leather and paint protection?
 

Hi all,
I just bought the 2016 I4 TLX tech, and want to know what type of product would you guys recommend to keep the leather seats from being fade and damage by the sun? Also what type of wax/sealant to prevent or help reduce the rail dust (I think that's what it called)? I got a white one and notice bunch of tiny yellow/brown dots all over my hood =\

the best interior protection is keeping it out of the sun. keep it garaged at home and at the office! if not possible, get your windows tinted and put up a sun shade.

rail dust, or iron, came from transporting the car.
i would advise to fully detail the car by a pro!
unless you want to tackle this endeavor yourself.
you'll want to pick up a few detailing supplies like; buckets, grit guards, microfiber cloths, microfiber weave cloth(for drying), claybar, car shampoo and a sealant.

to get the iron bits off, you'll need to claybar the car or use a product called IronX.

then you'll want to seal the car with a sealant.


you can browse youtube.com and it will show you videos on how to properly wash and detail your car

Wow! You beat me to that advice by about a minute :D

I was going to recommend the tinted windows and garaging if at all possible as well. I did have a treatment applied right after I bought my car last February and as far as I can tell it is holding up well. I don't abuse my interior and normally ride alone so it may take longer for a true evaluation.

The paint protection is a little more involved. Immediately after I bought my car I had Opti-Coat Pro applied by a detailer. The first thing he did was to prep the paint because anything on the paint will be sealed in. The detailer also used Optimum products on the interior as I mentioned above.

I've had the coating for going on 16 months now and I can say I'm still impressed with how easily it cleans up and the water just beads and runs off.

In summation, I'd suggest doing some research because there are many products available and I can only speak about the brand I got. Also, if you have "rail dust" that may be something to take to the dealer and have them look at it and perhaps make that right. It is also something that is "normally" acquired during the train ride to your dealer so it isn't something that you'll get more of in the wild.

Hope this helps. Keep us informed on what you decide.

Man, Justin was typing pretty much the same info I was but he beat me by a few minutes because of my long winded reply. Still, very informative as always.

LOL! thats why I broke it up into two sections.

I enjoy detailing and learned from websites like this one and of course, youtube.com

its very important to know the terminology and the whys!
so, that you'lll be on the same page as us and you will know what causes most defects, and can take the appropriate actions to fix said defects

:cheers:

This was the best detail and care blog/series i ever read back in the day....
2006 Acura TL in Nighthawk Black Pearl (part 1) | Ask a Pro Blog

^still is one of the best

hahaha yes yes, wrap the car and lock it the garage would be the best method. Thanks for that awesome idea ;)

I did searched and most people recommended clay or ironx. I'll use ironx and clay if need to for the remaining particles.
This is my first time having leather interior so I just want to get it protected, or at least, prolong the damage.

Thanks guys!

the thing is; its not really leather.

you cannot apply a product to protect fake leather. thus why both hoosierTLX and myself suggested keeping it garaged. and if its not possible, tint and sun shade is a valid answer.


you have to get up to speed on the terminology.


also, if you're not sealing the car after removing the iron particles, you may end up ruining the the clear coat over time....
the paint needs to be protected with a product (sealant) so the harmful UV rays dont eat up the clear.

watch youtube.com

Will do, thanks again.

The best paint protectionI ever had applied was 22PLE. Glass coat. Hydrophobic. Car Wash is all I needed after. Paint looked amazing 2 years later and beads ran right off.

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :toocool::toocool::toocool:

That's truly amazing.

I may have missed it, but did you pick the car up like that or did it happen afterwards? I would've made the dealership clean it up if you picked it up like that. (Yeah, I know... that presents potential issues of its own... lol)

No, I checked before I left the dealership. This happened afterward. I just ordered some clay bars, sealant and the iron x. Hopefully this will take care of it and block some from embedded on my hood.

The best thing to prevent fade is tinted windows as UV is what causes fade. Then use a windshield screen when parked in sun. For treating the leather I have use LeatherCPR, but the leather in the TLX reminds me of the leather in the 3G it is nowhere near as good as the 4G Tech. Nothing you put on the leather is going to hold up long term to protect from UV.

Cool, thanks all. I just want to see what's else I can do beside tint and sunshade.

Not sure if I should start another post or continue here. For Bellanova White on our TLX, is it safe to use Iron X? Not sure if the color contain any metallic flakes or not and I am afraid the Iron X will ruin the clear coat. Anyone has any ideas?

One of the very best is . A bit expensive though. I use it for all intern and extern plastics and rubbers.

For the 'rail dust' and similar contaminants, try before waxing (as it removes it) Iron-X, a spectacular product in my experience. I heard that Sonax does the same.

