2004 Lexus IS 330 - Waterless Wash and Seal

[Shawn T.]

Did this car for my uncle the other day.

We agreed to a full interior and possibly a wash at the end if I had time.

I took some before shots of the interior but forgot to take afters. But, here was my process for the interior for those wondering......
1) Remove all floor mats
2) Vacuum the entire car, followed by a dry brush and another vacuum
3) Vacuum and dry brushed all floor mats
4) Cleaned every hard surface and leather with APC at about 6:1 and a toothbrush. My uncle came out, saw me holding a toothbrush and asked if I was crazy. I said it may look crazy but it was the best way to clean all the little plastic surfaces with uneven textures. I then wiped those surfaces dry with terry cloths.
5) Shampooed all carpets and floor mats with APC+ at 6:1 (spot treatments), APC at 6:1 (for treating entire carpet surfaces), and a brush.
6) Soaked up the dirt in the carpets and floor mats with terry cloths
7) Vacuumed all carpets dry
8) Cleaned and conditioned leather
9) Dressed all plastic surfaces with Ultimate Protectant Spray

That took about 5 hours.

Then, we agreed to a wash and seal of the exterior.

I did take pics for this part! lol

1) Wash with CroftgateUSA Aquanil-X Waterless Wash and Wax
2) Heavily soiled areas like the dirt on the lower rocker panels was treated with CroftgateUSA Multi-Clean (all purpose cleaner approved by the EPA for the Design for the Environment program)
3)Seal the entire car with CroftgateUSA Quick & Slick (WOWA Polymer Sealant) LOVE THIS STUFF!!!!!!!!!


BEFORES

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/1815/medium/IMG_04291.JPG




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http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/1815/medium/IMG_0430.JPG



AFTERS




http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/1815/medium/IMG_0432.JPG




http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/1815/medium/IMG_04341.JPG





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http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/1815/medium/IMG_0437.JPG





How hard is it to get a reflection out of this color? Not hard when you have the right products and the right technique! CroftgateUSA baby!!

BTW, this car has never had a true detail in its 7 years and never had continuous paint protection on the vehicle. Look at her now!!!

Thanks for looking!

[Shawn T.]

Bump!

[alban61]

Car is looking good. I checked out the Croftgate website. Interesting but kinda expensive.
AG also has Ultima, Griot's, Eco Touch and DP waterless washes. Haven't tried Croftgate so I can't compare, but others are definitely cheaper.
Your uncle's car is definitely looking slick and shiney. He must be very happy with your work.
:cheers:

[richy]

5) Shampooed all carpets and floor mats with APC+ at 6:1 (spot treatments), APC at 6:1 (for treating entire carpet surfaces), and a brush.
6) Soaked up the dirt in the carpets and floor mats with terry cloths
7) Vacuumed all carpets dry

Shawn, not to be critical, but I want to set you on the right path. Doing it your way will leave soap residue in the carpets. You need an extractor do get the soap out of the carpeting. When doing the mats, power wash them until soap stops running from them. You can always spray a little vinegar on them too after vacuuming which will cut the soap. If you leave residue on the mats, they may look great initially, but will actually attract dirt and will look worse in weeks.

[1MZsLastForever]

Excellent job! But I must correct you on one thing; that is an RX, not IS.

[RTexasF]

Looks much better than it did. I bought the Croftgate sampler pack and was less than enthused about it.

[Shawn T.]

Car is looking good. I checked out the Croftgate website. Interesting but kinda expensive.
AG also has Ultima, Griot's, Eco Touch and DP waterless washes. Haven't tried Croftgate so I can't compare, but others are definitely cheaper.
Your uncle's car is definitely looking slick and shiney. He must be very happy with your work.
:cheers:

Thanks!

They are a bit more expensive but they are also at the top of the market in my opinion. Their products work in any temperature, in the direct hot sunlight without streaking or hindering performance.


5) Shampooed all carpets and floor mats with APC+ at 6:1 (spot treatments), APC at 6:1 (for treating entire carpet surfaces), and a brush.
6) Soaked up the dirt in the carpets and floor mats with terry cloths
7) Vacuumed all carpets dry

Shawn, not to be critical, but I want to set you on the right path. Doing it your way will leave soap residue in the carpets. You need an extractor do get the soap out of the carpeting. When doing the mats, power wash them until soap stops running from them. You can always spray a little vinegar on them too after vacuuming which will cut the soap. If you leave residue on the mats, they may look great initially, but will actually attract dirt and will look worse in weeks.

Thanks Richy. I appreciate the advice. I've done this several times but have never experienced this dust attraction at all. They've always stayed clean as long as they were maintained and mud thrown on them of course.


Excellent job! But I must correct you on one thing; that is an RX, not IS.

Thanks man! Damn................you're right. lol My bad.......... :)


Looks much better than it did. I bought the Croftgate sampler pack and was less than enthused about it.

Thanks! I'm going to send you a PM and let's see if we can figure out why you were less than enthused.