SteveAvery
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Everything posted by SteveAvery
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Aha! It seems that wetness may have a bearing on this problem, then. I also shall try electrical cleaner. Please tell us if it recurs after the spray.
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My Lexus SC430 parking sensor alarm sounds intermittently while I am driving. (No, I do not tailgate the car in front.) It has happened several times, all but once when it was raining. On that one occasion, the sun was shining. It happened again today while it was raining, and continued to sound after the rain had stopped, but the road was still wet. What could be causing this to happen, and how can it be prevented, please? I have decided to fit an ON-OFF switch, if the problem cannot be solved conventionally.
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I disconnected the battery, and, after two weeks' holiday, reconnected it. Lo and behold: the performance has improved dramatically! The previous performance memory settings must have been cleared. What a clever car, to adapt its performance to one's driving style! I shall have to stop driving it economically, and drive like a maniac from now on. I have the new plugs, but shall get used to this new-found performance for a few months before I change them. Then I should be able to notice any difference they might make. I'll report the result back here at that time.
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Red SC430s are extremely rare, I'm afraid. I paid £20k for my 2006 one with 28k miles. Although it is currently very slow to accelerate, I now know how to solve this problem, thanks to various Lexus fora, and intend to keep it for ever. It is my black SC430 that is for sale, not the red one. Sorry. It is shown in the picture at the left. Sep 2007 with 58,500 miles, and it goes like a rocket. I do not need two SC430s; so, I want only £12,839 for it.
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I've already ordered a set; so, I might as well install them. I'll certainly post the result here.
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Dave, Although the handbook is stamped throughout by Lexus, there were no invoices. When I asked Cheltenham for them, they provided only very few reports, rather than invoices. It's all to do with privacy, I guess.
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Great! I didn't realize it was so easy. I'll do it after the new plugs are installed. I've ordered 8 NGK IRIDIUM IX BKR6EIX-11 3764 SPARK PLUGS. I hope that these are the right ones. Actually, I've been toying with the idea - only toying, because it's so expensive - of getting an expert to upgrade the ECU to one that'll provide more bhp AND more mpg. I don't know if that is even possible, because I haven't investigated the subject yet. Now is a good time to ask, I suppose. Any opinions? Or is it only wishful thinking?
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Shall do. I've also just heard that an ECU reset may help. Any opinions on that?
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Thank you very much indeed for your advice. I'll act on it imly.
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Good idea, Michael. I bought the red SC430 from Lexus, Cheltenham, who had just given the car an 80,000-mile service because it was 8 years old. It has also had a service every year, despite the low mileage. Do you think that the plugs would have been changed recently or not, in one of these services? There is no way that I can find this out from Lexus, Cheltenham.
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Here is a mystery. I bought a red & white Sep 2006 SC430 with 28,000 miles to replace my black & tan Sep 2007 SC430 with 56,000 miles (which is now for sale). The black 2007 car with double the mileage is noticeably quicker in acceleration than the red 2006 car with half the mileage. This is so when comparing the two with the ECT off or on. I thought that the SC430 engine and transmission were identical in these two cars. What could be the explanation for this phenomenon?
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Yes, I heard that, each time a battery drains completely, its capacity to recover fully is reduced. Two weeks of SC430 disuse should be OK, but three weeks is not, apparently. I bought an isolation switch, and took my car to an auto electrician to fit it. He advised that, because of the rarity of my being away for three weeks, I should simply open the bonnet and disconnect a battery terminal. So, that's what I'll do.
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No, but I plan to combine three arrays together each side: Two of these to total 6W: http://www.ebay.com/itm/310741690850?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_sacat%3D0%26_nkw%3D310741690850%26_rdc%3D1 and one of these, whose wattage I do not know: http://www.ebay.com/itm/290381491122?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_sacat%3D0%26_nkw%3D290381491122%26_rdc%3D1 I am hoping that these three together will provide enough brightness to be useful.
