I got mine off ebay. it was a toyota part and matched perfectly.

also there are some youtube videos on installing them.

 

I took a chance a heat waive gave me today and installed side moldings.
It was 60 deg - a minimum temperature recommended for installation. It took me about 1 hour.
Thanks a lot bc6 for your help with instructions and for your tips on installation.

 

Well I'm happy to help. Looks like you did a great job Alpine. Hardest part is getting the measurements just right and then placing the molding onto the car. No room for error there. I'm across the river in PA and also had a beautiful day at 62F. Washed and waxed the Lexus...

Good Luck!

 

Nice job Alpine.

 

Nice install. Wonder what more chromework would look like for the ES, say door handles and inset within the side molding or along running strips at the bottom of the doors.

 

My buddy has a 2012 with a factory chrome strip along the rockers. Looks nice and I guess that they took it off for 2013 to save money. They are available as aftermarket accessories. Probably attach like the molding with adhesive.

 

With the 2010 mid-cycle refresh, they added that chrome strip along with some other nice updates both inside and out. IMO Lexus did a nice job with adding a little needed bling while at the same time resisting the impulse to add too much chrome all over the car.

 

That has to be one of those things that is a matter of personal preference and personal taste. For me, I would rather not see chrome either on the interior or the exterior of a vehicle. Especially, I don't like chrome accents on the interior, but, even on the exterior, I would prefer that door handles, window sills, grills, trunk trim, etc. either be body color or flat black. To me, body color or black accents come across with more of a feeling of understated elegance. While, to my taste, the ES doesn't have "too much" chrome to make it unacceptable, I could do with even less chrome than there is.

 

I agree that when it comes to chrome and wood, less is more. Styling cues with these materials come and go and change with the model years.

I'm not a fan of add-on's in the chrome and wood department . For the most part they just don't look right to me.

 

I agree with your points 100%.

I've seen interior wood add-on kits, and they make it look, to me, like just "too much". With the 2013 (or 2014) ES, I could see using a bit more wood on the console, but, otherwise, I think that the amount of wood is just enough to give a feeling of "luxury" without making it seem to be overwhelming.

I do, also, find it interesting how the pendulum of trends seems to swing back and forth. It seems like, for example, with audio and video equipment, every 4 or 5 years, the "in" color switches back and forth from black to silver and back to black. And the same thing seems to be true with the use of chrome on vehicles.