Where did you purchase the chrome? Thanks

 

got it from here, they got chrome and matte versions: link!

 

on request, from pic from a medium distance!

 

Do you have the lights to the interior lights you purchased?

 

Gave the old ones to a mechanic friend of mine 3 years ago. And chucked the packaging they came in at that time. Sorry.

 

Clear bra/mask on hood, etc?
Paint and interior protectant?

If you recommend purchasing, at what cost.
I’m trading a 2013 Rx350 for a 2020.
My car has been subject to dings in the paint on the hood.

thank you

 

My 2002 SC 430 has 126,000 miles. Clear bra installed when new. There are a few bruises on the clear bra but no chips or dings. Still looks pretty good. Dealer installed clear bra on my 2011 ES WITH 86,000 miles - looks great. Getting clear bra (Xpel) on bumper, headlights, hood, side mirrors and door handle cups right now (pick it up tomorrow) on the wife’s new NX.

big fan, most important thing IMHO is a great installer, not the film as long as its a brand name film.



Taken last month

 

I'd go for at least PPF on the front bumper, hood and the side mirrors. Don't half-*** it on the hood either, go the full hood and you won't be disappointed.

If you have an RX F-Sport in Ultra White or even the regular one in white, I'd also get Carpro's Iron X so you can remove the orange specks yourself that usually build up on the paint.

I'd also opt for a good leather cleaner and conditioner - many great options out there including Chemical Guys and Lexol.

 

As a new member, welcome to the forum. Please resend to your post after reading the helpful suggestions by members. We care and it helps everyone to read about your experience. Here's a whole thread about film protection. I believe price is discussed as well. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...-worth-it.html I'm a fan of film and ceramic coating. I did my own coating on a white car and am very happy with the results as well as the huge savings in dollars. Film is for the pros only as the link shows.

 

The dealers are hoping you pick every single one of the "add on options" that they offer. This is how they make a ton of extra money. I bet the commissions are high on all that stuff. It is like when you buy furniture and the salesmen try to sell you all kinds of stain protectors, extended warranties, etc. etc.. Most of it is highly overpriced and unnecessary.

I had a clear bra installed on my last vehicle. I definitely didn't repeat that on my 2020 Rx350. It protected the paint just fine but the bugs and debris was then just on the clear bra instead of the paint and were just as hard to remove when cleaning the car. It also pulled away a few millimeters on all the edges just enough to collect a rim of dirt on the perimeter. I originally did it thinking I could remove it when I sold the car 10 years later and have a perfect looking front end but I was afraid to remove it without pulling paint off with it. In the end, it was a waste of money for me and I learned my lesson.

I remember the whole sheet of paper of "add ons" that the dealer stuck in front of me last fall when I bought my 2020 Rx. It took me 2 seconds to decline everything on that rip off sheet. I had gotten to know the salesmen very well because we were from the same hometown. He laughed when I said no and said that he would have said the same thing.

 

After seeing the performance of the PPF on my 2018, I'll never buy another new car without it. I bought my 2015 in the summer of 2014, and it had been 10 years since I bought new car. I didn't know anything about PPF and the dealer didn't tell me about it or offer it. Of course, six months later I'm seeing stone chips on that beautiful dark blue hood, with the white under layer showing through. So I bought matching touch-up paint and proved beyond all doubt that I have no business anywhere near a car with paint in my hand. I still am far from expert on the various choices -- don't ask what I have on my 2018. On my invoice it says "Half Bra" and I paid $600 to have the dealer install it before I took delivery. But it has done a magnificent job of protecting the paint on the front of the hood and fenders. I'll attach photos that I took today. I promise there is an edge of the film in these photos, and of course from some angles you can see it. This car has been on the road 27 months and has 28K miles on it.

 

That looks good @dibl

The key to PPF is the installer. If they do it right, it will look like nothing is there. I don't think I could do half or quarter film...I would want the entire hood wrapped. I don't want seams. Seems like it would be too easy for dirt, wax, sealants, etc to collect and look like crap.

First thing we did was added the lighted front sill plates.

 

the photo I included above is of an 18-19 year old partial front with 126,000 miles. Yes, in that angle you can see the seam and the film is a little beat up but all the paint is intact. The edge still looks great and it does the job. And I believe the films are a whole lot better now than in 2002. If my bidget were unlimited I probably would go for the full hood but the increase in cost does not seem to justify it in my mind (almost double the cost of a partial frontal).

 

Did you change the lighting in the cargo area of your RX? If so, where did you get it? I'm trying to get a contained unit instead of having to take the housing apart.

Thank you.

 

Agree. The vast majority of stone chips that I've seen are in the front 6" of the hood, plus the fronts of the fenders.