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Thanks for the clear answer. I've already bought two at 6W each = 12W. I'll find another at 8W, and combine all three to produce 20W each side.
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You're probably right about not gaining anything. BatteryBrain is not the solution. A battery conditioner would solve the problem, if my car were kept in a locked garage. Unfortunately, it is kept on a driveway; so, I could not leave it plugged in via a cable through an open window to a power socket, with the bonnet open. A solar panel is also not an option, as the car is covered by an opaque car cover. It seems that there is no solution in my case, other than a simple battery isolation switch, which then renders the insurance cover invalid, as you advised. I could, of course, ask a neighbour to start and run the engine for a few minutes every 10 days or so. Not ideal, but it seems to be the only way. As for the problem itself, my local Lexus centre genius mechanic said that the SC430 battery is known to discharge completely after about 3 weeks. It is just a fact of life.
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I received this reply from BatteryBrain: "The alarm would sound if the Battery Brain Type III Gold 12V were to disconnect the battery after detecting a drain. The solution is to bypass the 12 V supply lead to the alarm, so when the battery is disconnected, the alarm still receives its 12 v supply. This will normally solve the problem unless the alarm has any additional feedback that senses the battery has been disconnected." Not being an electrician, I could not understand how the alarm can receive its 12V supply after the battery is disconnected. Can anyone explain this answer, please?
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I want to change the original front fog lights on my SC430 to a strip of LEDs, but do not know whether they would be bright enough. What is the LED wattage or brightness equivalent to give the same brightness as the original 55-Watt H3 bulb, please? (Forgive me if this is a stupid question. I know nothing about wattage and the various types of bulbs.)
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According to my local Lexus service centre, an isolator switch is not recommended, because it would disarm all security equipment. Obvious, really. I shall contact your BatteryBrain company, to ask whether their product sounds the alarm when it disconnects the battery, and report back here
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Thanks for the advice. The Battery Brain is tempting, but I think I'll opt for the simple solution: an isolator switch.
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If turning the lights switch to "off" is not the solution, a battery isolation switch would surely be. But then, would isolating the battery trigger the alarm? I think I read in the manual that, if a thief disconnects the battery, the alarm sounds, because it is powered by its own special battery. If so, would it be possible for an isolation switch to disconnect both the battery and the alarm circuit? When the battery runs down completely, is any permanent damage done? Is it wise to replace it with a new one, or does the exhausted battery recover fully?
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After more investigation on the Web, I found this solution: "Turn off the automatic light switch. The one that controls the headlights. Our dealership told us that that has a constant draw on the battery. Since we turned it off, no issues." The automatic light switch is always set to the "on" position in both my cars; so, this could be the answer that you all need. When the battery runs down completely like this, is any permanent damage done? Is it wise to replace it with a new one, or does the exhausted battery recover fully?
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I have a red and a black SC430 - No, not extravagant; the red one replaces the black one, which is for sale - and both's batteries were flat after I returned from a 3-week holiday. I was surprised, as the red one is a recent purchase from a Lexus dealer. If this IS an inherent problem with these cars, as has been suggested, a solution would be to fit a battery isolation switch under the dashboard and use that whenever the car will not be used for a while. I shall fit this asap to my red car. I know that this works, because such a switch is fitted to my 400hp Cobra (also for sale), and it always starts on the button, even after months of disuse.
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Shockingly Bad Car Dealer Attitude. I Mean Really Bad.
SteveAvery replied to Chris CPT's topic in General Reviews
Threaten to name and shame. It often works. If it doesn't, do it. -
Shockingly Bad Car Dealer Attitude. I Mean Really Bad.
SteveAvery replied to Chris CPT's topic in General Reviews
There's such a high-end dealer near me (QCC in Essex), but they are thoroughly professional. You should name and shame your dealer, if he deserves it. Then, perhaps, dealers might behave better. -
Shockingly Bad Car Dealer Attitude. I Mean Really Bad.
SteveAvery replied to Chris CPT's topic in General Reviews
Was it a Lexus dealer in Warrington?
