CraigIson

Hi all. My cars recently been into a body shop who left the ignition on for the 3 weeks that they had it ... Completely dead battery!!! ... So they jump started it with a battery booster. Since this my up and over cover refuses to open!!! Everything else electrical on the car works fine. The satnav itself still works (The screen comes on and off with the open and close buttons. But the cover refuses to budge unless pushed manually) They 'Inspected it" As they put it and say that the gateway ECU isn't sending the correct signals to the cover (No idea how they figured this when they only looked at the car for 5 mins to come to this diagnosis!) We're currently arguing that they have blown the gateway ECU when they jump started it, as it was working perfectly fine before this. I'm going to attempt to "reboot" the car by disconnecting the battery for a few hours and pray that this might kick start it back into life (Basic understanding of computers ... If it don't work, REBOOT!) Has anyone had this problem before?

Hi every one. Ever since i had my cam belt, water pump and Aux belt replaced (At a main dealer) my alarm goes off when it is set (usually a few hours after driving). I've put it down to the engine cooling down etc and the fact that its garaged so the heat is trapped etc. Its a factory fitted alarm. The car has just spent a whole week in my garage (not moved or started) and the alarm goes off a few times every night ... There's nothing to disturb the car other than the temperature dropping (I think). Theres nothing electrical in the garage other than the car. Took it back to Lexus and they said they have no idea ... Any one had this issue before? I can't find any alarm pins for the bonnet? The alarm works if i open it when alarms, but i can't find any sensor :/ Cheers

I'm 6,2. so have to have the seat as far back as it will go. Can't say i have any problems with buffeting with the roof down at all (Even at excessive speeds!) You do get more road noise due to the fact theres no roof to hide under. But theres little to no buffeting IMO ... Compared to some convertibles I've been in its like having the roof still up!

Also had a play with my go pro to try to get a idea of the induction noise ...

Update ... Still haven't managed to get her polished (due to unforeseen circumstances) But she has been clayed and prepared for polishing ... ... Pollen Filter has been changed ... Think it was over due! After getting sick of hearing the rattling/crackling/worn out Mark Levinson 6x9's. i went out and brought some replacements in the line of FOCAL Performance 690 AC's After a taking my time and removing the foam gasket from the original speaker. its a perfect fit and the sound and been improved 100% Just need to replace the sub and rears now. She also came in handy as a bit of a prop for a Photoshoot i did recently ... ... Found these gems on ebay, haven't fitted them yet but they look spot on. ... There is a fairly big update soon

Yes in England we call them allen keys, But due to the wise of it its more like a wrench than a key in my opinion. Haven't managed to take a photo for you yet, been a bit busy with work :(

Theres a couple in and around Long Eaton where i work. Had a lovely looking Red SC follow me along the M1 from J25 Yesterday afternoon. Even got a wave from him :) Caught up with a Gold m1 a few weeks ago on the way back from lincoln a few weeks ago on the A46. Both of us had our roofs down and making the most of the sun. There is a black mk2 that lives in long eaton (don't want to give his address out!) with the Reg P14 DEY. I love spotting others out and about, Especially when there owners get as excited as i do to see another owner :D

Just checked mine has a "Big *****" (Thats a technical description!) allen wrench in that slot. Glad to have helped :)

... Well thats me buggered for my 20x10.5 and 20x12 rears Never heard of there being a issue with ABS systems for any cars tbh. Yes, you could say that wider tires cause more rolling resistance which could effect it, but I've never known of it. Just so you know "J" is the shape of the Bead that the tire sits in when its mounted, Not the offset. Offset is measured as ET, Which is a measurement from the centre point of the width of the wheel to the mounting surface (in millimetres, For example ET45 is 45mm positive of the centre point. ET0 means the mounting surface is at the same point as the centre point, and ET-45 is negative 45mm's of the centre point.) You can use spacers to effect the offsets, this brings the wheel closer to the body of the car, Effectively making the cars track wider, but with the same width wheels. Hope that helps :)

There should be large allen key to remove the pie dish's I have a full kit in mine so i will check later for you.

**** i paid no where near that for mine, I didn't pay anything near 10k either :/ I agree they are underpowered, but for around town it would be enough, they put out more than a lot of small city cars do now days. (Kinda). Isn't the F sport just the badge for the interior spec and wheels? Nothing else different unlike other models is there? I'm still trying to get my head round why the new Models are called 450H's when they're 3.5L's (after i had a little race with one :P and needless to say he got left behind!!!) .. They should be called 350H's!!!! and i was a bit disappointed when i found out the 600H was actually a 5L :/ ... Only realised this when i got asked "Is that actually a 4.3? Or a 3.3?"

