GoodRevs

We are eagerly anticipating the arrival of our new rx350 which should be here any day now. In preparation for this I wanted to address the one issue that has been on my mind. If you look on the dash there is that large somewhat-triangular silver plastic piece that surrounds the vents and controls. I think it looks like ***** to be honest, I would honestly have expected wood trim there and I can't figure out why they didn't go that route. My question is whether there exists an aftermarket piece produced by a third party that is wood trim, or even plastic that has a matching wood color tone?

EDIT: I came across a bunch of kits which claim to replace many pieces of the interior with wood, but most seemed like an excessively "good deal" and failed to provide pictures. I did however come across this company, the two kits on the bottom are for our gen, with the later being cheaper because it compliments the color of the wood that goes with the tan leather,

http://www.wooddash.com/category/LEXUS_Dash_Kits_RX350

Has anyone else used this kit, or have one to recommend? Also, I'm assuming that this kit is actual pieces that replace the current stock ones, not just stickers to overlay. Assuming that they are actual pieces, how difficult is it to pop out the current, stock ones?

kitlz

Check with the dealer. The installer at mine could add pieces. It'll probably be custom but will match the other wood in the RX. I had it in my '99. The only downsides were it faded after a few years and broke in the thin areas around the vent.

Good luck with your new RX when you get it

GoodRevs

Exactly. They don't offer it as a package per se, it would have to be a special, custom job. If that's the case than I'd rather do it myself and save some money. On the other hand, if there existed a full wood trim package beyond what is entitled with the navigation package than I would have done that, provided it wasn't a ridiculous amount. We were told this didn't exist though.

kitlz

I have seen kits from Japan but they're probably pricey. I'm actually not a fan of the wood in the RX. It's gotten pretty boring after 11+ years. I did check if I could change it out to the expresso which looks way better IMO. But the installer at the dealer said it would be difficult to remove the existing pieces and the kit is expensive.

So I guess it's time to wait until more stuff becomes available.

GoodRevs

That kit looks fantastic and I'd really like to try it, but I'm not sure if I'd be willing to purchase it without some feedback from someone whose done it already. I'm also concerned about how exactly to remove the various pieces of trim.

jclem

I've been thinking about wood dash kits. I happen to like wood. One of the first upgrades I made was to replace the wood/leather shift **** with an all wood ****. There are some special parts available from Grazio, thru Carson Toyota, such as the mouse/handrest assembly, which looks very nice. It's expensive ($320) but that's because Grazio buys parts from Lexus and applies a special coating. I think that'd be important for this part because it's constantly touched unlike most of the other peel n stick pieces which are ornamental for the most part.

I did see some feedback on 'AutoAnything' which was mostly positive, however, I was thinking about checking out other car forums like BMW, Audi, Mercedes, etc, to see if there was any good info or feedback there.

I really like the idea and look of the Grazio mouse, but $320. for 2 pieces versus roughly $300. for + or - 30 dashkit decals.....................

GoodRevs

That's absurdly expensive for a small piece like that. I wasn't sure if the kit I was looking at (first post) was a sticker type or legit pieces that replace current plastic one's. I'm guessing these a plastic too, with simply a wood trim painted on top. If they look and feel identical though, I can live with them not being "real wood".

Lemme know what you end up doing. Where are you in MA btw?

jclem

I found these FAQ's on Wooddash's site for the 'Benevento" brand:
Q - Do these kits replace my dash parts?
A - No, these dash kits are overlays that adhere with 3M adhesive foam tape to the dash surface.

Q - Are these kits Plastic?
A - No, We offer real Wood, Real Carbon Fiber and a choice of 9 Simulated material patterns over-all thickness is 1/8" with a coating of "Ultra Flex" Clear Coat that last up to 5 times longer against harmful UV exposure.

I would guess that these are more fragile which is why the Grazio method is probably better for the mouse assembly. That is also probably why no other kits include the mouse. It sure would look and feel nice, but at that cost, I don't think I'll pull the trigger. Instead I may get one of the multi-piece kits and use them "judiciously", all 30+ pieces would be WAY too much.

I'm in Framingham. You on the NH border?