swerve

I am considering buying the chromed rims as an option. I am going with a white exterior. Does anyone recommend against that, and why?

I go back and forth with the look.

lexuslover

i love it. i have chrome on my silver RX. i am definitely biased though, i have chrome on all the cars. something about lexus silver alloys don't do it for me. the new graphite wheels on some of the models (GS, RX400h, etc) are nicer, but they get dirty fast and look too dark to me.

they are pretty easy to take care of, more so than regular alloys. the dirt just wipes off.

i have the glacier frost GS, which on a very sunny days is pretty darn close to the white. here is a pic if you are curious what chrome does for white:

spikerjack

I definitely vote for getting the chrome rims. On my Black RX 350 they just stand out amazingly well and give it just a sleek, classy look. And unlike other more brash rims, the Lexus standard chrome models are very elegant.

I would get them.....love mine.

--Scott

ph_RX330

Recommended sites? I’m looking to get some chrome rims for my black rx as well. Any pics? thanks

lexuslover

lexus-parts.com is a clublexus vendor and you can get a discount through CL. it's extremely easy and basically you just wait to get the chrome ones and send yours back in the prepaid boxes. it's a great price too compared to local alternatives, and far less hassle IMHO.

here are some pics of mine (i also have the TC grille that you've been looking into):

Larry96815

Not the same chrome wheels here but aftermarket chrome for you to compare.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...Lexus05002.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...Lexus05001.jpg

Aloha,
Larry

ph_RX330

lexuslover,

thanks for the pics, yea i like those. So how much do they give you for the return ones? What was your total cost?

those look nice on the silver, I'm not sure how good the chrome ones will look on a black rx with the tc grille (no blk rx pics huh? someone? anyone!?). i cant find those rims on their site either under 2006 rx330 4x4 (2005 section has the rims but they seem to be a different style). can choose between 17, 18, or 19 inch?

Just my experience with sewells:

i bought a front bra from under the 2005 section on their site, and it didn't fit on the 2006 model, i had to get a extra hook from hardware store so the right side would reach the hole under the hood. it still kind of moved, so i ended up removing it, just wasted 130 bucks. I emailed those guys and they basically said it should fit. so im a little hesitant to buy such parts from the 2005 section. i understand rims probably won't make a difference. The mats and other lexus stuff i purchased was all good.

lexuslover

ph - the core exchange program at any shop works about the same. you get a new set of wheels first, and then send them yours. the cost of the wheels and plating reflects the "exchange" rather than just buying wheels outright and afterwards selling yours. the only caveat is that you have to have good wheels with little to no damage, otherwise it's not acceptable to the shop taking them from you. it works pretty well, and is a far better solution than getting your actual wheels chromed, b/c it will take approx 3-4 weeks, and you will either be out of a car or you have to find a temporary set of wheels and/or tires to drive around on.

i checked lexus-parts website and i don't see the pics, but the 04 18" 5-spoke wheels are identical to the 05, 06 and 07 models. the price seems very good, $410 before the 10% CL discount, and about $35 shipping. that is really cheap IMHO. it will cost you another $80-$100 to have them fitted w/ your existing tires and mounted on your RX. here is the link: http://lexus-parts.com/partdetail.as...bCategoryID=19

i bought my RX at launch, at which time there were no chrome wheels out in the market anywhere. i therefore negotiated it into the contract when i bought it, and the dealer's GM was nice and took their new demo RX and put some aftermarket wheels and shipped off the OEM 18's to be chromed. it took about 3 weeks and i went in about a month after purchase to have them switched. then they probably took mine and had them chromed, etc. etc for the 2nd RX customer who wanted them.

however, i got the GS and waited about 3 months before i decided that the graphite wheels were not doing it for me. by that time sewell had a core exchange program and the whole thing cost me less than $800. they have a full warranty and so far have been nothing but perfect. i've been very happy with them.

off-topic: sorry to hear about the trouble with the front end mask. they probably had not updated the site for 06 and didn't realize the parts were slightly different. those masks are hard to fit in general. i had one on my 98 GS and it took forever to get on and never looked quite right. i ended up taking it off after it left lines everywhere on my beautiful black GS and i have never used a mask since (or gotten another black car for that matter )

ph_RX330

black looks the best i think... u get a good feeling when u wash it... looks soo shinny..lol. silver jus looks the same always. jus a matter of taste i guess. i jus trade mine every 2 years anyway... so i dont worry abt it too much. so how much did those rims cost u?

lexuslover

i think i paid about $1200 dealers "cost" which was fine for me at the time since i had no alternative. the SC i paid about $700, GS about $800. (that's all-in cost after tax, install, etc)

don't get me wrong, i love black cars! my first lexus GS was black. just too many noticeable dings, dents and swirl marks. so i reluctantly gave it up. i would go for black again if i bought a fun weekend car that was babied, but my "beater RX" has been to hell and back and still looks brand spankin new!

ph_RX330

I kno what u mean lexuslover. but thas y u buy a different vehicle for each color. a blk rx for jus driving around... a wht bmw m3 w/blk top to keep for summer days... a silver bmw 330ci for trips but i still love the black color on all models. esp. when u wax em. looks sooo hottt. i cant wait to get off work so i can take my gurl out... i jus waxed my rx this weekend. and for those who think the rx isn't a guy thing ... jus dont knooowwwww how we roll

Club924

ph_rx330, did you end up with the chrome rims?

just purchased a 2007 RX350 (18" wheels) and would really like to chrome the rims. i like the idea of going through lexus-parts.com, and checked it out via the link posted by lexuslover. can i call to place my order? and how does one get the CL discount through lexus-parts.com? please excuse my ignorance, but is it $410 for all 4 rims?

TIA!

32kcolors

I've never liked chrome wheels on white or silver cars. They look best on black.

BN06

Out of curiousity, how much does each chrome wheel weigh? TIA

lexuslover

it does look like it's $410 for the chrome exchange. to get the discount online you just put CL911M as the discount code. or, if you want you can send an email to Darrel at DDiller@Sewell.com and let him know what you want - he will prep an invoice link for you to order the wheels.