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[Diesel Do Nicely Brian]

Will do. 
 

Will be hard to tell ceramic/non ceramic but at least the paint won’t have been destroyed with a sponge/brush valeting or some pointless “coating” like Supagard on it 👍

[AndrewLast]

33 minutes ago, Diesel Do Nicely Brian said:

Will do. 
 

Will be hard to tell ceramic/non ceramic but at least the paint won’t have been destroyed with a sponge/brush valeting or some pointless “coating” like Supagard on it 👍

Thinking to do my bumpers and bonet with ppf clear/protection film 

[Diesel Do Nicely Brian]

I did that on my first IS - needs to be very well fitted and cut but absolutely protects from stonechips (not invisible though)

[Diesel Do Nicely Brian]

Couple of teaser shots from the detailer last week as he was working on the new ES 👍

[SH20]

All hail to professional detailers who know what they are doing.    Swirl free top coat always looks impressive,  the trick is to try and maintain it by careful cleaning.  Ceramic coatings will  mark  but has less impact than ordinary top coats.     If you touch the surface over the weeks , months years you own the car it will result in some degree of imperfection  but those that care will strive to maintain it and those that don't get hung up about the surface of the paint won't be too fussed if they have defects that are minor.   

Going back to the space saver and I should have mentioned this before.  The US and other countries get space savers as standard, it's what those markets expect but they also get a pre formed foam tool kit holder that fits on top of the wheel but it's much thinner and designed to accommodate what tools you need to change a wheel.      So for this people who bought a space saver in the UK and knowing their original moulded tool kit holder won't fit as it's much too thick  you could actually purchase a US tool holder from the US but you would still need a chassis number to buy one.  Or, if you have friends or relatives in the US maybe they could assist. Depends how much you think it's worth attempting.  

After making the dummy floor and fitting my space saver wheel in the wheel well I reverted back to having the tool holder sitting in the wheel well and just carrying the spare in the boot.   Just to say also the ES's alloy wheel bolts fit the space saver fine as both the alloy wheel and the steel space saver both have identical tapered wheel holes so no special or different length bolts are needed.   Think about it, the US gets a steel spare so no way they would be expecting owners to start using a different set of wheel bolts.  Imagine the litigation that would follow when owners sued Lexus for not knowing enough about wheel hole facings and types of bolts after changing a wheel and it falls off.  

Spoke with my own UK dealer today who confirmed they have finally got round to offering us poor smucks who bought an ES in late 2019 without apple Car Play/ Android Auto  that a software upgrade is now available   for £80.    They sent an email recently offering this .   In view of the 2020 ES models having ACP and AA  as standard you would have thought they would give us the upgrade for free.   My wife's 2021 entry level Toyota Yaris has APC and AA as standard  but Lexus couldn't be bothered to fit it in my £38,500  ES back in 2019.   Disgraceful !!

[Diesel Do Nicely Brian]

On 9/1/2019 at 12:55 PM, SH20 said:

Installed my space saver and made new dummy floor.  Feel better for having an old fashioned spare. What original tools I need I now carry in my mini trolley jack case. 

 

 

What/how did you make the dummy floor?  Put my GS450h spare wheel in it today and stored the tools in a bag (alongside the other stuff I carry like a proper extension bar) 

I was thinking some kind of solid board that then has the original carpet over it and my rubber boot liner on top of that. 
 

[AndrewLast]

On 5/4/2021 at 9:18 AM, SH20 said:

All hail to professional detailers who know what they are doing.    Swirl free top coat always looks impressive,  the trick is to try and maintain it by careful cleaning.  Ceramic coatings will  mark  but has less impact than ordinary top coats.     If you touch the surface over the weeks , months years you own the car it will result in some degree of imperfection  but those that care will strive to maintain it and those that don't get hung up about the surface of the paint won't be too fussed if they have defects that are minor.   

