Hi Guys,

Well, i've spent the last week in talks with a US Lexus distributor regarding car covers for the IS200/300. Basically, i was fed up at leaving the car for a weekend and coming back to dust city, bug poop mess and water marked paint/windows. So, i thought i'd do something about it and go for a car cover.

Now when looking around and making A LOT of phone calls, it seems that these things have multi purpose uses that i hadn't even considered:

- Good idea if kids/people passing by the car (helps prevents scratches etc)
- Theft deterrent - more time consuming to remove cover and be off with the car (covers are cable locked in plaxce for added safety)
- Prevents frustration from the elements after just washing the car.

So i set about trying to find something that was GOOD QUALITY, SAFE ON THE PAINT, SECURE, HIGHLY BREATHABLE AND WATER RESISTANT (its important to note that nothing can be fully breathable and waterproof, but 95% is achievable) and most of all TAILORED TO FIT.

I came across several companies and the upshot was that if i wanted the best, i would be looking at a Weathershield Cover and a price tag of a cool £350-£370 (excluding cables and lock, and p&p). Please feel free to call around if you don't believe me on this one. There are, of course alternatives which are lesser quality, semi-tailored, but still run £170 +.

So, across the pond i went, and i have managed to organise a group buy price on these little beauties:

http://www.sewellpartsonline.com/parts_detail.asp?id=87344




They are OEM Lexus IS300 FULLY TAILORED Weathershield Car Covers, with the Lexus Logo embroidered onto the cover. They also have a clear window at the rear so the number plate is readable with the cover on!!

They are THE BEST on the market in terms of function, durability and ease of use.

So, the important bit, what's the cost??

Well this is the deal:

1-5 Units = $225 (~ £120)
6-15 Units = $212.50 (~ £113)
> 16 Units = $200 (~ £105)

Plus, $53 (~ £28) for shipping within the week.

So if anyone is interested, then please add your name to the list and we can sort this out in the forthcoming weeks.

Lets set a deadline of June 4th for those interested and we can get them ordered then.

Its worth mentioning that these come with the cable and lock set to help secure them. Additionally, as some may be aware, the US spec IS300 has very slightly deeper front and rear bumpers, but i have been assured they will still fit our IS200 like a glove.

IS200 Covers
1. Rob (Rob's Lexx)
2. Mat (Monster Mat)
3. Purvesh (Purvesh81)
4. John (imperial1952)
5. Lenny Lexus
6. Robin H
7. blsrbjg
8.
9.
10.

GS Covers
1. TigerFish - GS300
2. Terry Moore - GS430
3.
4.
5.

Cheers

Rob

For the U.K if they are parked on the road they have to have a see through portion which shows the tax disc.

Got one from Sewell for the 250 (see other post)....not parked on the road Scorps , but it has the clear window over the rear plate.

Just a bit of advise....they cut my m8's to see if it was taxed (which it was) and nothing he could do about it.

well i'm sure it could be cut and stitched with clear acrylic if someone thought it was really that necessary.

mines always kept on the drive or car porch so not an issue for me. cheers for the heads up though matey.

1. Rob (Rob's Lexx)
2.Mat
3. Purvesh (purvesh81)

ps are there colour options, do we need to purchase separate locks etc?

hi mate, will need definite names so i can get back in touch and let them know initial interest.

just add ur name to the list if ur deffo wanting one

Done, please see above...

as far as i'm aware (almost positive on this) they only come in the grey colour option as in the pics.

They are supplied with a lock kit i believe, but they are designed to fit on the car without need the lock kit to be fitted (its just for added security)

Are they made of a special material that won't scuff the paintwork as the wind slightly brushes the cover against the bodywork?

that is fantastic price Rob! i used to have one of these covers and it was in the region of £350 - £400..... i sold it to another member after a while.

the material is fine - i didnt see any marking to the paint either but i had a silver car so u dont see marks etc.
it is a fairly tight fit but with the US bumbers being a bit deeper there will be bit of slack so makes it easier to put on.

these are designed with top quality materials (hence the high prices) and will not damage the paint. be pretty pointless if they did!!

i'm hoping/guessing that there are a fair few members who will be interested in these. Essentially, its a one of purchase that will last the life of the car with ease, and has the potential to save extra hours of cleaning etc.

