lexusk8

Thanks for the positive feedback guys! Even though so far it's only been one day with the extra wood trim, it's gonna bring new meaning when taking drives during the daytime (i.e. checking out the reflection on the glovebox trim while on the road)

- squarehat: AAA Exotic Wood does sell partial kits, you need to call them up and ask for specific quotes on that. I asked Exotic Wood Dash if they sell partial pieces for my wood kit, and they said no. But for the price as listed on their web site, I decided to pay a little extra and get the full 7-pc kit w/ no shipping charge. I believe for the '96, you get a total of 11 pieces (including one that covers the entire glovebox, I think BabyLex has it on his ES).

- xenonES3: squarehat is right about the steering wheel. Mine came with it when I bought the car, and also I think it's part of the Lexus "Value" package, one of the few option packages available for any new Lexus purchase.
I took my friend out for a short drive yesterday with the new wood trim installed. He noticed it, and told me that it should bring extra value to the car when I choose to sell it in the future

- steviej: haha, that's funny about the # of air fresheners I have Yes I did have 6 in there (the old ones hung on the lighting switch). I kinda adapted this freshener-hook-up system from a few GS guys I met in the past CL meets.

binelus

what is the model of wood did you take ? Burlwood ?

lexusk8

Dark burlwood, it's the closest match to the OEM wood in my ES. The other kind is the light-colored wood, almost a natural color, and that usually comes with the 2000 Platinum Edition ES's.

Bluesman

I think the glovebox piece adds a lot to the car. It looks great. I like the overhead piece as well. I really want to add the door control pieces to my 94 ES. However, I still don't trust Exotic Wood based on all of the threads that I have read. How did you find out that Lexus' OEM wood pieces come from the same company ?

lexusk8

Thanks Bluesman The wood trim would definitely add the extra touch to the door/window controls on your ES. I did some research on CL before I purchased the wood kit, and found out from several posts by GS owners that B&I manufactures Lexus OEM wood trim pieces.

D2-AUTOSPORT

There you go Doug, now keep the mods coming!! Who cares if the winter is coming!! Kit really adds to the interior, plus the fact that you had the BALLA BALLA wood wheel only furthers the effect.

And dont let the boys make you feel bad about your fresheners, lord knows I must have had about 10-14 in this pic!!

lexusk8

Word up D! Thanks for the compliment about the wood wheel. Believe me, it's already grown in me ever since I got the car first day. Hehe, isn't it kinda weird how all you NY GS owners are down with this multi-freshener concept?

Toysrme

Man that looks nice!

On another note, you guys are like the woman in every office that bathes in perfume & yet dosen't admit she over dose it while everyone around her is gaging

One HoT

iTrader: (5)

Very nice! I love the new mod Doug...Keep it up...

mmarshall

Nice...real nice. I have to agree. Congragulations....enjoy it. But.....you shouldn't HAVE to do this with an aftermarket kit. It SHOULD have come from the FACTORY like this....just like the newer ES300's do. You can't tell their interiors from the LS430's.
On an unrelated note: do any of you ES300 guys/gals know why Lexus chose to stretch those odd triangular headlights on the new models halfway up the sides of the hood? I didn't see anything wrong with the OLD headlights.

lexusk8

The factory wood kit costs insane amounts of $$$, and as I mentioned in an earlier post, the wood kit I obtained is made by the same wood manufacturer who makes the Lexus OEM wood kits. The factory and aftermarket kits look SO similar, you can't really tell the difference. Why should I put down 500-600 dollars at the dealership (plus labor and waiting time) , when I can get one for 25-30% of the price which I can install myself in an hour or less? I think I saved myself a great deal of money by purchasing from Exotic Wood Dash, and I recommend them if you're looking to upgrade your interior kit.

mmarshall

No...I think you misunderstood my reply. I wasn't referring to you buying an expensive factory wood kit and installing it yourself. ...I was saying that the factory should have done this FOR you...it should have been standard equipment (not extra) on every ES300 when your car was built......like it is on the current model starting in 2002. In other words, you should not have had to add this yourself...it should have been included in the base price of the car.

kyle8744

i heard that air fresheners destroy your sense of smell after using them for a long time.

lexusk8

What source did you hear that from?

Toysrme

Actually it's true, but it does not destory your smell...

As with anything, your body will change to tolerate it.

EX: The joke I posted above...
The person doesn't "fry their nose". The brain simply begins to ignore the smell of purfume. WHich is why the offending people wear more and more over a very long period of time. The same goes for pain... On that note ya know researchers once made a group of subjects wear glasses that made vision upside down. They wanted to know how people would function.

Intrestingly, within 9 months EVERY subject's brain had automatically flipped the picture right side up...