2005 Rx330 Mods Suggestions/help

[Richard_K]

So i just got a 2005 Black RX330 FWD w/o Nav. after i totaling my 2004 ES330, I have had the RX for about a week and i seem to see this car (just as i did the ES) everywhere i go and i just really want to do some things to set the car apart from all of the other RX's i see on a daily basis. I have been searching online a bit to try to find something but have been rather unsuccessful, I have a few questions over a few things and would love any feed back (suggestions, websites, general comments etc.) any help is truly appreciated.

1. Grille - I have seen the strut kits they make for the range rover and looked them up, they make the kit for so many vehicles but sadly the RX is not one of them. i would love a kit of that sort or grille if anyone knows where to find one and/or what would look good.

2. Lexus emblems - I would love to make both of my front and rear "L" emblems black. Would it be better to buy OEM black emblems (if they exist) or paint my existing emblems OR purchase new emblems and paint them?

3. Headlights - Now i know that my RX did not come with HID's and i have looked around on this sight and seen that if i want a true conversion to HID's that it will cost me an arm and a leg. why is that? if reasonably priced what would be the best kit to go with? if not,which bulbs should i replace my stock ones to get the best/brightest look?

4. Taillights - What would be the best way to "black out" my tail lights?

5. Rims - i have gone back and forth on this, rims just don't seem to look right on an RX. what do you think?

6. Interior - Any suggestions on the interior of the RX?

[cduluk]

1. Grille - I have seen the strut kits they make for the range rover and looked them up, they make the kit for so many vehicles but sadly the RX is not one of them. i would love a kit of that sort or grille if anyone knows where to find one and/or what would look good.

There are a few different types of grilles available for the 04-09 RX. There's the 04-06 version, the slightly upgraded 07-09 version (not much different IMO) then there's the Thundercloud ed. grille (one i have on my car now, yet not pictured in my signature) and there's the 400h grille. There's also a honeycomb version on ebay somewhere... Just check on ebay there are many different types. <_<

2. Lexus emblems - I would love to make both of my front and rear "L" emblems black. Would it be better to buy OEM black emblems (if they exist) or paint my existing emblems OR purchase new emblems and paint them?

Personally i would upgrade to the 2008 Rx400h emblems. :D They're silver but they have blue accents around the chrome. Very beautiful! But if you don't like the look, you can make yours black as there are a few options. I don't believe the 04-09 RX came with a factory option for black emblems though. I know some of the earlier Lexus' did (sort of black tinted chrome), but i hardly doubt they'd be the same size as the RX emblems as they're quite large... You can either buy a spare set and spray-paint them black, or spray-paint them with VHT "nite shades" tinting spray. It's a paint that's used to paint taillights to give them that "black" tinted look. I've found that it's near impossible to get an even finish and a nice shine, but it 'might' work on the emblems. Although i predict the "edges" of the emblem will not retain the stain, and might come out looking awkward... but you can give it a try. Try to heat the emblem up before spraying (keep them in the sun) so the paint dries before it can 'run'. ;)

3. Headlights - Now i know that my RX did not come with HID's and i have looked around on this sight and seen that if i want a true conversion to HID's that it will cost me an arm and a leg. why is that? if reasonably priced what would be the best kit to go with? if not,which bulbs should i replace my stock ones to get the best/brightest look?

Hmm, many options here. Personally i would NEVER just throw in an HID "kit" into a halogen unit. You'd get tons of glare, and the "reflector type" HID headlights are becoming a thing of the past. Projectors are now being used with HID on new cars. The 04-09 Rx's came with 2 types of HID headlights, both looking identical. Difference is in internal components. One type is HID with a projector that is able to move left and right based on your steering (called AFS). The second type of HID uses a similar (but different) projector but does not have the AFS parts. It's fixed in position. Both HID types also have auto-leveling, where the beams move upwards and downwards based on ride height etc.

Personally, i would pick myself up a pair of the 07-09 Rx350 HID AFS type HID headlights from ebay, maybe $200/pair complete with bulb and ballast. STAY AWAY FROM 04-06 YEARS- they had major condensation issues. The 07-09 will fit in your car no problem, only difference b/t years is the way they seal them. And with a little wiring, you could wire your present low beam wires to the ballast in the HID unit which would light up the HID bulb just fine. And wire the rest of the bulbs in the headlights as well. Would require a lot of custom wiring, but would be totally worth it. :D

I would NOT go with the non-AFS type because the projector cannot compare in performance to the AFS projector. I don't know why Denso did that, but they did... And keep in mind as of right now, there's no method to retrofit the AFS and/or the auto-leveling to function on a non-HID equipped car... So you would just leave those functions OFF on the headlights.

4. Taillights - What would be the best way to "black out" my tail lights?

Basically two options here- one is a "spray", like i mentioned above, but it's very unlikely you will get an even finish, ESPECIALLY since the RX taillights are chrome and not red to begin with. You would definitely be able to see dust or any imperfections in the spray. The second method is to apply a "tint" to the taillights, kind of like tinting a window... But again i highly doubt you'd be able to get it just right... I've worked with tinting film before, and it's a pain in the bum. So i don't really know which method i would choose if i wanted my tails blacked out... probably just do a lot of testing with the spray and do my best.

