Lexus ES300 - Holy Oxidation and Gunk Batman!

[santov]

I detailed this Lexus for some friends of mine They were worried the oxidized paint was going to start flaking off pretty soon. Plus the inside severly needed a cleaning.

For the inside I used APC+ diluted 10:1. I basically sprayed and scrubbed with clean towels. Some of the towels were so foul I threw them away. For dressing I used some Meguairs interior detailer and Lexol on the leather seats. It took about a day for the leather to soak up the Lexol, but they were buttery smooth after. For the carpets I vacuumed with my shop vac, sprayed and scrubbed with a hard bristled brush, vacuumed, Fabrezed, vacuumed, and redid any stubborn spots. For the dash and plastic trim I would spray, scrub, then air gun any grunge out and wipe up after.

Here's a few pics of the inside:

Here's the after pics of the inside:

 

[santov]

Lexus ES300 - Holy Oxidation and Gunk Batman! - Headlamps

The car has some nice projector lamps, but the covers were cloudy yellow. I used a LCC Yellow pad with Ultimate Compound Flex @#5, then followed up with LCC Orange pad with M Plastic Polish Flex@#3. If I look really close the yellowing seems to be more then skin deep, so I didn't want to use anything more agressive. They didn't end up perfect, but it was a huge improvement.

 

[santov]

Lexus ES300 - Holy Oxidation and Gunk Batman! - Battle damage

The outside was what prompted my friends to get the car detailed. The color is a pretty neat tan/purple. I can imagine how sexy the car looked new, with that color paint and leather. The subtle color combo really grew on me.

After I pressure rinsed, washed with Dawn, and pressure rinsed I pulled it into the garage. The paint felt like sand paper and was severely oxidized.

To clay I used Meguairs mild clay. I really wish I had some aggresive clay on hand, never thought I'd need it. I used D155 LastTouch as lube. I used two clay bars, one old, one new and three 32oz bottles of D155!! At first I was using MF towels to wipe down, but the lube was dripping off a nasty brown color so I switched to cotton towels. Here's a pic of one of the towels that started out crisp white:

After two rounds of claying the paint felt pretty smooth, albiet dry.

I try to avoid cars with more then scratches, since I'm worried that a bumper or fender will fall off in my garage and I'll be responsible. The rear end of the car had seen several scuffs (with other cars based on the embedded paint). After I clayed I worked these spots with LCC Yellow and Ultimate Compound with Flex @#5.

I destroyed one of my yellow pads in the process, but I think it was worth it.

 

[santov]

Re:Lexus ES300 - Holy Oxidation and Gunk Batman! - Outside before/after.

I found one spot on the hood that started to peel, it might have been started by a rock chip, not sure. I think we caught it just in time. There were faded patches on the trunk and roof that were faded in color, but upon close inspection it looks as though the paint layer has faded so it's something I can't get at. The clear coat felt very dry and brittle to the touch.

I ended up doing two passes of LCC Yellow Pad with Ultimate Compound Flex #4 TWICE, then LCC Orange Pad with D151 Flex #4 then again with Flex on #3. I was rinsing or swapping pads every body panel. The process took wayyyy longer then I expected. I estimate I was polishing alone for about 15 hours total.

All this was over a couple of days, so sorry for the daytime/nighttime pics. After I applied some Meguiar's Cleaner Wax (Step 3) for a really smooth finish. I think some NXT wax would have made a deeper color, but I wanted something that was simple and clean (plus I used a ton of product at that point).


Yes, full sun pic and NO SHINE (see chrome badge?!).

Hood 50/50

Hood after in the sun (nice reflection!)

Trunk lid before

Trunk lid after

Full side before-

This is after the first two passes. You can see my motorcycle in the reflection!

Just after final wash (still need to do windows at this point).

 

[tenorplayer23]

Nasty stuff, looks a lot better........good luck w/it all.

See ya.

 

[santov]

Lexus ES300 - Holy Oxidation and Gunk Batman! - Final thoughts...

One thing I didn't take pics of was the engine. I scrubbed with a fender brush and degreaser. Wrapped the electric connectors and sensitive looking stuff in foil and pressure rinsed off. Not the best of engine details, but I did get 90% of the road grime off.

I would normally remove the tires to get at the wheels from the backside, but several of the lug nuts looked warped and crooked, a sign that somebody used an impact gun to them get off/on. That means I'd be taking a risk of encountering stripped or rusted threads. I decided it wasn't worth it so I got in there with the pressure washer and D170 Hyper Dressing the best I could. I also used D170 on all the rubber and black trim, and scrubbed the chin, side skirts, and rear black trim with a scrub sponge and D170.

I could have used a more aggressive polishing compound to get more shine, but the clear coat was looking pretty bad, so I didn't want to risk making it worse, or make it peel more.

I hate dealing with crash damage of any kind, since I feel like it takes away from an awesome detail job. Any feedback on this situation is appreciated.

One mystery thing I encountered was very small bumps on the inside windshield. It looked like overspray, but that's impossible being on the inside. I was tempted to clay or polish with M Plastic Polish, but if it was the OEM tint coming loose or the windshield plastic warping I didn't want to make trouble for myself. The windshield still looks pretty bad when the sun hits it. It's not dirty tho.

I have about 30 hours into this job. Way more then I estimated, but since it's for friends I wanted to go the extra mile.

After this job I'm out of an aggressive polishing compound (and several cotton towels!). I can't decide between M105/205 or if I should go with Mazerna SIP/Nano combo. Any input? For wax I love NXT2.0.

Thanks for looking!

-V

 

[Billd0957]

nice Job. Your friend should be happy you were able to bring the car back from the dead.

 

[Meghan]

Nice job on that nasty interior, paint looks much better too!

 

[ryandamartini]

Nasty stuff man, good job!

Its jobs like these that make me give our tornador a hug.

 

[drastic_detail]

Good job bro! I love lexus. As for your polish, go for the 105, 205 I think there great!

 

[santov]

Thanks for all the positive feedback guys and gals!

I'm still on the fence about M105/205 versus SIP/Nano. Is there anybody who has worked with both and have a preference. I know what most people will say: "Buy both!", but if you had to pick one, which pair?

Thanks again!

 

[Shinystang]

My opinion (a novice detailer) is go with Menzerna. I've had some amazing results with a Flex and SIP on really neglected vehicles like the one you just tackled.

I like 105/205 best with a rotary, esp with headlight restoration or spot repairs.

Nice job on the Lexus, BTW!!!! Cars like those are a HUGE amount of work, but the results are worth the effort!

 

[ryandamartini]

Thanks for all the positive feedback guys and gals!

I'm still on the fence about M105/205 versus SIP/Nano. Is there anybody who has worked with both and have a preference. I know what most people will say: "Buy both!", but if you had to pick one, which pair?

Thanks again!

M105 with wool is mirracle in a bottle. Menzerna is about just as awesome. I would just flip a coin heh