zeroallan

This is a fairly easy job. I have done it to 2 SC430 that I have owned(2001 and 2003 model years)There is a plug and play video module that you plug into the sat nav computer in the boot. It gives you an additional video feed that will take a rear view camera. Some of the modules give you two video feeds so you can also plug in a tv tuner, playstation or whatever takes your fancy. One module is called Navtool and is available on eBay.com. There are a couple of others, but their name slips me just now. Check out Club Lexus. There are a number of threads that cover this install. My install on the 2001 model year that I know drive has rear view camera , tv tuner and iPod all routed through the standard head unit. The only changes I have nade to the stock set up is to have installed a satnav computer from a crash damaged 2009 SC. so I get the graphics of the later models, but not the full functionality, as the 2001 wiring harness does not support the functions of the later models.

Get a spare wheel kit!

Near side or offside? I will have a spare set from a car I am upgrading, in a couple of weeks time.

A lot of early cars have been messed around and scrapped. I picked up a 2001 registered car as salvage this weekend from a dealer in Canvey island., Essex. It only has 59k miles. As far as I have been able to ascertain, the mileage is genuine. It was supplied by Lexus Nottingham, and has only one owner. I have been in touch with the previous owner to get more information and any documentation he might still hold. The vehicle has been written off for insurance purpose, but it has not been in a major collision. Cosmetically, it has seen better days. Even the keys are falling apart! I estimate it will take no more than £1.2k to bring the vehicle back to an excellent condition. The colour combination is unusual ; an almost black, dark green, off white interior, and light wood finish. This is my summer restoration project. I will either sell it, or keep it and sell on my 2002 SC430. If I do keep it, I will add a Vaistech SLU, spare wheel in the boot, rear view camera, tv tuner and NSV flush mounted Bluetooth, and some chrome 5 star hubcaps. This will bring the total restoration costs to around £2.5k

The only Vais that will work with a 2001 SC430 is the SLU. This gives you two aux ports on the head unit, but you will only have steering wheel volume control. I have one installed with a Navvideo video interface. This set up allows me to have a rear view camera and freeview tv tuner with the feed to the satnav screen. I also feed an iPod directly through the stock stereo. The rear view camera is automatically selected when you go into reverse. I have a toggle switch in the armrest to switch to visor two which is the tv tuner. From my research this is about as good as you can get with the stock system. Some guys have replaced the head unit with double din aftermarket units which gives you all the functionality you want. However, if like me, you prefer the stock look and feel of the sc430, the options are limited. It's very easy to spend a bunch of notes on solutions that 'might' work. If you take a conservative stance, you will not be disappointed....enjoy the car for what it is!! Zeroallan

I live in Eltham and could pop down to Strood on 12 sept, if you haven' t had an offer by then. Allan

I recently had the same problem and the same costs were quoted. However , I had a £100 reduction because I have a service plan for the car. Some owners have swapped the air suspension for coils because of this. Apparently simple to do and obviates a reoccurrence. Zeroallan

I hva a 2003 RX300 SEL and I have replaced the stock stereo with a double din unit, using the Beatsonic kit and a Pioneer HU. It works fine. I bought the beatsonis kit and interface direct from the company in Japan, as I could not make sense of the US supplier, and the Jap kit was cheaper too. Zeroalln

I se Privilege and pay around £450 fully comp

I have a 2004 RX300. Whenever I turn on the AC, a warning buzzer sounds. The AC works fine, but the buzzer will not stop. It has been in to Lexus for a couple of hours. They say the pollen filter was loaded and they changed it (for no charge), but could not stop the buzzer. They say they had to go back to the technical manuals, but still could not find the cause, and I have had to book the vehicle in for more checks. Any ideas anyone? My thought is that the warning system might have a short when the ac is switched on, and a systems reset might flush out the problem. Lexus Sidcup say they have not seen this particular problem before.

Hi Justcarkits.co.uk do a harness that plugs into your amp for connecting the parrot mk9200. For ipod playback via all speakers, I would recommend SoundlinQ2, Model SL2Vi from www.vaistech.com

They're $149.95 (£94+delivery). Still a good idea though. Hi All www.justcarkits.co.uk do a harness to connect the Parrot mki9200 to the SC430 and RX 300. It plugs into the amp in the boot and a pre-wired adaptor lead plugs straight into the Parrot blue box. The phone and the ipod comes through the three front speakers on my RX300. The USA kit plays through all speakers and takes the sound from th ephone and the ipod through the amp. The US kit is also simpler to install-It plugs in behind the head unit and has ISO harnesses wired to the Lexus plugs. The US unit was installed and working within 25 mins. The UK harness took nearly two hours to install in the RX. Much of the time was getting to the amp and running the cable to the front of the car. I spoke to Just Car Kits as to why a comparable unit to that supplied by HFVT was not available in the UK. His response was that we didn't have the level of demand to merit the development. He also said that the his car electricians had not been able to figure out how to get their harness to pick up and route all the Parrot speaker feeds via the ML amplifier. Not an excellent solution for me, but a good compromise at £63.57 and next day delivery. Zeroallan