Glyn Jennings

So today in my 2 years of owning the car I have encountered my first ever problem. As the car is not used very much I have been in the habit of connecting my CTEK chargers for 24hrs every 2 - 3 weeks. I think I must have left it too long since the last charge as the battery is so flat now that i couldn’t even unlock the drivers door. Yesterday I put my CTEK charger on and today the battery is still flat. I did read that if a battery is too discharged the CTEK won’t then charge the battery so I tried a different one. As soon as I attached that charger the horn sounded once whilst hearing what sound like a faint two tone bleeping noise from inside the car. After about 15 seconds it all goes quiet the horn sounds and the cycle starts again even without the charger attached. The only way to stop it is to disconnect the battery. I have now attached the battery charger to the battery while disconnected from the car and will see what it is like tomorrow. The car had a brand new Toyota battery fitted just before I bought the car but I guess little use, the immoblliser and tracker fitted may have caused premature failure. Any thoughts?

I hope you get it back OK. The SC is an unusual target so I am surprised as it is not that easy to move on and generally they are not high value now. Mine is in the road and i am a bit paranoid so I use a Disklok, have a tracker fitted and when I remove my throttle controller even if you manage to start the engine it won’t respond to any accelerator input and stays on idle. I have to say I would be absolutely gutted if this happened to me.

This issue is if I just use a cushion that would be to high seat to roof even when in a the lowest position. I think if it wasn’t a sports car where you sit low in the car compared the roof it wouldn't be an issue. You are probably right though in that I like modifying things to solve a problem. I did buy one of those swivel seat cushions so perhaps we may try that when she has fully recovered from her surgery.

I was hoping when I bought my SC two years ago my wife and I could go touring in it. Mr wife had a replacement knee and hip done a few years ago and has just had the other hip replaced a couple of months ago. She has only been in the car a couple of times because of the access. The main issue is how low the seat is and because of this lifting her leg over the door sill is really painful. So I have often pondered if I could engineer some thing the would lower and raise the seat while still occupied over and above the existing range. i know their are professional mobility companies that offer solutions but they can cost thousands. I have seen this idea but i assume it doesn’t raise a person while in the seat so some eclectic or pneumatic lift would need to be made up. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BFP3TVD2?ref_=cm_sw_r_mwn_dp_CDNRN10FH57EVYESE3TK The other option if possible would be to modify the existing sear electric adjustable range to go higher. Any thoughts other than to get a new wife or change the car would be appreciated. You never know we could all have the same issue at some point.

I did that with the RX and the SC both which I love and spent what you would need to buy a used LC. Now I have the best of both worlds with these two ie something practical and a toy to play with.

That will be my 4 children after the taxman has taken his slice. Funny that when you get an inheritance the first thing people do is spend it yet when you get old you are reluctant to spend your savings. I think it’s a generation thing.

I think for most owners the issue is it staying in the open position in that it is a heavy old bit of metal. I replaced the struts on mine and it now stays up but I remember the scars on my head when it had dropped a bit and I came into contact with the lock when I first got the car.

I would love an LC500 but only the V8. It’s a shame they didn’t follow the SC having a proper metal top convertible but it’s seems all manufacturers have moved away from this concept. For me the LC is more than I want to pay for a car even though you can buy a used one now for under £50,000. I have followed the LC for the last few years and the issue is it is not selling at all well in the UK (Deja vu SC430 when they were new and probably still now). So if you buy a LC you are going to lose a lot of money and will struggle to sell it on. I personally love the design in that it stands out from the crowd but I have never seen one on the road. I have only ever seen three coupes, two at a dealership and one at a car show. If they get down to around £30,000 and I am still driving then it might be an option for me then unless I come into a lot of money then I would buy one in a shot but at the moment I am trying to keep my pension pot intact.

I have to admit I bought new black mats for mine as cream is not very practical as they show all the marks. I have however kept the original Ecru ones.

Not sure how many SC’s he owns now as I know he sold the low mileage blue one like mine to a new owner.

I don’t because it was before I bought my SC. I’ve just seen some negative comments and as far as I am aware he does not seem to have any online presence now. My own experience is that 99% of everyone I have met with an SC have been a great bunch of people.

Interestingly I have never met Chris Fixter but I do know he upset a few members of the SC community.

It’s not been treated but when I bought the car with only 7400 miles on the clock obviously it had spent most of it’s 17 years in a garage protected from the elements. Unfortunately I don’t have a useable garage so it has spent the last two years outside, although mostly under a car cover. In those two years I have done 2300 miles which still isn’t a lot.

