4 degrees & forced to wash the car! + BONUS MINI REVIEW!

rayaans · February 6, 2017

It was freezing outside yesterday - 4 degrees!

The missus decided to tell me I was being lazy and her car needed washing - took a look at the wheel and was like whoa (only 2 weeks worth of brake dust).

Car was washed with Carchem 1900:1 shampoo (Leather Oak scented and smells divine), wheels done with Valetpro Bilberry at 5:1 and arches with diluted APC. All dried with a MF drying towel and then a coat of RainX on the rear screen and the rear side windows. I don't like using it on the windscreen so used PowerMaxed Rain Off instead. Finally, Sonax BSD applied to the car (amazing - literally takes 10 minutes to do the whole car, lasts 3 months and the water behaviour is unparalleled).

Anyway, my hands were too cold to master my phone so I only took afters!

The paint quality on these still amazes me! Yes its soft paint and I swear the old couple in the shopping centre car park scratched it by staring when I activated "Stealth mode" but its probably the smoothest, most reflective paint this side of £40k

and - because I got fed up with taking ages to clean the wheels - Ive invested in some Planet Polish Wheel Seal and Shine (video attached).

Its just under a tenner and came with a small sponge for application. The sponge itself is quite soft and easy to get into the spokes.

The product itself comes in a 250ml bottle but I only used 2 pea sized drops for each wheel so will last absolutely ages.

Initial impressions are good with application and removal extremely straightforward

- only gave the one coat and beading is looking fine! Ill let you know how it goes

true blue · February 6, 2017

Hi thanks for that info ,us lads oop north get used to cleaning in the cold weather !!!! I have not used the sonax BSD ,your results look good so I will give it a try ,found some on offer at euro car parts

Dave

Spacewagon52 · February 6, 2017

When the weather improves (June) I will have a real go at the LS. She is tucked up in the garage for now - she tells me she does not like to go out in the rain! I do spoil her!

rayaans · February 6, 2017

20 minutes ago, true blue said:

Hi thanks for that info ,us lads oop north get used to cleaning in the cold weather !!!! I have not used the sonax BSD ,your results look good so I will give it a try ,found some on offer at euro car parts

Dave

The pictures dont really do the product justice. The Sonax BSD was from ECP and its always worth ordering some when there's a sale on.

The trick is to make an X on each panel and just buff it around - not much is needed at all and it has some cleaning properties in it so you will end up with a dirty cloth afterwards. I think I must have done both cars 4 times now and still have half a bottle left.

It leaves a grabby surface though - dont expect it to be smooth. Thats the secret behind its water behaviour apparently.

Steve44 · February 6, 2017

Just washed mine this afternoon, felt guilty having bought a new one , and it hadn't been washed since before Christmas! It was really filthy, but the grey hides it well. I will be more diligent with the new black one, given its actually mine not a lease, and I need to start investing in some decent cleaning products. Will pass the time till it arrives.

The white looks great all polished up, good beading. Mine is flat as a fart!

rayaans · February 6, 2017

12 minutes ago, Steve44 said:

Just washed mine this afternoon, felt guilty having bought a new one , and it hadn't been washed since before Christmas! It was really filthy, but the grey hides it well. I will be more diligent with the new black one, given its actually mine not a lease, and I need to start investing in some decent cleaning products. Will pass the time till it arrives.

The white looks great all polished up, good beading. Mine is flat as a fart!

Ooh you're going to have your work cut out on black! Everything shows up on it.

The white is actually quite forgiving, there's a few light scratches here and there from finger nails and stones flicking up but you can only see them when they get engrained with dirt. The car needs a good going over with Autoglym SRP to get all the dirt out!

The-Acre · February 6, 2017

2 hours ago, Spacewagon52 said:

When the weather improves (June) I will have a real go at the LS. She is tucked up in the garage for now - she tells me she does not like to go out in the rain! I do spoil her!

