Considering An Is 220d

[dgman]

firstly,congratulations with your lexus.my preference is for sealant instead of wax,the gloss that a sealant gives is jaw dropping and protection against bird waste is stronger than a wax.i use the carlack system which is well priced.the trick is to make sure that your paintwork has had the swirl marks polished out first then apply the carlack.

[Boothby Coggles]

So - now the "considering an IS" questions are over - I might as well use here for the "own an IS" questions...

First off -

what do people recommend for cleaning / waxing etc?

do people find fuel additives help with performance, smoothness or economy?

how can I keep the cellensia in tip top condition, prevent staining etc?

any other tips to keep the car looking great?

Additives:

I've just finished my first 500ml bottle of Miller's Diesel Power Sport 4 which lasted 4,000 miles for £10.

I think that it has helped with fuel economy but I can't be sure by how much as I've had the 5th injector mod during that time which should have made some difference to economy. I don't find that there is any turbo lag on 1st gear now. Once again the additive may have helped, or it might just be that I have adapted my driving style.

DPS4 is certainly worth £10 or so to see how it goes for you.

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

firstly,congratulations with your lexus.my preference is for sealant instead of wax,the gloss that a sealant gives is jaw dropping and protection against bird waste is stronger than a wax.i use the carlack system which is well priced.the trick is to make sure that your paintwork has had the swirl marks polished out first then apply the carlack.

best thing is to do both - first a sealant glaze (2-3 coats is best) like dgman says, and then top it off with as many coats again of non-abrasive carnauba wax (such R222 or P21S).

Then one coat every 3 washes of the carnauba...

The car will look so glossy and wet. My Lex looked awesome after the treatment. Positively mirror like...water just bounced off - even when washing, the soap suds were "beading"...everyone who saw the car commented on how much shine there - and even after 2 years it still looked better than new...

It's well worth doing...

[tash]

The DPS4 is good, certainly makes a difference.

Used a full bottle in mine but a colleage gave me a bottle of additive which is a one hit solution to clean the system, added half last week to a full tank and filled back up on Friday, car is now quieter and smoother, was in road works today at 50mph and even got into 6th! trundling along.

Dont expect miracles....we have just bought a Audi TT 2.0TFsi for the wife and was out in that yesterday and found I was comstantly looking for 7th gear as you do get used to the very high gearing of the Lexus with miles...well I have, if anything it has slowed me down and made me a calmer driver, well until I step in the TT which begs to be thrashed ever where all the time.