Neil E

With air suspension if one corner goes up, it's usually a height controller.

Triumph Stag, that takes me back. I was tempted to play a sound clip of the exhaust but the mods may take it down as being too racy for Easter Sunday. The cabin certainly is a nice place to be. With the sat nav and head unit covers closed, it looks very traditional.

Hi Mike Downsizing to a V8 with 279/282 bhp, and lots of torque, I think I see how you're playing it Top 5...that's a really good question and the answers might depend on which model you go for. It may also depend on whether or not management will drive it and whether they are inclined to 'get there quickly' or not. So trying to avoid the technical stuff. 1 The most reliable V8 cabriolet money can buy. 2 Roof on or off, fun to drive, it makes you smile every time. 3 Very smooth, quiet, comfortable and well appointed, it is quicker than it looks. (delete any elements that may be counter-productive to the case) 4 No room in the back for passengers so plenty of rear seat space for luggage and shopping. 5 With the top down on a warm sunny day, almost universal appeal to all management. It just makes you want to go out and drive it all again.

If the disc doesn't gently push back in, it's not too difficult to take the head unit apart to fix it.

It seems some are better than others. I had my airbag recall done at Lexus Guildford last year by their top technician and I was able to speak directly to him.

Yes it is. Procedure below. I have external aftermarket sensors for the wide wheels. When I disconnected the TPMS module I did also tape the connectors up to make sure they are isolated from everything else. part copied from clublexus - put shifter in Neutral - open up center console - pull the whole heated seat module straight up, it will come up. disconnect - you will be able to pull up the wooden part that surrounds the shift plate (close to center console) - once it's up, the only point holding it are two clips right below the radio - once it's out, you will see the TPS unit right below the radio - unplug BOTH plugs, one small on the right and one bigger one on the left - put everything back and enjoy

To my ears, the ML system on the early LS400 models was very nice indeed, better than any later models I've listened to, including the LS460. The LS430 was pretty good and if you don't try to play it too loudly the SC430 sounds better than any of the GS430 systems I had but again played flat, without too much volume, I agree with Linas it's still a great sound for standard car audio. Replacing it with something better is a very expensive business and probably only worth considering if you spend long hours behind the wheel and are a mad fool audiophile with hearing still intact. I'm a big fan of Alpine, they are very good value but personally I wouldn't swap to the 2 way 4 ohm Alpine speakers. In practice they work okay but aren't a direct replacement for the original 8 ohm drivers. They will obviously sound better than old blown ML speakers. If you're not too fussy about hifi they are a good quality cheap fix as the ML amp does seem to cope with the 4 ohm load and it's not easy to find 8 ohm component replacements.

Mel, it's a shame the engine doesn't need replacing. You're the man to drop a 2JZ into it. Good advice re. taking a knowledgeable sensible friend to view the car.

Though expensive, it is possible to replace the head unit with a double din unit that includes all of the latest tech and a good sat nav system. After selling the GS the 2 things I missed the most were radar cruise and rear seats.

Welcome to the SC club Mel, I hope you enjoy the car. The car is very fortunate to have found the ideal new owner to put it right. With you and Bob on board we should have everything covered. Bob did a nice tutorial on fitting the space-saver spare wheel. After replacing the front door speakers you should find the audio quality slightly better than that of the GS. Well, to my ears at least. 'Also a small word of advice to all SC owners.. do not try to race GS450h off the traffic lights. Ever.' The 5 speed SC may be half a second slower to 60 than the GS450 but it sounds so much better and that's what counts. ....All SC owners, Ever...just off to find a GS450H at a set of traffic lights....

Really coming together now. That's a great result with the exhaust too.

I like it. Very neat piece of individual detail.

Top work, snowman no compromise. Very impressive, detail consistent with all of your other work.

It's true that driver experience can make a significant difference in difficult conditions but @grantwils is quite correct, the biggest difference by far in this case is the tyres. I think it's just one of those topics where once you've tried it, you know.

@royoftherovers John, I get lots of things wrong and fall foul of the spelling police very often but that wasn't my quote. @Chris SkeltonHi Chris, you're never too old for a mid life crisis vehicle. I dare not post a link to the darker shade of grey mammoth thread elsewhere but there is an easy to locate 'cut down' version' in the LOC Build section if ever the sleeping pills aren't working. Have you seen the brilliant IS300 there too? The SC is now somewhere just North of 307 bhp, Mark Levinson has been completely evicted, Alpine, DLS, Focal and JL Audio are resident but the orchestra is still in the process of learning to play together. I haven't quite got the K3 Focal Elite mid bass singing from the same hymn sheet yet (crossover and door build/sound deadening issues) but the signs are good. The shrill ML top end is gone at high output. Have you found an even more rare Citroen or might you be tempted back to something with an L on the front?

