New Bumper Cover... Part 2

Two days after I dropped off the car at the local Porsche shop CREF, I went to pick up the car.

That is one tasty 911 GT RS3....

As if not obvious by now, I had gone to this shop because they seem to be one of only a very few places in Japan that specialize in the application of protectant film for cars (they had a Bentley in the shop when I had arrived, and a Gallardo on the way...). Rather than anything from 3M, they use the Xpel line up, and in particular they used the latest self-healing type (Xpel Ultimate) for my car. Here is a video clip I found:

And here is a link to the nationwide association in Japan these guys at CREF actually head up.  I had gone ahead and ordered the full front bumper (of course), the door handle cups, the top of the rear bumper, and lastly, some custom work on the rear door entry areas (because of the kids). What's interesting is that, while the bumper of course is brand new, the other areas had some slight scuffs in the clearcoat - and yet as Ishiguro-san at CREF promised, once the film was applied those slight imperfections really can't be seen!

Yes, slight orange peel visible, but now I can fly on the expressway with no worries...
(the hood already has too many chips for me to care)

In any case, this being Japan the craftsmanship was, as usual, nearly perfect.

Door handle cups - all 4 done!

Upper bumper area which often gets scratched when loading stuff. You can see my finger pointing to the line

On the rear door entry areas, we originally were planning just a simple strip on the edge, but they went ahead and put down a whole lot more, just in case (and without changing the estimate!)

Arrow pointing to upper edge

Arrows show bottom edge and how it extends to the side.

Obviously several other areas of the car still need work - for example the hood needs to be repainted in places and the right rear quarter panel has some paint chips. But for now I'm happy with the additional protection.

I'm not done with CREF though... turns out they have 2 other key items I've been looking at getting done...

Another Child/Dirt Proofing Mod

My first interior mod was to protect the interior from dirt, without affecting the looks and function of the interior too much. (To review, that was the weatherproof rear floor mats.)

Next, I installed (velcro) these to the back of the front seats, to prevent small rear seat passengers from leaving dirt on the seat backs (when they kick me).

Then, I installed these to protect the rear seats from the weight of the child seats, as well as whatever mess the kids make.

Finally, I picked these up from the dealership last Sunday -

So now I've done what I can to physically protect all carpeted and leather seating areas with the highest likelihood of getting dirty.  The next step? Some treatment.... stay tuned...

Let the Mods Begin!

Unlike most of my mods for my GT-R, for the ISF, so far most of the mods I have planned are with the intent of slowing down, eliminating or reversing the aging/wear and tear on the car.  Given that the car will be pressed into family transportation duties, and knowing that my kids are likely not to care too much about how much dirt they track into the car (and because, even though my rule is no food or drink other than water in the car - this is bound to be broken...), I decided that the best defense would be a good offense.

So, even before I had finished paying for the car, I went ahead and ordered these 3D Maxpider Kagu (their rubber model) designed and manufactured for the 2006-2012 Lexus IS250/350/ISF by U-ace.  I have some other anti-kid/anti-dirt items for the interior still on the way, but luckily these arrived the day before I took delivery of the car.

Here is the advert for the product:

Unfortunately, because this company does NOT provide a full 4 piece set for right hand drive (i.e. JDM or UK spec) cars, I ordered the rears only. I figured that, more than likely the rear patterns would fit (why would there be a difference in the REAR for LHD and RHD cars?), even if the fronts did not. And because the price was fair I wasn't going to feel too bad if they did not fit.

Here is a closeup of the "carbon fiber" texture

The back side is this dry but sticky rubber

And here is how the mat looks, installed! They both fit perfectly. Not an earth shattering beginning to modifications I have planned for this car, but perhaps a simple and practical one.

Note the footprints... from the wife

Incidentally, for the fronts I plan to get the JDM Lexus dealer option, rubberized winter set, which curiously only come for the front, like these:

From the 2015 IS online accessories catalog.

So, even though it won't match the rears, come the rainy season this fall/winter I'll be happy knowing that the carpet of the ISF at least is well protected.

Going soon - some more anti-kid protection....