Time For An Extreme Makeover

[SigDawg]

I have been a member here for a long time but never posted. . I Should start with a huge thank you to all the people who do post - I have found a ton of useful info over the years.

I have an 01 'sports' model which is essentially the canadian version of the silversport without the monotone paint and grille. nav was also not an available option for us that year (no maps yet). i have very low miles, the body style has held up and it rides well so i have decided to do a major makeover to add some features that were not available when i bought it and freshen up the exterior a bit.

what's on the menu...

paint the lower cladding and bumpers to make it a silver monotone color

update headlights, tail lights, side markers and add an hid kit.

add a silversport or coach edition grille

replace out the factory pioneer with a nav head unit

add a back up camera, bluetooth and iphone/mp3 integration

add dvd headrests

replace the power antenna, cracked mirrors and a few other cosmetics

the vehicle is is in the shop getting painted right now and i have sourced out most of the parts. next post i'll list what i have chosen and throw up some pics.

[cduluk]

That's awesome!! I had a 2003 Rx300 before my Rx400h, and i must say i miss it dearly. The RX300 still looks so modern- the curves and lines are perfect!

Do you have any idea as to what you want to do with the headlights? I'm assuming your RX300 came factory with the halogen lights, right? If so, were you planning on doing a custom projector retrofit, buying an aftermarket set, or installing the OEM HID version headlights? After doing so many retrofits on the Rx300, i'd personally stay away from trying to do a projector retrofit. They look good but they're not worth the extra work and maintenance (yes, maintaining the headlights, cleaning out the moisture, etc. is a pain) and personally i think the Rx300 factory HID reflector set-up looks beautiful. If i were you, i'd buy a used set of 01-03 OEM HID RX300 headlights and install them. HID headlights were an option for the 01-03 model years. The factory HID headlights are the same shape as the halogen type (which means the attachment points are 100% identical) but the inner workings and reflector bowl shape is quite different. The ballasts are held within the headlights also.

Here's one for sale on ebay right now: http://www.ebay.com/itm/HEADLIGHT-HEAD-LIGHT-LAMP-HEADLAMP-LEXUS-RX300-00-01-02-03-XENON-HID-/140853573965?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3ARX300&hash=item20cb86f94d&vxp=mtr

What were you planning to change about your taillights?

Definitely post pictures of your work! :) And welcome!

[SigDawg]

yeah, i agree the style and lines have held up so well for an 10+ yr old vehicle.... just personal preference but the only thing i am not so crazy about is the two-tone paint...

my gf got in a small accident and the bumper and fender molding are getting re-painted by insurance... and then i had a 6 yr old claim for a scuff on the rear bumper to get that done too... the body shop is painting the rest of the cladding for $250 (labor to take on/off cladding) got them to replace my side markers to clear as well -- should have it back early next week. :-)

for the headlights i ordered these off of ebay.. wanted to try the darker smoked look and the halos... they came with a 'free' hid conversion kit but i suspect i'll get what i paid for and be upgrading soon... we'll see. i will give a review as soon as i get them installed... i didn't know hid was an option in 01 otherwise i might have looked for the oem versions

for tail lights i went with some smoked LEDs off ebay. i'll write a review when i put them on:

[SigDawg]

btw. i ordered the factory nav upgrade kit from a member here - dcfish - seems like a good guy and easy to deal with. getting the nav headunit with a gen4 comp, most recent maps, harnesses and detailed instructions so that even a novice (me) can install. should have it next week i hope and am really looking forward to doing the install and review.

[SigDawg]

got some goodies the last couple of days.... headlights and hid kit, headrest monitors and clear side markers.

ordered some xtrons headrest monitors off of ebay based on a positive review in a post on the cl forum... $230 including shipping from china to canada, ordered on thursday and fedex delivered on monday... gave them a quick test and they seem to work fine... quality seems decent and should match the interior... i'll install when i do the nav.

headlights delivered fast as well. they i'll install them tomorrow.the included hid kit was from 'super view hid' ballasts look solid for what little that is worth, the amazon reviews are decent. i guess i'll see how it works out..

a few pics...

[cduluk]

That's great! I doubt the HID kit will last long, but you can always replace the bulbs over time. Philips make the best HID bulbs, followed by Osram. Either will last you forever.

And i'm glad you found dcfish- he's without a doubt the LOC "go to" guy for nav/radio stuff! Definitely post back with pictures when you get it installed :D

[SigDawg]

Been slow the last few days waiting for rx to get out of shop.... been a delay of nearly a week for some ball joint in the mirror bracket.... choice of driving round with mirror dangling from ceiling or driving the rental... took the rental. did see the paint job and it looks good but i might be regretting the clear side markers on silver as it looks a bit washed out.

its tough finding an 01-02 silversport/coach grille but found a harrier tourer grille. still trying to track down a silversport badge/emblem.

[cduluk]

Been slow the last few days waiting for rx to get out of shop.... been a delay of nearly a week for some ball joint in the mirror bracket.... choice of driving round with mirror dangling from ceiling or driving the rental... took the rental. did see the paint job and it looks good but i might be regretting the clear side markers on silver as it looks a bit washed out.

its tough finding an 01-02 silversport/coach grille but found a harrier tourer grille. still trying to track down a silversport badge/emblem.

It might be difficult to find the silversport "badges/emblems" as they weren't made in high quantity. In fact, if someone with a silversport were to get into an accident damaging their black emblems, the shop will have to replace all emblems with chrome ones. There aren't any of the dark badges in stock anymore. Same for gold. You might get some luck on ebay, though!

[SigDawg]

cduluk, you a right on the emblems... have searched and not found anything... also having a tough time finding a silversport or coach grille both on ebay and through auto wreckers. if anyone knows of someone selling a grille let me know, i really want to source one.

i have not posted in some time due to work and weather. i have got a lot of stuff done though. the paint job on the lower cladding on the bumpers was done and i couldn't be happier -- i think it really updates the look of the rx.

i got the new halo headlights installed along with the hid kit, led bulbs from jdmtoys for the brights and fogs as well as a led bulbs for the small parking lights. really happy with the overall look. the hid kit has been awesome but i will see how long they last. the only problem has been the drl and the led bulbs as they are very very dim on half power. i bought a drl recoder off of amazon but it didn't work... may have to move to an alternative plan.

i got the headrest dvd players in and i have been really happy with the performance -- especially for the price. the only downside is that they are not a perfect match for the black leather interior -- there is a light texture on the headrests and the color is a tiny bit lighter than the factory leather but it is close enough that most people wont notice and i can live with it.

one of favorite things has been a flip key i bought off of ebay along with a new remote/transponder key. it was easy to put together, program and get cut and saved better part of $200 over getting one from the dealership... perhaps i am just easily amused but i like the flip mechanism and it feels nicer in my pocket when not driving.

[SigDawg]

here are some photos...

[cduluk]

Looks good!!!! :D Really awesome results, i like it!

[Ronsgal]

I'm new to owning a Lexus. We purchased a 2002 RX300 with 121,000 miles but mint condition inside and out. The factory navigation system hasn't been upgraded - ever. It's a Generation 1. The dealer said we could upgrade the system for $230. I'd like to have a backup camera and bluetooth added. Have you any experience with adding these or upgrading the maps?

Thanks