Carbon fibre interior upgrades

[V8ORBUST]

Hi all, I’m considering upgrading the steering wheel / paddle shifters / lower centre console with carbon fibre inserts. I’m just planning ahead at this time, but does anybody have any experience of doing interior upgrades such as this? There is a guy in Singapore who does some fantastic stuff for F cars and gets nothing but great reviews from US Lexus owners. It’s great quality and he uses genuine Lexus parts I believe.

My concern is that my car has the silver inserts, his silver won’t be a match so I would have to go with black. I’m really not a fan of the OEM grey plastic on the steering wheel and plastic shifters, hence why I’m looking.

His stuff is certainly not cheap, but it’s a long term project for me.

The photo attached is an example of his work, it’s fully customisable, I think the L badge is a bit too much for me, but can order one without.

[F.A.]

The steering wheel shift paddles are metal on the GSF  as they are cold in the mornings. I assumed that the RCF would use the same wheel and paddles?

[V8ORBUST]

I could of course be wrong, but they feel like plastic to me I must admit, certainly not noticed them feeling cold. My Alfa’s were solid aluminium, just sublime.

[Guest]

They are same as GSF and Aluminium Alloy. I did see a journalist describe them as plastic.

 

https://parts.keyeslexus.com/oem-parts/lexus-paddle-switch-8461024020

[V8ORBUST]

Yeah I’ve taken a closer look on the way home today and they are indeed aluminium. Felt cool to the touch having been parked up for a few days. I must stay I still don’t massively like the feel of them, I know it’s personal taste and all that.

[designo]

Check out my video on these.

 

 

[Peter P18]

Hi, guessing you’re talking about Elvin? If so, I’ve had a few bits from him so far and have no complaints whatsoever. Not cheap as you mentioned, but you get what you pay for with carbon parts I tend to find. Had the steering wheel, centre trim around the shifter, cluster surround, pieces on sides of the tunnel, inner door handle covers. All spot on in terms of fit, finish and quality.

Installation is pretty straightforward, but you should invest in a set of trim removal tools and take your time.

I’m based in Kent, but happy to help if you fancy a drive? 

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions. 

Cheers,

 

 

Pete 

[V8ORBUST]

1 hour ago, Peter P18 said:

Hi, guessing you’re talking about Elvin? If so, I’ve had a few bits from him so far and have no complaints whatsoever. Not cheap as you mentioned, but you get what you pay for with carbon parts I tend to find. Had the steering wheel, centre trim around the shifter, cluster surround, pieces on sides of the tunnel, inner door handle covers. All spot on in terms of fit, finish and quality.

Installation is pretty straightforward, but you should invest in a set of trim removal tools and take your time.

I’m based in Kent, but happy to help if you fancy a drive? 

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions. 

Cheers,

 

 

Pete 

Yes Elvin appears to be “the man” 😁

There are other real carbon options, they overlay your original trim and do look very good at a fraction of the price, however they are a permanent solution and if I need to return the vehicle to stock, could prove an issue. They also only appear available to order in LHD, but I have contacted them.

I am concerned that the OEM silver (ish) carbon will clash with the black if I do go ahead and purchase.

With the USD so strong, it’s making the costs potentially not worth it at the moment.

Thanks for the info guys!

[Toothy]

I'd be a little hesitant to put CF on my wheel. Finish would need to be excellent as you'll be touching it all the time. These parts will be lacquered to provide the gloss finish, I'm not certain how well that will hold up being handled all the time. Essentially it's a painted finish and subject to wear. Additionally depending on the resin system used, they can yellow over time from sunlight. I don't think the silver "alu-fibre" would look very good next to traditional carbon twill, if you're going to change some I'd think you'd want to change it all. Maybe look at wrapping console / door trims instead. A lot cheaper and easy to revert.

