pelorojo20

Hi I've been reading Club Lexus for awhile, but haven't posted up till now !

I'm in the market for an IS and am facing having to do a special order because the combo I want I can't get without wood trim (IS 250 RWD, Luxury Package, Navigation) - and I'd rather have the metallic. I've seen a few references here to the possibility of somehow changing it after purchase and wondered how this could be done, how expensive it would be, and if there are potential issues with doing that would make it undesirable (i.e., rattling, etc.).

And, for those who already have the metallic trim: would it be especially hot to the touch ? I live in Texas and it gets extremely hot in the summer; would the metallic trim be prone to being especially hot, even burning, to the touch ? Sounds silly but the steering wheel on my current car would burn my hands in the summer if I didn't have a leather wrap around it. I'm assuming that the wood would be cooler than the metal but some metals seem to feel hotter to the touch than others and wasn't sure how the IS metal would be.

Thanks for any thoughts/advice. I really like this car but my dealer has been a real hassle to deal with and waiting for 120 days for a special order is a real drag.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

The metallic trim is (gasp!) not metal. It's a compressed durable plastic that looks metallic. It won't get hot.

pelorojo20

thanks for the reply -- and that's actually good news. Plastic = less burn !

Now if I could just figure out how to get it without special ordering : (

jlin101

you can probably find someone on this forum to swap their base metallic trim with your wood trim, which is an upgrade.

TimboIS

Next you're going to say the rubber pedals are an upgrade.

jlin101

Wood trim IS an upgrade. Metallic trim is found in the base car, and it is nothing more than painted plastic. Plastics scratch easily but are more practical than real aluminum, which squeak and get too hot. I love those aluminum pedals; too bad they can't be had with wood trim, which I want more than the pedals.

TimboIS

Whatever you say.

FYI, it's not painted. It's molded in that metallic color, so it's not going to scratch off. In all actuality, you're more likely to scratch the finish on the faux-looking wood.

jlin101

molded or painted--unless Lexus uses harder plastic than others, it will show scratches due to its smooth finish. I always had to watch out when I set the key down on the console in my G35C due to numereous complaints from other owners. Yes, the polyurethane on the wood can get scratched, too; but the wood grain tend to hide the scratches. Of course, whether one likes the warm, luxurious look of wood , or the cool, technical look of metallic trim is purely personal taste; I am not arguing there.