Going back to the space saver and I should have mentioned this before.  The US and other countries get space savers as standard, it's what those markets expect but they also get a pre formed foam tool kit holder that fits on top of the wheel but it's much thinner and designed to accommodate what tools you need to change a wheel.      So for this people who bought a space saver in the UK and knowing their original moulded tool kit holder won't fit as it's much too thick  you could actually purchase a US tool holder from the US but you would still need a chassis number to buy one.  Or, if you have friends or relatives in the US maybe they could assist. Depends how much you think it's worth attempting.  

After making the dummy floor and fitting my space saver wheel in the wheel well I reverted back to having the tool holder sitting in the wheel well and just carrying the spare in the boot.   Just to say also the ES's alloy wheel bolts fit the space saver fine as both the alloy wheel and the steel space saver both have identical tapered wheel holes so no special or different length bolts are needed.   Think about it, the US gets a steel spare so no way they would be expecting owners to start using a different set of wheel bolts.  Imagine the litigation that would follow when owners sued Lexus for not knowing enough about wheel hole facings and types of bolts after changing a wheel and it falls off.  

Spoke with my own UK dealer today who confirmed they have finally got round to offering us poor smucks who bought an ES in late 2019 without Apple Car Play/ Android Auto  that a software upgrade is now available   for £80.    They sent an email recently offering this .   In view of the 2020 ES models having ACP and AA  as standard you would have thought they would give us the upgrade for free.   My wife's 2021 entry level Toyota Yaris has APC and AA as standard  but Lexus couldn't be bothered to fit it in my £38,500  ES back in 2019.   Disgraceful !!

Ordered already the space savers/storage tray for all tools that fits in top of the spare wheel. Will post pics as soon as i will get it. 
Seen on a friend of mine that he was using sound deadening insulation on all floor underneath the spare wheel which makes a great/huge difference on all the noise coming from the back of the car and thinking of doing that too 🙂

[Diesel Do Nicely Brian]

Super - I emailed Lexus Parts Direct about the same part number yesterday. I’ll put Dynamat in mine. 

[SH20]

The dummy floor I made originally ( although later discarded)  was made from MDF  at 8mm thick see start of thread.  I covered it with some sticky back felt bought on a role off eBay.  It had that slight faux velvet feel to it.   I then stuck a Lexus graphic on it.   I used a large cardboard box to make a template of the spare wheel well and kept shrinking it till it matched the shape of the wheel well.    I too used a tool bag for the items in the moulded tool tray and one or two tools went in to my mini trolley jack case.  But eventually decided to re install everything and went back to how the car arrived, just carried the space saver in the boot from then on in a motor cycle wheel bag.   

I assume the tool tray holder I can see Andrew included in this thread is the USA or European  one which will allow for some of the original UK tools to be stored.  I can't see it being able to store the tyre inflation cannister and compressor due to the size of them but the hand tools and jack will have their own recesses. 

[Diesel Do Nicely Brian]

Thanks - I am awaiting a price from Lexus for the insert (if they can get it in the U.K.). 
 

My first port of call may be the MDF idea and I’ll make a cardboard template before I cut it out. I like the felt idea to add a bit of refinement too. 

[AndrewLast]

1 hour ago, Diesel Do Nicely Brian said:

Thanks - I am awaiting a price from Lexus for the insert (if they can get it in the U.K.). 
 

My first port of call may be the MDF idea and I’ll make a cardboard template before I cut it out. I like the felt idea to add a bit of refinement too. 

Did that MDF thing and look like cheap  to be honest,doesnt like the way it sits in plus cant really make nice slots for all tools thats why i ordered the original part. 

[Diesel Do Nicely Brian]

5 hours ago, AndrewLast said:

Did that MDF thing and look like cheap  to be honest,doesnt like the way it sits in plus cant really make nice slots for all tools thats why i ordered the original part. 

Did you order the part from a U.K. dealer ok?  What was the cost of it?

[SH20]

Although I did the space saver in the wheel well and made the false floor I made the decision to reverse it all and just carry the space saver in the boot.

For me the tool holder needed to go back in and I modified it to take a few extra things,  a steel disc which screws to my modified scissor jack which marries up to the special feet I made which are physically mounted to the sill flanges.  A hard UPVC wedge and a multitool.

