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here is a strange one! What’s the “wood” on our wheels made from? I know LS/SC was actually wood...
i ask because the top of mine is faded to literally almost NO red, and it’s covered in little dings. I wondered if it’s something somebody has done.... pulling it off, removing the finish, re-dying, and several coats of clear?
obviously it’s not that important but I would fix it if it was reasonably doable
It has been done. If you sand down past the clear, and past the color to the woods original veneer. Depending on your color will dictate how hard it is to match. Lowes sells Minwax #225 Red Mahogany, which is a pretty close match to the red wood. when you apply it, keep applying light coats until you achieve the desired color, then clear it.
not hard to do, but very time consuming. If the car isn't your daily or if you have another car you can drive while yours is down, you can remove the wheel and airbag (disconnect battery so you don't set it off), and send it off to this place:
A bit pricey, but they do awesome work, I have used them in the past.
Oh and yes, Every Lexus car that has woodgrain gets real wood. Its a thin veneer, covered with stain and several layers of clear to give it depth, but I promise it is 100% true wood.
Really!!!!! Even the ES?! That’s amazing. If that’s the case, maybe I’ll change it all... I’d like a chestnut type color. If I didn’t live in the salt belt or it was summer only, imagine if I died the leather headliner dash and rugs dark gray and did ebony wood.
Thanks for the info. I’ll do this in the spring when I can drive my Chevy during the process do I don’t rush it
Really!!!!! Even the ES?! That’s amazing. If that’s the case, maybe I’ll change it all... I’d like a chestnut type color. If I didn’t live in the salt belt or it was summer only, imagine if I died the leather headliner dash and rugs dark gray and did ebony wood.
Thanks for the info. I’ll do this in the spring when I can drive my Chevy during the process do I don’t rush it
Don't get too far ahead of yourself, because the veneer is very thin under the clear. I doubt you would be able to actually change the base color much. It is stained with a red stain from the factory, and the veneer being so thin, the stain likely penetrated the entirety of the veneer, meaning you would sand all the way through it before you got all the red out.
Might be better to go to a junkyard, and pull the pieces you need for your color change, or look on ebay. I myself am not a fan of ebony, I like the rich reds/browns. But to each their own.
A friend of mine was restoring an old Rolls Royce (1951 Silver Cloud), and he did his own custom veneer using maple, and he burned it slightly, then stained it a light color and cleared it. It looked amazing when finished. I should have taken pictures.
Just clicked the link. Apparently Lexus steering wheels are not veneer, but actually wood, carved. Thats legit! That being the case you may actually be able to change the color on that then. The rest of the trim though, you will need to replace. I dont think you can sand it enough to get the red out.
I've used Craft Customs they do excellent work the wheel in my ES was originally black leather (bought the wheel used). The leather looks nicer than factory doesn't have the excessively shiny look to it. The colour match is exact.
Check Ebay a used OEM wheel for your car is easy to find and much cheaper than getting it rebuilt.
ArmyofOne my take from that article is that Lexus does both. I’m guessing LS and the old SC were carved, and ES is the veneer. Either way, the farther I dig into this brand, the more impressed and generally surprised I am. This is my 4th Lexus, 13th Toyota product. I think I loved my 1995 Es300 the most. “Little Goldie.”
Lexus2000 your car appears to have the potential to be a museum piece in 40 years. Seriously it’s perfect. I hope is doesn’t see salt! That said, sadly my car is “disposable” in that it’s what I get around in regardless of roads/weather in the saltiest city in the USA. It WILL die a rusty death. Breaks my heart as the 4ES is on of my favorite cars in the “modern” category. So yes, a $75 replacement might be the better way. I’d still like to try a $10 fix... we will see!
Yes, its a common issue on older 4ES'. The lighter colors crack. my clear wasnt cracking but the red had faded to a dark gray on the top of the wheel. I taped off the wood, sanded it down to the grain, sprayed on the stain with my harbor freight HVLP gun, sanded with 3000 grit, stained again, then i cleared with the same gun. Wet sanded with 1500, then 3000, then emory cloth, then buffed/polished the hell out of it with a dremel rotary tool (be careful not to burn through). I had the wheel removed when i did this.
you dont have to spray on the clear, you can use a self leveling clear and brush it on and achieve similar results. I just sprayed bc i had the gun and it was faster. Be sure to remove the wheel from the car and mask it off really good with quality masking tape.
01-31-18, 05:05 AM
2002-2004 ES Steering Wheel Wood
