Detailed the ES300

[Falcon_LS]

Couple of pictures from this morning's detailing session. Being a very light colour, you really have to look hard to see reflections. Having said that, I started off by washing the vehicle with 4 times the strength of Sonax Auto Gloss shampoo. This was followed by Mother's clay bar, followed by 2 applications of 3M Scratch Remover. I then used 3M Professional Rubbing Compound and applied 2 coats of Meguiar's Tech 2.0 Wax. Final step was Turtle Wax Carnauba. Tires and wheels were cleaned with Simple Green. These pictures were taken before the vehicle was washed after the detailing job, so some traces of wax are still evident around the headlights, etc. I use a fine brush to remove those, but wanted to get the photography out the way whilst taking a break. Total time for all this was 8 hours and a bit:

The headlights were quite hazed out, and I managed to get them to this state by using Formula One Scratch Out, which is apparently supposed to clear headlights, and 3M Scratch Remover. As luck would have it, I saw a headlight cleaning kit the other night, but when I went to purchase it there were none in stock. The difference is day and night, but I beleive the headlight cleaner kit will help make them clearer:

 

[Falcon_LS]

As far as the interior is concerned, the entire interior was first cleaned up with Sonax Interior Cleaner. This included the headliner. I used Meguiar's Carpet Cleaner for the carpets and floor mats, which had to be washed. As for the seats, after 2 applications of Mr. Leather leather cleaner, they were treated with Meguiar's Leather Cleaner and Conditioner with aloe. As a final step, Meguiar's Interior Detailer was used:

 

[greenaccord02]

Looking clean!

 

[mcrn]

Nice job! Looks almost new and that is an 02? IS this a normal routine for you? And how often do you do all this?

 

[crinkles]

did you work up a sweat?

 

[Falcon_LS]

Originally Posted By: greenaccord02
Looking clean!


Thanks!

Originally Posted By: mcrn
Nice job! Looks almost new and that is an 02? IS this a normal routine for you? And how often do you do all this?


Yup, it's an '02. I usually do this every 3-6 months depending on weather and the condition of the paint. The maximum a quality synthetic wax will last is 4 months really.

Originally Posted By: crinkles
did you work up a sweat?


Gotten used to it over the years!

 

[harley145000]

nice car

 

[GMBoy]

How long does it take to get dirty again over there? Just curious if the sandy environment creates lots of dust or dirt.

 

[Falcon_LS]

Thanks, Harley!

GMBoy, dust is actually quite an issue over here. How quickly the vehicle gets dirty depends on your luck...sometimes hours after washing, sometimes a day. Depends on what direction the wind is flowing in from. A lot of people here wash their vehicles on a daily basis, but I just do mine once a week because I feel a daily wash is excessive. The biggest issue here is with headlights, however. The glass headlights on my truck still look brand new, but plastic ones like on the Lexus haze out very quickly if plastic polish isn't applied regularly.