Lexus IS250 in Houston

Discussion in 'Show and Shine' started by gothamite302, Apr 17, 2013.

  1. gothamite302

    gothamite302 Virgin Detailer

    In January, I had this customer contact me about making sure the new to her Lexus she just purchased was properly taken care of. She wanted to have maintenance service setup and the most important portion of the car to her was the leather seats. We met up a few days later for me to take a look at the vehicle so I could properly quote out time and measure expectations for the upcoming correction work. As I was looking over the vehicle, I noticed she had been hit in her passenger quarter panel and had not even seen it.

    Fast forward a few months, after the repairs were taken care of by a local Lexus dealer (to remain unnamed for reasons that will be apparent in the pics) for the paint and bodywork, the car was delivered to me to get to work on the details of making this car really shine. We settled on a 2 stage correction, interior, and leather restoral and care by. Leatherique

    Products used:

    Body wash and Decon:
    Chemical Guys Citrus Wash
    Microfiber wash mitt
    2 Bucket method
    AutoGeek Foam Gun
    CarPro IronX
    Speedy Prep Fine prep pad
    Chemical Guys Luber

    Wheels:
    Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner
    Megs APC+ 4:1
    Megs Super Degreaser 4:1
    Chemical Guy BareBones
    Daytona Speed Master brush
    Soft Wheel Brush
    Mothers Curved Tire brush
    Megs Tire Gel

    Interior:
    1Z Premium Cockpit
    Megs APC+ 10:1
    Leahterique Rejuvenation Oil
    Leatherique Pristine Clean
    Megs Glass Cleaner 10:1


    Correction and LSP:
    Flex 3401
    LC Cyan 5.5" pads
    LC Tang 6.5" pads
    LC CCS White pads
    Menzerna FG400
    Megs M205
    Blackfire Finishing Polish
    Chemical Guys BlackLight
    Chemical Guys Lava
    Chemical Guys V07

    and a ton of MF towels

    On to the fun stuff. this is the car as it arrived
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    different exposure to show a different view of the dirt!
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    rear decklid
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    Once I got the car washed and decontaminated, I was finally able to get a good look at the paint without any of the dealership glazes or fillers and saw that I had my work cut out for me.
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    I set to taping off the car and chose a spot on the hood for my test spot and got to it. I chose the cyan low profile pads and Menzerna FG400 for the correction and it worked amazingly well. I really was surprised at how well it cut and came down to an almost LSP ready finish. It did require a little longer work time but it was well worth the time it saves on needing an extra polishing step with medium cut.
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    Once i got that dialed in, I set about to do the rest of the car
    as i went farther along FG400 performed like a champ the whole way through without a single complaint or issue from me!

    Here is an obligatory reflection "during" shot
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    I saved the recently repaired section for last because it was terribly hologrammed and was not sure how the paint was going to react. Here is the before shot of the quarter panel
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    50/50 shot of the same section after a couple of passes
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    on the left is paint "FINISHED" by the Lexus Dealer and the right is paint finished by Premier Auto Detailing
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    It came looking a lot better overall and I was happy with the correction.

    Here is a before and after of the clear bra that I did with a white pad and some M205 with very little pressure to ensure the safety of the material.
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    After
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    Not perfect but great improved the clarity and look of the clear bra.

    I did a final pass on the vehicle to catch any light marring or hazing that might have been left (very very minimal) with Blackfire Finishing Polish and a Tangerine pad.

    Afters with CG BlackLight, Lava, and V07 applied body and wheels.
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Clear bra
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    Unfortunately I was losing sunlight and the customer was on the way so I was unable to take any after shots of the interior but the leather looked and felt great and the customer instantly noticed a difference. Tires were dressed and exhaust tips were polished all after the sun had set so no good pictures of that but I will getting the car back in a couple of weeks for a follow up and will post more then.

    Thanks for reading and feedback is always welcome!
    Jonathan Arrecis
    Spring TX
     
  2. BigDreZ28

    BigDreZ28 Jedi Nuba

    Great work!
     
  3. mrgolfrider

    mrgolfrider DB Forum Supporter

    That looks really nice man. This is a prime example of dealer finish work, oh the horror.
     
  4. slanguage

    slanguage OD On Detailing

    Nice save! Those are good looking cars.
     
  5. Tweaked

    Tweaked Two Bucket System Washer

    Nice job! I've never thought about compounding a clear bra, good to know it responds decently :)
     
  6. gothamite302

    gothamite302 Virgin Detailer

    I didn't compound, I was worried about the heat and aggressiveness damaging the film. I used M205 and a polishing pad with very little pressure to ensure the integrity of the film

    Sent from my Galaxy S III
     
  7. Tweaked

    Tweaked Two Bucket System Washer

    Rgr that... I wonder what would happen if someone was to lay a piece on a panel and do a little experimenting with different polishes on said poly-carb...
     

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