cduluk

SW stop being such a debbie downer! :P So you're telling me if the wood in your Es300 wasn't "exactly" what you liked, you wouldn't have bought the car? I don't think muffalones has a HUGE problem with the wood, he would just like to change it now that he knows it's possible :) I've never heard of the color of wood trim being the limiting factor on a car purchase...

Here's a little tutorial i whipped up this afternoon :) The piece is drying in the oven now, but tonight i'll finish it up and post the results.

Ah yes, the thundercloud editions had that dark wood as well. I would definitely then suggest you use the tinting paint on all the other panels so they all match. It's exactly what lexus does... You don't "need to" sand before the tinting paint, but i would suggest it. Sanding allows the paint to stick better in case of an impact. It's more important on car exteriors because the elements can cause the paint to lift etc, but on the interior, the only enemy is keys falling on them, oils from your hands or rings etc... Just go over each panel with 800-1000 grit sandpaper (wet sand). A while ago i bought a center console from an rx330/350 that was in the tan color, just to experiment taking it apart. I have some of the yellow/orange birds eye maple wood trim from it (same as you do). I've got some of the tinting paint as well, i'll do a test piece and post pics, see what you think :)

According to the manufacturers site, after 2,000 - 3,000 hours the bulbs should be at the end of their life. After 2,000 hours HID bulbs should still be illuminated, just not producing as many usable lumens of light as they started at. They recommend HIB bulbs be replaced every 2 years or so because of this loss in light. You don't "need to" (not many people know about this standard) but it's recommended by the manufacturer. I'm not making this stuff up lol...

eh, my daily driver's gotta have rear doors, and some cargo space :)

I've been an active member on HIDplanet for about a year, i've done 3 HID retrofits, used 4 different types of bulbs, i've read enough to know the lumen vs time values of an 85122 philips bulb... Go find the graph, it' somewhere on there... It shows the curve of the philips 85122, 85122+, 85122WX and halogen bulb lumen values vs time.

The IS convertible might not be the best daily driver, but might be nice to have as an "extra" when you're retired and just want to cruise around on a warm sunny day :)

HID bulbs lose brightness and change color over time, it's called color shifting. An HID bulb after 1,000 hours emits the same amount of lumens as a brand new halogen bulb. It's from HIDplanet.com. There's a graph that shows lumen output over time of the 85122 philips bulb. The curve has the greatest slope from new-1,000 hours and levels off.

I wouldn't base my purchase just because of wood color, it can always be changed! :) I think Lexus would have been better off with the walnut trim in the tan interior vs the light birdseye maple... The 08-09 Rx350 pebble beach editions have the tan interior with the darker walnut trim, beautiful if you ask me!

Hm, pretty sure the dark taupe 13 will be a match to the 04-09 Rx330/350 tan dash/steering wheels too. It's not as simple as spraying it on, there's a little prep work that needs to be done first. The first step like you said is to mask off the wood parts. The next step is to wetsand (yes, wetsand, like on paint finishes) the entire leather surface, with 800grit sandpaper and water. This scuffs up the factory coating and allows the new dye to stick better. Then soak a cotton rag with rubbing alcohol, and vigorously rub the leather. This will clean the leather and allow it to dry out so the new dye will absorb into the surface, like a sponge. Then let the leather dry about an hour, then spray the dye on, maybe 1-2 thin coats (never apply to thick). You "can" just brush it on, but the finish won't come out as smooth as if you were to airbrush it on. For a small mark, you can probably get away with applying the dye with a paint brush. If you have a few areas that are worn, just redye the entire surface using an airbrush. Craft stores have airbrushes from $50-$200. And you'd need a compressor. Both handy tools to have! After you've applied the color dye, i would then add a coat of the dye clearcoat, either matte or gloss (matte is what i use, makes it look brand new). This adds protection and gives the leather a more natural appearance. The key is in the prep work. If you're only going to brush the dye on a small area, just sand the area that's going to be dyed, and rub the alcohol on the same area. Wherever alcohol touches the leather, you must dye. Alcohol removes the color from the leather and if not re-dyed, will age quickly. I would remove the wheel to have the work done, only because if not, you'll have overspray all over the interior and exterior, and it's a pain to remove once dried. The first time i ever dyed a wheel (on my rx300) i tried masking off everything, took me about an hour to mask everything off... Would've been easier to pull the wheel and do it right. The first time i pulled the rx300 steering wheel, took me a while... After pulling it and putting it back on maybe 5 or so times (re-did the wood and leather quite often) i could do it in my sleep. When i got the rx400h, it took me 15 mins to get it off. First step is to remove the neg terminal on the car's battery, since you'll need to unplug the airbag and the computer gets confused if the battery's attached. Then just re-attach after everything's installed. As soon as you have the steering wheel in your hands, it shouldn't take more than an hour to re-dye the leather. The dye takes a day or so to "fully" cure, but you can still use it, just be careful...

