Glyn Jennings

I bought these for mind a few months back and they have been fine

Here a picture of mine in a 2004

I also bought the one’s from SC430mods.com and they have been fine but obviously we’re more expensive.

I fitted the flush ones like the first and second pictures as they look much neater than the blister type. I already had fitted a rear camera but still found it difficult to judge distance with that alone. The flush one use a hole punch to make the hole and this makes an incredibly neat hole but you have to remove both bumpers which takes takes longer and is more work as the fit from the back. Even though I cleaned the rear of the bumper really well I could not get them to stick very well with the double sided adhesive tape supplied. I removed the backing plates which unscrewed and fixed them instead with a good quality building adhesive. On the rear I fitted the two centre ones just above the number plate and there was only just enough room to fix the sensor without the backing plate, careful measuring is required. I wired into the reversing light cable as it comes out of a junction box on the left hand side of the boot. For the front ones I ran the 4 sensor wires in flexible conduit under the hood and put the control box under the dash on the drivers side. They are switched on by a switch which is located on the panel you remove under the dash. It is pre-marked out for a switch to be fitted there. I purchased a 20mm Q.Max Sheet Metal Punch Hole Punch from eBay to make a neat neat hole to fit the switch. I took my time doing the whole job for a few hours a day to make sure I got it right. Probably the worst part is removing the bumpers especially when one of the bolts is behind the inner wheel arch cover and you also have the pull the bumper off it’s clips on the side gently but with enough force to release them. It’s like every job I have done on the car in that when you have removed something the first time it is so much easier if you have to do it again. The reversing camera is linked to front and rear dash cams and the display fits over the rear view mirror. The dash cams work great but I do find the display although very high quality is difficult to see if it is really sunny especially if the roof is down. I tend to turn the display off so it works like a normal mirror and the dash cams still record in that mode.

Thanks for you kind comments. The wood was mint but it was a yellowish colour which was not to my taste so I wrapped the wood and it is perfect underneath if ever I want to remove the wrap. The people who have seen the wrap have said how good it looks. It’s all down to personal taste and if it had been the darker wood colour I would have left it as I think that looks OK. Some people also think the original Lexus wood looks a bit plasticly because it is so smooth and shiny even though it is actually wood. I think wood finishes 40 years ago did look better but they do seem to deteriorate with age and dampness.

I went out for a drive today and took some more pictures.with a better background than in the road outside my house IMG_4060.MOV

I appreciate where you are coming from but we are all different. My aim was to preserve it and improve it as much as possible without going to the point of altering bodywork, suspension or brakes, etc. I think the SC is a fantastic car but I don't like the yellowy wood interior on mine nor the wheels. At the end of the day I bought the car to enjoy owning it and not to keep it as a museum piece. I didn't set out to buy a low mileage one but this came up so I bought it. It's always going to be low mileage as I have had it 10 months now and it is still only 9400 miles. it's value is difficult to assess as it was bought in 2004 and serviced by Lexus in 2005. Although it had an MOT every year it never went back to Lexus for any work until 2021. The reality is I have kept every thing I have changed on the car and within a day I could restore it back to exactly how it was the day I bought it apart from the parking sensors which I made sure they look like they are OEM fitment. The vinyl wrap of the wood trim is also very easy to remove with just a heat gun. I purposely had new sections of the exhaust made so I still have the existing resonator section and rear muffler section so they can be refitted at any time. I am at an age now where I have no desire to sell it at any time and am hoping one or both of my two son's will enjoy it when I no longer can. I personally don't think I have spoilt the car as it will be cherished and kept pristine as much by me as much as I can. I do appreciate however the purists out there will not agree with me. Rather than butcher the car I would say have improved it with care and made it to my taste while preserving the essence of the car.

I do have a spare throttle controller which I have on ebay. I had already bought the SC430mods one but ended up with two. A certain person I fell out with fitted it when they said they could fit a ECU mod saying I would love it and it would transform the car to which I said is it a throttle controller as I already had one and the answer was no. When I picked up the car. the throttle controller had been fitted because he the ECU mod was only for the later cars apparently. I was not happy but let it go as the exhaust mod I had done was the bigger issue. I fitted the SC430mods one in it's place as I preferred the aesthetics of it although they both perform exactly the same. I am also selling an Cold Air intake which is a made up version like an Injen plus a set of 4 wheels that need refubishing, if anyone is interested let me know.

I have just added information on myself and my Blue SC430 on the Build Forum for anyone who is interested. I had started it on the Lexus World Forum before it’s demise. Apologies upfront if you find it long or boring.

