Ken Timbers

I'm very sad to hear your news, Anthony, and wish you all the best as you move on. You gave me a lot of help and advice when I first joined this forum and I'm particularly sorry not to have managed to meet you in person—the distance was always a problem, given my own health problems. Good luck, my friend!

A lovely car, Bob—it looks just like mine! 😃

The leather is certainly in good condition, but that's how it was when I bought the car. The mileage at that point was 72.4K and it had a fat file of documentation showing everything that had been done during its life. Most of the mileage had been done during its first three years with a lady owner and there has been another one since then, so I guess they treated the car well. I do little mileage these days—only 2K in these past 12 months. My main usage is a fairly short round trip to a hospital on a weekly basis because I'm being treated for cancer. Very well treated, I hasten to add—Guy's oncology department has got it well under control. They haven't got a cure for old age though, and as I'm now 88, adventuring far afield is no longer attractive. Nonetheless, I've been enjoying top-down motoring around the country lanes in North Kent this summer. I've always had nice cars (lots of Lexus ones as well as Porsches and Mercedes), so when I decided to give up spending a lot of money on contract cars, this one seemed a great option—very nice and no hefty capital investment. I'm hoping it will see me out, so I'm happy to keep it in as good condition as possible without too much personal effort. When I think it needs some proper attention I shall call in a detailer!

Hi Stephen, Herewith some pics of my SC430. I hope they answer your question. The bottom two shots were taken at the Lexus Sidcup showrooms. I've not taken many further shots since the one on my driveway, but it's still looks as good as it did then, one year ago.

I have a blue version, too, series 7, and feel the same way. Amazing cars!

No, but I did think your comment very funny. You were spot on with the comment about the changes needed in order to make electric motoring fully acceptable. I couldn't put up with all that queueing in service stations!

I see you managed to have the Lexus symbol fitted to the wheels. Was that an expensive option or offered with the wheels? They certainly look good, though I haven't yet fallen out of love with my originals.

As a matter of interest, I assume the original had the usual wood finish to the facia, doors and steering wheel? What was it about that that you didn't like? I have to admit that the wood finishing touches were the first thing I noticed when I saw the car and they almost clinched the choice on their own. They're certainly the features most commented on by friends and family—even that remarkable roof opening/closing mechanism takes second place in their comments!

It looks great, Stewart—someone will get excellent value for money. I also have a blue one (07) and I love that colour. Good luck with the sale.

A splendid set of very interesting photos, Nick. The finished car will be fabulous—probably as near to new as it was when it left the factory! I hate to think what all that work will cost, but if you can afford it, it's worth every penny! 😀

I think that's wise advice. Raising the subject would seem like carping and I get on too well with the team there to want to spoil that. I'm happy to have been saved a large bill and I'm settling for that!

That's a good question, Malc, and one I'll ask when I'm next there. I also had another repair done about a month ago, costing some £420, which I paid at the time because I knew nothing about the warranty. I was in a bit of a hurry when I picked the car up yesterday and these thoughts didn't occur to me. I'm not sure whether it's part of getting past my sell-by date or a somewhat careless approach to prudent expenditure—perhaps a bit of both—but I do tend to write off experiences unless they affect core values. I've had to recognise that running this car is more costly than I imagined when I bought it—the higher road tax charges surprised me and the insurance bill certainly made me blink—it's more than twice that of identical cover on a RC300 valued at nearly three times that of my SC430 (my age and the car's engine size being the major factors). Fuel costs are almost three times those of the RC300, mostly caused by pottering about in SE London rather than the open road. Taking all that into account, one might think twice about buying an SC430, but in doing so I cut out the contract cost and higher depreciation of the new car and got a beautiful cabriolet that lifts my heart every time I take a drive in it. The downside is only money and that becomes rather less important at my time of life. I'll leave it at that, before I bore you all to death!

The car is back in my hands with a used wiper motor bought from eBay by Lexus Sidcup's service manager and fitted in their workshop. The cost to me was a smidgeon over £140, which seems fair enough if I get a reasonable life out of the repair..... Given the sort of weather we've had so far this "summer", it may get more use than I'd expect, but it is what it is. However, I was more than a little surprised by the charge for work done on another repair job, which had been the main reason why the car was going into the garage in the first place. In the MOT done 3 months ago there was a warning that the osf roll bar link needed replacement and I was told it would be expensive (roughly £900, I gathered, but they had first to acquire one since it was not an item in stock). The repair was duly carried out, but I had nothing to pay! It seems that I had a year's warranty on the car, which came as a surprise—I'd thought it was only 3 months, which I'd thought was probably all I could expect on a 15-year old car. One way or another, Lexus always seems to provide me with the right answers and I'm happy for our relationship to continue—after all, I'm on the 10th Lexus in a row!