Heres what mine looks like.

I think the way you have described it if the price is right it should be fine. In 2007 it would have been pretty expensive so you would think that the cost of repairs etc would also not be a problem so would have been done when necessary. My purchase was a similar situation in that my 2004 had only ever been serviced at the dealership in 2005. It was one owner from new and the husband died and his widow kept it for a couple years before selling it to me via a family friend who sold it on her behalf. I have no idea if it was ever serviced after that but assume it was done independently as the family had many cars, some very expensive as they were wealthy land owners. It only had 7400 miles done when I bought it 2 years ago. I was fortunate that they had it looked at by Lexus who changed various age related items before selling it. At the end of the day you have to weigh up the pro’s and con’s before buying any car to try to negate any risk and be prepared even if you find the best one out there it could still need something done because of how old they are now. The pleasure of owning one of these cars for most owners is so good you can forgive the fact you might have to spend so money on the car at some point. I think you also get a feel about the car from the seller ie is it a nice house, are they a nice person etc. Good luck and I look forward to hear about your journey in securing the purchase of one of these great cars.

Hi Stephen you might find this thread useful. SC430 Paint Colors and Brochures - ClubLexus - Lexus Forum Discussion One thing I have noticed is that Lexus sometimes give the same paint colour and interior a different name at least for the UK. In that my blue car is Montrose Blue but also referred to as Indigo ink and the leather is Rutland which is also know as Ecru. One strange thing I have noticed as I am sad is that for the UK the carpets have the Lexus logo on the side of the mat yet in the US it along the bottom

I bought a DA polisher many years ago when I had my BMW Z3M coupe. They are a great investment and great for getting rid of minor scratches and bring back the factory finish after using a clay bar. I was fortunate with my SC in that it had so few miles on it and been garaged all it’s life so it didn’t need much. It did have three small dings in the panels and a very slight crease in the bonnet that you could just about see if you got the light at the right angle. I used a local very experienced PDR guy and he was absolutely amazing he spent a couple of hours doing it and there is absolutely no trace now so well worth the £200 he charged as he found three more dings with his expert eye that i hadn’t spotted. On top of that if he wasn’t able to remove them then it would have been no charge.

Is anyone young on here?😂

I used Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light followed by EXO V4 on my RX two and a half years ago and had enough left to do the SC as well 6 months later when I bought it and still am very pleased with the result. I also bought their leather treatment, plastic trim treatment and various other products probably spending about £250 overall so not cheap but the results are not far off a professional £1000 Gtechnig Ultra ceramic coating and still holding up well. Nothing seem to get through the coating. Even acidic bird pooh and tree sap just washes of easily. Since I did my ceramic coating Graphite coating has come out which many people say is better still.

Let me know if you get stuck at any point and I will try to help.

I have the sc430mods one and I don’t think ir is difficult to fit as the interior of the boot is easily removed. After undoing the bolt on the bracket above the sat nav you can undo the two bolts holding the sat nav. Disconnect the connections on the back and refit with the new ones. Run the wires to the camera through a hole made in the grommet in the boot floor then remove the number plate light feeding the wire through and fix the camera with double sided tape. However I totally understand if you don’t want to do it yourself.

I have a 2004 with standard suspension and for me it is just fine even with 19” wider wheels. If the car still has run flat tyres they will give a hard ride so much better with non run flat tyres. When changing suspension a lot of people will just go for coilovers. That way you can adjust the height of the car as well as softer or harder settings.

It was from Hamilton Classics a Moltex one seems to fit well. It was £221 in Feb 2022

If you fancy a trip to Lexus Sheffield they will do it for a reasonable price as per this info from the Lexus SC430 owners UK site on Facebook posted in Feb this year. Evening all! Lexus Sheffield after sales director Gary Hudson called me this morning to say that the £499 cambelt and water pump replacement including labour and coolant offer will have to end due to price inflation on parts and sundries. Good news!!! Lexus Sheffield will still offer all Lexus SC430 Club UK members the same excellent offer with a slight increase to £599. This £100 increase is still GREAT bargain. Take advantage of this wonderful offer and also book you SC or any other Lexus vehicle in for a service with Lexus Sheffield. Thank you all. Iooking forward in see you all at this year's workshop and car show in June. Best wishes. Juan.

You will find a lot of different views on the pro’s and con’s for using a car cover. Mine generally lives under a cover because it is keep out in the open. It is an all weather breathable one with a fleece lining. I always make sure I only put it back on after I have washed the car and have had no issues in over a year. Although I haven’t put it on for the last few weeks as I am trying to drive it more during the better weather.