Car Care Question For F Sport Owners

[Tafferel]

Hi, so my car has been safeguarded and I was told not to jet wash the car or polish it!! So I take it that all of the new cars come like this, so what tips do u all have when it comes to cleaning?

[Silver Arrow]

Jet washing won't affect it, but anything abrasive will - like polish. Safeguard, or Supagard, Diamond Bright etc etc are treatments where they polish the car, and then apply a sealant glaze. This glaze is exactly that - a synthetic barrier that allows the shine to come through, but contaminates to stay away. This will wear off over time, and more so if you are braise when cleaning.

Use the 2 bucket cleaning method (i.e. one with shampoo, the other to rinse the sponge out in between applying shampoo), and apply only pure Carnuba (or other non chalky) waxes. That will prolong it's life. Turtle wax etc (or any wax that hazes white) is no good for treated cars. The chalk is abrasive.

[Tafferel]

I've got the supaguard lol just found a wheel care pack in the boot I knew nothing about. I just don't want to do anything that will decrease the effectiveness of the product, I've bought all new cloths, I dragged some grit over my last car and left a nice line I won't be making that mistake again!

[rayaans]

I've got the supaguard lol just found a wheel care pack in the boot I knew nothing about. I just don't want to do anything that will decrease the effectiveness of the product, I've bought all new cloths, I dragged some grit over my last car and left a nice line I won't be making that mistake again!

Well Id say, first thing to do is remove that damn Supagard. It doesnt work and lasts for a few weeks max. You will probably also notice under bright lighting some swirl marks introduced by the dealer. Get some proper sealant like gtechniq c1. The supagard stuff literally costs like £30 off eBay, seriously not worth what they charged you, im guessing about £200? I had supagard on my last Lexus, really was not a fan of it and Im a very keen detailer!

[Tafferel]

I didn't pay a penny, once it gets dirty I'll give it a gentle clean with 2 buckets new cloths etc and see how it goes.

[rayaans]

Phew thats good. I know of some people who have paid £200 for it to be put on! Itll come off in a few weeks, youll be able to tell when the water stops beading or sheeting off the car. After that, put on some sealant or a wax of choice. Meguiars #16 and collinite 476s are both very durable waxes and cost between £15-30. They last about 3 months and are highly recommended.

FK1000p is a really good sealant also. Its about £22 but lasts 6 months +. It can also be used on wheels and exhausts as it is a high temperature sealant.

[DJP]

I'm ready to get shot to pieces for this, but I take my car every week to a local hand wash outlet, I'm sure you know the sort. They've been there for years and seemingly do a good job. They assure me they use a good TFR with alkaline components.

I think they do a better job than I, and it's a fiver I'm happy to spend. I'm also the laziest man in the world and if I can find someone else to do it I will.

I'm also one of the idiots who did pay for the Supagard, the car is now coming up 5 months old. I have no dealer introduced swirls and the rain still beads nicely. I think I was given a nice big pack of cleaning and polishing stuff with the car, that's gathering dust in the garage. Should I look to getting off my ***** in the spring and giving it a polish when the beading starts to diminish, or up the fiver ante and give it to the hand wash boys? I'm pretty sure they have a polishing option.

[Tafferel]

If I had my old car I would take it to the local polish centre for a fiver but seeing as I forked out the most money I have ever spent on 4 wheels I think I'll do it myself! The rags they use are potentially full of bits of grit from previous washes I don't think I want that swirled all over my paint.

[rayaans]

I'm ready to get shot to pieces for this, but I take my car every week to a local hand wash outlet, I'm sure you know the sort. They've been there for years and seemingly do a good job. They assure me they use a good TFR with alkaline components.

I think they do a better job than I, and it's a fiver I'm happy to spend. I'm also the laziest man in the world and if I can find someone else to do it I will.

I'm also one of the idiots who did pay for the Supagard, the car is now coming up 5 months old. I have no dealer introduced swirls and the rain still beads nicely. I think I was given a nice big pack of cleaning and polishing stuff with the car, that's gathering dust in the garage. Should I look to getting off my ***** in the spring and giving it a polish when the beading starts to diminish, or up the fiver ante and give it to the hand wash boys? I'm pretty sure they have a polishing option.

