This Is After I Put Right Dealer's Poor Preperation.

[Diesel Do Nicely Brian]

I specifically have the Velvet Black (non-metallic) with the Sand leather interior coming, exactly the same paint as my current GS450h 👍

Pic added of the GS outside the shop the other day 😄 The car arrived today at their compound and is due tomorrow to head to the technician side for set up, then it’s booked in Monday to Wednesday at the detailer for a full new car prep/stage 1 machine as needed, and full ceramic coating etc. It will then be back 4 weeks after handover from Lexus for a safe wash/inspection on the coating to check for full sealing 👍

Will look so much better than the dealer’s valeted destroying it before handover - that would not go down well. The dealer principal is aware I was not buying the car if they prepped it, and they already knew I do not let the dealer ever wash my car when in for service!

Hopefully be ready for me mid/late next week 😄

[SH20]

Yes, same colour combination as my ES.   If solid black is maintained correctly it always looks stunning.  Most solid black and metallic for that matter look awful in bright sunlight only weeks after delivery due to very poor washing.    

[Diesel Do Nicely Brian]

Absolutely - makes me cringe!!

I’ll be keeping the new one well protected. 

[i-s]

Just as a follow up on products...

I'm disappointed with Carpro reload. Essence is excellent, but needs something stronger to top it. I've still not got the confidence to try a full ceramic coat. When I did the winter protection for the Tesla this more recent time I again used essence, but then coated with Autoglym EGP and then topped that with Collinite 476 (I've loved the EGP/476 combo before, and so far haven't found 845 to last as well as 476, but I am prepared to blame that on the reload). 

Carpro PERL just continues to be a superb product. Brilliant for the plastic "vegan leather" in the Tesla, and I'm sure would be similarly good on the Lexus equivalent "Tahara" material. 

[SH20]

I think i-s you would have no problem whatsoever if you tried G Tech  Crystal Serum Light or CSL for short.     I have only done one car with a ceramic coat and was anxious myself about applying one to my brand new ES300h in Velvet black.

However CSL is different to other more costly GTech ceramic coats  in that it is extremely easy to apply.  It was designed for ease of use for people who want to do it themselves rather than professional users who tend to use the higher cost coatings that cure longer than CSL.   

Assuming after your paintwork has been rectified and all, if any,  swirls and light scratches have been successfully dealt with, the polish residues have been removed with a good quality degreaser such as CarPro  and your paint surface is in a virgin bare condition the CSL can be safely applied. 

What I  learned with CSL is doing one panel at a time it best practise.  Mask off the panel to avoid going over the edge to adjacent panels. Applying it with the supplied cloths, wrapped around a suede applicator  for flexibility  allows  it to go on like silk and is very wet looking.  No need to go over and over the same area, just have enough CSL on your pad and the speed it covers the panel is very quick.  Before you know it the whole panel is covered.  As soon as you finish applying CSL start to wipe/buff the panel with a new folded in 4 micro fibre cloth turning the cloth regularly so only a clean area of the cloth is wiping off the residue.    You will definitely lift off residue  but you won't lift the coating from the surface of the panel.    Buffing only with a clean side of a micro fibre cloth prevents you dragging CSL back across the panel as remember the micro fibres will be full off coating which after all is basically glass.    You will be able to buff a wing panel in about 30 seconds.    That's how fast the process is.  DO NOT USE THE TOWEL AGAIN ON YOU CAR, IT WILL HAVE CERAMIC COATING IMPREGNATED INTO THE FIBRES.  YOU SHOULD THROW IT AWAY OR USE IT FOR DIRTY JOBS ONLY, NEVER ON NEWLY COATED PAINTWORK.   

Ideally apply in your garage if you have one and avoid using the car for at least 12 hours to allow for a decent curing time.   

Don't think that GTech  Crsytal Serum Light  is somehow inferior to more expensive options in the GTech range.  If applied correctly the finish will  be as smooth as glass and feel like silk to the touch  which waxes will never achieve.   A bonnet  or roof should be split in to two halves or 4 quarters and try and avoid overlapping the coating.  You'll  be surprised  how quickly you work with CSL  but no ceramic coating, no matter how expensive,  is immune to abuse or lack of care in cleaning the car post application.   If normal glass can scratch then ceramic coatings will also scratch  and only  by washing and drying the car in the right manner will  result in a finish that will look great for months to come.    

NB  Leaving  CSL on longer than necessary before you wipe the residue off the panel in the belief  it will be more beneficial will get you into a whole lot of pain as this stuff will be almost impossible to buff back if you don't wipe off the residue off as soon as you finish applying it.     I give my own car a clay bar and a machine polish every 3 months, not to enhance the coating as you can't really improve that but more to ensure all contaminates are removed and a light machine polishing just enhances it's look, after all velvet black solid paint is the hardest colour to maintain.  

Have a go with CSL i- s  and try it on the smallest panel on your car,  I think you will be very surprised.   When I purchased CSL it cost £85 for a 100ml bottle, enough to do an ES300h.  Not sure how much it is now.  I buy all my detailing products online from Clean Your Car Ltd of Huddersfield, fantastic Company. 

One last thing,  ceramic coatings are very hard and much harder than the lacquers that car manufacturers use as a top coat for their paints.  So removing  ceramic coatings can only be achieved by aggressive cutting compounds with power machine tools or actual  wet or dry sanding.    I guess a person must decide is waxing a car regularly best for their needs or will a coating have more appeal.