My car history. I have owned some 27 cars over a period of 52 years including a TVR 390SE and a BMW Z3M Coupe. My last 4 cars have been quick BMW’s. I now own a 2016 Lexus RX450h and a 2004 SC430 in blue. Of all the cars I have owned the Lexus’ are my favourite cars and at this time I don’t intend to sell either of them. So on to my SC which I bought in October 2021. I saw it advertised on eBay being sold by a small motor dealer for £12600. The reason for the price was because it only had one lady owner from new and had just under 7500 miles on the clock. It had only just come on to eBay and the dealer opened the next day Sunday at 10.00am. I managed to get in first before many other callers who even offered the dealer £1000 more for it. He happened to be a friend of the family selling it and was selling it on their behalf. It has just been in Norwich Lexus to have the timing belt changed, new tyres, battery and radiator. The car ahead a private plate on it which you may see in a couple of photos which was kept by the original owner. I was over the moon buying it and I felt like it was one of those things in life that always happens to someone else. After driving it back to my home I found one of 6 x 9 door speakers was in need of a refoam. The only other thing was it had about 3 small car door dents.    So this is a list of what I have done to the car so far with the view I need to be able to restore it to OEM to keep it’s value. Refoamed both front door speakers using kit bought from US via eBay Fitted SC430Mods.com Bluetooth module which works really well to stream music from iPhone and make/take calls. Using SIrI makes for a completely hand free set up. Purchased phone holder that fits to air vent from Amazon. Fitted new boot struts bought from eBay Fitted Wolfbox 12” rear view mirror front & Rear dash cam with rear camera for reversing. Bought from Amazon. However I would say it is highly reflective in strong sunlight so not very effective with the top down but the dash cams work well  Machined polished paintwork and applied Gtechniq Ceramic coating.  Treated all other parts of the car using Gtechniq products Wrapped all the wood trim & steering wheel with 3M Carbon Fibre Vinyl. Wrapping the trim was not to hard but the steering wheel was very difficult taking about 4 hours.  Purchased new carbon fibre gear knob from eBay. Had to wrap that as well because the lines were diagonally opposite to what I had already done.  Fitted new black OEM carpets The ecru ones where in good condition but not practical plus I felt the black complemented the newly wrapped black trim. Bought from Lexus online parts shop  Fitted new correct size Numberplate’s. Rear numberplate is now 20” x 6” Fitted Dolphin Flush fit front & rear parking sensors. I wanted them to look like they had been fitted by Lexus as the raised surface wart type ruin the clean lines of the bumper in my opinion. Much harder to fit though and both bumpers hat to come off as they fit from the back. Also the sticky rubber fixing pads are useless so I used a good quality building adhesive. I selected the blue paint finish and it is a perfect match for my colour paintwork.   Fitted SC430Mods.com LED Reversing light bulbs  Fitted SC430Mods.com LED Indicator bulbs  Fitted LED Sidelight bulbs Halfords 501  Repaired Audio door caused by me having had the centre console out on numerous occasions. Had door dings removed professionally. The guy I used was amazing resulting in a perfect finish Purchased Hamilton Classic Moltex Outdoor Car Cover as the car is kept on the road in a quiet cul de sac. I previous purchased from eBay a windscreen sun shied that was a perfect size for the SC and I used put two beach towels over the front and rear seats to protect from the sun.   Fitted SC430Mods.com Throttle controller a fantastic mod that makes the SC seem so much quicker that you you can easily spin the wheels even in the dry on the highest setting.  Fitted SC430mods.com LED Door projector lights  Had Exhaust resonators deleted with a new Longlife exhaust section made by FastFit in Basingstoke who are part of the TopGear Group  Fitted refurbished standard wheels fitted with Twist Centre caps in lieu of Pie Plates which I bought from another SC owner. I will keep these to put back on the car if I ever sell it. Ctek charger wiring fitted so I can now connect charger without lifting the bonnet or removing the car cover While doing the charger wiring I noticed a 14mm x 65mm bolt lying in the engine under tray. After trying to find where it was from I found one of the 3 bolts holding the A/C compressor completed unfastened and only stopped from falling out but an adjacent hose. I refitted the bolt and hoped the other one had been dropped and it was probably easier to replace it rather than find it. How wrong I was, this had played on my mind for some time so I removed the under tray a few weeks later to check, only to find out another bolt missing attaching the A/C compressor to the engine which was the one I originally found. So all all bolts are now fitted but I find it a bit worrying a mechanic would forget to tighten 2 of the 3 bolts but I guess these things happen. Fitted Basic Aldi tracker recommended to me by another SC owner at the SC Car Club event in Coventry this year Purchased NOCO jump battery starter from Amazon stored in boot so I never get caught out with a flat battery Purchased Fire Extinguisher from Aldi stored in boot. Hopefully will never be used Purchased Rear seats protective cover from eBay for use when using back seat for storage. It is meant for dogs and acts like a hammock so just right to protect the seats Things left to do Refit straight pipes replacing rear muffler depending on it having no drone after now having had the mufflers deleted. Some one made this for me at the beginning of the year and it does sound great but the drone is dreadful. If this doesn’t work I probably will have to go for a new rear sports box when funds permit as I have already spent £800 so far trying to get the right sound.  I may decide To colour code the grille Not sure about tinting the window Fit New 19” Work Emitz wheels & tyres which are already on order from Japan via Driftworks UK. Ordered them March 2022 but currently now the end of July and they have only just been manufactured so hopefully I should get them by the end of September which is a lot longer than I was expecting. I am just hoping they are worth the wait and expense and that they suit the SC. I will post some pictures when they on the car.  My favourite wheels are the Leon Hardritt Orden but their is no UK importer so you normally only see secondhand ones for sale at a premium that normally need refurbishing. If I find I am not as keen on the Emitz wheels in the flesh on the SC I may sell them on and try and source the Orden’s in the future.  So far I have spent over £5000 but most of that has been on the exhaust and Work wheels. That will be probably about as far as I will go on changes as I don’t want to fit bigger brakes or lower the car. It is currently booked in for it’s MOT in August and I am getting the oil + filter and brake fluid changed as although they look clean I don’t know when they were done as the last official service done by Lexus was 2005. The last owner had many expensive cars including Jaguars, Range Rovers and an Aston Martin so I assume they went somewhere else independently. I hope I haven’t bored you by now.

