sgolko

Got delivery of my Starfire Pearl 2011 350 AWD last Thursday, and got the F-Sport grille last night.
Going to install the grille this coming Saturday, will post pics when done.
So excited!!

DOUGLis350

Anyone know about the lower grille?

LexTuners

iTrader: (3)

F-Sport Lower grille will also fit on the 2011 Non F-Sport IS Models


http://www.lextuners.com/2011-is250-...le-insert.html

Use Code "FSPORT1" for additional savings.

Jeff Lange

iTrader: (1)

Yes, but only the 2011, the 2006-10 do not have an alternative lower grille.

Jeff

LexTuners

iTrader: (3)

tRUE

sgolko

OK, let's start with some pics:

Before:


After:



Sorry for pic quality, weather is crappy here so I haven't bothered cleaning her up and taking real nice pics yet.

And now some details..
2011 Lexus IS 350 AWD, Starfire Pearl, Luxury+Nav+ML package. This is the only mod I have done, and likely the only one that will be done (at least for a while).

Changing out the grille is pretty easy, as everyone else has said, but took me way longer that it needed to just because I was being cautious and didn't know exactly what I was doing.

I'll try to give you a bit of a walk-thru for doing the swap, specifically for the 2011 model. Doing this from memory, so I apologize if I miss something.
-Remove front plastic engine cover by removing about 10 or so plastic clips. Clips are removed by pushing down on the center of them. To put them back in later, push the centers back out (all the way), insert them into their holes and push the centers down to be flush.
-Remove weather-stripping. There are clips that can be detached either from the weather stripping side or from the car side. I found it much easier to detach from the stripping.
-Remove 2 clips and 1 screw from the top of the grille assembly. Use a screwdriver to lift up the center of the 2 clips to remove them.
-Remove grille assembly. There are 2 clips on each side of the grille, and 6 on the bottom. I unlatched both clips first on one side, then both on the other side by pulling them towards the center of the grille (I think....).Then you can sort of wiggle the grille out a bit more by pulling it straight towards you. The 6 clips on the bottom need to be released by pulling up on them. Entire grille assembly should pop right out now. NOTE: Someone said that you can just remove the grille insert, and don't need to take out the surround... I find this would be very difficult to do. Possible, but very difficult.
-Remove grille insert from surround. There are 4 bigger screws at each corner, and 2 little ones on the bottom. Then about 10 clips in total to be released. I found the big ones on the side to be a bit of a pain, had to use pliers to get the clips to release. Once it is out, you can use pliers to remove the weather-stripping clips from the grille insert (by squeezing the bottoms while pulling them up through). Put the clips back into the weather-stripping (not into the new grille insert). NOTE: There are 2 clips still on either side of the grille in the car body, these are more difficult to remove. I ended up breaking one of them... but there are enough of them it won't matter.
-Clip new grille insert into the grille surround, put the screws back in.
-Remove emblem from old grille surround. I used a putty knife to cut the tape used before, then it falls right off. Used 3M double sided tape to put the emblem on the new grille.
-New grille/surround will basically pop back into place. Make sure all of the clips are engaged.
-Put the screw and 2 clips back in.
-Put the weather-stripping back in.
-Put the engine cover back in.
-Take pictures and share your beautiful new grille with us.

That's it.
It was a couple degrees below freezing when I did this so it probably made it a bit harder than it needed to be, but that's life.
Hope this helps for anyone looking to do the same.

Steve

pfdaxe

iTrader: (8)

Looks good! I didn't take the surround out. Very easy and replaced insert in about 10-15 mins start to finish.

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

I just installed the eBay IS-F style grille on my 2007 IS350 and it looks great, however I need to now remove the Lexus emblem from the OEM grille and put it on the new grille. I'm going to attempt removal tonight, I got a putty knife and I'm going to try and slowly pry it off while heating it up with a hair dryer to try and loosen the adhesive.

My question is about the reattachment to the new grille; everyone keeps saying to use double-sided tape. I've heard people reference 3M industrial-grade red-backed double-sided tape that's thin, almost like carbon paper. Problem is, I cannot find anything that matches this description at the local hardware store. Only thing I can find is this indoor/outdoor double-sided tape, a picture of which is attached below.

This tape is not thin like carbon paper, it is a bit thick and due to a layer of almost foam in between the two sides. It seems to me to be too thick to use; the L emblem would be raised off the grille.

Is this what I need, or is it something else, and if it's something else where do I find it?

pfdaxe

iTrader: (8)

That is the same tape I used. I didn't need a hair dryer to remove emblem. I just used a putty knife and gently pryed around the edges and it came right off.

sgolko

That's the same stuff I used. I used the putty knife to more or less cut through the foamy tape that was holding it on in the first place, and it looks like it is pretty much the same thickness as the tape you have pictured.

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

Great, thank you both so much for your help. I guess even though the tape is a bit thick/foam-like, it fits into the groove and therefore doesn't stick out too much.

I'm going to do this tonight, will report on how it goes. Thanks again for your help.

Crispy

iTrader: (3)

I just bought a new emblem from the dealership, cost $22 or something... Popped right in

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the tip. I finally got my emblem off the OEM grille last night and attached it to the new grille with the above tape, it worked pretty well though it was awkward having to cut short thin strips to fit on the back of the emblem without showing out the sides. Turned out well though and the grille looks great.

bjw1978

I followed the step by step instructions above and everything worked just fine. However, I'm having a horrible time getting the weather stripping back onto the little hooks. Any tips on that?

CalMike

Unfortunately, you would have probably had a much easier time had you actually left the hooks in the weather stripping and simply used a pliers to pinch the other end of each hook out from where they attach to. This way would make attaching the weather stripping back a much less painful experience.

No worries though. At this point, your best bet is to use a pair of needle-nose pliers to hold each hook and carefully twist it into its hole on the weather stripping. Go slowly, one by one. It could take a little while but you're much better off taking your time than ripping any of the weather stripping.