Neil E

There are just so many settings and hidden features with these cars. I'm sure I didn't use them all on the GS430.

Yes it's neat that the sensors return it to the set position, Lexus have always been clever with mirrors. I wish they would bring back the ultrasonic door mirrors used in the V8 Soarers. Cleaned the raindrops away in a matter of seconds.

A long way from home, SC430 on the trail of the NC500.

I think the last dyno run cost £55.00......128k miles, no power loss from the 3UZ, only moderate gains so far. Not guilty

Well that definitely looks like a project, good luck with restoring it. What's the interior like?

I can't agree on Android or IOS systems for cars, that would be scary but I must admit the Tesla's Sat Nav does look impressive. When it can do 500 miles on a 5 minute charge, I might consider one but I suspect by then Apple or Google will have created a carriage without a steering wheel altogether. Though we frequently argue, I've grown to appreciate the alternative view that the Lexus lady provides on the best direction of travel but if I really need to get from A to B in the quickest time, in unfamiliar territory, I use an old fashioned map and co-driver. You can search for updates online but it's an expensive business to swap them out and compatibility remains an issue so if you find one that reads the road quickly, my advice is to look no further.

I think the last few SC430 models were made in 2010 but the latest one I've seen was an 09.

@Ally430SC thanks Alan that's a good 'wake up' call, as DAB is so poor at home I think I've fallen behind on the car audio front. I'll add this to the shopping list and consider where in the car to hide it.

Looks like a very nice example.

It does seem that the SC430 has been given some priority, perhaps because there are fewer to deal with or maybe we SC owners are born racers and statistically more likely to activate the air bag. As a protest, perhaps IS owners should demand a protective suit and race helmet from Lexus until the recall work is complete. It would make the trip to the shops an event. It may not have been discussed here before as there are other corners of the net with a greater collection of SC owners. Thanks for raising it.

@Ally430SC That does sound like a good solution. I must look into DAB again. The last time I checked, perhaps 2 years ago, it was still quite expensive for the add on module and both the sound quality and reception were 'iffy' at best.

@Linas.P Thanks for sharing, yes fully aware. Received my recall letter earlier this year and Lexus Guildford did the work in an afternoon just three weeks later.

Hirschmann are really good but I would try to find a good Lexus secondhand unit from a breaker.

Hi Joe, they are available in the UK, on line, on the big auction site or from a good car audio shop and they will fit it for you.

There is another way using a new head unit but this is how to do it using a simple plug and play car kit using the original head unit. There are various kits like Grom and Vaistech. It may be worth calling a good car hifi shop to see what they recommend. I doubt they would charge very much for fitting as it's very quick and easy to do.

They tend to cost a little more but for a decent image one with a CCD lens is best. It might be worth looking at adapting one from a broken Lexus. The LS 430 has a neat little camera.

Thanks Robb, I better get on to them as my struts can't cope with the extra spoiler weight in anything but the warmest weather.

Interesting, yeah, I had not thought of that, I get where you're coming from, it might look good when the full hifi is on board. The hoops are black and not quite the same kind of bulky structural hoops you might find in other cabriolets. In some cars they would look cool but to make it work I would probably have to change a few things, remove the hoops and add new bigger chrome units. Probably not a major structural change and indeed if done properly could improve overall strength but one the insurance company would take a keen interest in. Hopefully rear seat trimming plan 'B' should be much better than plan 'A' but if the car ever grows enough horsepower to hit the track then we may come back to the beefy chrome hoop idea. Just did a search to see if anyone in the US has 'done' chrome roll hoops but I think @TigerFish and @Boddney you may have thought of something new. I'd say it would look best on a silver car??

Yeah, looking good from here. Such a good car with a lovely interior. I always wanted the TTE grill for my old 430.

Looks worse than it is but still a poor design. I suppose Lexus take the view that the ballast doesn't fail very often and given the safety issues, best done by trained technicians on a ramp. Headlamps used to light the road ahead but now they have the power of a lighthouse, self level, swivel in the direction of travel and can floor a human with a single touch, the game has changed.

The back seats aren't good for much except shopping and luggage. In the 3 years I've had it, I don't remember anyone riding in the back as we just treat it as a '2 seater.' Still a bit more to do to finish the rear install off properly but as it's rarely visible I'm not so fussy about it.

Yes, it does look a very nice car. Reviewing some of the work done in the US, I'm beginning to think I should have bought a GS460 when I had the chance.

Good to have an opinion. They may be going out of fashion now but I'm with John on the wheels I think they look right.. That GS needs a 5 litre engine to go with the look. Shame they didn't commission the GSF a few years earlier.

@Farqui thanks Lee. I'm no expert but it's good to share. Particularly when I owned Soarers, I really enjoyed, appreciated and benefitted hugely from following build threads and 'how to' topics. The sharing of knowledge and community spirit helped turn the grey import Soarer into something of a cult car. It would be easy to show a few mostly completed pictures but although I've skipped through it a bit, hopefully others might benefit from elements of the picture progress.

Probably best to get both bulbs replaced at the same time. Go for original spec bulbs. I had one fail on the SC430 quite recently and it turned out to be the ballast control unit. When I turned on the lights, the bulb would light up and then go out within a few seconds. I had both ballasts and bulbs replaced.