Need To Replate My Emblems

[basao]

I'm finally going to repaint my 96 ES300 after 180k miles. I'm changing the paint scheme from the original pearl white/bronze two-tone to a straight white/dark silver and would like to replate my emblems to a gunmetal type finish. They presently are gold plated but badly faded due to years of parking in the sun and exposure to elements. Anyone have any suggestions on how or where I can get this done? Any kits, shorcuts or alternatives? The painting will happen within a week and I guess I can get the emblems done later but would sure like to have them ready to mount when the paint is done. Shout out to all you Lexus gurus - I need some kokua (that's "assistance" or "help" in Hawaiian). I could sure use some guidance.

[gbhrps]

The gold plated emblems were just that, plated with gold that was VERY thin. They didn't take kindly to being brushed and polished often.

As far as other options, eBay has chrome sets and gold sets available all of the time. Gun metal grey is not available. What you might do is to completely remove the gold from your old set. It'll take some rubbing and a some fine rubbing compound, and then repaint them the colour you want. Anything is possible. Good Luck!

[LALVLexus]

I recently went through the task of replacing my '96 ES300 emblems. They were in fine shape--but gold. Very 90s. Because they have adhesive backing + the little plastic bit that goes into the body they are virtually impossible to remove without damaging. It's also quite fun to get the adhesive residue off the car.

I looked into new emblems on e-bay but be warned: most of them are non-OEM. When I inquired about the front hood emblem being curved for the contoured hood I was told they were not but that I could make them fit. Yeah right--these are made of plastic and too much bending will result in cracking or the early peeling of the plating. Other supposedly complete OEM quality sets were not factory so did not have the little plastic part that fits into the hole and aligns the emblem.

My solution: lexuspartsonline.com

Rudy responded immediately to my inquiry, gave me the Lexus part no's etc. According to him they get them from a Lexus dealership (they're actually a Toyota dealership with an online store). OEM parts. And cheaper than the complete sets on e-bay ($95 including shipping).

Note: they are currently being shipped to me so I can't yet comment as to true OEM status or quality. I'll post when I get it.

In your case with your new paint chrome would look good. With fresh ones you could lightly sand them and have them painted by the shop. Further warning: sometimes automotive paint can "melt" plastic so consult with your bodyshop on what you want.

Hope this helps.

[LALVLexus]

Update: I received my emblems today and they are indeed OEM. Fit perfectly. The "LEXUS" emblem for the left rear trunklid did not have the plastic part that fit into the existing hole (although the part / pkg was marked with OEM sticker) so perhaps this is because Lexus made so many vehicles they wanted to make more of a one-part-fits-all for that particular item. It was easy to place it on the trunk lid (just make sure it's even from the lower edge) and all the parts had the sticky tape on them as well.

Install was a breeze and IMHO they look so much better than the gold package (with all due apologies to those who like that kind of 90s thing).

[Lexucan]

You might consider Black Pearl OEM emblems. I think they would look great with your new color scheme. As far as gold is concerned, they always seem to look so weathered and bad after years of sunshine and repeated car washes. I recently saw a '90's Acura TL that had a gold plated grille...man, did it look awful! With all the times the grille must have been scrubbed over the years there were some spots that had no plating left at all, and other spots where it was still kinda shiny, but on the whole, it was like three different shades of ugly! Do ppl who buy a new car and want the "gold package" actually have to pay extra for that ish? :(