The steel disc can also be screwed to my small trolley jack and dependent on which jacking method I choose to use I know either method will lift the car safely.   I have never believed the weight of the car should rest on a scissor jack which relies on a slim sill flange.  I made the jacking disc arrangement because I was tired of having to straighten sill flanges bent over by incorrect jacking by dealers or tyre fitters.   I have used this jacking system on all my cars because the system can be swapped onto any car with normal sill flanges.   The blue wedge is merely to offset any serious gradient issue I might face so I can ensure the scissor jack is horizontal as possible to the car's body when jacking up the car.

[AndrewLast]

2 hours ago, SH20 said:

Although I did the space saver in the wheel well and made the false floor I made the decision to reverse it all and just carry the space saver in the boot.

For me the tool holder needed to go back in and I modified it to take a few extra things,  a steel disc which screws to my modified scissor jack which marries up to the special feet I made which are physically mounted to the sill flanges.  A hard UPVC wedge and a multitool.

The steel disc can also be screwed to my small trolley jack and dependent on which jacking method I choose to use I know either method will lift the car safely.   I have never believed the weight of the car should rest on a scissor jack which relies on a slim sill flange.  I made the jacking disc arrangement because I was tired of having to straighten sill flanges bent over by incorrect jacking by dealers or tyre fitters.   I have used this jacking system on all my cars because the system can be swapped onto any car with normal sill flanges.   The blue wedge is merely to offset any serious gradient issue I might face so I can ensure the scissor jack is horizontal as possible to the car's body when jacking up the car.

Where did you get that steel disc and the part you attached to the sill flange from??? 
Did you drill a hole into the scissor jack for that screw to go in??? 

[AndrewLast]

On 5/17/2021 at 11:34 PM, Diesel Do Nicely Brian said:

Did you order the part from a U.K. dealer ok?  What was the cost of it?

No,not from UK. I emailed Lexus parts direct enquiring about the part but never got any reply. Paid for it 190 euro's. Delivery due date is next week,will post pics.

Also Got myself a set front+back mats for all the rainy days for about 150 euro's + shipping which was the best decission i made. 
lexus/toyota sells only FRONT rubber ones for about 250 from what i remember when i called them.

[Diesel Do Nicely Brian]

I got a price from Lexus Parts Direct today - just short of £250 plus postage after discount so they can shove that for a bit of moulded foam!

did you order it from a European Lexus dealer?

I got a spare set of black carpet mats through various dealings with Lexus in the final negotiations 😄. I’ll swap them winter/summer as I am meticulous about detailing my cars so will last decades. 

[AndrewLast]

1 hour ago, Diesel Do Nicely Brian said:

I got a price from Lexus Parts Direct today - just short of £250 plus postage after discount so they can shove that for a bit of moulded foam!

did you order it from a European Lexus dealer?

I got a spare set of black carpet mats through various dealings with Lexus in the final negotiations 😄. I’ll swap them winter/summer as I am meticulous about detailing my cars so will last decades. 

Wow...that will be around 300 euro's,nearly double from what i paid.
Yes,european dealer,a friend of mine ordered for me. 

The mats i got are kind of rubber,had them for nearly a month now and i m very very hapy with them. 

[SH20]

The steel disc, the brackets bolted to the sill flanges and the black discs screwed to all 4 jacking points were made from scratch by myself.  As  a retired Engineer who can use a lathe  I designed them  mainly for when the car goes to the dealer for a service.      Materials cost £40.

Most dealers these days use 2 post swing arm lifts and raise the car on 4 round rubber pads which they line up on the 4 areas of sill flanges.   Problem is too many times they don't centralise the round pad to the sill flange and if it isn't centralised and directly under the most suitable area of the sill flange it can result in the sill flange folding over slightly due to the whole weight of the car resting on these very small surface areas of the sill flanges.  

