LEX ES300

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to share some pics with you of my new 2004 LS430 Chrome grille insert.

My OEM factory grille insert was just the silver/grey colour and I wanted a bit more 'bling' so the answer was to buy an aftermarket chrome grille insert that fits into the factory chrome outer piece.
I bought the grille off ebay and whilst I wasn't sure about buying from overseas, I'm glad I did and I'm very happy with it so far! The price was excellent, Postage was very fast and packaged securely. The quality is almost OEM, (the inner factory OEM piece is plastic anyway) and it fits perfectly. I will see how it stands up to the hot sun in Australia and a few washes etc, but I'm pleased so far. I will keep the old piece in my garage in case.

Took me about 40 mins to install as I was very careful and you have to undo quite a few bolts, then remove the whole grille from the car, then undo the screws that hold the inner piece into the outer chrome bit, then unscrew the lexus badge and put it on the new chrome insert then just put it back together.

The change is only subtle, and its very hard to see from the pics due to the fact that my old factory grey grille insert is quite shiny so it looks a bit like chrome in the pics. But in real life you can certainly see the difference - all chrome now.

Here's the old grille (Top) and new inner piece (Bottom)


Now here's the the old grille removed (Top) and the new chrome inner piece and badge inserted (Bottom) This is probably the best pic to SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN GRILLE COLOUR



BEFORE: (Old factory grey insert)


AFTER: (new Chrome insert) Shinier, and slightly different camera angle


I like it.

newday95

iTrader: (1)

cooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool

Viper6

give us a link where you got this. I am always leary about e-bay, but if your experience was good and fit/finish is HQ, I would want to replace my fading painted plastic piece with this...

jayclapp

I purchased a chrome grille in 2007 on ebay from delubozparts in Plano, TX. The grille was identical to the OEM, including marking/molding marks on the inside. Perfect fit and still looks like new. Excellent quality for approximately $155.

The visual difference is very subtle and I think I'm the only one that knows it's there. Still, I'm happy with it, as I'm not into drastic changes to the car and it was not a bad investment.

LEX ES300

I think it might be against forum rules to post the direct ebay link. But here are the details where you can easily search for it.

I bought mine off ebay - the sellers name is Lgrilles They are based in Hong Kong I think but don't let that put you off. I received my grille from them as pictured very quickly and they were great to deal with - just check their feedback it speaks for itself. I'm pleased with the purchase.

Look for this picture on the actual ebay listing as this is the particular one I got for my 2004 LS430. - Remember, you will need to keep your L badge from your existing grille and add this to your new grille, or you can buy a style without the hole for the 'L' emblem, they sell a grille for that too.


Hope this helps!

Also, TIP: just be careful when screwing the new insert into your old grille. You will see what I mean, - just re-use the small screws that are on your existing grille, but just make sure they line up correctly (straight) with the holes on the new grille because on one of the holes on mine, I accidentally started putting the screw in at a slight angle and I put a tiny hairline crack in one of the plastic tabs at the rear of the grille. No harm done, its still tight as, but just be gentle, put the screw in straight and don't over tighten into the plastic.

Jabberwock

Looks good.

randy808

hi I'm new to the forum can someone direct me i n the direction to find the badgeless grill

SQuester

They used to be all over eBay for $60 or so. Now I can't find any of them, unless you want to keep the L emblem($150+) or want an aftermarket JDM one($400+).

I've been looking for a good bit too.

LEX ES300

Hi Guys,

Refer to my previous posts as to where I got mine from. Use Google and google the seller name and word ebay. I looked and they still sell them and they also have ones without the L badge. As this is an old thread I think the prices have gone up slightly from when I bought mine.

Note to some: - they are plastic grilles (but then so is the OEM one!!), I still have mine on my car after all these years and it is still in perfect cond, lovely shiny chrome appearance, no peeling or anything. The only thing I noticed was that the plastic felt slightly lighter compared to the OEM one, and see my original posts when fixing it to the car with the screws, but hey the quality for the price in my opinion is still awesome, nice chrome finish, fits perfectly. Perfect option if you don't want to spend huge $$$ on a JDM one.

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

The chrome grille looks pretty good.