Bob King

What quality of tyres do you have fitted and do all four match ? I had a Toyota with bridgestones on the back and Chinese ditch finders on the front , drove like the shock absorbers were worn out. Fit a set of Avon’s and it transformed the car totally.

Agree with others to use a sealant, black RTV would be my choice 🙂

I would think brakes dust might be the cause or that mixed with front tyre temperatures. Still there is a solution to your problem …bottle of tipex and a few hours to spare 😉😉

Best I ever saw was 33mpg, that was a 2 x 120 mile run to a car show and back home 😎

Always great seeing immaculate conditioned SC430’s 🙂

Has an MGB roadster vibe to it….yet much more reliable 😎😎

Look at that …paintwork looks outstanding 👏🏻👏🏻

Sounds like a great purchase if the only fault to date is wind noise from mirror 😎

Sounds like a proper adventure…enjoy it 👍🏻

Stunning looking car ..well done 😎

Cream interior would have been so much cooler 😉😉

When I had my SC430 (facelift) I purchased two new headlamps from LexusDirect , bill came too £1152.00, so around £560 each. Note if you buy used they will be seriously faded by now …….have a spend up the SC is worth it 👍🏻

Great choice in colour…well done 👍

£39425.00 on AutoTrader this morning .

Seems its been for sale for a while and the price has been dropping down, so maybe negotiation is possible. Got this info of Total Car Check…. Last registration change 10th Feb 2020. Recent sale price……

All very sad … RIP John, thinking of your family 😕😕

Did you check for a tracker in the boot as I suggested earlier in this thread ?

I’m very much on your side but as an retired mechanic can I give a neutral opinion ? 4K miles is a lot of mileage before reporting a problem and can I use an mot test as an example …."a car is only roadworthy on the day of the test" . It’s taken 4K miles for your car to develop a braking fault, It’s very easy for a brake caliper to become stuck due to corrosion in that 4K and you didn’t need a small service so that just added to your bill. Think you have a weak case for a complain….sorry .

These cars been over 50k when new sometimes had a tracker fitted when new. Even if the subscription expires the tracker keeps sending out its signal. As they are fitted as a security item you won’t know were it is on the car .....this is going to cost you time but removing all the trim panels in the boot is a good place to start looking. Look for none standard wiring around fuse boxes in boot, interior kick panels and engine bay 👍🏻 Member on the Lexus World forum had two trackers fitted, he found them both in the boot..each side. The alarm has a battery back up inside and the battery can corrode with age...so also with checking out 👍🏻

The bulbs in the photo don’t look standard...if LED have been fitted they probably won’t work as the positive contact is on the side not the end of the bulb holder.

What information do you need ..how much oil and grade or how to take the engine to bits ?

Neil has answered some of your question. The one concerning trim and rubber seals they are without doubt main dealer only, so time to bit the bullet. The good thing about Toyota/ Lexus is they keep the genuine spares available for longer than some manufacturers. as you’ve said you like original and genuine so buy the quality seals to get the job done .

This is a factory original of my old car if it helps 👍🏻

Great advise 👍🏻

This is the cost of a good brand of wheel bearing ..... Wheel Bearing Kit fits LEXUS SC430 UZZ40 4.3 Front Left or Right 01 to 10 3UZ-FE 5050063382280 | eBay LEXUS SC Convertible (UZZ40_) 430 (UZZ40_) Convertible Petrol 05/2001 07/2010 RWD 32 286 210. Bearing Type Angular Ball Bearing. Type Wheel Bearing Kit. Function Wheel Bearing Kit. LEXUS GS (_S16_) 300 (JZS160_) Saloon Petrol 08/1997 10/2000 RWD 24 222 163. www.ebay.co.uk ...and this is a lower ball joint ..again a good brand .... Ball Joint fits LEXUS SC430 UZZ40 4.3 Lower Right 01 to 10 3UZ-FE Suspension ADL 5050063596380 | eBay LEXUS SC Convertible (UZZ40_) 430 (UZZ40_) Convertible Petrol 05/2001 07/2010 RWD 32 286 210. Type Ball Joint. Function Ball Joint. with castle nut and cotter pin. LEXUS GS (_S16_) 300 (JZS160_) Saloon Petrol 10/2000 12/2004 RWD 24 219 161. www.ebay.co.uk Ball joints are handed left and right , so 2 x them and 2 x wheel bearing and at a guess 3-4 hours labour . if it was me I would replace the lower ball joints but leave the wheel bearing for now , they could go in for a few more years with slight play in them . 😉😉