Lexus IS: How to Turn Your Lexus into a Show Car

This article applies to Lexus IS (2005-2013).

Whether you're trying to take home the trophy in car shows or just want to separate your car from every other, you can follow some of these ideas to help you improve the look of your car. You can do a number of modifications to your interior, exterior, wheels and engine. Here are some things you can do to take your Lexus to the next level.

Interior

While others may not see the interior often, it will be the place you'll see the most so it's important to keep your interior looking good. Besides, you might want the inside to reflect the outside. No matter how good the outside looks, it'll be a let down to have an interior that isn't up to par.

LED Interior Lights

DIY Cost – $60-100
Professional Cost – $150-200
Skill Level – Easy, the lights are a simple swap.

LED lights can greatly improve the inside look of your car. Factory lights are a dull yellow color, but any color is possible with LED's so you can alter the lights to fit the theme you're going for. These lights will normally be sold in a package, which gives you extra LED's to replace all the halogen bulbs in the interior; however, you can also buy them individually so you can do multiple colors or just to replace them.

Carbon Fiber Accessories

DIY Cost – $25-250 and up
Professional Cost – Parts plus $100-200 for labor
Skill Level – Easy to Moderate, depending on whether you are wrapping the pieces or replacing them.

Carbon fiber is found on some of the most high-end cars due to how strong and light it is. Real carbon fiber is far from cheap, however, to achieve that look you can use vinyl wrap, hydro dipping or you can purchase the trim pieces already done with a carbon fiber effect. Unlike real carbon fiber, which only comes in a grey color, the alternative methods can give you carbon fiber in any color to help compliment the theme you are aiming for.

Aftermarket Seats

New seats will improve the look, feel and safety of your car. Racing seats come in a variety of different colors to match your theme. Depending on how much you're willing to spend, they can be customized in just about any color and fabric combination. Racing seats also offer the option of a harness-style seat belt, which adds to safety if properly set up.

Exterior

The exterior is what everyone will see in a vehicle, whether it's going down the highway or going through the drive-thru. Don't forget! First impressions always make a difference.

Body Kit

DIY Cost – $700-2,000 and up
Professional Cost – $500-1,000 plus parts
Skill Level – Moderate to Difficult, body kits will require painting and some custom fitting to your vehicle.

Body kits can greatly change the look of your vehicle by altering the front bumper, rear bumper and side skirts. You should be aware that installing a body kit is far from a bolt on process. The components will come out of a one-size-fits-all mold, which means they'll require a little custom work for them to fit properly. In addition, they'll need to be prepped, primed and painted to match the rest of your car.

Wheels

DIY Cost – $500-1,500 and up
Professional Cost – $80-150 plus parts
Skill Level – Difficult, it's best to leave it to a wheel and tire shop to mount and balance the tires onto your new wheels.

Even on a completely stock car, new wheels are the biggest improvement you can do because that is the first thing people will notice on a parked car. Wheels come in all different designs, sizes and colors so there are plenty of options to match your taste. It's important to note that changing the diameter of the wheel will require you to buy new tires, which will add to the cost. Also, bigger wheels adds more rotating mass, which can hurt your performance.

Custom Paint

DIY Cost – $600-1,000 and up
Professional Cost – $1,000-5,000 and up
Skill Level – Difficult, it is highly suggested the painting be done by a professional.

When changing your car's paint color, anything is possible. Depending on your budget, any design and any color can be done. You can go with a simple color swap or an extremely intricate airbrushed design, whatever suits your theme and style. Nothing ruins an amazing paint job more than neglecting to paint the overlooked areas: door jambs, under the hood, etc. While these areas are more expensive to paint, because it requires the parts to be removed, it really completes the look.

Drivetrain

Modifying the drivetrain can improve both the power and the sound of your car. It should be one of the first things done because a fully customized exterior and interior, without the power to back it up, will always feel incomplete.

Exhaust

DIY Cost – $30-500 and up
Professional Cost – $100-250 plus parts
Skill Level – Easy to Difficult, depending on whether it's a simple exhaust tip swap or a full custom exhaust system.

Exhaust is normally the first thing changed on vehicles because people like to listen to the sound of the motor; the factory exhaust is always too quiet. By changing the muffler, you can allow the exhaust to flow more freely as well as changing the sound it makes. Exhaust tips can also help to alter the sound and improve the exterior look of the vehicle.

Air Intake

DIY Cost – $100-300
Professional Cost – $50-100 plus parts
Skill Level – Easy, it's a direct bolt in replacement.

By helping your motor get more oxygen, it can burn fuel more effectively. It's important to note, while this can be installed without any supporting modifications, a custom tune, in addition, can really help improve it's effectiveness.

Forced Induction

DIY Cost – $2,500-6,000 and up
Professional Cost – $800-1,500 plus parts
Skill Level – Difficult, this requires extensive engine work.

A forced induction is the holy grail of engine modifications. By supercharging or turbocharging your motor, you can get massive horsepower and torque gains. A custom tune is a must when doing this to your motor, otherwise, you can cause all kinds of problems. Also, you will not be able to feel the power. In addition, when adding more power, the transmission will need to be upgraded so it will be able to withstand it.

Related Discussion

• Never Ending Mods - ClubLexus.com