Neil E

Do you mean run the car or run the road? I'll pass on running it on foot but it's one of the better driving roads in the UK, some would argue the very best. I'm not sure the front end of that batmobile would survive some of the dips and tricky bits at speed but then again the SC430 is quite low and that coped okay so you may be okay to don the cape and roar out of the bat cave.

Make sure you document progress with a build thread. 🙂

Wrong car but mountain roads are more fun.🙂

Spend a bit, save a bit and afford yourself a little smile that you found the SC430 to have some fun with.

They are all manual lift but I think someone in the US was trying to fit a switched boot lid actuator but I don't recall it being completed. I would be very interested in it with the extra weight of mine.

I think history confirms the LC500 is really the latest generation V8 Soarer. Based at 'GS' level and aimed at a slightly different market, the SC430 was a slight deviation in the line as it lacks some of the very best tech and extra luxury fitments of its time but it is still a Soarer.

There are so many options, it just depends very much on what you want for the car. It's probably worth searching previous threads on wheels and if you want to go aftermarket, scroll through the thousands of images on the internet for SC430 alloys to find what you like. There is a set of the later 2006 onwards original alloys on ebay or you might find an owner with a spare set. As per the set on ebay they usually need a refurb so add around £70 per wheel for that. If you want to go from 18" to 19" and or wider or change to a staggered fitment check here to make sure they will fit.

We were expertly marshalled as I recall. Missed it this year as I was working up the road in Birmingham all weekend and 'making do' with the GS. With a few new members, I wonder if there might be any interest in an Autumn meet?

Do you have any pics of the car?

That makes perfect sense to preserve the original mats but at his own car show where it's being judged on interior, CF said he didn't like the original beige mats so I marked him down for that. 🤣 It was still the best car there.

Indeed yes it's easy to get carried away at times but this was something different. Yes Glyn his best car by far was the near perfect early one, blue, light interior, with very few miles, he sold that soon afterwards. I couldn't see any significant defects with it except the obvious black mats. I'm not sure that either of his other two could compare to @unclebob's SC or the 2009 car that was at the MR2 meet. CF Sleaford Meet

He organised and hosted the meet at his place at Sleaford. It was a good turn out and we had a good time but some (me included) felt there was a little too much... shall we say... 'self promotion' and a lack of humility involved. I had my suspicions upon arrival at the meet how the day might go. I think CF was disappointed not to win all of the award categories and he soon realised that although he owned 3 nice examples of the SC430 model, it didn't make him 'top dog.' When I arrived at the meet near Coventry the following year, everything was in proper order. I was greeted by Tom, Race Director for the Lexiguy SC430 Touring Team, a proper enthusiast. 👍

£10k might be enough for a decent 2006 with around 100k miles. If it has been maintained correctly, mileage isn't really an issue with an SC430. Some low mileage cars that rarely get used can gather dust, surface rust, suffer from component seize up and lose charge. Mine has been thoroughly abused, has around 160k miles and it doesn't miss a beat.

That's correct, it might need the reset procedure after the battery has been disconnected but it relates to the one-touch auto feature. Operate the windows up and down a couple of times and hold the switch up for an extra second on each window and that should restore it. Similar thing with resetting the memory seat function. All the way back and fore with the seat and back rest switches and that should restore the memory function.

Good progress Glyn. I can certainly recommend a thicker leather steering wheel versus the feel of the thin wooden slippery wheel. It makes a significant difference.

It's an imported Soarer hence the odo in kms.

If it was reset, just ask them for the error code. If it's intermittent and responds to a reset, it could be something like the MAF sensor needs cleaning or a slight vacuum /air leak, exhaust leak, loose connection to an 02 sensor.

Nice pics, good turn out. Sorry I couldn't make it this year, I worked all weekend just a few miles away in Birmingham and could not escape.

Hi Graham, glad you got it sorted and I hope you didn't pay the auto sparks as they clearly didn't even check whether the amp was getting 12V. It's likely that your system has a (Beat-Sonic) interface to use the original amp. Here is the pdf manual of the US version MVA 13 Your car should have the LE Euro version but the set up is very similar. The factory amp is set using the original controls before the install of the new head unit begins.

Great work Richard, I think that makes you our new SC430 audio repair expert.👍

£3400 is a lot. If they replaced the speakers with 4ohms drivers then they probably (should have) upgraded the amp to something suitable. If you have the invoice it might confirm what was actually supplied. If the system has been converted using an adaptor such as the Metra or Beat-Sonic, the Mark Levinson amp in the boot is retained and IF that's the case then there are some extra things to check. Unlikely but check that the steering wheel fader control has not been accidentally pressed and muted the sound. It can still control the amp but the adaptor takes the signal feed from 2 channels not 4. I'm sure a sparks would have tried it but you never know.... I think there are 3 radio and amp fuses to check and then if they are all good check the blue or blue and white remote lead from the head unit that triggers the amp to turn on. (Whether it's an ML or other aftermarket amp it has power and a remote trigger lead.) If indeed the amp has failed, it should be possible to replace it with an aftermarket 5 channel amp connected to the pioneer by phono (RCA) leads but it's important to find out the details of the replacement speakers. If replaced with original speakers they are 8 ohms designed to work with the original ML (Harman) amp. Most aftermarket speakers are 4 ohms. Paul Frost - Lexus Spares Direct has a Harman Becker amp on ebay

Keep in mind that mine doesn't have any space where the back seat should be. I'll just say that it does depend on how you roll but I have 'done' the North West Highlands and the Outer Hebrides (and lots of other places) with the SC430. Constantly touring with a lot of luggage isn't going to work but if you're based and unpacked in one or two places it works fine. I don't charge up and down the motorways for hours on end with the roof down.

Hi Glyn, it's only on the odd occasion, probably when changing lanes but this gives me the opportunity to moan once again that the earlier V8 Soarer had the option on the indicators to blink 3-4 times and self cancel for lane changing. Another example of the SC430 being underspecified for tech.☹️

I have a similar problem occasionally with the GS460 and it's only the left indicator. I think it's time to take the steering wheel off to see what's not working.

Any gain in power from a cat back exhaust will be minimal but it does feel and sound like the car came alive with more torque when you need it but when measured, there's hardly any difference except the sound. If you disagree put it on a dyno to provide the evidence.