J Henderson

I'd recommend just converting the Fogs to HIDs. I dunno if it's because my car had the newer type lights with H3 bulbs or what (perhaps they're inferior to the earlier ones), but they were extremely poor with the stock bulbs and absolutely useless when I tried to improve things with some "Xenon-style" bulbs in them. Yes, the light output actually became even worse, plus they still had that dull, old-fashioned "halogen" look to them.

After swapping to the aftermarket bulbs, I actually had to get out and visually check to see if they were still working, since there was no telling from inside the car whether they were on or not!

Since upgrading therm with a HID kit though, they've been improved massively. To the point where I could easily drive down a dark country road using just the sidelight/foglight combo. (I've tried it). Since the fog lamps have projector lenses, I don't think there's the same kind of beam scatter issues you get when you stick HIDs in reflector lights. I haven't had any complaints.

What this picture doesn't show very well, is that my fogs are actually kicking out yellow light due to the temperature of the bulbs (3000K).

Yes, the "B" denotes LSD.

A01A - 3.916 ratio Open Centre
A01B - 3.916 ratio Torsen LSD
A02A - 4.083 ratio Open Centre
A02B - 4.083 ratio Torsen LSD

Looks good. It should probably drop a few mm more once they're settled in.

Here you go;

Sure, I'll try and take one this evening.

Black calipers, white decals for me. I wanted something a bit understated that could pass as possibly being OEM.

Another inexpensive DIY mod that's worth doing;

I'd always disliked the fact the switch panels were that matte silver colour when the rest of my interior was black/dark. They looked a bit out of place to me, but not anymore.

I bought a small roll of carbon-effect vinyl and experimented on the rear door switches myself and the result was pretty good considering I had never done anything like that before. But, I wasn't confident about doing a neat job on the ones on the front doors, especially the driver's panel with all those switches and cutouts. So, I bought a pre-cut kit. There's an Australian dude on eBay selling them and the quality is very good.

Yes, those IS-F caps will fit in the 11-spoke wheels. I tried one this afternoon.

It didn't sit quite as flush as an OEM cap, but it snapped into place fine and looked pretty good.

FYI, the centre caps for IS220d/IS250 wheels and also the Mk1 RX300 are the same size (62mm) and fitment.

No, you wash the car as normal before using it, just like you would with any other wax. You just don't need to dry the car beforehand. plus it's super quick and easy to use - not too dissimilar to a Quick Detailer. Smells great too. :)

cheers! :)

Extra Gloss Protection is a sealant, so I applied a coat of it right after polishing the car. I then buffed it off after letting it cure for about two hours.

This was then followed by two coats of HD Wax.

Cool, thanks. I've got a bottle of EGP but I've never been sure about how to include it into the process. Or whether it's even needed if you're using a proper wax.

I applied a single coat of HD Wax just over a month ago and it's still holding up well.

This was on Saturday after a blast with a petrol station jet wash on the cheapest program - lance only, no brush, then sprayed with Autoglym Aqua Wax whilst the body was still wet (that's it's party trick). Done the wheels & tyres too whilst I was waiting to buff up some panels, but all told, you're looking at only 30mins worth of work. Plus £2 for the jet wash. :)

I can't recommend Aqua Wax enough!

I had another go at cleaning my car today. Here are my soldiers:

Looking good! What have you got as the top coat? The HD Wax or EGP?

What's involved in making them fit, I don't know, but it seems they do fit. They look really good too.

Where are you putting it?

I had one on my LE grille and thought it looked pretty good there.

Unfortunately, you'll be left with holes that need to be filled & painted.

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/55939-removing-lettering-off-the-boot/?hl=debadge#entry617141

Whoops, HB4 is indeed the fitment you want. Thanks for correcting me, Petay. :shutit:

None of those. You need a 9005/HB3 kit.

Tints are definitely on my shopping list. The 300 LE has them as standard, along with the boot spoiler. ;)

Looks good :)

would the LE grill be available?

Gonna keep it for now as I think I might end up wanting to revert back to it at some point. :)

I'd replace the whole kit. If you only replace a ballast, you might end up with one light brighter than the other, or a different colour even.

Yep, around the same for me.

I normally buy £40 worth and I'll cover between 170-200 mls on that much.

Superb. Looks like it just rolled off a dealership forecourt. B)

Doesn't the IS fall into Band K since it's pre-2006?

Altezza grille looks in much better condition than mine! Looks completely different with the L badge on too.

Are the foglamps slightly tinted?

The fog lamps are standard, but I think the chrome is a slightly darker shade than most on an LE. They're not the dark chrome ones you see on 04/05 models, nor are they the normal bright chrome. They're something in between. The rear lights are the same. They're noticeably darker than the ones on my neighbour's 51-plate SE.

PetayV8, I felt exactly the same. I had the grille for a while but couldn't bring myself to fit on the car until I had sorted out an L badge for it.

Anyone wishing to do the same, just follow this very good tutorial.

http://my.is/forums/f221/diy-l-emblem-z-edition-330118/

Some basic tools and zipties are all that's required. The L badge needs to come from an '02-on facelift model - one with 3 rows of mesh. The badge isn't removable on the earlier ones.

I have and I would. Check your PMs. :)

Creaking usually means a ball joint.

Had the same knocking sound but not anymore after fitting new shocks, springs & drop-links. Definitely nothing to do with the brakes in my case.

I'd start with replacing the drop-links since they're pretty cheap.

Swapped my grille today for an Altezza Z-Edition one. I like the LE grille but I've always liked this one too and fancied a change. I wasn't very keen on the idea of my Lexus wearing an Altezza emblem though so I modded an "L" badge off a standard grille to replace it.

(BTW, the badge is now properly centered) :)

The OEM grille with it's black mesh probably looked a bit "sportier", but overall, I like how classy this one looks.