Have you checked the paint under halogens? Every car has swirls, even when brand new. Dunno how that happens though lol. If you find it convenient, you may as well keep the fiver hand wash going and get a full detail every year or something?

[Blisteringblue]

I'm lazy, it's a company car, and our local Polish wash only charges 3 quid. I'm certainly not getting my hands dirty for £3.

They do a good job too. I'm up and down the motorway too much to even worry about a clean car anyway.

[DJP]

I'm lazy, it's a company car, and our local Polish wash only charges 3 quid. I'm certainly not getting my hands dirty for £3.

They do a good job too. I'm up and down the motorway too much to even worry about a clean car anyway.

£3!!! With the fuel efficiency of the hybrid it's almost worth the drive from Surrey!

[DJP]

I'm ready to get shot to pieces for this, but I take my car every week to a local hand wash outlet, I'm sure you know the sort. They've been there for years and seemingly do a good job. They assure me they use a good TFR with alkaline components.

I think they do a better job than I, and it's a fiver I'm happy to spend. I'm also the laziest man in the world and if I can find someone else to do it I will.

I'm also one of the idiots who did pay for the Supagard, the car is now coming up 5 months old. I have no dealer introduced swirls and the rain still beads nicely. I think I was given a nice big pack of cleaning and polishing stuff with the car, that's gathering dust in the garage. Should I look to getting off my ***** in the spring and giving it a polish when the beading starts to diminish, or up the fiver ante and give it to the hand wash boys? I'm pretty sure they have a polishing option.

Have you checked the paint under halogens? Every car has swirls, even when brand new. Dunno how that happens though lol. If you find it convenient, you may as well keep the fiver hand wash going and get a full detail every year or something?

That sounds like a good idea. I'll take some advice from you clever folks in due course.

[Silver Arrow]

If you buy a car with your own money and want to keep it, then you want to make sure it's cleaned well too.

I've always detailed/valeted myself. It's not hard, just a bit of elbow grease and it can save you so much. As stated above, you can buy Supagard for £30 odd off eBay, but I invested about £60 in total about 8 years ago, and have done 5 cars with a total of around 9 applications so far, and I still have enough to do another 9 or 10.

You also have to remember that Lexus seem to use paint that scratches very easily - and even though other car makers use non-solvent based paints, none seem to scratch up or stone chip so easily. Taking it to the local hand hobby is very risky. One bit of grit in their mitts or sponge and you can be in deep doodoo!

Anyway, I've always used Carlack68 AIO (All in one - Cleaner, Polish and Sealant) and then two further coats of Carlack68 Sealant Glaze (24 hours apart to allow it to harden). The stuff is sold as Klasse in rest of Urope and the cleaner and polish are "chemical" as opposed to being abrasive. It's german stuff, used widely in Europe and USA, and is really good. I then only need to give it a coat of Carnuba (P21s - still have 1/4 of a tub) every so often to give it a wet look. This seems to last a good 12-18 months by my reckoning.

Dealers really do take the mikey when they say "....oh it's worth £300 and we'll chuck it in for free..." or worse still charge you for it! Ask 'em for £300 off instead and see what they say....I did! And they wouldn't budge.

EDIT - I've even been known to not wash the car "quickly" in the winter. I just leave the dirt on it until the weather improves and then give it a proper gentle wash. All of my cars have stayed immaculate. Having said that - it made it even more exciting for some b :doggy: d to key it a few months ago!

DJP - Whatever you do, pls don't polish it again - this will remove the Supagard. All you need to do is invest in some good Carnuba wax and apply it. It doesn't haze over and smells delicious. Just don't eat it. Like THIS though this is so much more expensive then googling. I managed to get it from a detailing website for £13 though it was early 2006.

[Tel]

To keep paint in showroom condition you need to use the 2 Bucket System with suds in one & the other with water, ideally changed regularly & brushes ,not sponges, to mobilize the dirt & rinsing in the second bucket after each application.

I use Maguires Products,never let anyone else clean it & the surfaces are swirl-free under sodium light in my garage.

Tel

[Silver Arrow]

To keep paint in showroom condition you need to use the 2 Bucket System with suds in one & the other with water, ideally changed regularly & brushes ,not sponges, to mobilize the dirt & rinsing in the second bucket after each application.

I use Maguires Products,never let anyone else clean it & the surfaces are swirl-free under sodium light in my garage.

Tel

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