stang

Has anyone purchased the replacement wheel covers. If so are you pleased with the look and the quality? From the pictures, they look better than the "tin can" covers, but I could do without the 10 screws.

After a year with my 2003 SC430 I am considering going the wheel cover route instead of replacing the original wheels. The price quoted is a bit dear; $725 in Canada plus BC's 14.5% sales tax. When I was recently in Chicago, I received a $480 price from McGrath Lexus. Has anyone purchased the wheel covers from anyone other than Lexus dealers?

Thanks

Gojirra99

At least they are available now in Canada for $750. Eight months ago, none of the dealers in Vancouver have even heard of them, when they are already available in the US.
Whether it's CAD$725 or US$480, that's still too much for just 4 pieces of plastic IMO.

fletch

The new wheel covers are frequently found on ebay for $200-250 US. I bought mine (alloy finish, not chrome) through ebay and paid $220 US. (As of today, I noticed there is one listing, by the same seller that sold me mine.)

Even though $200+ is still alot to pay for four pieces of plastic that cost $10 to manufacture, I'm very happy with the new look. The car looks meaner, but not gaudy or "pimped out" as with some of the flashy chrome wheels I've seen in this forum. I recall seeing a thread here that had several good photos of the wheel covers on a black SC430. You can get a good sense of the visual impact by searching for that thread.

tfischer

I think the pics of the black SC noted above are mine.

Search for posts by me and you should find them. If not, let me know (by post or PM) and I will get a pic to you.

I find the new wheel covers to be a great deal. Sure they are expensive for plastic covers, but compared to the next best thing (new wheels) they are a bargain. The look is very much changed and is fairly aggressive. The pie pans were the only design aspect I really did not like, although I did not not like them enough to buy new wheels. The new covers solve that problem.

I got them from Sewell because they had a discount for members here who ordered prior to the release date. I have no idea what the current price is, but I doubt that anyone who bought them is going to want to revert to the originals.

DropTop430

I'm in Toronto and have been looking for these new style covers. Most dealers had no idea what I was talking about when I asking about them. This was several months ago and I want to revisit this topic. Please let me know if you find any better options for these replacments.

Thanks,

antigeek

If you want pics of the change, check out my web site:

http://www.theantigeek.com

My apologies if it's down from time to time.
It seems that SBC Yahoo! DSL hasn't been very helpful in helping me figure out why my modem resets daily.

2SAVVY

DT go and see the parts manager at Oakville Lexus he will be able to get the replacement covers for you but I also agree that $750 for these things are way over board.. A buddy of mine just got his SC430 at Ken Shaw Lexus and they got the covers from him in his deal.. Hope that helps!

Leslie Cra

Regarding the wheel covers. I was at my Lexus dealership last week to discuss the merits of replacing the "pie plates" with the wheel covers described in this thread. The technician I was speaking with said something interesting about that. He speculated that Lexus decided on the "pie plates" for asthetic purposes - so that the rust that tends to form on the brake rotors would not show. [I used to notice that on the `94 SC400 and the `99 GS300 that I previously owned.] As a consequesce, I decided to stay with the "pie plates".

antigeek

Way back when, I thought that Lexus had said that the wheel covers were designed to reduce wind noise from turbulence around the wheels. That sounds somewhat reasonable (although I'm not sure that Lexus officially said that).

I have not found that my wheels get any dirtier with the new inserts over the originals - there was always some brake dust in the crevices.

Leslie Cra

Before the Lexus Technician explained that the covers were for asthetics, I offered the point that they were to reduce wind noise (having read that on an earlier forum here) and was told that such (to reduce wind noise) was not the case. By the way, it's RUST that I was told the covers were designed to conceal, not brake dust.

tfischer

I had a SC400 for 10 years, and I replaced the pie plates with the new wheel covers.

I'd rather look at the rust.

Who looks in there, anyway?

mmarshall

Make sure, whatever design you choose or what covers you get, that they have good-sized openings between the spokes or enough air holes in them to adequately cool the brakes....this is something a lot of people don't think of. If there is too much metal (or plastic) in them and not enough spaces between the spokes to let air flow in and out, the brake rotors can overheat and warp, and the brake pads can glaze over from the heat. In really severe cases (although this is rare) the brake fluid in the wheel cylinders can boil over and vaporize.

golfkwesi

I have to agree with fletch. I purchased my '02 SC430 last October from a Lexus dealer, shortly after the new covers were available. I negotiated them at his cost (think it was about $350) and he hadn't even heard they were available. He called me a week later to tell me how great they looked as I drove off the lot and he wanted to know how I knew so much about the car that he didn't & he was the manager...thanks to all of you on this forum!

I couldn't be happier; they really change the appearance.

DropTop430

I bought the new wheel covers but can't get the nuts off of the wheels to remove the pie plates, over the past 3 years I guess they have seized or rusted on. I stripped one trying to get them off. Not sure what I am going to do,

Did any of you tryn and get them off yourself or did you let the dealer do it?

stang

To dropTen430,

I used the hex tool in the trunk tool area. Mind you my 430 is only one year old so it may not have had the time to tighten up beyond easy loosening.

In the old days wd40 was always useful and there are some nut loosening sprays on the market.\

For what it is worth.