Step Product, i.e,. wax/sealant/etc.) has so many downsides! Wastes pretty much all the resources involved IMO (product/money/time/effort) and in the worst cases can even lead to serious appearance issues that necessitate a complete redo.

Just FWIW, for some reason I *still* find it easier to get a thin application by hand as opposed to by machine. I`ve been machine-waxing/sealing for decades, and I like doing it that way and it turns of fine, but I always use a lot more product. Eh, might just be a corollary of how incredibly thin I manage to do it by hand.
 
nah i find myself applying/using much more when doing it by machine as well. I think the constant rotation works too much product in my pad,causing me to reload it more often and that`s even without me applying pressure. By the time i`m done the top of my pad looks like a piece of play-doh sometimes .
 
Migue said:
nah i find myself applying/using much more when doing it by machine as well. I think the constant rotation works too much product in my pad...
Click to expand...

Yeah. I gauge my product use by how much is left in the pad- by hand it`s virtually *none* but by machine it`s a lot.
 
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