Need A Little Help Buying Parts From Carson Toyota/lexus/scion

[cduluk]

Hey guys,

I've noticed that the silver "window switch bezels" on the interior doors of my Rx400h have several scratches in the finish, showing some unsightly black lines beneath.

Here's the drivers side switch bezel: (just imagine it scratched up)

At first, i thought they might be "scuffs" since i couldn't grab the scratches with my nail, but it's just that the silver painted finish is SO thin, it doesn't take much to scratch the silver paint off.

I thought i could touch-up the scratches. I went to Autozone, bought some silver paints and mixed a perfect match and tried every method in the book to touch them up. NOT HAPPENING... The factory finish is so darn thin, i couldn't touch it up to match. So i experimented with the drivers side one, shooting the entire bezel with silver... I STILL couldn't get it right. I tried coat after coat, but couldn't figure out how my sample matched perfectly, yet i couldn't get the right finish on the bezel. After each coat the finish became thicker and thicker, until i realized i ruined the darn thing... It was a disaster!

I immediately went on ebay looking for a replacement, being shocked at the prices. I found two available, for over $200, but they included the black switches (which mine are fine, it's only the silver trim that's damaged).

I thought just for the heck of it though, maybe i'd try Carson toyota/lexus/scion online to see what they offered for the units... I typed in my car's info; year 2008, model rx400h, and went through the search. Low and behold, they sell the silver painted bezels SEPARATELY from the black switches!! Not only that, but each bezel was only about $28!!!!! I love their discounts too!

So i ordered each one, since all of them are REALLY beat up. I figured when i got them, i'd clear them with a two part clear with a matte additive, get them to have a nice hard finish so they wouldn't get beat up in the future...

This was the order:

Item: Front door, Interior trim, Switch bezel, Switch bezel Right

Price: $28.37

Tax: $0.00

Qty: 1

Total: $28.37

Item: Front door, Interior trim, Switch bezel, Switch bezel Left

Price: $24.66

Tax: $0.00

Qty: 1

Total: $24.66

Item: Rear door, Interior trim, Switch bezel, Switch bezel Right

Price: $29.61

Tax: $0.00

Qty: 1

Total: $29.61

Item: Rear door, Interior trim, Switch bezel, Switch bezel Left

Price: $29.61

Tax: $0.00

Qty: 1

Total: $29.61

-----------------------------

Items Total: $112.25

I thought this was incredibly reasonable since i was going to spend $200 JUST for the drivers one from ebay. So i placed the order.

But, again, just for the heck of it, i did a search for the same parts just from a 2004 Rx330, since (i thought) all of the 04-09 Rx330/350/400h's shared the same switch bezels.

So i entered year 2004, model rx330 etc and went through the same search. Well, i got different results this time! I got an interesting prompt asking me to choose between Japan built or US built. I was like wahh?? I selected japan built, and the prices were the same as what i payed when i searched for the Rx400h. BUT, i went back, and selected US built, and the prices were now about $5 lower for each bezel! The diagram was the same, showing the same bezel, same title, (just the numbers were changed) and it was giving me a cheaper price for each of them.

This is what i got when searching for the 08 Rx400h:

I went to - Front Door - Interior trim - Switch bezel: and it brought me to this page. No prompt for US or Japan built...

But when i selected 2004 Rx330, this is what i got, using the same exact search steps:

If i were to purchase the complete set of "US Built" bezels, this would be the final order:

I payed $112 for the Japan built ones, but here if i bought the US built ones, it would be $94. That's a HUGE difference!

At this point i figured i must have missed something. I went back and did a search for the 2006 and 2007 Rx400h's but again, no prompt for which location. I did a search for every 04-09 Rx330/350, and i got the darn prompt! I take it that all Rx400h's are Japan built, and that the 04-09 Rx330/350's have varying locations??

But why the heck the difference in price just because of location? The parts look IDENTICAL.

So then i checked the actual black "switches" using the same search. Well, like the bezels, a HUGE difference in price. Rx400's no prompt, but the prompt for the other year models. The Japan built switches for the drivers side are $507, while the US built ones are $493.

What the heck?? They look IDENTICAL between years and models. Could it be they're somewhat shaped differently beneath the bezels? But to be SO different in price??

Anyone else experience this or know what's up? Should i call Carson and tell them to send me the "US" built ones for the better price? I can't imagine there would be such a difference in price just because of the location they were made. I also wondered if they were each painted differently, but i know my Rx400h ones are as soft as heck, but they're more expensive than the US ones? lol

Thanks for any input guys lol...

[1990LS400]

Do you really think the difference between $112 and $94 is HUGE? To quote Barney Frank's recent comment: ""On what planet do you spend most of your time?"‎

I have to be careful when buying parts for our Japanese built Camry since some of the parts on it are different than on Camrys assembled in the U.S. I never regarded this or the occasional small price differences as a big deal. This is nothing at all unusual -- identical looking Fords assembled in multiple countries haven't necessarily shared the same parts either.

Of course, I'm not trying to fix every little scratch and blemish on our cars ... I generally replace a non-maintenance part only when it is broken to the extent that it doesn't work.

[cduluk]

It's $18 difference. That would have been enough for me to upgrade my shipping to 2nd day from ground...

It just seems like a lot of difference for a part that looks IDENTICAL... I'm wondering if there's really any mechanical difference other than the fact it was made somewhere else? How would lexus benefit from having to make two different designs for something so simple. Just send the same plans to both factories...

So do you think there's any REAL difference?

[1990LS400]

So do you think there's any REAL difference?

Absolutely, there can be a REAL difference. I even have to be careful when buying wiper blade refills for our Camry due to the Japanese made Camrys having different wiper blades than Camrys made in the U.S. Even the Toyota dealer has a hard time keeping track of which is which.

I have no idea why the parts are sometimes slightly different. You have to remember that Toyota/Lexus mainly assembles cars but, like most other automakers, relies on hundreds (thousands?) of outside suppliers to manufacture the parts for them. You would think that all parts suppliers would be using the same specs and designs, wouldn't you. It is odd. Why don't you call or write Lexus customer service, ask why and then report back to us. I've asked them a number of questions over the past 19+ years, including some trivial ones, and they have always come up with an answer.