RCFormante

iTrader: (1)

Buy it from Sewell Lexus parts with the clublexus discount, saved me $15 bucks from eBay.:

GearHead69

I had to break the instructions up into 4 sections so when you download them it will be 18 pages. After looking at it you can decide if this is something you want and can do.

Thanks

GearHead69

This part 2 of 4.

GearHead69

This is part 3 of 4.

GearHead69

This is part 4 of 4.

GearHead69

I've got the driver sill installed and I think it looks good. The outer sill is replaced by just a black blank, and the illuminated sill is moved to the interior sill.

Couple of things I'll mention. I did not disconnect the battery, and I did not disconnect the connector as instructed in Part II, pg. 7. I was able to put on a T-tap and hook up the wires that way. On page 8, fig. 2-4 it shows the Violet wire, pin 1, on the right of the connector. That is only true if you disconnect the connector and twist it so that what you are seeing is just the plug end and not the wire end. If you leave the connector connected then Pin 1 is on the bottom left as shown in the pics I've uploaded. I cut the black tape that was around the wires in the connector to get better access.

Disclaimer: This is what I did as it is my car, and I do not take responsibility for what you do or don't do. If you are not comfortable not disconnecting the battery, and the connectors then follow the instructions.


With that being said I've uploaded a few pics that will show you how it looks on my car fro the driver's side. It's not that hard and I did it in my garage when the driver door wasn't even fully opened. From start to finish it took me less than an hour for just the driver side.

Just take your time, especially when taking off the trim panels, and as you can see from the Inner Sill removed pic towards the front and rear are the bottom sill plates that the top one will sit on. Just be sure to get the plastic pry bar under only the top one when trying to remove otherwise you will break the bottom plastic piece.

Good luck.

GearHead69

I installed the Passenger side, and the instructions say to use the green wire on pin 14, but there are three green wires. Problem is there is no green wire on pin 14. After a bit of trouble shooting I found that the wire on pin 11 is the correct one. Also the diagram indicates there are 19 pins on that side, and on my car there are only 16. See the pic.

tfischer

Thanks again for all the info and the photos. No one should ever do anything like this without a tester to be sure that the wire being tapped into is the correct one (ground/power/switched/hot). I have wired many radar detectors many different ways, always into a switched circuit, and there is no substitute for going carefully and slowly. In fact, finding the right wire is often the most time-consuming part of the job. I have also found many wiring diagrams and wiring color code charts to be not always accurate. Finally, I see no good reason to disconnect the battery (just the regular reasons); it certainly would make testing the new part easier.
A few questions: what did you use for the plastic pry tool? Is the blue wire the ground? Is the LED itself replaceable, or is it encased in the part?
I seriously think I am going to do this on my car - it looks really great!

GearHead69

You are very welcome, and I agree you need a tester just to be sure. I think they add a touch of class w/o going overboard.

Another reason not to disconnect the battery is that all your settings might get erased.

I've uploaded the pics of the two plastic pry tools I used, and you can get these at Harbor Freight Tools or any Auto Zone, Pep Boys, etc.

The Blue wire from the Footwell lights is the positive (B+) as the Violet/Green wire on the 64 pin connectors is the door switch for driver/passenger side. When I pressed in the door switch button with the door open only the the illuminated door sill goes out and not the footwell lights.

The LCD is pressed into the sill and is held on with double stick tape. See pic. You probably could get it out, but might crack it trying.

GearHead69

So what did you do to get the discount? Did they give you free shipping too? Thanks.

tfischer

I think to get the Sewell Member discount, you have to log in here and use the link to Sewell. I ordered mats for my RC a month or so ago, and I recall that it was easy, and it was also easy to discover the procedure. I have ordered many items from Sewell for my Lexus cars over the years, and have always found them very helpful, their prices are excellent, and you are always getting genuine Lexus parts. Highly recommended.

GearHead69

Thanks for the info. I'll give them a try as I want the "Lexus RC F-Sport" floor mats instead of the "Lexus RC" floor mats that came with my car.

tfischer

"I want the "Lexus RC F-Sport" floor mats instead of the "Lexus RC" floor mats that came with my car."
That's curious. If the dealer gave you the wrong mats for your car, he should give you the correct ones. If you are putting them in a RC350 that's not an F-Sport, you won't fool anybody but yourself, and you might as well get Ferrari Floor Mats.

GearHead69

No, mine is definitely an F-Sport. All the other RC350 F-Sports that the dealer had when I bought mine in early December only had the Lexus RC floor mats. Maybe these are an upgrade or option.

Either way I want them, and sent an e-mail to Sewell to see if they have them. Thanks again for the info on them.

Found out that the image I was looking at did not say "F Sport" as I thought as the dealer trademark stuff all over the image, and when I found it on another site it is just "F" so I will stay with what I got. Now I know what tfischer was talking about.

tfischer

It looks to me like the "F-Sport" is really considered an accessory package for the RC350, so it may not merit its own floor mats. The RC-F is a whole other car, and is not a "350" due to the V-8. It even has a different hood because they had to make room for the larger engine (although they got it to fit into the SC400 pretty nicely, 20 years ago). I guess you will have to be happy with the "F" badge on the fender.