GibletPH

Cheers. Give how soft the paint is I think any wash routine is likely to inflict a few marks so it's not your fault! I'm going to have to be very careful how I wash and dry it once it's fully corrected. Cheers. I might look into wet standing some of the deeper marks, I guess once I'm eventually done the total man hours will be sizeable so the savings will be huge compared to getting it done by a pro plus I get to learn new skills. The paint is ridiculously soft and since it is a solid black it shows every single mark. We started off with the lightest pad and polish combo and worked our way up. The compounding stage removes the majority of the marks but leaves some imperfections behind, the polishing removes those but leaves a bit of ghosting which the refining stage takes care of. Cheers. I was hoping for some more durable paint but ah well. Once corrected I will have to keep on top of it with a decent glaze and wax combo. The plastic on my G220 seems to have gone off whilst in storage so I need to either sand it all back or just buy a DAS6. Dark coloured cars are a pain and a joy, Once clean they do look stunning but take them for a spin around the block and they will look dirty again. I've always masked my plate when cross posting across a bunch of forums. I guess I'm being overly security concious, not like someone could clone the plate that easily given how few ISFs there are about. Thanks. I have time but what I don't have is a garage or a unit to work in which is annoying given the terrible weather at the moment. I've started asking about to find a workspace that I can hire for a weekend.

I purchased a shed load of gear many years ago (G220 V1, PTG etc etc) but fell out of love with detailing after a while and went back to just using the local £5 hand wash place. Having recently purchased the ISF I decided to get some tuition so I could expand my skills and finally correct a car fully so I booked a tuition day with Matt at Obsiadian Detailing in Saddleworth. The pictures below are a mix of iPhone and camera, excuse my poor mspaint skills when masking my plate. Arrived at Obsidian HQ for 09:00 and after a coffee we got on with washing and claying the car - 2 hours later we were left with a washed and clayed car - Got it out of the rain and into the unit where it was dried and taped up ready for some machine polishing with a random orbital - We started with the bootlid which was showing the usual swirls and marks you would expect from a used car - The paint proved to be annoyingly soft and ended up needing a 3 step process of compounding, polishing and then refining with a trio of pads and polishes. The different between the correct bootlid and the untouched spoiler was obvious. We then moved on to the NSR door, the paintwork was just as bad as the rest of the car - The same 3 stage process resulted in a massive difference - Matt also showed me the Glare Professional Polish which we used on a section the OSR door, took no time at all to apply and I was shocked at just how much of the swirls it managed to mask. Something for me to consider using once I have corrected the rest of the car just to give it that extra something and help me keep on top of the finish. Having spent a good 8 hours or so at Obsidian HQ learning new skills and knowledge I now have the confidence to go and correct the rest of the car and get it looking its best. Will need some decent weather now unless I manage to find a garage or unit that I can use for a day or two. I strongly recommend one to one tuition to anyone who is looking to gain some confidence and skills in using a machine polisher and learning more about looking after your paintwork. If you are local (or fancy the trip to Saddleworth) then give Matt at Obsidian Detailing a shout.

Thanks for the info chaps. Been given the details of the refurb place that my detailer of choice uses so will see how their prices compare. Haha. I guess I've finally put my mark on the car 😉

Kerbed the NSF wheel today on a high kerb in a cobbled street. Really annoyed with myself now! I guess I'll need to get a price for a full refurb for all 4 wheels from the main dealer and compare it to the exhange option that has previously been discussed on this thread.

I'm fairly sure the intermediate has always been £295. I got a quote for a service pack from my local dealer before I bought my car. Worked out be around £500 cheaper. I need to go back and see if they will drop it by 15% if I am a paid member on here, would be amazing if they do!

I'm certain it's a scam. I've seen it plenty of times before. The scammer takes the pictures from an existing ad and either uses a fake account or a hacked/compromised account to list the car.

I got into it back in 2008 and made the mistake of buying a lot of gear including the G220, a paint thickness gauge etc and then never correcting a car fully. I used to stick to the routine of foam, wash, clay, rewash, srp by hand and then wax with routine washes once a week to keep it looking good. Hopefully the pro tuition will help me get back in the groove. Plan is to correct it fully and then get a proper sealant applied so it stays protected and is easier to maintain. What machine did you use and what pad and polish combo?