Well I did mine today, wash dry and Autoglym wax, looked the biz, even attracting admiring comments from people going past, but..... It's now chucking it down... again!

Rabbers · February 7, 2017

The temptation to try out any of the many superb car detailing products on the market is always great, and the results after using them

can be highly enjoyable, especially on a quality car like a Lexus. In fact, to stand back and gaze upon a newly detailed car is one of life's

pleasures - visual, tactile and olfactory. However, it could be argued that the temptation to apply "superfluous" chemicals to a car's

surfaces is best avoided except in the case of identifiable and strict need. Generally speaking, this need, as far as I'm concerned, starts

when a car's shows its first signs of age and loss of factory bloom - e.g. increasingly visible micro-swirls, dulled plastics and rubber,

dry leather etc. - and, until these appear, I try, admittedly not always successfully, to make do with simple shampooing outside and mild

soapy solutions or just plain water inside. I suppose an appropriate comparison would be between cars and good-looking women who

wisely avoid too many cosmetic potions and lotions before the appearance of their first wrinkles.

J Henderson · February 7, 2017

Nice job Rayaans. I have the same wheels on my car at present and they look great when they're clean and the black chrome effect really "pops". At this time of year though, that lasts about 2 days max before they're covered in filth again and wearing a brown tyre.

Can't wait for the better weather so I can keep my car looking decent all week-long!

TigerFish · February 7, 2017

Sonax BSD is great, been using it for a while now.

Sent from my Iphone using Lexus OC

rayaans · February 7, 2017

1 hour ago, Kodiak Sky said:

Nice job Rayaans. I have the same wheels on my car at present and they look great when they're clean and the black chrome effect really "pops". At this time of year though, that lasts about 2 days max before they're covered in filth again and wearing a brown tyre.

Can't wait for the better weather so I can keep my car looking decent all week-long!

Agreed.

The picture don't do the wheels justice really. They are extremely shiny and I could visually see a better shine when removing the Planet Polish wheel seal and shine.

If the wheel sealant helps to keep the dust off (the IS is so bad for brake dust) or atleast makes it easier to clean with just a shampoo and soft brush rather than using a dedicated wheel cleaner, then it would be worth it.

I guess the wheel beading up is also a bonus!

lockeyboy · February 7, 2017

hi Rayaans, would you put the Sonax on a wax? I presume it can be layered?

rayaans · February 7, 2017

16 minutes ago, lockeyboy said:

hi Rayaans, would you put the Sonax on a wax? I presume it can be layered?

Yes Sonax BSD can go on any surface, including glass and plastics. I wouldn't advise using on the windscreen though as it leaves streaks when wipers run across.

You can add about 3 coats of BSD before it becomes a waste of product. I usually just stick to one coat as it gives me about 1-2 months of protection and its extremely easy to do.

lockeyboy · February 7, 2017

Thanks. Might pick some up from my local Euro Car parts. I've got a soft spot for rainex on the windscreen, seems to do a great job.

tayaste · February 7, 2017

2 hours ago, Kodiak Sky said:

Nice job Rayaans. I have the same wheels on my car at present and they look great when they're clean and the black chrome effect really "pops". At this time of year though, that lasts about 2 days max before they're covered in filth again and wearing a brown tyre.

Can't wait for the better weather so I can keep my car looking decent all week-long!

Try the gtechniq C5 for your wheels.

J Henderson · February 8, 2017

Just looked it up. £22 for just 15ml

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J Henderson · February 8, 2017

Presumably it's similar to cquartz and will last for ages?

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rayaans · February 8, 2017

13 hours ago, Kodiak Sky said:

Presumably it's similar to cquartz and will last for ages?

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Its supposed to last 1-2 years apparently but yes its steep for what you get. Says 15ml is for 17" wheels, 30ml should be used for larger wheels which is £42. The IS wheels are 18" and my RX is on 19"

The Planet polish has been getting 6 months from 2 coats making it ridiculously cheap in comparison