Lexus LS460... And a great argument for having a PTG.

[Nth Degree]

After the results on his ’94 Supra, the owner brought me his other car to have corrected.



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS4601.jpg





Products used:



Paint/body:

Chemical Guys Maxi Suds II

Optimum Power Clean 3:1

Speedy Prep Towel

Optimum No-Rinse

Meguiar’s M105/205 combo

Menzerna Power Finish

Black Fire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection

Black Fire Midnight Sun

Glass Science Rain Clear Glass Cleaner and Rain Repellent

Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus



Wheels:

Eagle 1 A2Z Wheel Cleaner

Optimum Opti-Bond

Meguiar’s Hyper Dressing @ 3:1 (Wheel wells)



Interior:

Meguiar’s APC+

Woolite @ ~25:1

Invisible Glass

303 Aerospace Protectant





Wash, decon, wheels and interior were all pretty straight forward, so I will skip to the key points.



The average paint measurements were around the 8 mils mark.



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS4607.jpg



Hood measured 12 to 14 mils. A small discoloration on one edge likely required clearing the whole hood to avoid a blend. Then I discovered this:



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS4609.jpg



:eek: The vertical part of the trunk lid was measuring between 2.2 and 2.6 mils. This is a great reason to have a paint thickness gauge. I know some have debated the need and it certainly cannot fully replace common sense and experience, but a detailer could easily go over the rest of the car with an aggressive compound without any issues, then carry that same method to this panel and wonder what they did wrong when they burn through. While the majority of the car was compounded with 105, this area was polished lightly with Menzerna Power Finish on a LC white pad.





One of the issues was the damage to the PPF on the front bumper.



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46010.jpg





The dealership told him they would have to replace the PPF. A little patience with some Power Finish on an orange pad at speed 3.5-4 and presto.



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46011.jpg



The paint was hard and some scratches were difficult to remove completely, like this one. But this color hides scratches easily. In fact the color made it difficult to see many flaws under numerous sources of light.



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46014e.jpg



The scratch, while still there, is all but invisible. Only sunlight at a perfect angle made it visible. The bird bomb etching also wouldn’t go away completely. The arrow is for a point of reference.



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46015e.jpg





Rear bumper. Proceeded with caution here, as I couldn’t be sure of the paint thickness. If it was anywhere near the trunk lid I didn’t want to find out the hard way.



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46016.jpg



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46017.jpg





The PPF on the hood was heavily swirled. Using Menzerna Power finish on orange pad at slow speed (4) I corrected the bulk of it. The edges were taped to prevent problems. A 50/50.



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46059.jpg





I then removed the tape that was protecting the edges.



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46060.jpg





Using a rotary at the slowest speed (600 rpm) and Power finish on a 4” orange pad I feathered the edges by tilting the machine so that the pad only went in one direction; travelling off the edge. This prevented the potential for lifting the film or pushing polish under it.



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46062.jpg





Other details included the black trim. Single stage black paint that was not very thick.



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46037.jpg





Caution again was necessary. Power Finish on a 4” white pad at speed 3. Result was not perfect, but huge improvement.



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46038.jpg



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46033.jpg



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46034.jpg





Tail lights also got hit with Power Finish on a 4” orange pad.



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46039.jpg



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46040.jpg





The car got a coat of BFWD and 2 coats BFMS.



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46074.jpg



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46070.jpg





A few more before and after comparisons.



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46027.jpg



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46029.jpg



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46055.jpg



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46056.jpg



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46048.jpg



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46049.jpg



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46041.jpg



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Lexus%20LS460%20L/LexusLS46042.jpg





Thanks for looking.



http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x471/nthdegreenc/Logocar6cardrbg.jpg

[C. Charles Hahn]

Awesome save, Chris! And yeah, that PTG likely saved you a big headache with that trunk lid if you had hit it heavy like everything else.

[Nth Degree]

Awesome save, Chris! And yeah, that PTG likely saved you a big headache with that trunk lid if you had hit it heavy like everything else.



Thanks, Charlie. And yep, the PTG paid for itself on this job alone.

[IHA Mark]

Well done, on your before and after pics of the hood I noticed what seems to be buffer trails. Do you believe the thin paint levels are due to another detailer?

[Nth Degree]

Well done, on your before and after pics of the hood I noticed what seems to be buffer trails. Do you believe the thin paint levels are due to another detailer?



I don`t think the paint levels were due to overpolishing. There wasn`t an obvious difference in depth as I would expect if someone had removed 2-3 mils. More likely just minimal coverage from the factory; as long as it looked okay it passed.



The before picture definitely has what appears as holograms on the PPF. It is actually just heavy swirls creating the look. In the after there are some verticle stripes that appear. These were more apparent under the Halogens. All indications lead to a re-clear of the hood.(There was a small discolored spot on the edge where it looks like a large dust nib was over-sanded and the whole hood was re-cleared to avoid a blend.) I believe the stripes are a result of the spray pattern and inconsistent leveling. No rotary was used on the hood other than feathering the edge of the PPF as stated.



Good eye, though, and thanks for keeping me honest.:whip:

[Envious Eric]

well done man! awesome reason to have a PTG. I have been taking reading on all cars as of late...just for that reason!

[Dan]

Nice work. Having a PTG is great insurance for sure.

[Scottwax]

Nice job, looks terrific! I agree, when it comes to plastic bumpers, I always err on the side of caution. Seems like most of the "oops" moments I`ve seen posted involve leaning too hard into bumpers.