There’s also another hole that you can pass cables through to the right of the large wiring grommet on the steering wheel side. I used that one to pass my front parking sensor wiring through to under the dash and then sealed the hole with silicone.

Horrible man. Hiding beyond the fact he only ever uses the same self employed plumbers to do his work providing them his vans and clothing. In the eyes of the taxman he was employing them but he fought this so he didn’t have to provide sick pay, holidays and all the things that cost employers to provide benefits their employees while making shed loads of money from them to buy a new Bentleys every year.

I have never had a person plate. My SC had a person plate on it before I bought it but it didn’t come with the car. I am not against them at all but I do find most of them that are trying to say a word look stupid when you are using a number to represent a letter unless it is a one or nought representing I or O. Some of them I can’t for the life of me work out what it is supposed to say. I would love one that actually says a word. Obvious Paul Daniel's had ‘MAGIC’ and I have seen ‘VISION’. Trouble is they go for silly money. I did see GIYND for about £1200 a few years back which I thought was quite close to GLYN and if it had J instead of D on the end I might have considered it. Who knows I might buy one at some point but odds are low on finding some great for little money. Guess I’ll have to change my name it’s probably an easier and cheaper option.

The Ghost II Immobiliser system is another option. It won’t stop someone breaking it but it should stop them driving away. I am not sure if this is the system that is mentioned by others for use with a phone as it can also be used by pressing a combination of 4 different buttons on the dash/steering wheel to start the car. I have a Disklok but now I have wrapped my steering wheel I can’t use it as it is now a delicate finish. I do remember years ago car thieves would just snap of the steering wheel and steer the car with a pair of mole grips. I guess if the car is desirable and they really want it, it’s going to be difficult to stop it being stolen. We know what a hidden treasure the SC is but if it gets out and their value starts to rocket like certain other Japanese sports cars this could then be a problem.

Cheap solution is put a cheap tracker on it. I have fitted an Aldi one only available online which is the same as the Halfords Streetwize. £39.99 and £30 for a whole year for the sim. It even has a motion sensor which goes off on you phone if you have the app installed. I also thought about putting a switch in the fuel line but haven’t got round to it. As already stated the SC is a low risk car to be stolen but I would be gutted if mine was.

I hadn’t realised there is a build thread section so thanks Neil for the pointer. Seem like yours is the only SC there though. Perhaps others will use this section as well. I will start my own I just wish I had saved my own bits from LW which was “My Blue SC” from memory. Thankfully it wasn’t years of contributions. Perhaps we could make this our main site for contributing to the SC community to keep up to date with each other from now on.

I too found the LexusWorld site really useful. Being new to the SC it was really informative and I learned a lot. I particularly liked where members recorded all their mods and history of their car under their own thread. it was fascinating reading. It’s a shame those and all the technical stuff can’t be viewed still some how.

Just had a new section made up and fitted today to delete the resonators. I am a little surprised that the exhaust noise is still pretty quiet with the standard back box muffler fitted. I need to pop in back to the fabricator as one of my tail pipe tips is slightly lower than the other one. Once that is done I am going to put back on the new rear exhaust I had made up at the beginning of the year which is straight through that I subsequently had to take off because of the drone. Getting the sound I want without drone is proving difficult.