[V8ORBUST]

54 minutes ago, Toothy said:

I'd be a little hesitant to put CF on my wheel. Finish would need to be excellent as you'll be touching it all the time. These parts will be lacquered to provide the gloss finish, I'm not certain how well that will hold up being handled all the time. Essentially it's a painted finish and subject to wear. Additionally depending on the resin system used, they can yellow over time from sunlight. I don't think the silver "alu-fibre" would look very good next to traditional carbon twill, if you're going to change some I'd think you'd want to change it all. Maybe look at wrapping console / door trims instead. A lot cheaper and easy to revert.

All good points.

I’ve looked into wrapping with CF vinyl, not sure I have the patience to do it to be honest, looks like it can be fairly tricky, but the results I must admit can be impressive and for peanuts in comparison. Certainly an option.

I have also read about CF yellowing over time with sun exposure, apparently this can be prevented and you can polish the CF if needed.

I have no plans to sell the car, it’s on HP with Lexus, so ultimately it will be mine, but it would be ideal if I have the option to return to stock.

This chap in the pic below has the same CF as me it appears but hasn’t bothered changing the doors or glove box it appears.

I certainly don’t want to go overboard, the centre console and the lower part (grey plastic) on the steering wheel are the bits I really want to change.

[V8ORBUST]

Unfortunately at least one of the kits is LHD only, so I’m either left trying to do a wrap myself or going for some of Elvin’s stuff.

[YN57OCK]

I can also vouch for Elvin's work. If you are near Manchester this week, happy to show you the quality, albeit on an ISF. Also had my other IS done in CF vinyl and it really doesn't look great over time, again I can show you. Will be removing it for a solid colour (piano black vinyl instead!)

[V8ORBUST]

56 minutes ago, YN57OCK said:

I can also vouch for Elvin's work. If you are near Manchester this week, happy to show you the quality, albeit on an ISF. Also had my other IS done in CF vinyl and it really doesn't look great over time, again I can show you. Will be removing it for a solid colour (piano black vinyl instead!)

Thanks for the feedback re Elvin! It’s working out to be £1100 or so just for the steering wheel and shifters, thank you USD! He doesn’t have the centre console in stock so not sure on the price. I can do without the wheel, but the console and door handle inserts etc would make a huge difference imho. He has also done the rear storage section which looks immense.

Re your vinyl wrap, do you think that was down to the actual product used? 

Cheers 

[V8ORBUST]

Elvin has got back to me with various prices, must admit to being a little light headed, but then again, I’ve never modified any of my cars, so this is all new to me. The costs are considerable 😣

[Northern isf]

22 hours ago, YN57OCK said:

I can also vouch for Elvin's work. If you are near Manchester this week, happy to show you the quality, albeit on an ISF. Also had my other IS done in CF vinyl and it really doesn't look great over time, again I can show you. Will be removing it for a solid colour (piano black vinyl instead!)

I've seen Ians in the flesh, it's a very good undertaking the weave is nice and inline, nowt worse than a bit of bendy weaving!

[YN57OCK]

On 9/3/2019 at 11:15 PM, V8ORBUST said:

Thanks for the feedback re Elvin! It’s working out to be £1100 or so just for the steering wheel and shifters, thank you USD! He doesn’t have the centre console in stock so not sure on the price. I can do without the wheel, but the console and door handle inserts etc would make a huge difference imho. He has also done the rear storage section which looks immense.

Re your vinyl wrap, do you think that was down to the actual product used? 

Cheers 

Quite possibly...in fairness it was only £120!  I'll try and get some photos up, so you can see what I mean. Think the guy on the 250 said he used 4d vinyl on it...?

[YN57OCK]

10 minutes ago, YN57OCK said:

Quite possibly...in fairness it was only £120!  I'll try and get some photos up, so you can see what I mean. Think the guy on the 250 said he used 4d vinyl on it...?

I'm sure just by looking at the two you can see what is pricey carbon and what is carbon wrap...also get the full bit under the centre console done. On my ISF it looks a little incomplete.

Also don't remind me about the 'Tesla style' screen...deffo not plug and play! 

