.... Wood steering wheel for my 96?
They pop up every once in a while but always seem to be the black or tan interior and never the light grey. The only light grey one I have ever seen was on eBay from Japan for $700!?

Is there a place in the US you guys have used to source these for less or is it just a matter of luck of the draw? Is there a cross over with any other Lexus cars, like an RX or something?

 

If you really want a wood grain wheel you might wanna check into something like this http://www.apsisusa.com/steering%20w...pplication.htm

I have no idea on the costs though.

 

I see them a couple of times/year in that color on ebay, (US ebay) but you have to be watching almost daily, in case it is a "Buy it Now"

also did you check car-part.com?

 

What's the going price for the ones on eBay?

And yeah, I've checked it a few times with no luck.

 

The 95-97s are in the neighborhood of 500-600. Check the classifieds here. A member is bound to have something nice up for grabs. This one is $300 shipped but it's a 98-00 wheel.

 

The 98-00 has a different airbag, correct? Is it just a matter of getting a different air bag or can I just swap around parts on the frame and keep my existing airbag and controls?

 

Honestly, you'd have to wait for PureDrifter to chime in because I have no idea. It should wire up the same. IIRC the airbag connectors/wiring got all switched up with the LS430.

 

I´ve been searching for mine for 1 year ... finally one guy sold it on CL. It was a wrong leather colour, but I changed it.

 

Emailed them last night after you posted this, price is $550 + core
Sounds like they replace the leather and install the wood inserts, so you basically get a brand new wheel.

 

i too have been searching for a light grey wheel and am to a point of giving up. as you mentioned, all wheels i find are black or tan. the 98-00 wheels will fit a 95-97 but the extra controls will not be functional. air bag, cruise, horn, all work.

the OP wants a 98-00 wheels since those are the ones that have the wood trim.

 

I guess I found him a deal that he probably won't refuse The next best thing would be a junkyard find lol. Thanks for clarifying about the wheel fitting up and all.

 

Many years back, one of the threads contained this site:
http://american-stitches.com/

 

I also found this but no idea how good they are?

http://www.wooddash.com/steerwhl.html ~$295
and get a matching wood trim kit: http://www.wooddash.com/category/LEXUS_Dash_Kits_LS400