I use a polymer-based wax 'Nu Finish' 3x times a year, not the best aesthetically, but very long-lasting. Between wax coats, I also use Meguiar Quik Detailer, that gives a beautiful wet look.

the first step in detailing is identifying the problem.
there's no sense in throwing a product at it and getting an unintended outcome.

identify and then assess.

is it rail dust? or is it just crap embedded in the paint?

a clay bar is intended to pick up anything in the paint and will make for a clean canvass.

Did you watch youtube????
I promise you, everything you ever wanted to know in great detail is on youtube.

I can write out Hours and HOURS and HOURS of advice, but you probably wont pick it up, until you understand the 'whys'

youtube will help you understand the 'whys'

if you understand why a product wont protect 'fake' leather, then you'll get a better understanding on how to be proactive and protect the interior.

same thing with paint defects.
if you understand what caused the defect, you can better understand on how to tackle and correct the defect!

oh and 'apply on a inconspicuous spot, first' isnt just a fun saying.

its solid advice! always start off with the least aggressive product and wash media and step your way up to a more aggressive media/product

I did searched around and the closet to what I have "could" be rail dust. Youtube does showed how to use it, but I cannot tell if their car color is metallic paint or not, which is why I am a bit confuse and worry.
I used a bit of wax that I have laying around, Nu Finish, and it did not remove any. Already got the clay bar, sealant and the Iron X. I'll get some work done this weekend and see what happen. Thanks all.

I own a white car as well, and those orange specs are inevitable. Iron-X is also fine on our cars, it dissolves surface metallic contaminants, not the paint itself.

To stay on top of it, clay the car once a year, or more often if you have the time, and use a high quality sealant over a wax which won't last as long. I am currently loving the protection, longevity, ease of use, and water beading of Sonax Polymer Net Shield with their quick detailer after washes to give it a boost. Made it through the past winter with no issues, and still looks great, but you'd find the same for products from Blackfire, Pinnacle, Wolfgang, etc, etc, etc.

To keep that finish lasting use car wash soaps, and wash your car yourself.

For interiors, the Advance models have leather, but everything else has leatherette, and 303's interior protectant actually has UV protection, and gives a nice sheen that's not shiny/greasy looking.

Thanks Mr. Hyde. I bought the Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax 2.0. Hope that will do the job just fine. I've heard the 303 product, never try it yet but will look into it.

In this part of the country you need the best tint out there. On my 2006 TSX I installed a very good (and expensive) tint the same day I bought the car and later put 80% on the windshield. When I traded in the car after 9 years the seats looked like new. I put 3M Crystalline on the TLX the first week and a ceramic 80% on the windshield and I expect the internal materials will hold up pretty well on this car too, and of course the car is much more comfortable to sit in a drive. It is not cheap but I think over the life of the car you get it back.

can you link the youtube link again?

Lexol Vinylex works very well. No greasy look and uses less harmful chemicals unlike like Aerospace 303.

I agree with the advice in this topic. When I got my '16 TLX, I got windows tinted within a few days, took about 3 hours during a weekday. I went with Huper Optic ceramic tint, bout $450, as this blocks not only UV, but does a great job reflecting infrared rays that build up the heat. I checked the manufacturers specs and Huper and 3M were the best. Then I got a custom sun screen from JC Whitney (UV100?) for $50, and I love it. I can leave my car outside in Houston in the summer and after an hour, there is not that much heat buildup (mine is the silver bluish color with light interior, I dislike heat). One of the payoffs is that when you get in and turn on the A/C in the summer, it cools off faster. If you leave it in the sun all day, it will be hot, there are no miracles, but it would still be hotter without the heat reflectors.

I clay bar'd mine in the fall when it was cooler, and sealed with Meguires NXT 2.0 liquid. I got a lot of crap off the top surfaces, not so much off the sides. It beads water like crazy. I'll hit it with NXT 2.0 again this fall, when it cools off.

On our way back from La. with the wife driving 65 MPH, we got 44.5 MPG, V6, with the IDS set on economy, and on cruise control. I burn premium, and that's the best we ever have done. I remain impressed with this car.

By the way, my hobby is the stock market and I blog on FaceBook at Rich Investing, if anyone is interested.

After all the advises I got from here (except justnspace for keeping it out of the sun :loco: ), I used the clay bar and get rid of 90% of the dust rail off of my car. I got tired so there are some left over on the doors and roof lol. I also used Meguires NXT 2.0. I hope that's a good sealant. Planning to redo sometime this month =)

I went to the Meguires site and was reading in their forum before I bought the NXT. One of their employees said a wax just goes on over the paint and a sealant bonds with the paint giving a more durable finish. That employee said he uses NXT 2.0, he said it was a sealant and the liquid works just as well as the paste and it is easier to put on and take off. My job has held up well, I am very satisfied.

I try to clay bar and wax in the fall or spring when the weather is nice, maybe a bit cooler. Then I tend to last longer.