Wood Accents

[HubJunky1]

Hey everyone,

I just got my first lexus but a few weeks ago :D Its a 97' es300 in Oyster/Grey with 48,000 miles. Now what I'm interested in upgrading in the car is having the various wood trimmed features of the 00-01 ES300's, such as the steering wheel, shifter knob, and the climate control/stereo. I like the look of the OEM wood trim more than that of the overlays they sell on eBay, So I was wondering if all of these parts will fir a 97 if I am able to acquire them?

Any input is appreciated, thanks!

-Sean Collins

PS. I'll be posting pics of my new baby soon

[amanda]

how do the overlays look different, if anyone has a minute.

[SW03ES]

Its a question of the panels being actually wood, or there being wood taped on top of them.

The steering wheel will bolt right on, check out www.americanstitches.com

As for the radio/hvac controls I'm not too sure, you may have to wind up replacing both headunits which will get expensive.

[squarehat]

For the wheel, I'd go with American Stitches, save a bundle over the factory wheel. Many satisfied customers over on the ClubLexus forums. As far as I know, the 00-01 did not have any wood on the shift knob. Also, if you're buying any parts from an 00-01 to retrofit into your 97, make sure it's a regular edition (with the brown walnut), as the Platinum/Coach editions had a reddish orange bird's eye maple instead (nice looking wood, but wouldn't match real well with the existing walnut in your 97)

[SW03ES]

If you buy the wheel new from Lexus you're looking at a 4 figure price...

Go with American stitches there, and they'll match it to your factory wood, I've never heard one negative experience here, or on CL like squarehat said.

And no, there was no wood shift lever until 2002 and that one wont fit on the previous ES because of the O/D button. American Stitches could probably create one though...

[HoeBag]

i want a wood grain steering wheel....they feel better to the touch than the leather ones for some reason

[jragosta]

I did a quick search on Google:

Simulated wood trim:

http://www.autocarparts.com/cars/Lexus/ES/...00/Accessories/

Real wod:

http://www.exoticwooddash.com/no_pop_up_Default.htm

If you spend more time with Google, you'll probably find others to choose from. I don't have any experience with either of these companies, so practice safe Internet buying.

Good luck.