Neil E

It's a dusty project car with lots of flaws including bog standard black mats in the front and immaculate beige in the back 🙃, not that much to look at close up but it's a little bit more fun to be in than the standard SC. 🙂 I wonder if any of the rear mats have ever been worn out?

....Not many standard bits left in my car. I would like to have original beige mats but haven't been able to source any. Getting some made up with some custom stitch-work is quite a nice idea.

There are a couple of log manifolds on a shelf gathering dust but yes I'm referring to the car. Most of the time I use the RX or GS. There's no time for 'top down' or even 'top up' fun these days. It will see the light of day soon as it is due an MOT in December. Looking at the list of SCs on AT at the moment there isn't much choice and I would say that most are overpriced.

I suppose you could but I'm not really into personalising and customising. Best left as it was intended. 😉

I think that's an aftermarket mat. Black is the only colour SC430 mats that Lexus stock now. I think they are around £110 for a set.

Not a chance. As Bob said, perhaps 5 or maybe 10 with a remap. I've got the mad max version gathering cobwebs in the garage if you want to try one that's a smidge quicker.

Yes - the covers are rare to find and yes. 🙂 The space-saver fits into a 'vertical well' and there is a hole for a bracket and bolt to hold it in place. My full size rears are 275s fronts are 255, none of those are fitting so it has to be a space-saver or the roof stays on. Don't tell anyone but I prefer to drive it with the roof on even when it's sunny and hot.

I would say it's unusual for both rears to go down evenly. If it's a small air leak, it's usually obvious at one corner not both. The pump and height controllers appear to be working correctly at the rear so perhaps there is a small air leak in the back. You can spray soapy water on the struts and the pipes to see if there are any visible leaks. A very slow leak will appear as a bubble or a few very small bubbles on the air bag. Do you have the air set to lower itself for passengers to get out more easily when the car stops? Just eliminating the possibility that the rear is working as it should and the front isn't lowering itself? Try this for more info and this one

I'm not sure there's room for a picnic on the rear seat of mine but the SC will carry far more than most give it credit for. Posted this before in the build thread - SC430 on tour.

It depends on what the general duty of the car is I suppose but I agree, larger diameter wheels with lower profile tyres work against the comfort and practicality of an SUV. Fair enough if it never goes off tarmac or into the wild but I think of it as a 4 x 4 that will get me anywhere I choose to go. Michelin Crossclimate 2 are a good compromise and the SC430 has high performance soft sticky wide stuff. If the SC was a daily driver it would be on Crossclimates November to April.

Wow that's impressive Glyn, the RX ought to be a magic carpet ride. Perhaps the Michelins are that much better than Continentals. My ancient RX and GS are both noticeably more comfortable than the SC430. The RX has Michelin Winters and the GS has Crossclimate 2. I suppose The SC is slightly lowered on the coil-overs and they are set firm upfront and at the mid point rear. The RX300 has air suspension and feels almost as good as the new RX450H L I had as a loaner from the dealer.

Ouch! Yes it's difficult to find a good ride / handling compromise. I think I'm on 275 35 19 rear and 255 40 19 front on a staggered set up now. 285 30 19 and 245 40 19 were great for handling on smooth surfaces but too aggressive for the state of our roads.

If a 17" rim with a +45mm offset (or close to it), that clears the brake caliper can be found then yes that should work. With a good standard suspension set up and 245 40 18s, the ride ought be quite comfortable, always assuming no one uses run-flats any more. Upgrading to the later suspension or fitting aftermarket coil-overs should improve the ride-handling experience too. Many owners have chosen to use coil-overs. It's worth reading the threads on suspension and wheels to gain a good understanding of the various options. For wheel and tyre fitment, try this www.willtheyfit.com/

80AH, 740A cold start should be plenty and the standard alternator should be strong enough too. It copes well enough with my silly hifi system so unless you're intending to put a significant power sapping piece of kit in there or sleep in the car all night with the lights on 😉, the standard battery ought to be fine. That said, I did slightly modify the battery tray in the GS to fit 335 model. It's too tall for the SC430 but would perhaps fit with a much flatter tray and possibly a different hold down clamp. I recall when fitting the '0' gauge cable through the SC430 bulkhead that it's quite a thick tray.

