domonas

Just got a 2014 F-Sport, black on black. I think I got a pretty good deal on it. Loving the car. Drove ~300 miles over the holiday weekend. Loving every inch of it.

Edit:

3.5
Black
Stanfard stuff; Navi, moonroof, bsm, etc.
No mods yet. Tinted this weekend.
I'm 37, wife is 29. But I'll be primary driver.

corradoMR2

Congrats! Black's a beast on the F-Sport.

domonas

The pollen in the east coast is killing me! I want to take it to get detailed already!

rmhipo

domonas: Planning on doing any mods? Just curious.

domonas

Probably not initially. This is my first car in 14 years (was driving a 2000 Honda Accord SE), so I'm just enjoying what it is right now. I'm also not too well versed in modding cars, so I'll have to learn. If anything, I'd like to start w/ HID fog lights and the illuminated sills. But NOTHING like CorradoMR2, lol.

rmhipo

domonas: That is the beauty of stepping into your F Sport! You don't have to do anything at all to make it look and perform well. It does that out of the gate!

domonas

Yeah, this is without a doubt, the nicest car I've (or my family) has ever owned. I'm still in a state of disbelief at times that I own such a nice car. I've gone from "yeah, point a to point b", "sure eat in the car," "oh you spilled something? meh." Now I'm "please, no food or drinks in the car. "I need to buy the all weather liners to protect the carpeting." "I should get it tinted." "should I get a clear bra to protect the front from chipping?" "Hmm, I wonder how often I should get it detailed." haha.

rmhipo

You actually bring up some good add-ons that I feel are worth looking into. All weather mats will protect not only your carpet, but help maintain that new car smell by keeping your carpet untouched. The clear bra will not only help you avoid those annoying chips, but will prevent you from repainting your bumper down the road when you can't bear looking at the 2 thousand chips you've accumulated through the years. Just my 2 cents on what you mentioned.

domonas

Well I've already made appointments for the tinting. Just the two front windows I think. Do you recommend rear window tinting as well?

As for the mats, do you recommend liners like weather tech or maxliner? If so, which is better? I was considering getting the Lexus branded all weather mats from sewell. Basically it'll be $200 for the Lexus branded all weather mats from Sewell OR $250 for the max liner set from Amazon. I'm not gonna spend $300+ on weather tech.

The bra thing is an option, but the basic front set installed by a local guy is gonna run me ~$500. Is it absolutely needed? It's $400 for just the bumper, and a Groupon for $100 for first 20 inches on hood, both quarter panels and side mirrors.

Thanks for the replies rmhipo, they've been very helpful and uplifting!

rmhipo

I'd definitely recommend tinting the rear as well. Keep in mind that factory tint has very little UV protection. That said, you will notice how hot it gets in the summer without any tint on the back half. The so called "privacy glass" is really just for aesthetics. Not only will it keep your RX cooler, but it will preserve the life of your leather. You will thank me down the road when your leather still looks brand new after 5 or 6 years.

As for the mats, I went with the WeatherTech FloorLiner™ DigitalFit and took the plunge. I actually purchased the Lexus branded all weather mats from our local Lexus dealership, but the drivers side didn't have enough coverage, and the 2 piece rear mats would never stay in place. I ended up taking a huge loss on these mats selling them on craigslist. I will still stand behind the WeatherTech FloorLiners. If you purchase the front and rear liners at the same time, AutoAnything will give you a discount. I want to say I spent around $240 with shipping.

The clear bra is definitely not needed, but through the years I've repainted the front bumper on all of my vehicles (rear bumper as well thanks to parking to close to the garage). Does it pay off in the long run? It all depends if you can live with all the chips on your bumper, as well as your hood. Some folks are religious about touching up every chip, but after a while there are just too many to cover up. I got the full hood done on my car, so I definitely went way over the budget. So as it stands I have my bumper, full hood, mirrors, quarter panels, and door cups covered. I spent $1,050 total. The original quote was for $850, but I had to pay another $200 for the full hood. Everyone else in my area was charging $1,800 plus for what I had done.

Hope this help!

domonas

Good advice. It's $52 for the front 2 windows using SunTek CXP. Thinking of going 20%. Even though MD legal limit is 35%. Do you also recommend tinting the rear lift gate window as well?

As of this morning, the Lexus branded mats are $194.17 on Sewell site. Maxliners are $249.97 on Amazon. WeatherTech on AutoAnything is $345.85. This is 1st row, 2nd row, AND cargo liners. The one caveat is that the cargo liner is an absolute must b/c I put my dog back there. Do you think the plastic is going to be too slippery for dogs?

I'll have to think about the clear bra thing. That's a nice penny to drop when I have other things besides the car to worry about I think I'll definitely do the tint. Still debating the floor covers. I'm starting to lean towards the all rubber Lexus branded from Sewell. Might have better traction for the dog when he's back there. Otherwise he'll be slipping and sliding.

rmhipo

I highly recommend tinting the lift gate. It will not only give you added heat protection, but it will make it harder for thieves to see what is being stored in the back. On top of giving the back half a more consistent look.

Since I do not have a dog, I am not completely sure, but I do know when I place boxes or any items back there, the do not slip at all.

The clear bra is definitely on the "nice to have" list. If you are not doing any type of long road trips, or constant freeway driving, I don't think you will get the return on your investment.

domonas

So the groupon is for the 2 front windows for $52. To get the 2nd row passenger windows and the lift gate window tinted, it's an additional $211

I ended up buying the MaxLIner complete set from Amazon
I think you're right. I just can't justify spending another grand+ to get the clear bra done at this time. The same place that's doing the tinting told me $1600... grr. Maybe another time.

Thanks for all your advice! I'll post some pictures of before and after tinting!

rmhipo

I am interested to know how the MaxLiners will work out. I did not know they made something comparable the Weathertech mats, so it will be nice to see how you lIke them. Looking forward to those pics!

domonas

Dammit, forgot to take "before tint" pics. But it's in the shop as we speak for a full car tint.

As for the max liners, I'll take pics of those, but it fits great! One spot where I think it could've fit better (2nd row, just behind the front passenger seat). But everywhere else, it fits like a glove. $250 for the set shipped from Amazon. Can't wait to see the finished tint job!