5. Rims - i have gone back and forth on this, rims just don't seem to look right on an RX. what do you think?

I agree 100%. I searched through catalogs and catalogs and sites like cardomain.com and such, and couldn't find ONE set of aftermarket wheels i thought looked very elegant on the Rx400h (same as yours...). I ended up finding a set of factory 400h wheels that had been chromed on ebay WITH tires for $1300. I like the style of the stock rims (similar to yours) the best. I believe the rims were updated for the 07 rx350 from the 04-06 rx330, but i could be wrong... I'd check ebay.

6. Interior - Any suggestions on the interior of the RX?

Ah! My specialty <_< You can follow the links in my signature as i've done a lot of custom work in the interior of my Rx400h and old Rx300. What interior color is your RX? If you have the tan leather you'll notice the wood used is sort of a yellow-ish color (which i personally can't stand) but you can change the stain to anything you want. It's just a long project as getting the wood pieces removed is a bit of a hassle. I also replaced the stock steering wheel, airbag and radio controls to one from the 05-06 ES. I just liked the styling better... and the controls are a direct replacement into the clockspring. But other than the wood, some simple things you can upgrade are the dome lights and such. I switched all my interior lights to white LED's (replacement bulbs on ebay) to make everything more "modern". I also did some upgrades into the gauge display, but it's a bit of a hassle as well...

There are SO many things you can do to make your RX stand out from the rest. <_<

[Richard_K]

Well thank you for the suggestions Cduluk, as for everyone else who may have read this, COME ON!. I know out of the 50 or so views i have seen at least one person has a suggestion/thought/idea/critical comment or something that would be helpful.

and btw Cduluk the wood interior you have done looks absolutely amazing.

Anyway i had another idea come to me the other day as I was thinking about what i may or may not do to the RX. What do you (Lexus Community) Think about putting on a set of black rims with a red lip and painting all of my emblems(The "L", "Lexus" and "RX330") a matching red?

[RX in NC]

Okay, since you prodded me I'll give you my honest opinion....

The RX line is a stoic, bland, relatively poor-handling people-hauler. It's not a performance vehicle and it never will be. Don't try to dress it up like one. Save your trick-out money for the maintenance you'll need to do on it....

That's one guy's opinion. Glad you asked now?

[SW03ES]

Yeah and if you aren't careful you can get to a point where the vehicle really looks like a characature of itself, things like wheels with red lips...etc...I think are best suited to Honda Civics...

[Richard_K]

well thank you for the honest opinions. As to what I am going for, i am not trying to "trick it out" as some would say, I mean hell i know I am certainly not driving an AMG Mercedes but i can at least make the RX look a tad bit unique seeing as i see about 10 RX's 6 of them being black like mine everywhere i go. As for your opinion SW03ES, im pretty sure i was thinking the same thing and just needed it reinforced ;)

[cduluk]

Yeah, i would stay away from changing the wheels too much <_<

Modifications that keep the OEM look work better with the RX in my opinion.

I actually noticed a 400h on ebay with blacked out emblems. Not sure if they're an OEM version or what, but they're... interesting.

If they are indeed OEM, any lexus dealer or autobody shop can look up part numbers with the VIN. That car's VIN is JTJHW31U272017558.

A little warning, the front emblem for the 400h is a different size than the emblem of the rx330/350. And you would need to figure out what to do with the "400h" since yours is a 330...

[Richard_K]

Hey thanks man, good looking out.

Though I have to say that car looks like it just has really dirty emblems...

[cduluk]

Hey thanks man, good looking out.

Though I have to say that car looks like it just has really dirty emblems...

I agree, it isn't very nice looking.

It might look better against black (since it will have better contrast) but who knows... My opinion the best emblems are still the ones for the 08 400h (with the blue accents) <_<

[cduluk]

... or if you want the red theme, there's these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/LEXUS-L-RED...sQ5fAccessories

[Richard_K]

Yea i have seen those too and am still considering it seeing as it would still look unique and i personally have never seen those emblems on any car. I came across those a week or so ago, i just cannot decide if i want that really bold red emblem or just a little tweak on the stock "L". Though i have found i mesh grille i think i am going to go with, though its just one more thing i am on the fence about. I am rather indecisive because i just feel like it has to be perfect because i dont want to get something and then not be pleased with the turn out.

[cduluk]

That's a nice grille, although i think it'll be a little too much chrome. That's one of those things you've gotta see in person before making a definite decision <_<

[SW03ES]

Those are the OEM black pearl badges. They look better on light colored cars IMHO

[cduluk]

Those are the OEM black pearl badges. They look better on light colored cars IMHO

Did the 400h have an option for the black pearl badges? What package would that be in?

[SW03ES]

I've never seen an RX400h with black pearl badges. They're kinda...early '00s. Although thats a 400h in that picture...so I guess they have them.

It was never in a package, purely a dealer installed thing like the gold badges. The Platinum Edition Lexus vehicles in 2000 had these badges...so did the RX300 Silversport though.

[rme]

Kudo's for you in wanting to make your Lexus look like yours. I'm in the same boat and was hoping someone on this blog could tell me where to buy a bull bar for the front!!

[bergi85]

I'm not 100% on this, but I know they made the Pebble Beach Edition and I seem to remember that the emblems were darkened like that. Also the rims on that edition are way nice, I want to get some for my RX300 if anyone knows where to pick some up that would be great!

[cduluk]

Pebble beach was only optional on the 2009 RX350 and the emblems were still chrome...