@Rob, yes matey, its a fantastic price!! I remember a while ago Mike Morse thought he was onto a bargain with these when he was offereing them at about £250 a pop and that was from the states.

Roll Up guys and gals

Will one stretch over a Mk1 GS? or would they do one for a GS at the same price on the group buy?

yes mate, can get a 96 GS cover for you.

List price is $223 (touch cheaper than for the IS), so will ask about discount. But go on the assumption its the same discounts as above (i.e 10%, 15% and 20% based on total numbers).

Just a bit more info for you...the cover is very lightweight breathable material, bit like parachute ripstop and it doesn't mark the paint at all if you're carefull taking it off as the bottom, especially the heat resistant panel in the bottom rear section (covers the exhausts) can pick up some soiling from splashback off the ground when it's raining.
Don't know if it's changed since I got mine a couple of years ago, but it comes with cloth 'eyes', one at each bottom centre postion to enable the cover to be securely held, but I only do that if severe weather is forecast or I leave it under cover for more than a week or so. Mine came with a length of cord, and I can't see the point of using a lock as anyone with scissors or a knife could easily detach that from the cover.
The cover is also attached to its storage bag (grey with Lexus logo) by two substantial straps...you put the bag in the boot and lock it in with the lid when you fit the cover, so you cannot remove the cover from the car without being able to unlock the boot...unless you have the forementioned scissors or a knife

Yes it would be pointless, but you'd be surprised how many manufacturers fail to address the basics!

My car's in for a full respray and TTE kit - I'll be getting it back in a couple of weeks, any chance of speeding up the group buy and hence the order?

Excellent mate

not sure about speeding it up as i have given a date to give everyone chance to get on board.

but in all honesty, over the next week we should have all the names of those immediately interested sorted, so may well be able to go ahead with it then.

lets say June 4th then. That's 2 and a half weeks away and is more than enough time for those still pondering.

you in the fella??

Maybe Mat or another moderator could put the date in bold on the top post and title.

Yeah, add me in mate

right o folks. that's 5 already in a day or two. pretty good going. sure there must be some more interested.

i can get these FOR ALL LEXUS MODELS!!! Not just the IS and GS.

So those RX, LS, SC owners (maybe some ES owners??) have the chance to get one of these at a bargain price!!

Maybe try getting this topic moved to "Lexus General" just in case there are folk who don't read the IS forums.

Amazing group buy for an amazing cover!

The "see thru bit" over the number plate is designed to show US licence plates. So this is how it looked when I got one from Sewell's for the GS.



Oh this is how it looked on my GS Sport - Tigerfish - you might want to spec out a cover which is designed to be fit the rear boot spoiler (there was that option on the mk2 GS cover that I ordered for my Sport)

looks good maneesh.

yea, the number plate window is designed for US plates, but that really isn't an issue to be honest. my plate shouls all be visible (private plate so less characters) and either way i don't think its that much of an issue.

spread the word if possible guys. the more we get , the cheaper they are!!!

it, put me down for one aswell please Rob, are we likely to get stung by Darling? I need urgent shipping, in time for winter will be fine.

Where will you guys put the cover when its not in use?!

Roll it up and put it in the boot.

In the boot too, where were you looking to keep it?

Mine lives in the boot

@LennyLexus, good man, name's added.

Shipping/Customs
The only slight issue i have is regarding customs charges. They can't 'under estimate' the cost of the item and it won't be labelled as a gift. so i guess there may be a customs charge. I don't know exactly how that works and how much it'll be, but it can't be a great deal to be honest.

