Wardair

Quick update on my exhaust repair/upgrade. I found a local stainless exhaust fabricator and discussed my needs which was essentially fixing the completely rotted flanges and at the same time improving the exhaust volume/tone. After much discussion he suggested we could re-use the existing stainless components and re-build using new stainless pipe. As I could not decide on what new rear box to fit (for a totally new system he would have put in new resonators and two smaller rear boxes), I went with the rebuild option which still gives me the option to change the rear box for something sportier at a later date. So the car is still very quiet but I have already got used to that. I asked him to retain the third cat as the ULEZ is to be extended to within a few miles from where I live and I am not sure if removing it might have caused a future potential emissions standards problem? The picture below was taken at the restorers who are now doing the under-body rust treatment (see other thread which I will update when I get the car back). Martin

Of course these air flow deflectors are NOT plastic - what was I thinking? - M

Hi Anthony, Still not sure about Sunday but the opportunity to listen to your car and several others makes it a stronger possibility. Opportunity for someone to do a video comparing the various modified exhaust set ups and put it on the forum? Martin

Hi Anthony, sorry now seen your other thread and listened to your recording. Many thanks for that, can you tell me what size/make of rear box you have? Martin

Hi Anthony, I didn't see anything on noise volume was it in another thread? Whilst I trust they will make a great exhaust system, they are a sports specialist and had a hot rod which they were building a custom manifold for and a pickup which when they moved it sounded more like a racing car. When I said it would nice if my car could have a bit louder/sporty exhaust note, he said what is loud to you may be quiet for me and I really have to make the decision on length of resonator. The rear box they proposed is a high flow so will also let more sound out. Late news: I have now found another fabricator very local to me who said he can do the job (did an SC some time ago) and is prepared to reuse the center cat if it is OK and suggested that the rear box (body) may be stainless but with mild steel pipes and this could possibly be reused if I wanted to save money but this would mean the car would still be quiet as a mouse. I am awaiting his price. Martin Martin

Update: After a lot of research and discussions with various companies, during which I considered many different products including Waxoyl, Noxudol 700, Tetrasyl, Gravitex, Dynax S50, Dinitrol. Each company seems to have its favourite product/solution and it makes choosing one very difficult. I did not want the standard black thick underseal look on everything which can look like a cover-up operation, so I explored other options with a local restoration company. I was also made aware that if you get it wrong the stuff can be a nightmare to remove. I am closing in on getting them to clean the underside and treat box cavities with a wax based protector and the visible chassis/body with UPOL Raptor which is a very tough paint. Still not sure about the suspension arms but they are something I can probably do myself at a later date. The main aim is to get the under-body/chassis protected before winter. Any comments pro or con would be appreciated. Martin

Visited Style Dynamics today and very impressed. Clearly very experienced exhaust fabricators and currently working on some very interesting cars. A replacement system as per standard but without 3rd cat in Stainless is £1,100 as on eBay. Unfortunately, I will need front flanges repaired (cut and weld new SS flanges and O2 sensor port onto existing front cats). Now the difficult part, deciding if I should add the 3rd cat and what length of resonators to have fitted (16 inch is the standard length installed but these can be shortened to 9 inch to add some volume). Rear box will be same size as the standard box (this is a Full Flow standard box used for Nissan and Lexus) so larger than the one pictured in my early post. They do not put the little plastic airflow parts back on the new box(not sure how important these are to underfloor airflow (see pic)?). Can anyone help with the resonator length to go for? This is a tough call as once it is made it will cost me to change if I get it wrong. It is a shame these companies do not have an exhaust sound sample volume table in decibels and example audio clips.

Hi Neil, Many thanks for the 'old fella' story. This info will help me in my discussion with the fabricator. I plan to visit them either tomorrow or Tuesday so they can inspect the system. I may still go for the third 'sports' cat to ensure ULEZ emissions compliance, as I have n doubt the ULEZ zone will be extended in the not too distant future. This extra spend will be my 'green' contribution 😉 Martin

Hi Ant, That sounds like pretty poor build quality, did you get it from the same place I used? It has made me want to have a look at mine again sometime although all is working fine atm. One slightly annoying thing for me is the phone seems to set its volume mid level on first connection with the BT module and I then have to turn the phone volume up to get the sound at same level as the car radio/CD. It may just be a quirk of my phone/settings and it is not a big deal really. Martin

Hi Neil, I am planning to go and see them soon to explore options (mainly amount of silencing) and price. Is there any downside to the 3rd cat delete? Will ULEZ compliance technically be lost? They have given me an additional price to add a sports cat as the 3rd but it adds £200 + vat. Martin

Hi Neil, I appreciate your feedback. I also felt the price was pitched high and the fabricator was hardly enthusiastic about the job which put me off straight away. Do you know anything about Style Dynamics in High Wycombe? Looks like they do a stainless system at a more reasonable price (see pic). Martin

Hi Andy, I visited Mike Stokes today and after looking at my exhaust his fabricator recommended removal of the whole system re-flanging the front cats as they are badly rusted (he showed them to me) then all new stainless including a new third center cat. 3 days work and £2500! Currently having a rethink..... Martin

Hi Alan, I have a recently acquired 2007 SC430 and also find the steering strange. It feels a bit like there is play in the steering and it is on run flat tyres. The car has just passed an MoT had a 4 wheel alignment check and the non RFT tyres are good. As it was going to Lexus Gatwick for cambelt/waterpump replacement I asked them to check the suspension/steering bushes when they did the vehicle inspection and they reported no obvious issues, so at least I know the MoT guy didn't miss something. Let me know if/when you find what the issue is, as it is the one thing that I am unhappy with on what I think is a great car. Martin