Haha i work 7 days a week! lol. If i had amore time i would have had a lot more done :P Anyway ... Got a little bit more done. New bulbs for the High beam and Front fogs (When i can figure out how to replace them!) Before and After (Main beam changed) Had a good look of the undersides condition (Still haven't managed to get it on ramps) Exhaust system still looks brand new *Sadface ... Hit a pigeon at 70mph on the A38 heading to Cars in the Park :( ... Amazingly no damage to the grill or bonnet! Front end is surprising tough it seams! Gave the underside of the bonnet a good clean, polish and wax too. Didn't realise how grubby it was till i started cleaning! Had a play with my go-pro too ... Still haven't got round to polishing up the exterior, but the list of things left to do is gradually getting shorter :)

A few Photos from meeting up with a couple of friends @Chasewater. Craig's Lexus SC430 by MDB Images, on Flickr Craig's Lexus SC430 by MDB Images, on Flickr Craig's Lexus SC430 by MDB Images, on Flickr Craig's Lexus SC430 by MDB Images, on Flickr Craig's Lexus SC430 by MDB Images, on Flickr Craig's Lexus SC430 by MDB Images, on Flickr Craig's Lexus SC430 by MDB Images, on Flickr

Tbh i can't fault the 5 speed box. Mine is very smooth, And with how silent the engine is (for now!) its hard to tell its changed gear. I would get them done at the same time. Seeing as the cars going to be masked up to be worked on etc. Kills 2 birds with one stone :)

I think its just down to driving styles really. The only time i will be wanting to select gears is when I'm slowing down, Which i can do perfectly well with the gearbox that its got. I just can't see the point in spending extra cash to replace something that i don't have a problem with :/ Your not the first one to say this btw :) but if something was to go wrong with this gearbox then i might look into a 6 speed swap. I'm used to good ol' fashioned auto box's like the one thats in my Nissan Patrol so i guess I'm just used to sticking it in drive and leaving it to do its thing. The reflectors will be took off and then smoothed over with filler and sprayed (is the idea) along with the holes for the front number plate holder. But i might look into swapping them for DRL's for the front (And then just have the rear twin fogs and reflectors removed). ... or i might just buy a body kit that has all of these things done already. Only time will tell haha Yeah I've seen a set going for that price! To say they are basically a pair of bike spoke reflectors with a different clip on the back, they sure know how to charge!!!

Yeah you won't have any problem fitting them. Normally when you start playing with wheel widths you have to have different offsets to stop the wheels fowling with any suspension components. But half a inch increase won't make any difference. There is bags of room under the arches for VERY wide wheels. It's only when you start getting into the 11/12 inch wide you will need to start worry about them fowling. This is when you start needing camber etc. I think when i did some quick working out for wheels for mine, i figured i could get 10.5 inch et25's with 245/30/R19 on the rear with no camber and would still be perfectly legal. In other words ... You won't have any problems buddy :)

The suspension has been upgraded (apparently) but its still as soft as a boat, How ever it will be going on air ride at some point so I'm not to worried. 5 speed vs 6 speed ... Driven both and i don't think i would waste the money on upgrading to the 6 speed box, I find the 5 speed box to be more than smooth enough. And if i want slightly sportier down changes i just pop it into sport mode (Not that i do any sporty driving haha) De-tangoed ... yeah ... kinda ... The indicators in the headlight clusters are being changed for clear bulbs, but the front fogs are staying yellow (just a look i kinda like). the front and rear bumper reflectors will be going, so will the front numberplate mounts. And the rear bumper will be a US version with no fog lights and smaller plate recess. .... Its just going to take time to get there :)

Yeah you will have no problem getting 245/40's onto a 8.5inch wide wheel. Ive seen 245's on 11inch + wide .... This is a 245/40/18 stretched onto a 11 inch wide rim. Its No problem at all to do. Even putting the same tire on to a 11.5 inch or 12 isn't too hard. http://tyrestretch.com/11.0_245_40_R18/11.0_245_40_R18/ Another site to use is Willtheyfit.com ... You put in your wheel measurements "245/40/18 ET50 (ET is your Offset)/18x8" and then punch in your new wheel measurements "245/40/18 what ever your new wheel offset is, and the wheel size and it will show you a diagram to compared old set up to your new one Personally ... i would run a 245/30 on a 11/12 inch wide wheel ... But hey thats me :P Hope that helps :)

