shaun.reinson

The seller on ebay was 'junebug_50' and was (probably) a private purchase back in August 2011 I scoured ebay until one came up at a price I was okay with - so its a combination of patience and luck... As it was an import from the US it was subject to some UK import tax before the post office would release it - but still cheap in comparison etc...

I bought a refurbished amp from the US via ebay - paid about £300 for it. Much cheaper than the £1700 Lexus UK wanted for a new one. As they're so rare in the UK, its unlikely you'll be able to pick up a second-hand one here TBH. During the first year or two of manufacture, the amps were a little flaky and many went back (to Mark Levinson) for repair and these will have a sticker on them indicating this. If you buy an old one, look for the sticker. Repair in the UK will cost around £150 to £300 - but depends on them have an exchange unit in stock - which is the usual way they operate.

I wrote to Lexus Customer Services and they said I'd be fine - but perhaps check your lights before you go just in case - I've pasted their latter body below FYI The set up of the headlamp is such that the light shines in a horizontal flat beam which our technical team are confidant will not require deflectors. However unless checked the vehicle may have a small amount of kick up that can dazzle the drivers of oncoming vehicles. Therefore we would recommend that you contact your local Lexus Centre to check if your vehicle requires the headlamps adjusting

Just read this, and it will almost certainly be your ML amp. You may also find your radio starts playing tricks on you, such volume going high, unable to change bass/treble or the sound may go completely. If you listen carefully with your head in the boot, you'll hear a small fan on the ML Amp whizzing round without any keys in the ignition and you will also feel the heat in the boot area just above where the satnav disk goes. Replacing is easy, but involves stripping out most of the trim. Find an ML amp is the tricky bit - £1700 from Lexus. Check breakers yards, or purchase a used one from the US via ebay. I did the US via ebay thing, $300 it cost me plus some VAT when it arrived here. Mine had been refurbished by ML and the unit re-sealed so it should last forever this time. It was a known manuf. fault and Lexus did replace many of these on warranty.

Could be your ML power-amp in the boot on the fritz. I had this last august - basically no sound and refused to power down - even when no key in ignition. Common'ish problem - new poweramp is £1300 to £1700 or buy a recon/2ndhand from ebay (US or UK) for £300 and fit yourself. Aerial being up makes me think the above - hope its just an 'iffy battery

Thanks for the information. I'm not being controversial, just trying to understand - so excuse me being brusque.... I'm not that mechanically minded, but from what I've read 'coilovers' are essentially designed for high-performance or track-based vehicles - will that make the SC ride more comfortable ? And if so how ??? Also, I'm guessing that a 'sway-bar' is an anti-roll bar ? Do the SC's have an issues with the ARB ?? If so, what is it and what does the upgrade part do to create comfort ? An explanation would be good, as I do like to understand whats going on and what I can do to create a supple ride with comfort.... Many thanks Shaun

No, Coopers all round - compliant sidewalls and price was the reason

Its a small world - I swapped my S-Type for the SC430 In spite of the 2004 update by Lexus it still crashes around like a go cart. I do know that early official UK spec models were very harsh - and Lexus did a production change and offered a retro-fit to existing owners The production changes came into effect i 2002 - which was the other model year I drive with limo-levels of comfort. The toe/camber is different (from 2002 onwards) and there must be different suspension components (shocks, coils, etc.. ??) I'm not entirely sure LexusGB didnt fob me off by saying my VIN had the update - unless my components are worn and need replacing for a smoother ride ?

Ditto I have exactly the question. Mine is a 51 plate, and the early suspensions were changed (at owners request) by Lexus to presumably be a softer setup. I asked LexusGB what that setup was - and had mine been changed - and apparently it was 'updated' at the then owners request in 2004 I have driven other SC's and the 02 I drove was a much smoother ride than mine, so I guess there are other changes ??

Had similar problem with my SC430 ML unit, and found a company (Accutek in Kingsworthy) who were willing to give it a try having had some previous success. Obviously they charge by the hour and there is no guarantee they will be able to sort, but they will give it their best shot. Typically the fault is likely to be a cold-solder joint or a blown component (transistor, capacitor etc..) and should be fairly easy to diagnose and replace the offending part. I even found a youtube video of an engineer finding the troubled part ('sistor) with a multi-meter and replacing himself. If its the DSP chip, then you will need a full replacement ML unit. FWIW I decided to get a replacement unit via ebay from the US - cost me £340 (including import tax) - and had already been back to the ML factory for a refurb. Replacing it yourself should be simpler in the LS - you've got to remove most of the boot contents to do the SC - but regardless of model its a simple plug and play once you've found the right spanners. Cheers Shaun

I get similar, light comes on - go for a drive and it goes off when the pressure in one is marginal. It could be tyre pressure is almost at a level to trigger the TPMS then a quick drive heats the tyres up - sending the pressure back up over the limit. You only need to dip below 30 psi and this should trigger the TPMS. In the recent hot spell, mine were reading 34.5psi - then they went back down to 33 today, and I've not put any air in them at all.

Cheers for that - they came back to me saying they crushed the car without removing the amp - didnt know what it was I guess. It seems the ML amp vanishes from most breakers yards as soon as it enters. My alternative is to find a repairer of these devices, but only found one so far - and they are some distance from Cambridgeshire.

Wanted - Mark Levinson Amplifier for Lexus SC430 2001 Part number 86280-0W070 Must be fully working Model number (on side by QR code) must be supplied as well. Thanks Shaun

The volume on my 2002 SC430 radio has suddenly stopped working - I get intermittent or no sound from it now - mostly no sound. Navigation voice is fine - although to be fair this is another amp so obviously rules out the speakers. I'm led to understand this is a common problem with 01/02 build SC's and a TSB was issued. Anyone had similar, and is there a quick fix ? I dread to think what a dealer would charge to sort this out. Thanks

You should be okay rotating/swapping tyres as long as all four sensors currently work. If you get a problem, you could try the following activation procedure, as detailed in the pre-delivery service : 1 - Set the TPMS select switch in the glove compartment to 'Main' 2 - Turn the ignition switch to on, and check the TPMS light comes on (comment : which is the reason we are doing these steps) 3 - Rapidly reduce the inflation pressure by 3PSI or more within 15 seconds (this is important) - for each tyre. 4 - After all 4 TPMS have been activated, check the warning light goes OUT 5 - If the light has not gone out, inflate tyres to higher than 30PSI and check it goes out after 10 minutes 6 - Now inflate tyres to correct pressure. Have fun.....

My MPG started out around 23mpg when I got the car 3000 miles ago, its crept up to 24.1 now I'm hoping it will get higher with my super-economy motorway driving - but I'll post back when it hits 25 My old Jag S-Type (only a V6 though) could 39.9 mpg on those long runs, but would retain an overall average of about 31 to 33

If you want to disable the TPMS, you can disconnect the wires in the centre console. Instructions available at this URL - all rights acknowledged and all that Disable TPMS

Don't take it apart - there is a good trick to get them out : Hold down the eject button and give the dash right above it a good hard smack This works for a variety of in-dash CD-players - including the lexus. Also, try and extract in sequence starting from disc 1

Which non-rft tyres for 2002 SC430 ? I want duration, noise/comfort and wet-weather handling to be the criteria - if it helps.