hmmm.... not so pretty with the top up lol...

You can get one of the "conversion kits" but you will get a lot of glare above the cutoff (blinding oncoming drivers) and you'll get less light on the road where you need it. The problem is that the stock setup is designed for a halogen bulb. A halogen bulb and a xenon bulb have different focal points. The projector bowls in your car are shaped for the focal point of the halogen bulb. If you threw in a xenon bulb, the intense spot would be misplaced and the results will be poor. If you could adjust the focal point of the xenon bulb kit, then you'd be fine.

Dude you are so helpful. Silver is a really good idea. The reason I was thinking black was because I already bought a black shifter knob. I couldn't stand the (orange) light wood knob that didn't even match the other wood in the car or the tan interior. I have little to no experience painting something like this so I am worried about the staining. I was just going to paint the trim around the shifter knob black and do the rest of the wood later, but the silver may be better. Either way there is both silver and black around the stereo so it shouldn't look too bad. Removing the factory clearcoat looks awful to do, so the steering wheel is probably just getting a cover. Maybe I should get a piece of trim to practice on. Any idea what kind of paint or clearcoat to use? Thanks. God, I'm jealous of your car..... When you say you bought a black shifter knob, did you buy a black 'leather' one or one of the black 'wood' knobs? Some of the 04-09 Rx's came with this blackish-gray wood trim vs the brown or orange as you have now. If you got the black 'wood' type knob, you could try spraying the surrounding wood pieces with some tail light tinting paint (VHT makes one). It's basically tinting in a paint form, translucent gray (as opposed to the red translucent paint i used). This might give the wood that gray look to match. I think it would look pretty cool! If you don't have a lot of experience with painting, do a few tests. Get things around the house you don't care about and practice. As soon as you get the hang of it, it's not that bad. You could mask all the interior panels off (leaving only the wood pieces exposed) and spray a coat of the tinting paint, let try and coat with a few coats of clearcoat. I think it would look really cool! I use a two part clear, the same type used on car finishes. It's by Nason Dupont, 486-00 and a mid temp activator. A qt of the clear and pint of the activator comes to about $60 dollars or so. Then you'd need an airbrush and a compressor... If i were you, i'd just get one of the clearcoats in a regular spray can, you can find them at autozone or another car place like that. I wish i was around your location i would help you out! I would say remove the pieces and send them to me, but they're a pain in the butt to remove. The only easy ones are the ones surrounding the shifter.

Jeffstpetebeach no prob, PM me with you address and i can send you the dye and manual :)

Jeffstpetebeach, send me a PM with your address info and i'll send it out to you :)

If you want to re-dye the leather yourself, you can purchase a bottle of leather dye from magicmender.com and spray it on. What color interior do you have? If it's the tan (same for all 99-03 Rx300's) the upper dash/steering wheel color is "dark taupe #13". Not sure about the gray or black though. Or you could just buy another steering wheel on ebay. They go for about $50 the 99-00 versions and $200 for the 01-03 wood/leather ones.