My other idea was to have the covers all shipped to one UK address (mine i guess) and then i distribute them out accordingly. This way, we will save a packet on international shipping. BUT, i don't know how this'll work with customs....i.e i don't wanna get done with all of your customs bills!! if anyone can advise about this then that'll help iron out the facts.

so the group buy seems to be getting some good numbers. lets keep it up!!

customs will charge 8% + normal vat

hope that helps

8% of the US price plus 17.5% of the US price in VAT? so 25.5% charges?

if thats the case its about $50-60 which is roughly £25-30. Thats not too bad to be fair. Even though i'd rather they swiveled!!

what if they are all sent to one address? is it the addressee that cops the bill or can it be done otherwise? how does customs charge you? a bill in the post?

if they are all sent to 1 address then yes the addressee cops the bill,in that case you just divide the charges out.
as regards to how customs charge you,you'll either get a letter through the post(it'll be on the parcel if you have been charged or not) or it will be kept aside until all charges are paid,it really depends on how much the total package is worth.and you never know it could slip through and you wont get charged it just depends how backlogged they are

Parcelforce will send a letter out the day after customs apply the charge to the package. You can then either go direct to the depot, pay the charges and pick up the goods, or pay by card and they'll deliver to you the next day.

Delivering to one address and then splitting the costs seems the most sensible way.

maybe so, based on numbers the customs charge may be a fair bit if we have a lot of covers coming over so everyone will have to be prompt with customs contribution payments so there will be no delays at customs.

anyways, its not worth worrying about at the minute to be honest. lets get as many people involved and when its time to start paying for the goods we can all come to an arrangement that suits everyone,

rob

Good News!!!

I did a bit of baragin busting, and the Group Buy offer is now applicable across the range. There is no individuality between the IS and GS etc covers as sepearate group buys. They are now all part and parcel of the same one!!

So, by my reckoning, we are in the 15% discount range already, with 5 IS covers and one GS.

This should hopefully inspire others to put their name down and we have a chance at getting to the 16 count.

Cheers

Rob

Good work mate

can you tell me what is made out of so i can tell you what customes will charge you as a import....

8% sounds to high

its pretty much a polyester outer shell with an acrylic foam middle layer and a soft material inside layer to protect the cars paint.

thought 8% may be a tad high, but its still not much when you consider the savings we'll make.

you gonna have one as well mate

Hi, i'll have one for that price.just let me know where and when,cheers Terry

If your description is correct then it isn't the Lexus one that I have....are you sure? Mine is a single layer of breathable, waterproof fabric and as I said before like parachute ripstop.

Commodity code 5902 20 10 00

# Of polyesters
# Impregnated with rubber/foam
* 5.60%

thats what you will need, when you fill out the customs form

@Tango, not sure to be honest. just going off the blurb on the website.

These are OEM Lexus Products, manufacturered with weathershield material.

I saw them myself last year in the states when i went over and to me, they appeared very much like parachute type material.

looks like we're looking at only 5'ish % customs then. That's a goodun.

@Terry, good man. The more the merrier.

straight from the horses mouth so to speak:

"Genuine custom fit Car Cover made of Gray Premium WeatherShield Material
for the best protection of your vehicle. Features include license plate
window to view license number with cover on, side mirror pockets for
correct fit over vehicle, an integrated storage bag for convenient
storage, and a heat resistant material patch around exhaust pipe to
prevent material damage from the vehicle's hot muffler pipe.

Genuine Lexus OEM Item."

Yep, same as mine (that I bought from Sewell Dallas)...it's a single layer of fabric with a bag attached, velcro closing.

Good work Rob. TBH I'd personally pay the 6-15 quantity price (only £8 difference compared to next tier) - but the group buy is for the benefit of the Forum so the 4th it is

Hi i,m No 4 on you're list wanting a cover.
One thought that i've had is - does it take account of the roof mounted aerial which
my IS 200 has ?

Good point! From looking at the pics it looks like you've goto take it off and on each time