2011 Lexus IS350 Starfire Pearl, Detail+Correction

Hey guys, new member here but me and a fellow Detailing Bliss member, v|nsan|ty, began to document our detailing work. Here's our first write up that I was in charge of.

The subject:


Total Time: 10 hours

Our friend has taken delivery of this 2011 IS350 in Starfire Pearl just 6 months ago in the middle of winter here in Edmonton, Alberta. V|nsan|ty and I knew this was going to be more than just a quick detail job as it has faced our harsh winters and the dealership fiasco with no protection. In addition, this is one of the more challenging details we encountered as the complicated body lines require a lot of care and taping as you go. Here's a quick look at the car before a wash:















Lets begin! We began with spraying the wheel wells with Chemical Guy's Grime Reaper at a 5:1 dilution and the wheels with Autogylm's Custom Wheel Cleaner.




Using a EZ Detailing brush and Swissvax brushes we had at it:






Clean!


On to the body we used the two bucket method with Chemical Guy's Citrus Wash n Gloss.





Took off the license plate and we saw this: Yikes!



Exhaust tips were cleaned using Grime Reaper at a 5:1 dilution and a EZ Detailing brush was used in addition to detailing steel wool:





More cleaning:






Remember the picture earlier of what we found after the removal of the license plate?


Engine bay was in good shape so we sprayed with a more dilute 8:1 Grime Reaper and scrubbed as well:










Clean:



After the wash we bring it in for some claying:


Pretty good shape:






Initial impressions of the paintwork, not good for a vehicle 6 months old!











Interior needs some work:




We began taping the car in preparation for the paint correction ahead:


Very messy Vince!


Here was my contribution, Vince was annoyed at the amount of time I spent on this:


While Vince continued to tape off areas I began on the interior.


CG Green Clean was used for the plastic trim and door jams:









Swissvax brushes worked great!


Leatherique Prestine Clean was used on the seats:


Before:


After:


Before:


After:


Exhaust tip cleaned using P21s Metal Polish:


Finnished product:


On to the correction. The owner opted for a single stage correction, we first tried Menzerna Power Finnish on a light cutting green pad. After 4 passes we did not get the correction we were looking for as the paint proved to be on the hard side, so we attempted with a heavier cutting Yellow pad:

The test:


50/50 to ensure clarity and the finnish of the polish+pad combo:




Happy with the results we continued on:

Hood Before:


After:


Before:


After:



Front Passenger door Before:


After:


Rear passenger before:


After:


Trunk before:


After:


Before:


After:


With all of the body panels done, we moved onto the plastics:

Door Pillars before:


After (Some deep imperfections remain as the owner was happy with the results):


Headlights:






Taillights before:


After:



After the paint corrections we washed again with CG Citrus wash+Gloss to remove all polishes and any tape residue, we were approaching midnight:



Engine bay and door seals were treated with Aerospace 303:




Windows cleaned:





Final step was BlackFire Wet Diamond:




Buffed off:



The next morning we took it out for a quick photoshoot:









The reflection was amazing!


















The flakes on Lexus' Starfire Pearl is truely unique:




Hope you guys enjoyed this lengthy read! We have plans to detail a BMW E60 and a E46 M3 very soon. Later on my personal vehicle a 98 Integra GSR in Starlight Black Pearl and v|nsan|ty's 07 TL Type S in Kinetic Blue.

Thanks!

 

Excellent job on the write up Adam!

Lol maybe if you weren't spending so much time taping up the emblems you could have helped me do a better tape job up front. We found 3M blue tape to be way too thick. Anyone have recommendations for thinner tape that won't leave much residue?

For those curious, here is the list of equipment used:

The pads are Buff & Shine, 5.5" used for the majority of the panels while a 4" was used for the tighter, smaller to reach spots.
Another brush used in the wheel cleaning process was the Raceglaze XL Wheel Brush. This was by far my favorite brush. It got in behind the spokes and cleaned the back of the wheels perfectly. It was great for slipping in the small space between the front brakes and the wheel as well. The EZ Detail Auto Wheel Brush was a nuisance to use in my opinion since it has so much splash back. I suppose it's good for cleaning the wheel wells but my arms were covered in dirt after we were done washing the wheels.
In a few shots, you can see a whiter light which was displayed using the Brinkman Tuff Max Dual LED to spot swirls. A great light that uses cree leds (insanely bright).
The Rigid WD4070 vacuum was used in conjunction with the Rigid Auto Detailing Kit. The kit is a must have as it includes an extended hose and soft rubbery accessory pieces that won't scuff the interior.
There might be more but if anyone would like to know, feel free to ask.

 

Great team work guys!

 

Nice work. Interesting that you found the paint hard. I keep reading that Lexus paint is generally soft but mine seems to be hard as well (ultrasonic blue mica). I don't have a large reference of paints though so I couldn't really quantify it. If ya want to come tape up my emblems, you could

 

Awesome work dudes! Can't wait to see the other write ups you have coming.
Are those MF's you used on the leather and engine bay the Simoniz ones that were on sale at CT?

 

I was surprised as well. I was under the assumption that Toyota/Lexus paint was as soft as Honda/Acura, which is why we opted for the lighter cutting green pad. After 4 passes it barely made a dent on the imperfections so we had to step it up.

Indeed they were! Great microfibres for the price for interior work. Just have to remember to remove the tags!

 

Looks great guys, teamwork!

 

great work

 

I hope someone can answer my questions:

When should one use CG Citrus wash and gloss? Should it only be used when one is preparing car for waxing and polishing?

Is there a different method of claying windows than body?

When cleaning inside of door panels can I use an all purpose cleaner? Without worrying about removing any lubricant that was put n hinges?

What is the purpose of Aerospace 303?

Is BlackFire Wet Diamond a good paint sealant for winter? So I don’t need any wax?

 

great job

 

Great work guys!

 

good work, did not know about this write up

 

You guys do realize I submitted this write up back in May right? hahaha

 

please reply to my questions

 

I just replied your PM for your questions. Be patient, no need to bump a 4 month old thread.

 

This forum is for asking questions. No need to get all bossy.

 

You're welcome for my time, and the advice. Please understand I don't sit in front of my computer 24 hours a day 7 days a week, clicking refresh on Detailingbliss waiting for you to send me a message asking for advice. Only to be called bossy when asking for your patience.

 

Call me crazy. But Lexus' starfire pearl is one of my favorite paint colors. And NO, that doesn't have anything to do with me owning that color before...

 

No need to get into any argument you opened this thread in order to share your detailing work. Its obvious that people will ask some questions regarding the products you used. Btw i think people are jerks when they say Google this and google that. If ya know wht i mean

 

I have helped many people with their detailing questions. I simply told you to Google some of your questions because they can be answered much better than I can. There is nothing wrong with suggesting google to someone, especially with such questions like "What is Aerospace 303 for?" when I simply typed "Uses for Aerospace 303" and got an answer in 2 seconds. Much better use of my time as well as yours wouldn't you say?