The before shots look pretty bad but like you say a quick hit with the DA has removed a good amount of the swirls. I used to enjoy detailing but stopped a few years back. Still have a G220 V1 which has had very little use. Having some 1 to 1 tuition on Sunday with a local pro so will be interesting to see what my black 08 ISF looks like under the lights! How did you find the paint hardness in comparison to your S3?

Yup. I had an indicated 31 mpg on the first drive home (Oxford to Leeds) but a tank of pretty much pure urban with a bit of WOT saw me doing nearly half that at 16.1

That advert seems like a scam one but made using the photos from the original ad. I've seen it done before with other cars. The car itself is indeed the ex police one, it has been up for sale for a long time now. The most recent ebay auction for it saw it reach £14,100 - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lexus-IS-F-Auto-White-2008-58-4-2-V8-Hpi-Clear-/172079812026

Welcome to the club. You picked the perfect colour, especially with the cream interior. As an owner of a black 08 ISF the only thing I would really change is the black interior as it does seem a little dark at times. Have fun collecting the car, I'm less than a month into ownership and the car still puts a smile on my face when I fire it up. Enjoy in good health.

I would hardly desribe it as loads. A handful of 08 cars have been up for sale recently with a few high mileage cars and one or two that were rough around the edges with missing service stamps. Thanks for posting the link, looks like a clean car, sunroof too!

Ah crap, sorry to hear this. Hope they find the scumbags.

I had the same feeling a few weeks ago. Still haven't stopped smiling when I start the car up. Enjoy it in good health!

Do the part numbers match the OEM ones?

Have they turned up yet? What's the verdict?

Good stuff. I'm still not sure if I'll be at Malton but I will definitely be at Scalm Park. I believe food will be available at Scalm Park with an offer for a bacon or a fried egg buttie and a coffee for £2.50.

Which meet? Scalm Park or Malton?

So 245/40/19 on the front and 275/35/19 on the rear? What is the difference in handling like? Are you finding that you have improved grip due to the larger contact area?

Details for the Big Breakfast Malton Meet can be found here - http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=117&t=1570182

I'll be at at a cars and coffee type meet up in Scalm Park on Sunday 13th March in the ISF. It's been organised by a few local folk via the Yorkshire subforum on Pistonheads. This will hopefully be the first of some regular Sunday morning meets. If anyone fancies coming along then feel free. We should hopefully have a nice mix of cars present. The location is - Scalm Park Leisure Wistow Common Selby North Yorkshire YO8 3RD Sunday 13th March 10:00

Not owned mine for long but from what I have read the ISF isn't known for any serious oil consumption. The dealer should be able to supply you with a top upbottle of oil if you need one. I believe the service pack is dealer specific. I've had different quotes from 3 different dealers all of which are owned by different groups. I was told that the warranty payments were over 12 months. Your car should have a warranty included in the price if its from a main dealer. The space saver was present in the two cars I viewed, manual seems to indicate that it is a standard feature. I think the later satnav units were hard drive based. Not sure if we can get an updated disc for our dvd based units. A standard touch up kit shouldn't be more than £20. I'd suggest looking online if the dealer charges more. Rubber mats should be £72 - http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/252032711050 Cloth mats are £97.68 - http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/262005144947 Dealer will able to give you a price on replacement badges and a grill. I'm planning on getting mine coated black in either plastidip or cardip. Off to see a detailer in Saddleworth in two weeks time for a training day. Will be getting his thoughts on the best way to black out the badges, grill and the chrome around the windows.

I had a quick look at the factory options, this goes one stop further as it mirrors certain apps. The best one being maps.

You can use the aux socket in the armrest along with a 3.5mm cable. However that means you can only change the music via the handset. The iVIC-i5 mirrors the apps on the cars display so don't have to use your phone. The phone has to be plugged into the device though but it does mean that it gets charged at the same time.

Aye, whilst they are bulletproof I still like having the warranty for peace of mind. Add in the breakdown cover which also includes a hire car allowance in the event of the car needing to go in for repair and it's worth the money. Works out to be £37.29 a month over the 2 years.