What did you do to your GS today?
03-09-20, 03:48 PM
#3002
Pit Crew
Spent 2+ hours at the Motor Vehicle Department and got a license plate. Removed the dealer license plate frame and used black button head allen screws to hold on the plate. Got rid of the front license plate holder and put black plugs in the holes in the bumper.
03-09-20, 09:18 PM
#3003
Instructor
It was bound to happen...but yeah...I was not happy. BUT....this gives me an excuse to get the Lux Wheels that I actually like a little better 
. I'd actually prefer this damage to something like putting a scratch on it - at least this isn't that much trouble to replace if I really really want to. We'll see...need to make sure I get my spacial berings straight so I know where all parts of the car are first. The old car I could parallel park just off the curb and never rub a bit.
I also have a good wheel guy that might be able to work some magic. Somehow I cracked the wheel on my Infiniti many years ago. Infiniti wanted something crazy like $1200 or $1500 for ONE wheel. My tire guy at the time gave me the name and number of a guy not far from me who works out of a shop behind his house. This guy fixed the wheel that a good customer had bent into an egg shape - something like hitting a pot hole at 90mph or something in his Jaguar. Dropped off the wheel, he unmounted the tire, found the crack and showed it to me. 3-4 days later it was ready - charged me something like $80 (was under a hundred) He had cleaned up the edges and all - looked practically new.
. I'd actually prefer this damage to something like putting a scratch on it - at least this isn't that much trouble to replace if I really really want to. We'll see...need to make sure I get my spacial berings straight so I know where all parts of the car are first. The old car I could parallel park just off the curb and never rub a bit. I also have a good wheel guy that might be able to work some magic. Somehow I cracked the wheel on my Infiniti many years ago. Infiniti wanted something crazy like $1200 or $1500 for ONE wheel. My tire guy at the time gave me the name and number of a guy not far from me who works out of a shop behind his house. This guy fixed the wheel that a good customer had bent into an egg shape - something like hitting a pot hole at 90mph or something in his Jaguar. Dropped off the wheel, he unmounted the tire, found the crack and showed it to me. 3-4 days later it was ready - charged me something like $80 (was under a hundred) He had cleaned up the edges and all - looked practically new.
03-09-20, 09:26 PM
#3004
Instructor
I fixed some damage similar to this recently. For the lip, you can use wet sandpaper. I used it to remove some gouges from a tire installation and curbing from the previous owner. Start with 1000 grit and see if that will level it out. If that dosen't work, go down to 800. If not, then 600. I have gone to as low as 400 to remove all surface defects, then worked my way up from 400 to 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000, 5000 and then some Meguars M105 and M205. That will give you a perfect mirror finish. If the wheel has a matte finish, you may want to stop at 3000 to keep a brushed look. I would try a similar process for the painted part, but stop at 2000 and then try some touch-up paint.
It won't be perfect but you also wouldn't notice it from a few feet away.
It won't be perfect but you also wouldn't notice it from a few feet away.
03-10-20, 05:15 AM
#3005
Thanks for the tip! I can definitely give that a try and if I don't quite get it to where it needs to be I have a contact who's done wheel work for me before. Those, however, didn't have any painted areas on them - they were just a brushed aluminum. Agreed....even as is at 10 feet it's barely noticeable. Most people will never see it. I think my pride it bruised worse....
03-10-20, 08:03 AM
#3006
Instructor
The full brushed aluminum definitely seemed easier to take care of and fix.
Mine are the F Sport wheels, similar in some sense but not exact. Instead of a solid 5 spoke they call it a split 5 spoke - it's almost like the center of your spoke is removed. Pic of mine (not very good angle) and then one of the stock photos.
My favorite of the OEM wheels is the 5 Y spoke that came standard on the Lux from 16-17 (Last Photo)
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chinee (03-10-20)
03-11-20, 09:51 AM
#3008
Instructor
Great looking wheels - especially on that color. I'm usually not a fan of aftermarket wheels but I agree with someone else who thought those looked almost OEM.
03-12-20, 09:16 AM
#3010
03-13-20, 03:14 AM
#3011
This car has the Mark Levinson sound upgrade, which I really wanted, but I will probably add a sub since I already have the stuff from my last car. The trick will be doing a custom box that retains the pass-through in the rear seat. I also want to do a dashcam but that's a whole can of worms in and of itself. The paint is in good condition so I want to do a clear bra but I still have to research if 3M or XPEL is better as well as how much I want to cover. I will probably get a mild tint done at the same time. After that the plan is to run RSR coilovers to retain the AVS and drop about an inch or inch and a half to get the same drop @TarmacSL3 has. I'll probably get the Specialty Products 72450 Rear Camber Link @jdpdata has and get an alignment done. I will also look into something like GROM VL2 or Beat-Sonic but I honestly don't have too much issue with the standard interface. My wife has an RX 350 and it's fine with me.
Longer term, probably when I need new tires, I'm thinking about doing an unsprung weight reduction experiment to see what effect it has on the car. I thought about getting the lightest 17" wheels I can find. O.Z. makes one called the Alleggerita HLT that's only 16.3 lbs and would mount a 245/50R17 that's only around 25lbs. I may even try a castaway 2-piece rotor setup from an F-Sport if I can get the parts cheap from a junk yard. I assume the RSR coilovers would not weight significantly more or less than OEM. It should theoretically improve ride quality, acceleration, handling, and braking.
I want to thank @bclexus, @signdetres , @jtrue28 , @chinee , @jonathancl , @ItzFilyO , @JDR76 , @charley95 and I'm sure like 20 others for all the content, technical know-how, tutorials, and advice on this forum. It's actually one of the main reasons that steered me toward the GS. I have a lot of ideas for this car and I can hopefully start contributing more to the forum.
Last edited by mkmckinley; 03-13-20 at 09:40 AM.
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mkmckinley (03-13-20)
03-13-20, 05:02 AM
#3013
03-13-20, 05:19 AM
#3014
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Nice Lux GS! I have a '16 Lux too. I see you're in NC but pics have palm trees! I lived in NC and purchased mine in Raleigh. Where'd you find yours? Now, I live in Palm Beach.
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mkmckinley (03-13-20)
03-13-20, 05:29 AM
#3015
Right on, mine was actually down in Charleston hence the palm trees. I’m in central NC so we don’t see too many of those. I think this car will be about perfect for our state and how I plan to use it. I commute about 80 miles a day and often very early in the morning through some back roads so I’ll have a chance to do some spirited driving. Plus the mild winter mean I can run summer tire 8 months out of the year.