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the lip is cool. I'd take one body colored made of regular ABS plastic if they made one. and sold for $125 or less. I like that it's subtle/minimal. but then again i haven't seen the front.
is it just me or does the lip not fit flush with the end/edge of the bumper? i see white.
Yeah. It doesn't reach all the way to the edge. I'd say there's about 1/8" exposed. I might just put a tiny strip of black wrap to mask this, or paint the lip white. For darker cars, this wouldn't be as noticeable.
The lip is actually designed after the TRD kit for the ES350, which costs $1200 (not including shipping from Japan). The TRD lip is ABS and can be color-matched. It was my first choice, but I decided to give this carbon fiber one a try.
The grill looks good. Is that aftermarket or OE? I've been looking at the aftermarket but not sure if that sensor (the emblem) will get out of calibration if I unplug it or move it. I'm scared of that.
Polished my front windshield with a polishing pad and Meguiars M105 using a dual action rotary tool, then resealed it with ceramic spray coating. Even brand new, i was not satisfied. There was a sticky/rough texture to the glass despite looking visibly perfect. That "dry" sound when you wipe it with a fine cloth/microfiber. I need it to be slick and silent. Well now it is.
I used Meguiars Perfect Clarity Glass Care Kit with great results. The rain just ran off the windshield.
I used the included sealer, but it did not last very long. I'll probably try ceramic spray coating for longer lasting results.
this is awesome. This is on my to do list for my 300h UL as well. I want to do the rear bumper as well... Any details of the install? Easy?
Originally Posted by E46CT
The grill looks good. Is that aftermarket or OE? I've been looking at the aftermarket but not sure if that sensor (the emblem) will get out of calibration if I unplug it or move it. I'm scared of that.
Thanks guy. It’s an OEM f sport grill and side garnishes. I had my dealership master tech friends do the work, but from what they told me the side bumper garnishes had to have two tabs removed to fit the bumper. The main grill does not have a spot for the front camera, so they carefully cut and installed it lower than it typically sits but it does not effect the panoramic view and still functions as intended. The radar sensor did have to be recalibrated after the install as well. So overall it’s not completely plug & play, I don’t think this is fit for a garage DIY 100%, you’ll at least need the dealership to recalibrate. Hope that helps. I did this day 1 with the car, I just really don’t like the non f sport grill haha
Good info. I wonder if the recalibration was required due to the lower mounting.
That can probably be done at home w/ laptop and techstream but i don't have a laptop and i don't care that much to mess with it. but if i can get a nice aftermarket grill for 200 or less and install it without recalibration i'm game. just waiting for other people.
So as mentioned in another thread, my ES had a slight door uneven door gap on the driver door, it stuck out maybe 1mm or so most noticeable at the top of the door near the chrome strip. So I removed the striker plate to try and adjust it and as far as I can tell it has zero adjustment. Removed T-40 bolts completely and the plate in back does not appear to move. Maybe there's adjustment's behind? Either way after two re-installations of the striker plate trying to push it back, the striker plate has self-positioning bevels where the plate self-locates as you tighten down the torx bolts. The door would sit the exact same way as before.
So I had this idea.. invert the striker plate upside down in hopes there's JUST enough 1mm variance.
Voila, door is perfectly aligned now. all gaps are perfectly aligned. I can rest easy. Maybe the plates are made in such a way where you rotate them either way for 1mm variance and they simply didn't install it right?
The passionate pursuit of perfection continues with the customer apparently LOL. The car is built very nicely otherwise. Zero creaks rattles or vibrations or noises.