Hey guys and gals! I used to have a 2003 Rx300 and purchased a parts manual to help me determine part numbers etc. if anything were to break. I've since traded in the Rx300 and still have the parts manual. Since i don't need it, i thought someone on here might want it? It doesn't specify the year Rx300, but has parts for both 99-00 and 01-03 Rx300's, so you should be covered. I got the manual on ebay a few years ago, honestly don't know where it's from. It seems to be part of a larger manual, as the first page is for the LX. But this packet does include everything for the rx300. For all the mods :D i just want to state i do not intend to make any profits. I am not trying to solicit on the forum, i just thought someone might want it since i don't need it. If this is not allowed, PLEASE do not ban me, just let me know or delete the thread... I am not deliberately trying to break any rules <_< I am not asking for any money (it's against the forum rules) but i can cover the stamp. When you give me your address i'll just plop it in an envelope and send it out. The first person to post and say they want it, gets it :) If you have any questions please ask. Here are some pictures:

Hey guys and gals! I used to have a 2003 Rx300 and purchased some leather dye from "magicmender.com" to touch up some spots on the seats. I've since traded in the Rx300 and have a bottle of the leather dye left over. Since i don't need it, i thought someone on here might want it? It matches the tan (only options were tan, black or gray) of all 99-03 Rx300's. It can be airbrushed or dabbed on with a paintbrush or paper towel etc... The stuff is a PERFECT match and holds up very well. It's water based, can be cleaned up with water. The bottle is 6oz and it's about 90% filled. For all the mods :D i just want to state i do not intend to make any profits. I am not trying to solicit on the forum, i just thought someone might want it since i don't need it. If this is not allowed, PLEASE do not ban me, just let me know or delete the thread... I am not deliberately trying to break any rules <_< I am not asking for any money (it's against the forum rules) but if you can pay for shipping it would be REALLY appreciated! It's around $6.00 in the USA through priority mail with delivery confirmation with USPS. If you are in Canada or outside of the US, it would be $12 registered mail. This bottle is $24.95 from magicmender so hopefully you guys can try this before you buy larger amounts? The first person to post and say they want it, gets it :) If you want to make a donation to the "shipping fund" :P you can post your paypal address and i'll send you an invoice for the shipping charge, but again, it's OK if you don't. ;) If you have any questions please ask. If you have any questions about the dye itself, i'll help the best i can, but you can go to magicmender.com for more details. It's really simple to use and works great if you have abrasion marks etc in the leather. Here are some pictures: Thanks!

Hey guys and gals, I was at the lexus dealership today having the Rx serviced, and had some time to kill. I walked around the showroom as i usually do, and noticed a new model i'd never seen before. It was an IS convertible! I think it was called the IS250c? I'm gonna be honest- i don't really like the regular IS350/250. Just don't. I think they're too small and there are other reason's i can't explain, let's just leave it at that... But i do have to say, i like the Is250c! I think it's PERFECT. It's the right size for a convertible, it's shaped perfectly IMO. I had my girlfriend with me, couldn't get her away from it. I was in this white color with the slightest tint of light blue, a magnificent color! The interior was beautiful. The leather the softest leather i'd ever felt, a pure white color as well. Then i sat in the standard 4-door IS350/250. Didn't like it. I really can't explain it- why i like this IS convertible which is basically the same as the regular IS, yet don't like the regular IS. I just think the IS "looks" fit better on a convertible rather than a 4 door sedan. Just thought i'd share my impressions! It might be a little "girly" but i have a lot of respect for it's style and... everything about it! I also spent some time with the 010 Rx450h too (they told me it arrived this Monday)- yeah, not the same impressions. Besides the new car smell, i wouldn't pay $55,000 for one...

Yeah, they really don't care. Service couldn't care less about their sales department's profits lol...

How did the fluid look when you drained it? I know this "CVT" transmission is a new technology, not sure if there's a lot more friction going on in there. Coming from an Rx300 (which is plagued with bad tranny design) i can't help but wonder if i should take preventative measures on the rx400h transmission?

Has the car ever been in a collision? If so, the antenna may have been tampered with. Try to locate the nav antenna and take a look.

haha :D

Yeah, 3,000 hours is a short time but that's the manufacturer's estimate for the lifespan, at least before they should be replaced. HID bulbs lose a LOT of light as they age. After 1,000 hours they've got the intensity of standard halogen bulbs... I've spent quite a lot of time on hidplanet.com, where they talk about HID retrofits and everything HID. The best ballasts are the denso ballasts used on all of the toyota and lexus models. They're practically impossible to kill. I've heard of maybe one or two cases of them burning out, just anomalies though.