sk8er251cc

mmmmmh. The joy of psychology!

bhandsome

hey did you get the light or dark oem wood ?

lexusk8

I got the dark wood trim kit from the website. I believe the light trim kind is for the ES with the Platinum Edition package (the OEM kit is a bird's eye maple).

bhandsome

[

- 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).


which is better aaaexotic wood or exoticwooddash?

lexusk8

Just based on their web sites and their reputation, I chose Exotic Wood Dash over AAA Exotic Wood. Plus, EW Dash has a wider variety selection of other products and accessories for the interior of the car, so to me, EW Dash seems like the better choice.

kyle8744

i emailed exoticwooddash and they wouldnt sell me a partial kit. i could take or leave most of it but i really want the wood pieces for the door armrests, those are KEY. the stock plastic piece looks really cheapo and doesnt belong in this car.

Lexbox

Does anyone sell a real woodgrain kit for out cars anymore instead of the cheap sticker crap? My little sister had the lex before and put some on and I had one hell of a time removing that crap.

squarehat

You mean the plates around the window controls? As Lexusk8 knows, that's been at the top of my wish list for years. I rode in a co-worker's 98 ES yesterday, and that re-fueled my desire for them. But I don't want to settle for a partial kit of poor quality, or buy a expensive kit and not use it. I could always buy a kit and if it's good quality, someone on the ES Classifieds here might be willing to buy the remaining pieces for the AC, stereo, and glovebox at a reasonable price I remember on the 1st gen GS forum somebody got a kit, and didn't use the stereo piece due to having an aftermarket headunit installed, and people were clamoring to buy the stereo piece off him...

juan01

How long was installation? Can you give it a rating on how difficult?

Also, can they go over my existing wood on the shifter? Mine is starting to bubble/crack.... Thanks!

lexusk8

The installation for my 7-pc kit was about an hour (including cleaning and applying adhesive to all the wood trim locations). The '96 ES most likely has more pieces of wood trim in its kit, and so costs a little bit more and might take a little longer to install. It really all comes down to your preference and whether you think the extra wood trim is worth it or not

Yeah, I used to get a horizontal cracking along the wood trim around the shifter in my '96 ES too, but I understand it happens a lot on the 1st-gen Lexus models, so I'm not worried about reinstalling that piece. There is a replacement piece for shifter trim if you look at Exotic Wood Dash, but chances are it won't match up well with the OEM

juan01

Yes, I have those horizontal lines.

I wanted to get a kit that included the shifter portion, that way everything would match... How about that?

Lexus007

Hey doug..I'm really thinking of getting the exotic wood dash kit. I have the 98 es300, I wanted to know is the color of the wood grain in the stock 1998 es300 the same color as in your 2001? Is it burwood? Light or dark? Here's the color of my wood grain in my 98. How much did u pay for it w/shipping?Can i use the wood grain glove compartment piece on my 98 glovebox?



Don't mind the fusa. Just the wood grain only.

lexusk8

007, the OEM wood trim in your '98 ES is a dark colored trim, so just look for the dark trim package. I went on the Exotic Wood dash site, and it offers 2 choices for the wood trim package: the full kit (11 pcs) or the basic kit (7 pcs, excluding glove box and overhead center console pieces). It is up to you on which kit you prefer to buy, and whether you think the full kit is worth the price. I got free shipping when I ordered my wood trim package; I think the free shipping applies only on Internet orders.

Lexus007

How different is the glove box area on the 2001 compared to the 1998? Do u have a pics on both with the wood furnishings on the es300?

lexusk8

I would think that the glove box trim in both the '98 and '01 ES is the same. You can see it in the layout pics in the Exotic Wood site. At any rate, here's a pic of the glove box trim in my '01 ES: