Neil E

Hi Ant, I think it looks quite cool but it's one of the few mods I haven't done. I don't think the roof was designed to be used that way. It might be possible to silence the warning beep with Techstream. Another (expensive) option is to fit a high quality aftermarket alarm and then you could control the windows, roof, start the car remotely, etc with the fob, much like the Lux-Link Colin refers to.

It's fully documented in a couple of other places but this diagram shows how it can be done with a few inexpensive bits and pieces. Steve (WiL44) showed the way on this one with a list of what's required. Also Try here for the sequence to control the rear quarter windows temporarily.

I would always go for air suspension over standard and would suggest it only significantly degrades when a fault occurs. In my experience the ride quality is better, it's more reliable and has the added ride height/sport option. Perhaps the biggest risk is in the lack of fault knowledge and availability of experienced engineers/parts to fix issues quickly before further damage occurs. With a basic understanding of how it works, air-sus isn't so scary.

Hi Jim, I note the stated model year is a 2002. Is it using an aftermarket blue-tooth system to connect your phone? Does it work okay if you make a call yourself and hang up the call correctly when the call is ended?

Has the height controller for the low corner been checked? It needs to signal for the air to go to that leg.

There was a time when it would have been easier to connect the mixer. Most professional car audio installers would run away from Lexus audio systems as the speaker set up is designed to work with the original amplifier however plug and play solutions are available now. Did you also purchase an interface to connect the new Kenwood head unit to the original amplifier or was the plan to use the small amp in the head unit (if it has one) or use a different amp with a line out converter perhaps? The difficulty is in how you send the audio signal to the speakers, hence Steve's question. For plug and play interfaces search Metra Axxess or Beat-Sonic RX-82.

Replacing an old exhaust is always going to be a help but it would be interesting to see what the dyno says as most who modify the exhaust agree that regardless of the satisfying V8 sound, it feels like extra power has been released but few actually test to see the numbers. I removed the resonators and went with a high flow similar shape rear box. It is said to act as a rear diffuser, removing it may shed a little weight but add a small amount of extra drag. Of course the most restrictive part of the exhaust system is the log style manifolds.

The third cat can be deleted without any significant change to the exhaust note. No crackle or pop. The other 2 cats need to stay to pass an MOT.

I'm not certain but searched many images of the controls and they all appear to be the same. There are two separate parts to it I have a slow connection where I am at the moment. Try searching images with this part number and you should get to see the steering wheel parts schematic.

There are different ways of doing it. I would have a custom SS similar shaped rear box to fill the space and delete the centre resonators. You can also delete the third cat. Maintain the Y piece or opt for an X pipe as the exhaust gas needs to merge to flow smoothly.

Yes the specification and trim options vary by year and market. Some didn't have sat Nav at all and in Japan they were still considered a Soarer until 2005/6. The UK spec car originally had dreadful runflat tyres. Most had the emergency 'tyre-weld' repair kit. A space-saver wheel does take up a bit of room but I consider it essential for serious touring.

The air bags are re-filled by the air compressor. The level is determined by the height controller in each corner. I don't know of anyone who repairs them but the air sus could be replaced with an equivalent modern air-ride set up. Still a few owners in the UK to assist but I would say Soarer Central and club lexus are the best sources of info on these now.

Yes I wondered if it was safety related too but there's just no sense in such a delay. If anything, I think my GS460 has worse lag than the SC430 had.

If the wiring is there and not damaged then hopefully it should be an easy fix with a second-hand unit.

I just realised that the aerial is the only part of my original audio system still in use. 🤣

From page 3 of the condensed build thread on here, there are a few pics of the buttons being removed but not much detail, sorry.

The genuine Lexus aerial mast is designed to work with the car and the ML system. A manual replacement from your favourite car shop will work okay but won't auto adjust for FM and AM radio.

That's odd, I wonder why your car doesn't have them? It's a while since I took mine off but assuming the wiring is present, I think it would be best to fit as a complete unit. I will check back through the archives to see if I have any helpful pics.

...Over a grand on car hifi? Outrageous!! Out of interest do you have a view on which is better Grom or Vaistech? I'm not allowed to upgrade the GS460 audio to something decent so was considering a bolt-on enhancement. It's not going to change the poor audio quality but would add a few features.

There are a quite a few options with a new modern head unit but it's a little complex and expensive to do the conversion with a Beat-Sonic or Metra interface. Some owners have gone about it in different ways, for example converting the sat nav screen to use Android / Apple Car play. The easiest routes are probably to use a plug-in kit from a supplier such as one of those listed below. vaistech Grom GTA Car Kits

It is 'possible' to replace the Xenon headlamp bulbs without removing the bumper but it is a bit tricky. If the bumper is coming off then it's worth considering renewing the ballast units at the same time.

I don't mind the ugly tag and to be fair, unless Ross really likes the look of them, the unusual treatment of the wheels needs to be reversed but I wish there was more substance and in depth, fact based analysis with so many of these reviews. Too often it's more about the reviewer and raising their level of popularity and less about the subject. If you're going to do a review and put it out there on you-tube, why not do some proper homework, research it thoroughly and provide something that will hold the audience interest more than a dodgy quip or quirky shirt pattern. For example, the boot is so small you can fold a whole metal roof into it, carry a spare wheel and still have room for several carrier bags of shopping but anyone who doesn't know this, views the vid, listens to yet another journo confirming how tiny the boot space is and thinks it's not capable of carrying any serious luggage or indeed rustling those sheep. Reviewing an 18 year old car on a rough twisty road, roof down with a non-standard, questionable suspension set up and condemning the ride handling characteristics is just not doing a proper job. If a car feels as bad as the impression given, a knowledgeable driver with some mechanical credibility should be able to identify that something isn't quite right with that particular car. With a standard set up, it couldn't ever be described as agile but the SC430 isn't as unrewarding as described. Experience suggests the choice of aftermarket springs may be some of the problem and then the comment 'Lexus! what were you thinking of?' might be reconsidered.

Has the TPMS module been disconnected by a previous owner perhaps? It's at the bottom centre console, below the audio head unit.

Considered it 'scotch mist' until I eventually bought one. I have a Sprint-Booster3 on the SC430. I leave it on the highest setting and it has eliminated the lag. It is noticeable on take off and for kick-down when overtaking. I've no experience of the hybrid RC but a periodic reset on the SC can help with the well documented lag however the delay on the pedal response soon returns, especially as I mostly drive it without much urgency. Well worth the money but most people have to take that leap of faith to enjoy the benefit.

If you mean the silver car, I don't know and perhaps not easy to get in the UK but mine are quite similar twin 5 spoke though not quite as wide. The problem with these is that they are the first step on the slippery slope and begin to turn the car into more of a sports car at the expense of the ride quality. Below mine is slightly lowered on coil-overs with uprated Aristo front ARB and rear ISF ARB, strut brace and big continental tyres so it doesn't let go in the bends. Fine on smooth tarmac but you sacrifice some comfort to gain handling agility. For comfort it's better to stick with standard size tyres. Paddle shift is possible, Skipper produced a bolt on version. I wanted to do it with an IS250 steering wheel but backed out and admitted defeat because the air bag is different.