I8ABMR

I am thinking of ordering a body kit. My concern is the final look, paint match, and total quality. Have any of you guys out there with body kits had problems with cracking, or getting the body shop to match the paint. I have seen nightmare situations on other cars. Also how much does prep and installation go for? I want to do this, but I dont want to cheapen the car, and I want the best quality work possible

G Star

iTrader: (2)

All it takes in the end is if you're willing to pay for quality work, if you are then bring it to a highly regarded shop with a great reputation.

If you want the greated quality in kits, go with most JDM original companies like Wald, Ltuned, Artisan Spirits, Vlene, JD, etc...

The nighmare situations you've heard about were mostly just cases of a crappy body shop with low standards of quality work.

I8ABMR

I dont mind spending the extra money at all and I will take to a reputable shop rec by the dealership, but what I must have is a perfect paint match. One shop told my friend that with certain bumper materials the color is harder to match. Sounds like BS to me. He had it repainted 4 times before just accepring it with a small color variation.

I8ABMR

I am looking at the Vlene or the wald kit. Any idea on how much I should expect to pay for install?

whlkev

from my experience with about 15 body shops on my old car and looking at the kits.. here are my guess on the paint price

front addon - $350
side skirts - $400
rear addon -$300

these are the similar quotes i get from a A-list body shop in CA.

what you can do to minimize the color variation is to find out the paint that Lexus uses, sorry no clue for lexus, if you are painting bmw/mbenz/porsche, i can help you out.

make sure the body shop knows how to handle body kits, just because they are good with OEM body panels do not make them expert in aftermarket material and such.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

bumper a lot of times are plastic / abs, indeed a lot of times they have different color from the main body. matching the color on bumper is hard, especially on some colors), but not impossible.

kyang91

iTrader: (5)

I think if you go with more JDM kit you will have better quality parts, and yes I do agree that make sure you take it to a more quality shot for installment....Post some pics when you are done with it.....^^

808 GS

Before you get all picky about color matches, go outside in the sun and take a good look at your car. Look at the bumper/quarter panel, bumper/fender. The paint doesn't match already, and that's a factory job.

Most people don't even notice how off the factory parts are. They only notice when they have to get their car touched up, then they start nit picking.

If you go with a lip kit, a competent body shop should be able to blend the color onto the bumpers and you should be satisfied. If you go with full bumper replacements, the only way to get a "true match", would be to blend color onto the quarter panels and fenders. Quite a big job, but hey, if you're that picky.

I8ABMR

My car matches perfectly. I just diont want to create probs

808 GS

Then your eyes cant see the mismatch. Trust me, I do this for a living. Bumper colors do not match the body color.

ILOVEGIRLS

iTrader: (3)

fitment is not always perfect even if it is a real jdm kit. i have an aimgain kit and the whole thing needed to be reworked. i dont know how **** you are but i like my kits fitting like the oem parts do. costs money to get it right like stock but its worth it in the end. my car will be in HIN on mar 27 if you wanna take a look at the fitment and paint. the shop that is completing my car is backyard autobody. if you want me to refer you, pm me and i will give you the info.

marshmallo

The rear bumper is the area where I am least happy with the color
matching. It looks fine under low light conditions, but under direct
sunlight oh brother, it is very easy to see... Lexus does an excellent
job of making everything look seamless and tight, so any blemish sticks
out like the proverbial sore thumb.

It is ESPECIALLY hard to match if you have colors like Flint Mica (has
a bluish hue to it) or Glacier Frost. Colors that tend to look different
under different lighting conditions.

Overall, I am pleased with the changes even though it is a complete
waste of money.

marshmallo

Excellent point. I bought the supposedly higher quality version of the
kits and there were still some fitment issues.

The body shop struggled a bit with my Fabulous lip. I think they had to
heat it up a bit to make it fit.

I had to take back my Wald sideskirts because they were kind of rotating
around.

The INGS rear bumper still does not fit all that well. There are some gaps
there and there is a gap on the bumper area where they tried to put it
back on.

GatorWPB

I think the Rando kit is one of the best looking for our cars.
Too bad they dont have it out yet for the 08

Which shop and dealership do you take your car to?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i agree that almost all the time, bumper (plastic) will have different color from the body (metal). it could be very very close, but usually it's different. maybe under different lighting, angle, etc... there is a reason why a good body shop NEVER just go by the book for color codes and start mixing paint. they look at your car and match to the car. and in my case, they look at the BUMPER and match to the bumper

it's also true that jdm does NOT mean perfect fit. a lot of times work is still needed to make them fit flush or to eliminate some gap, etc... but it's about doing the right thing and support the industry as a car enthusiast. i can care less if knock offs fit better or cheaper, i have no respect for people who buy knock offs. do it once and do it right