Detailed: 1998 Lexus ES300

justin_murphy

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I picked this customer up while detailing a few vehicles at our local day spa. Her son is getting married tomorrow, so she wanted her car as nice as possible. When I arrived, I knew that this was the perfect candidate for........XMT#4!

Here's the process........

Wheels, Tires, and Wells....

(Purple Power Degreaser and Meguiar's Wheel Brightener)
Pretty much routine here. Purple Power on the tires and wells and Wheel Brightener on the wheels. Scrubbed with my wheel ShMitts and blasted with the pressure washer.

Wash Cycle......
(NXT Tech Wash with black Wheel ShMitt)
The paint was pretty dirty. After washing, I knew clay barring would be in order for this one. So after drying, I broke out a Clay Magic Clay Bar kit that Ed aka "high end detailer" had given to try out. Clay worked well!

This is after just a quarter of the hood!
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Paint Polishing....
Pinnacle's XMT#4
(Used EDGE2K's Green & Yellow pads at various speeds.....4.5-6)
Ok. This was the situation that XMT#4 claims to be born for. Lot's of swirls and scratches. There was waterspots and blemishes. I started out with the green pad. I put a few pea sized amounts onto the pad.

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I then taped up an area for a good half and half shot.
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Very deep scratch here.
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After one pass with the green pad I felt I could step up to the yellow. #4 is tough but it can be tamed!
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After tape removal. 90% of the scratch is gone. This was a deep boys and girls.
(Notice the depth that was created with the lack of any marring.)
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Overall Rating:
It does what it claims to and does it well. There was no dusting. Very easy to remove and lots of work time.By changing pressure and speeds, XMT#4 will come out LSP ready.

Paint Protection.....
XMT Glaze and Pinnacle Souveran Spray Wax
(Used EDGE2K White Finishing Pad at #5 PC setting)
I should be using this glaze all the time now. Simply wets the paint like none other. Super soft to the touch. Goes on and off so smooth with very little product usage. Souveran Spray wax was then applied over the removed Glaze.

Interior....
Pinnacle's Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner, Vinyl and Rubber Protectant, and Leather Conditioner wash used on the interior's surfaces. Diamondite's Glass Cleaner went to the window's attention. The floor's carpets were spot treated with DP's Interior Cleaner.​
 
Looks great justin! I love the hat too. ;)

So you didn't even use anything to jewel the paint? Looks like a winner!
 
abrcrombe said:
Looks great justin! I love the hat too. ;)

So you didn't even use anything to jewel the paint? Looks like a winner!

I used XMT#4 to jewel the paint. In theory, as it breaks down, it should be a form of a lighter compoud. When I see it starting to clear, I raise my speed to 6, lighten the pressure and move over the area fast. To me, this jewels the surface.
 
Your work makes me want to detail right now haha, I love the way you do write ups to!
 
Nuke33 said:
Your work makes me want to detail right now haha, I love the way you do write ups to!

Thanks. I hope they are easy to read and that they show my passion. If they sound cheesy I'm sorry.......this is just how I feel about my work and job!
 
OH MY ! That is incredible. That scratch was gone. Really enjoyed your review.
She'll drive around proud now.
 
You are like detailing god! Hey you have the best job in the world... you are doing what you love!
 
Looking at your before pics. What the heck, did they drive that car in the woods or what? Man that paint was a mess. Outstanding work, she looks new again.

Thank you on your review on XMT4. You said:
Overall Rating:
It does what it claims to and does it well. There was no dusting. Very easy to remove and lots of work time.By changing pressure and speeds, XMT#4 will come out LSP ready.

How do you compare the cutting power of it to, Megs #83 or Megs #4. Or dose it have about the same as OC or SSR3?
 
justin30513 said:
Thank you all for your support!

Are you running for detail president:D:D

Great job man, glad the clay came in handy. Awsome shine on the lexus:applause:
 
Very nice Justin, thanks for the great review.
 
As always Justin very nice review very informative and NOT cheese in my opinion.

Your write ups have helped me and I'm sure other members here.

That clay bar looked terrible, poor Lexus probably has never been pampered. Question what kind of clay is that? I really like the comparison you did with the XMT #4 and that deep scratch that was there.

Thanks for the write up and the pictures.
 
How would XMT4 compare to Optimum Compound, along those lines of cutting and finishing ability?
 
Surfer said:
How would XMT4 compare to Optimum Compound, along those lines of cutting and finishing ability?

It has more cut and power than OC.......easily. Maybe even more than Hyper.

It does finish down a lot like Optimum's polishes though. LSP ready.
 
Justin, that is one great turnaround! I especially enjoyed the interior shots, looks brand new without being too shiny and "detailed".
 
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