If this process is repeated over the years the sill flange can be flattened and I have personally had to straighten sill flanges to make them stand vertically again.  The steel brackets and round steel feet can't bend over when the lifting arms are placed directly under them, they are just too strong.   Now, I have even painted the 4 steel feet in  bright yellow Hammerite  paint to make them stand out when a technician swings the lifting arms into place.   NB  I also made sure the round feet are at the correct height from the floor so the lifting arm pad doesn't touch the plastic body sill panel. 

I also make sure I speak to the technician at the Lexus dealer and make sure he understands he must place the swing arm pads directly and centrally under my steel discs.  They are often surprised to see these discs but all have commented that it is a good idea.   

Re: Non UK  moulded foam tool kit holder:  Doesn't surprise me at all that Lexus want a couple of hundred pounds for the part that fits directly over the space saver.   If they charge around £300 in the UK for  2 front genuine winter rubber mats for an ES300h  we shouldn't be  surprised that a piece of foam costs 3 figures.    I was pretty sure a UK   ES owner would have to go abroad for the thinner foam tool holder.   Lexus parts departments in this country are controlled by computer  software systems  and even if the parts man can see the US/European part on his computer screen his ordering system won't let him over ride the computer to order  a US or European only part.    When your friend sends it to you tell him to wrap it well with robust packaging as this type of foam is brittle and doesn't flex like rubber mats would.  It may come in a large stiff cardboard box which will protect it more than wrapping paper and bubble wrap.  It would be useful to see some photos of it fitted  to see how the tools are located and just how different it is to the original.          

[SH20]

Yes the scissor jack was modified to take a bolt which allows the round steel disc to screw to.

[AndrewLast]

2 hours ago, SH20 said:

The steel disc, the brackets bolted to the sill flanges and the black discs screwed to all 4 jacking points were made from scratch by myself.  As  a retired Engineer who can use a lathe  I designed them  mainly for when the car goes to the dealer for a service.      Materials cost £40.

Most dealers these days use 2 post swing arm lifts and raise the car on 4 round rubber pads which they line up on the 4 areas of sill flanges.   Problem is too many times they don't centralise the round pad to the sill flange and if it isn't centralised and directly under the most suitable area of the sill flange it can result in the sill flange folding over slightly due to the whole weight of the car resting on these very small surface areas of the sill flanges.  

If this process is repeated over the years the sill flange can be flattened and I have personally had to straighten sill flanges to make them stand vertically again.  The steel brackets and round steel feet can't bend over when the lifting arms are placed directly under them, they are just too strong.   Now, I have even painted the 4 steel feet in  bright yellow Hammerite  paint to make them stand out when a technician swings the lifting arms into place.   NB  I also made sure the round feet are at the correct height from the floor so the lifting arm pad doesn't touch the plastic body sill panel. 

I also make sure I speak to the technician at the Lexus dealer and make sure he understands he must place the swing arm pads directly and centrally under my steel discs.  They are often surprised to see these discs but all have commented that it is a good idea.   

Re: Non UK  moulded foam tool kit holder:  Doesn't surprise me at all that Lexus want a couple of hundred pounds for the part that fits directly over the space saver.   If they charge around £300 in the UK for  2 front genuine winter rubber mats for an ES300h  we shouldn't be  surprised that a piece of foam costs 3 figures.    I was pretty sure a UK   ES owner would have to go abroad for the thinner foam tool holder.   Lexus parts departments in this country are controlled by computer  software systems  and even if the parts man can see the US/European part on his computer screen his ordering system won't let him over ride the computer to order  a US or European only part.    When your friend sends it to you tell him to wrap it well with robust packaging as this type of foam is brittle and doesn't flex like rubber mats would.  It may come in a large stiff cardboard box which will protect it more than wrapping paper and bubble wrap.  It would be useful to see some photos of it fitted  to see how the tools are located and just how different it is to the original.          

So wont be getting the steel disc then... :((

will post photos for the of the storage tray that come on top of the spare wheel once i get it. In USA was even cheaper 180 dollars but shipping was about 400.

I m posting a photo of the rubber mats i got front+back. Very good ones. 

[AndrewLast]

Got today the space saver/storage tray that comes on top of the spare wheel. Thats how it looks like. No need of any other MDF floor or anything like that 😁