[F.A.]

@YN57OCK that screen in the centre console on your ISF looks amazing. What is it and does it control the Climate system also? Very Tesla-esq

[YN57OCK]

7 hours ago, F.A. said:

@YN57OCK that screen in the centre console on your ISF looks amazing. What is it and does it control the Climate system also? Very Tesla-esq

It is a little, but it isn't without its challenges! I may do a review soon but now I can control my audio streaming, have decent DAB and full AC options. There were issues with camera and ML amp compatibility not to mention buggy software and long (20sec) boot  times if the car is off for more than 10hours, but it's better than what was there and meets my needs when hotspotted to my phone! You can even stream Netflix and prime video (wouldn't reccomend whilst driving)! 

[Northern isf]

1 hour ago, YN57OCK said:

It is a little, but it isn't without its challenges! I may do a review soon but now I can control my audio streaming, have decent DAB and full AC options. There were issues with camera and ML amp compatibility not to mention buggy software and long (20sec) boot  times if the car is off for more than 10hours, but it's better than what was there and meets my needs when hotspotted to my phone! You can even stream Netflix and prime video (wouldn't reccomend whilst driving)! 

Looks excellent Ian sounds like a very worthwhile mod, did you do the work yourself? 

[YN57OCK]

Just now, Northern isf said:

Looks excellent Ian sounds like a very worthwhile mod, did you do the work yourself? 

I did Wayne! If you've replaced the touch panel on the screen before then this mod isnt much more difficult...it just takes time to iron out the kinks once setup. You also have to be incredibly careful not to damage the dash (it's surprisingly fragile surrounding the screen and the vents.

Luckily my test car was the 250 when the touch screen became non responsive, but that being said I have a great way to repair a damaged dash almost seamlessly ...I'll add a post on that too! 

[V8ORBUST]

On 9/6/2019 at 4:01 AM, YN57OCK said:

I'm sure just by looking at the two you can see what is pricey carbon and what is carbon wrap...also get the full bit under the centre console done. On my ISF it looks a little incomplete.

Also don't remind me about the 'Tesla style' screen...deffo not plug and play! 

Thanks for the pics, your screen does look awesome Ian. Having seen yours I 100% want to mod mine, I may have to go for wrap in the short term, but I’ll certainly be buying the genuine article gear nob, after all, that’s the bit I’ll actually be interacting with.

[Northern isf]

22 hours ago, YN57OCK said:

I did Wayne! If you've replaced the touch panel on the screen before then this mod isnt much more difficult...it just takes time to iron out the kinks once setup. You also have to be incredibly careful not to damage the dash (it's surprisingly fragile surrounding the screen and the vents.

Luckily my test car was the 250 when the touch screen became non responsive, but that being said I have a great way to repair a damaged dash almost seamlessly ...I'll add a post on that too! 

Put us a build thread up this is some superb work, Im really interested as the satnav is a joke on mine plus I think its really revitalised the look of the dash, did you fathom it all out on your own if so well done well done! 

[YN57OCK]

On 9/7/2019 at 6:49 PM, Northern isf said:

Put us a build thread up this is some superb work, Im really interested as the satnav is a joke on mine plus I think its really revitalised the look of the dash, did you fathom it all out on your own if so well done well done! 

Hey! Most of it was trial and error, or a Google trawl. Ordered some headlights and tail lights from a Vland seller, so when I wire them up, I'll do both as I still need to route the rear aftermarket camera into the hole where the stock one is! Give me a couple of weeks, headlights are on backorder from china....apparantly...

[Northern isf]

On 9/10/2019 at 11:04 PM, YN57OCK said:

Hey! Most of it was trial and error, or a Google trawl. Ordered some headlights and tail lights from a Vland seller, so when I wire them up, I'll do both as I still need to route the rear aftermarket camera into the hole where the stock one is! Give me a couple of weeks, headlights are on backorder from china....apparantly...

Look forward to it 👍