Hi everyone and thanks for the various advice and suggestions. I am still exploring the market and wonder has anyone had any experience with https://underbodyrustprotection.co.uk/ ? They are based in Buckinghamshire near Bicester and the photos on the website look good. I really need to get this done this summer so will have to select a company soon or start doing it myself. Martin

Hi Ant, I have put the date in my diary but cannot confirm attendance until nearer the day. I will try to make it as it would be good to meet other SC owners. p.s. my car is currently at Lexus Gatwick for new cambelt, waterpump and radiator. Regards Martin

Hi Andy, I am also planning an exhaust upgrade when the rusting clamps finally give way. I found this guy https://mikestokes.co.uk/services/exhausts Plan to visit him for a discussion and quote in a few weeks. Martin

Hi, just to let you know my aerial is still working fine with the Bluetooth module connected. The aerial retracts when CD or CD1 (bluetooth module) is selected. Martin

Music quality Spotify free Spotify Premium Web player AAC 128kbit/s AAC 256kbit/s Desktop, mobile, and tablet Automatic: Dependent on your network connection Low: Equivalent to approximately 24kbit/s Normal: Equivalent to approximately 96kbit/s High: Equivalent to approximately 160kbit/s Automatic: Dependent on your network connection Low: Equivalent to approximately 24kbit/s Normal: Equivalent to approximately 96kbit/s High: Equivalent to approximately 160kbit/s Very high: Equivalent to approximately 320kbit/s

Hi Neil, I think the reason the simple German Bluetooth module works so well is that it has an integrated amplifier, many other solutions use a Bluetooth dongle and some dongles are very poor quality, I know I have a drawer full of them! Bluetooth (which was never designed for audio streaming) has come a long way over the past few years and with some Codecs the quality can be 'similar' to CD, The aptX compression standard already promises CD quality audio, of course is not the same as CD technically but Spotify (which I use) have used Ogg Vorbis compression and can get great quality audio to the phone and after that it is down to the link to the module or into the car via an aux in. This text is from the Module supplier:- Developed in Germany Integrated amplifier for optimal audio enjoyment Supports up to Bluetooth 5.0 for low power consumption Integrated antenna for stable connection throughout the vehicle Installation: Minimum installation effort The adapter is connected invisibly to the back of the radio No additional wiring required for the power supply The radio automatically recognizes it as a CD changer, no aux input needs to be activated.' Kind regards Martin

Hi Ant, sorry I have been off the forum for a while hence no response to your posts/questions. Great that you got your module working OK as I was a little worried you may not have had the same P3933 head unit as me. And yes you do not need the 5+7 pin lead supplied with the module but this direct connect might be required for some other radio head units or for cars without Navigation (did any SC's not have satnav?). Regarding sound quality. The Mark Levinson system in the SC is one of the best audio systems I have ever heard in a car and I can confirm the streaming audio quality I get is excellent and sounds just as good to me as a CD. An alternative module I tried was very poor quality and degraded the CD audio as well. I do not have the technical info on the Bluetooth module supplied from Germany (it is shrink wrapped so cannot inspect it without cutting the cover off) or my phones Bluetooth audio streaming technical capability, so I cannot confirm the data bit rate or audio Codec used, but as I said above I cannot detect any degradation in quality and the convenience and access to audio from a wide range of sources is a major plus. I hope others can test the Bluetooth module with some of the other head units as this may be a good solution for all SC owners. Martin p.s. still working on the auto mirror fold - M

Quick update. Having reviewed the LS430 Diagnostics Manual yesterday, I can confirm the MIND signal from the LS dashboard mirror switch is what the SC430 is missing. The switch connects to the Driver Side Junction Block and this somehow tells the door ECU's to auto retract (the signal can be viewed under Body 2 in Techstream). The two states for this signal are 1) Mirror is Except Retract 2) Mirror is retract position. I now have to gain access to the Drivers Side Junction block and try emulating this signal and see if the mirrors autofold. If they don't then I assume the Door ECU's in the LS and SC are different in some way. The cheap and cheerful Auto Mirror Fold box I have bought will work if one is installed in each door as all the required signals are there, but I am hoping that will not be required. to be continued......

Thanks Neil. Here are the LS and SC mirror retract ccts for comparison. I have finished my Bluetooth so will continue working on the mirror project tomorrow - M LS430 Mirror Retract Cct.pdf SC430 Door Mirror Cct.pdf

LS430 Mirror Retract Cct.pdfLS430 Mirror Retract Cct.pdf Hi Neil, I too thought the LS switch might help so I looked at the LS430 wiring diagrams. The LS switch has a MIND signal and from a quick review it seems Auto fold could be a default if the switch is not left or right which is the manual control options. My gut feeling is that this could still be a system setting and that once I can find and emulate the missing signal the existing switch may operate as a manual override similar to the LS switch. Do you have an LS switch to tell me what connections are made in the auto position? The SC Door ECU is live as it has to be for the door locks however it could be the mirror ccts may only be active if IGN or ACC is on (key in ignition). I need to spend a bit more time on it but been busy installing Bluetooth streaming.

Hi Russ, I messaged the German supplier about their module and was assured it worked with the SC430 radios. It came with a 5+7 connector which is for the 3 plug radio hence I needed to buy a 20 pin Y cable. I bought another module before finding this one and it did not work properly. I think it may be the way the module emulates a second CD unit. This one works fine with my radio but you may want to message the supplier with your radio info. They do have a 30 day return policy but you will need to send it back to Germany. I know this has been a problem for many in the past with some solutions needing a blank CD and others costing well over £100, so I was over the moon when the module I got worked exactly as I wanted. Regards Martin

Sorry I should have said DISC button but I guess most knew what I meant. Here is a picture showing the CDI symbol on the radio when the DISC button is pressed twice.