The external door handles on both the ES and LS appear to identical, though the LS has a chrome strip on it which I find really dresses up the car. There are plastic add-ons you can get but it's not quite the same. Looking at some part listings online they appear structurally identical except for the trim piece, though, of course, they have different part numbers.

1 - Does anyone know if they are actually interchangeable? It seems they would be.

2 - Anyone know how hard they would be to swap out? Is that something the dealer could do or a body or customizing shop?

Thanks,

 

How closely have you looked at them? How sure are you that they should have identical fitment? Even if the internals are different, it might be possible to disassemble two handles and swap just the shell of the handle if you really want to, but you need to be sure that they really are the same mold minus the trim. By this I mean that if they are truly the same, you could buy the handle assembly and rip it apart, replacing just the shell with your own, modifying what needs to be modified. It would take some *****, but probably doable. If they just arent the same size or shape, though, you'd be ****ed and probably waste many hundreds of dollars and lots of time over two parts that turn out to be different.

 

I've never looked at them in person, apart. side by side, I'm just making an assumption on the visual appearance of the two, the internal form based on how the parts listings shows them, and the fact that most manufacturers often use such parts across multiple model lines, albeit perhaps trimmed differently (but structurally the same). Being "older" mechanical handles not the silly electronic pop-out styles, I'm just guessing that the internals of the door are identical for handle fitment. The fact that the LS is a bit longer overall shouldn't alter that hardware need for the doors and would save Toyota money by not making individual styles on a design that is externally similar. Many things that are hidden from view are often identical from the same manufacturer.

Anyway, it was just an idea. We have some commenters who seem very knowledgable about Toyota/Lexus parts issues, so I thought it was worth a shot to ask.

 

There's always the aftermarket route...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/31498145984...Bk9SR6bZmI2YYw

 

If you really want an official ES chrome door handle accessory Toyota part, GENUINE LEXUS JAPAN 2019-2024 ES CHROME DOOR HANDLE COVERS (SET OF 4) is a solution. A bit pricey but they're on sale right now so act fast to get it at the reduced sale price.

 

Not the same as the LS, but those look great. And the price is actually very reasonable for a set of 4. I wonder if it’s just four stickers. And is it really just plastic, or real metal chrome?

 

Plastic. ABS is a plastic. But evidently that's what Lexus uses there.

 

I was hoping the description "abs chrome" meant only chrome over an abs layer. oh well...