I haven't tried them for a long time but I avoid Bosch batteries. Sometimes a bad experience or two a long time ago will still influence a decision many years later. I'm not endorsing them but Halfords will email the receipt for the battery 5 year guarantee too. I did briefly attempt to fit (shoe-horn) a larger battery in and considered setting up a split charging system for the SC430 as it has quite a large amplifier but it's coped okay so far.

As Stew says, It's the rear reluctor rings. The rings and the shrouds they sit in will need to be replaced. Lexus may charge a fortune to fix it and a good local resource perhaps £200 per side? This may help. Nicnac explains in a little more detail.

I do 'get' the reasoning behind keeping the 12V supply in place but it takes me no time at all to restore the settings in the SC430. @Linas.P If not Yuasa which make of battery would you choose? I've tried a few different flavours and haven't found one that I would particularly recommend. The oldest Battery (making it the longest lasting) I've ever had was a Hoppecke.

Yuasa Silver 5000 HSB096 12V, 80AH, 740A, 5 year guarantee. £110 and that should be fine. Apparently Halfords recommend they fit it for £20 'as most cars require this battery to be registered with the on board computer system.' Obviously only change the battery if you know what to do but it's a simple 10 minute job with a 10mm socket, a small ratchet and or 10mm spanner. (I've never 'registered' the battery with the car) I would be quite nervous handing the SC to Halfords to work on. I think there's less risk to the car if I do it myself.

If you have the tools, it can certainly be done. The 3UZ on the SC430 is a little easier than the 1UZ on the LS400 or Soarer. I would say 4 hours would be a very quick time for one person. I would pay for Lexus parts at a dealer and find a trusted mechanic if Lexus want to charge too much.

Some details can be gained on line for free, there are also subscription services that provide known service history, number of owners, and details of accident damage, finance owing, etc. It's had a few issues to resolve in recent years. Looking at the history, the front and rear tyres are wearing on the insides so perhaps an alignment check should be done if it hasn't been done by the dealer.

Rest assured Malc, that SC430 is a very lucky car. 🤣

The 03 blue SC430 has only had minor issues and advisories throughout its MOT history. I never like to see cheap tyres on a performance car, that always speaks to me about the owner or the dealer selling it but from the pics it looks in reasonably good order. The later 6 speed would be my default choice as it's a better newer car but I can't see where it's being sold or any details about it to make a remote assessment.

Ah yes I've seen that bill for the reluctor rings. Just didn't join the dots.🤣 Go gently with the error 4 as I don't think I have the old head unit, it could be mislaid in the depths of the big shed but I think it was the only item stolen from the garage a little while ago. I do have a spare double din Alpine HU (no good to you) .....and half an original 2006 SC430 in the normal shade of grey. 🤣 Paint to the sill in that colour should be easy enough. Bits of the interior appear to need some unclebob rejuvenating treatment but the leather seats looks pretty good in the pics. The grubby seatbelts are always a pain and the speaker grills just gather dirt. I didn't bother trying to restore them I just bought new. I think they were £180 for all 4. Beige mats no longer available but the speaker covers were.

Oh no the Lexus police are back on duty with a new squad car. Good to have you back Bob. It looks a nice example. I assume it's clean underneath, what needs to be done before the next show?

My SC was always a project Soarer and a car to be used and enjoyed. I just didn't realise how long it was going to stay with me. It's fun but you have to be prepared to write off significant sums. Looking quickly over the spreadsheet, in round figures for my car £4k exhaust, £5k audio £5k bodywork, then wheels, brakes, suspension £5k. That doesn't include any allowance for my labour and you begin to see what some of those cars must have cost to build, maintain and detail.