Oh great clip, @grantwils it's awesome driving in snowy Canada. I've only done that in a 4x4 and it was -33 in Calgary, -43 in Jasper. It's much easier in harsh winter conditions as the snow is powder and they plough the roads properly. The Canadians say there's least grip when the temperature is hovering around freezing.

Actually Phil, this is where real experience counts, it might seem that way with big rwd cars but with a full covering of snow and indeed in blizzard conditions I ran my old LS430 up over the infamous A939 in the Cairngorms several times with Wdrive Yokohama tyres and it was better than the RX300 on all season tyres. With the same tyres, the RX pulled a Passat out of a ditch in deep snow but I felt safer in the LS430 up and down the steep twisty bits because the winter tyres provide better traction laterally and for braking. To give you an idea of how much difference the tyres make, from a standing start on a hill, the LS ploughed through 10 inches of deep fresh snow. Thank goodness for the high setting on the air suspension. The RX came with all season tyres but as I rely on my own transport for work, I switch between Summer and Winter tyres. I just drove back from Oxford today on Hankook Winters without any issues, while some were struggling.

Ah, glad you tested one. Yes I know what you mean and I couldn't agree more. It's a fairly 'relaxed' cabriolet in standard form though the later 6 speed does help. It's a shame Lexus pitched it as they did with a heavy bias to sell well in the US. It ought to have been developed with a lot more 'edge' and tech as the Soarer was to the early LS400. Once you've had one, it's hard not to compare everything to an LS, it sets a standard difficult to equal.

Okay worth a try, it's time to take the door trim off, investigate the mechanism and the electrical connections. I hope it's an easy fix and doesn't take too long.

Thanks for returning this to what I think was the the original purpose of the thread. Yes in my opinion and experience, Lexus do sometimes slightly understate the acceleration figures. No doubt it's an average quote. Track timed SC430 owners in the US seem to get under the official numbers but driver ability, weight, fuel, tyres, environment, road surface, etc all play a part. A slightly awkward and at times amusing thread but it's good to read the passion for setting things straight. Those with a need to talk about speed or rapid acceleration might look to an older 6 cyl IS. Has 'Lexus' traditionally stood for comfort and reliability over speed....yes maybe.... but take a look at the Soarer and the Aristo, speed had a high priority in those models. Do they count or are they 'greyed out' I'm not sure? This one made me chuckle, good point that the IS250 represents very good value. No matter what the car, every tenth of a second counts, if you don't understand the daft obsession some of us have with 0-60 times, I recommend the newly formed super-fast F forum where speed is secondary and most of the topics are ferocious arguments about paint colour, coffee, cake and exhaust note. Just skip over any rogue topic with 'Nurburgring' or 'supercharger in the title.' With my petrol-head on, in the matter of comparing it to other chariots, I think we may have lost the plot. I can accept that an IS250 might live with a Fiesta ST but comparing it to a DFS sofa is simply wrong and unfair. The 3 seat electric driver-less models are so quick off the line, in ludicrous mode they can pull wheelies.

Interesting view Phil, did you ever drive an SC430? Some of the Hampster's comments were fair enough but do remember that the early reviews were with the SC on run-flats. That was a big mistake, proper tyres made a huge difference. Having owned one for 3 years the only thing that really doesn't make sense to me is the silly back seats. They are good for a few bits of luggage or small passengers for 30 minutes only so think of it as a 2 seater sports tourer/hard top cabriolet and it makes more sense. As a 4 seat car it's a non-starter. I read all of the reports and reviews, I didn't really like the shape of it either but as a Soarer enthusiast it was always on my list to try. Ignoring all of the project modifications to mine, I'll admit I was convinced I would tire of it within the first year but I was quite wrong. They really are a good car. I would say the ride on the standard suspension is closest to a GS430, indeed it has a lot in common with the GS. With aftermarket adjustable coilovers it's even better. It's fair to say the later 6 speed SC is a better sports package than the earlier one. I agree it's a bit 'staid' in style and feature but it retained some of that earlier Lexus quality that the LS 400 scores over the newer models.

Hi Philip, as a first step, try spraying the window guides with a good dose of silicone lubricant.

Lovely piece of engineering. You must be top of Santa's nice list this year. Even if they are from Oz, I wish his elves could think about doing some nice performance stuff like that for the 3UZ.

Hey you found one. That looks very smart Philip and a little more economical than the SC430.

Oh! Very impressed, all the right labels in all the right places. Sunday evening just got interesting.