A 15-year-old Lexus can look much newer with the right parts. YouTuber Camden B and his girlfriend, Natalie, took that idea further by giving her worn 2011 IS350 a new face and a full color change. By the end, it looked nothing like the car she bought.
Natalie paid $4,300 for the Lexus, which came with a rebuilt title after an earlier crash. Its body had dents and worn paint, while the cabin had stained carpet and a torn seat. Under the hood, oil had soaked parts of the engine bay.
Rather than trade it for a newer sedan, the couple set out to change its look at home. Their plan called for modern headlights, a large front grille, a new bumper, and black vinyl over the old paint.
The finished car had the sharp face of a much newer Lexus, with a total reported investment of $5,893. Yet the video also showed that a fresh look doesn’t mean an old car is fully fixed.
A New Face
Before fitting the new parts, Camden and Natalie stripped away old badges, a rear spoiler, and patches of paint film. A dented front fender also had to go. Once the replacement was in place, they tried the new headlights and bumper to check how the parts lined up.
The lights had a modern shape and a blue start-up animation. Paired with a wide grille, they gave the older IS350 a look closer to recent Lexus models. Small trim pieces above the lights helped close the gaps around the new front end.
Getting the bumper to sit right took more work. Camden cut back parts of the brake cooling ducts that were in the way. He also covered the bar behind the grille with black wrap so it wouldn’t show through the opening.
Black Looks Easy
The biggest task was the wrap. Neither had wrapped a car before, and the first panels gave them trouble. Bubbles kept forming as they pushed the vinyl into place, while the roof left wrinkles that were hard to smooth out.
As they went, the pair learned to stretch the film across each panel and use heat to help it lie flat. Before they started, they washed the car, removed the old film, and sanded deep chips in the hood. Camden used body filler and primer to leave a smoother surface under the vinyl.
Natalie picked gloss black for the new color. Once they peeled away the film’s top protective layer, the finish looked much closer to paint. They added new mirror caps and a trunk spoiler, then put the trim and badges back on.
Still Needs Work
Camden put the makeover cost at $1,593, on top of the $4,300 purchase price. That brought the stated total to $5,893, though the figure reflects their DIY project rather than the cost of hiring a shop.
The shine did not last without issues. Within days, some vinyl had begun to shrink and show its edges. Camden said parts might need to be redone, and he even raised the chance of painting the car instead.
More serious work remains under the hood. Leaking valve cover gaskets are still coating the alternator with oil, even after the pair cleaned it. The belt squeals at startup, and Camden suspects a noise near the front of the engine could come from the water pump.
Inside, the dash and door panels have grown sticky and brittle. Camden also said glare from the dash can make it hard to see through the windshield. He wants to replace it and later add a newer steering wheel and Apple CarPlay, while the oil leak and worn belt still need repairs.