Hi John, I have just brought a '51 Sc430 for pretty much the same budget as you but with only 35,000 FLSH. Its worth the wait, Low milage ones do come up for sale you just have to keep checking! But even if you buy one with 100k plus, along as the history is there. you shouldn't have any problems. :)

Hi all. I'm Craig from Nottingham. Kinda feeling a bit left out as there is hardly any SC430's local and i don't know any other Lexus owners to meet up with. Feel free to Give me a pip/flash/wave if you see me around :)

Update ... She's been in for her Cambelt/Waterpump+Thermostat/Auxbelt replacement ... Was a bit sad to leave her at the mercy of a Mechanic, But i did get the keys to a New CT200H F-Sport for two days :D Got to admit, it was one of the nicest courtesy cars i've had was a pleasure to drive, even though it did lack a fair bit of power compared to what i'm used to in the SC, But it was more than enough for a city car IMO. The ride was a bit on the Harsh side, But i think that could have been because of the F-Sport Pack (low profiles etc). But all in all. It was a nice car with plenty going for it :) (I did close to 60 miles around town and only needed £5 worth of fuel to brim the tank!!! The water pump that was took off looked pretty much brand new (So i think i'll be keeping that just in case!) Unfortunately, when they did a health check. They discovered that the front disks had worn down to 24mm (Min is 30mm!!!) and the pads looked pretty much brand new. When i brought the SC and took it for a test drive, i noticed it pulled slightly to the right when braking hard, So i had the garage "fix" it before i picked it up. Looks like they just put new pads on. She's now got a set of new disks and New pads to match. ALSO .... Fitted the Halogen Side light bulbs ... Bit of a pig to do as you have to go in though the wheel arch liner. But once i had done the first one, the next one took 15 mins from start to finish. Defiantly a improvement on the looks of the front end compared to the standard yellow bulbs. And perfectly legal as i haven't replaced the incandescent bulbs with LEDs ... so no problems with the law :) Defiantly makes the factory fitted HID's look more in keeping and not looking like they was aftermarket HID's Also ... Fitted the new Fuse Box Case and Battery case The fuse box was a bit of a pain to do but that was because of the old box being broke (Thanks Ex-Owner!) after he took a screwdriver to the side to pry the lid off because he couldn't figure out how to take it off!!! At the same time my OCD kicked in and i had to re-allign the fuses so all the values faced the same way :D Made a start on cleaning the leather. Cleaning, feeding, conditioning etc. Pretty sure Its never been done going from how the seats have absorbed everything i have given them!!! So this will defiantly be a ongoing job for the next few months. ALSO ... The front "L" emblem has come back from being plated ... Still haven't got round to polishing the exterior ... Its time will come in-between doing 1500 miles a month for work! But she's got a bit of a shine from somewhere (No idea where! It just appeared honestly!! :D) And the engine bay is still in need of a deep clean.

Its the first time had to clean up light clusters, But i only used about 15-20mls worth of compound to polish them up :/ Effectively it is just t-cut, but i think it has some UV protectants in it to stop them from discolouring again (Apparently!) ... Going from what others have said, Toothpaste also works but its a bit more hit and miss to how good it leaves the finish. Cleaning them up really makes a difference to how the lights look and i think makes the car look a lot younger!

Don't worry Steve, Figured it out lol. Its not a easy job :/ Not something i want to do by the road side!

Ahh that'll be why i haven't seen any then :) Looks better IMO any idea on how to get to the side light bulbs ... got new ones to replace them ... I know its a take the arch liner off job but is there any guides?

Steve2006 ... looks like we've got a friendly bit of competition for the next meet :P The battery box was about £75 and the fuse box was £45, the tools was something like £25 in total. All direct from Lexus in Nottingham. Apparently parts are still available but they might soon start becoming hard to get hold of I also think thats the first 1uz I've seen with the engine cover still on!!! :) TigerFish ... They came up really well. But i think I'm going to go the hole hog and sand them in the summer as the passenger side has a few tiny chips. And also go over the rear lights as they have some fine swirl marks. But yeah, for a hours work max you can make them look brand new :)