hi - i'm new to both lexus ownership and this forum so excuse me if i should be able to find the answer to my question somewhere on the site

have just received my '2005' model RX300 and wondered if anyone new of any way of changing the 'not to my taste' wood with something else; kit or fitted?

looking for black wood as the avantgarde merc or carbon film [as long as it looks okay] or aluminium.

any ideas as it is the only blemish to an otherwise great car.

cheers

i've posted this on the lexus owners club uk but a few have said there is lots of this stuff in the US!

 

'2005' model RX300 ?
Check on the e-bay. sometimes they are up and had some pic..

 

2005 in UK because due the bi-annual plate changes for our registration system after september we get the 2005 model year - i was merely pointing out it is the most up to date model - so whilst it seems weierd it is the UK 2005 model with bluetooth, mark levinson etc

maybe check before shooting from the hip with a smiley - especially with new members

will look on ebay - thanks

 

I think that the comment was refering to the "300" instead of the "330". However, I may be wrong.

 

Ive seen a few different styles of trim pieces for the RX300 and 330. There is a company called Sherwood Dash. They sell all types of trim. Their web page is

www.sherwooddash.com

You will also find a few sellers on eBay.

 

What color is your wood trim right now? Is it the dark or light wood? I'm actually looking for the piece of wood trim that surrounds the gear shift so if you end up replacing it, I'd love to take it off your hands if it's of the dark color.

 

We hope we can be of help, Nathan. If I understand correctly, your RX300 is identical to the US Market RX330 with a different engine - sold in the UK and Europe.

A few years ago I was looking for a similar product and discovered ExoticWoodDash http://www.exoticwooddash.com/woodtypes.htm at that time they were one of the few providers of kits for a significant number of vehicles. They advertise a fairly broad range of materials - wood, metal, CF - as you can see. Quality seemed acceptable to users responding (on a Honda forum), and seemed to match the existing materials reasonably well.

As I recall, the pieces are self-adhesive, requiring only that the surface be degreased with an alcohol pad, the backing peeled off, and the piece applied. Several users noted that complex (wood) shapes might benefit from a little warming with a hair dryer to soften the material and improve the fit. That might be helpful for CF products, but metals might not respond so well. (keep alcohol and dryer separate!)

There are several vendors of these products on eBay as well. A little research could turn up a number of resources.

Good luck!

 

Not to hijack this thread but in addition to my reply above, if anyone knows where to get oem replacement trim parts or maybe online junkyard requests who actually respond, I'd love to know.

 

Note the original poster's location. (United Kingdom) Only the U.S. and Canada get the RX330 where gas/petrol is relatively cheap. In other places, it's still badged RX300 with a smaller 3.0L engine. Such as Europe and Asia.

 

There are a couple of sellers on ebay. And it looks like they are parting out RX300s. You see the U-shaped piece around the shifter all the time. As well as door switch assemblies. You might send them an email. And see what other pieces they have available.

On the after market trim pieces. Does any one know of a company that sells the trim by the piece? I dont like the look of the whole 24 piece kit installed. But I would like to do the 4 air conditioning vents on the dash.

 

The European 2005 RX300 looks just like our RX330, so there's no urinal walnut wood in it.

Those aftermarket pieces are cut out on one big sheet, so they are unlikely to sell them by piece. I've seen it at my dealership. The faux wood color and pattern don't match exactly anyway and they look cheap next to the real wood.