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Good looking grills for 2013+ LS

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Old Jan 1, 2019 | 02:05 PM
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Default Good looking grills for 2013+ LS

I just wanted to know if there are any nice grills for the 2013+ LS460 and if anyone has swapped any out. I am always looking around for future buys, had my heart set on a pre 2013 LS but ended up with a GS350 Luxury after not having any luck finding what I wanted with the LS. I am starting to lean more and more to 2013 + for a second car or eventual replacement for the GS hoping they ironed out some of the issues with the pre 2013 LS's but I just can not get over the mmc nose/front end of the 2013's, I just don't like it, I think the pre 2013 LS just looks so much nicer mainly in the front and rear, seems like it just flows well where the 2013 just looks like a design they tacked on to a car it was not designed for and makes it look awkward from many angles to me. I was thinking a different grill might help but I have not seen or heard of many changing out their grills on here for 2013+. Any suggestions or anyone who swapped out a grill, maybe mesh or something similar to pre 2013's. I did like a black LS F sport I saw last year.
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Old Jan 1, 2019 | 07:04 PM
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I painted my 2014 LS grille black (rather than plastidip), and really like the results. The black grille makes the L emblem pop. Here's the thread.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...l-edition.html
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Old Jan 1, 2019 | 10:15 PM
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When I had the front license plate bracket removed I had the shop shoot the center grille section to match. I have never been a fan of the grille (the new ones are absolute deal killers for me) and this was far more to my liking. Had I realized this fix would be that cheap and easy, I probably would have bought an LS last year instead of the CT6 parked next to it.
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Old Jan 2, 2019 | 12:51 PM
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I agree painting the center section/grill the body color helps.
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Old Jan 2, 2019 | 02:00 PM
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That looks fantastic! Can you please post an outside picture a little bit further back?
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Old Jan 2, 2019 | 02:05 PM
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That section of the grill has two "nubbies" for attachment of the license plate bracket and two other holes drilled through it (so 4 holes in all). They must have sanded, filled and painted to get a smooth finish
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Old Jan 2, 2019 | 03:31 PM
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Originally Posted by DedBirdDog

When I had the front license plate bracket removed I had the shop shoot the center grille section to match. I have never been a fan of the grille (the new ones are absolute deal killers for me) and this was far more to my liking. Had I realized this fix would be that cheap and easy, I probably would have bought an LS last year instead of the CT6 parked next to it.
That looks way better. I thought about doing this but was skeptical on how it would turn out but now, after seeing it, I’m gonna do the same. Looks great!
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Old Jan 2, 2019 | 06:57 PM
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Originally Posted by sktn77a
That section of the grill has two "nubbies" for attachment of the license plate bracket and two other holes drilled through it (so 4 holes in all). They must have sanded, filled and painted to get a smooth finish
That is exactly what they did. Looks flawless. I'll take an outside picture tomorrow for everyone.
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Old Jan 3, 2019 | 12:02 PM
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Cool. Mind sharing how much they charged?
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Old Jan 3, 2019 | 12:39 PM
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I had the entire front bumper re-shot to get rid of the rock chips and three small marks on it. He did that, the grille conversion, and buffed the whole car for $550. I think the grille alone would have run about $200. It does require disassembly to do it right.
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Old Jan 3, 2019 | 08:41 PM
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In on this so I can see more pics. It does look good that way. In TX we are supposed to have front plates but I could see painting that and adding a no-drill bracket to hold the plate in the lower grill section.
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Old Jan 4, 2019 | 09:58 PM
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Here's the front picture in daylight
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Old Jan 4, 2019 | 10:43 PM
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Wow that is really nice. Agreed the stock grille looks a bit bland, painting it really improved the look. Planning on doing the same. Those damn front plates though. Just looks so good without them.
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Old Jan 5, 2019 | 04:36 AM
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Originally Posted by ziomal
Wow that is really nice. Agreed the stock grille looks a bit bland, painting it really improved the look. Planning on doing the same. Those damn front plates though. Just looks so good without them.
Painting the front grille black improves the look even further. I had that central section with the plate holder painted semi-gloss black to match the car, but could not do away with the front plates.

Before




After


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Old Jan 5, 2019 | 09:05 AM
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Originally Posted by DedBirdDog

Here's the front picture in daylight
We need to forward this to Lexus Corporate HQ. This completely changes the look of the polarizing front grille. It looks AMAZING!
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