Good luck with the MOT, Glyn, and thanks for the update. As I'm not a 'hands-on' motorist with any knowhow on DIY, I find the reports of other members of great interest. I must at some point have missed any explanation of such a low mileage on a 2004 car—that sounds like an excellent find! I've had a lot of different types of car over my 67 years of driving, and this car has made me realise what I've missed in not having a cabriolet. Unfortunately, ownership has coincided with a degree of health that limits my range, because I'd love to have owned this in the days when I toured in France and Germany. Take my advice and make the most of it while you're able! The old saying is right: "You regret the things you haven't done more than the things you have!"

To update this topic, I can report that I've heard today from Lexus Sidcup that they've sourced a suitable motor and are awaiting delivery. It's unlikely to be at their workshop before Monday, but will be fitted as soon as it arrives. That's good news as far as I'm concerned. It's unfortunate when a component goes belly-up, but it's part of one's normal experience in owning any car, especially when it's getting on for its 16th birthday. What prompted my reporting the breakdown of my wipers was the initial information that the company could not repair the car, claiming that the component was not made by Lexus and they no longer stocked it—i.e. it was down to me to solve the problem. I objected to that approach and, to be fair, the company has taken up the problem and is working to resolve it. I'll post a note when I collect the car—members might like to know what the repair costs! 😄 Many thanks to all of those who have commented so helpfully.

I've passed on your suggestions to Lexus Sidcup and I know that there's some on-going discussion of the problem as I write. I doubt I'll have any answers before about mid-day tomorrow (Thursday 20th July), but I'll certainly keep the forum informed I think the subject of the responsibility (or otherwise!) of a company to support buyers of their cars is of general interest. If I'd bought the car from any non-Lexus source, I'd have had to accept the situation, but somehow, as a long-standing buyer of Lexus cars, I would be very disappointed if Lexus is prepared to slope its shoulders in this situation.

Stop Press—the Service Manager at Lexus Sidcup is trying to find an acceptable replacement on line. It would almost certainly have to be a used item, but at least it would be fitted by Lexus and hopefully have a useful remaining life! Watch this space! In response to Malcolm, I don't want to have buy something 'blind' on line, with all the cost of postage (esp from the USA) and without knowing exactly what it is that I would have buy—i.e. part number, suitability for my particular model (7 series), etc. However, if push comes to shove, I may have to do just that—not something I'd look forward to doing!

The windscreen wiper motor on my SC430 has suddenly died. It was working perfectly well up to the point when I put the car in for a major service at Lexus Sidcup, but a week later, when I switched the wipers on, all I got was a horrible grinding noise. I put it into Sidcup today and have been told not only that the motor is unrepairable, but also that they couldn't source a replacement. In effect, the car is unusable when there's rain in the offing. It's not the sort of service one expects from Lexus, is it. I made my disappointment known to the service team, but it's not the fault of the individuals concerned—it's got to be down to Lexus policy on discontinued models. I was not told that this was their policy when I was encouraged to buy the car, so I'm rather annoyed. Caveat emptor, indeed! What would the forum members advise?

There's a great set of photos of cars at this event on the Facebook page of SC430 Club UK, but I guess you have to join Facebook to see them. It was clearly a big gathering on a beautiful weekend and I just wish I'd been able to attend!

Sad to be missing this event, but I'm not fit enough to travel, let alone drive my SC430 there! However, I wish all members a splendid weekend and look forward to a full report with lots of great photos. Have a great weekend!

Hi Nick, Nice-looking car—well done! Have you thought of using that old satnav screen as a reversing camera? SC490mods has a good system at under £200 that can be fitted either by the owner or any good audio fitter. I had mine done in Bromley and find it very effective.

I suspect I fall into that category, depending on what level of 'well-heeled' you're thinking of—sadly not well-heeled enough to buy a new LC convertible, but able to afford the running costs of my SC and using a main dealer, thank goodness!

I'm grateful for all the helpful comments, especially the details of the URL supplied by Bob King. I have to admit that I find it odd that the latter seems to give the SC430 a 'carte blanche' apparently in perpetuity, but I'm happy to hear that it's going to be safe for a while at least!

I'm beginning to get concerned about the plans for expanding the ULEZ system into London's suburbs. There seems to me to be a risk that my car, now turned 15 years old, is on the cusp of the plans that now say that owners of petrol-engined cars over 16 years old should check (via a website) whether their cars will pass the tests. I put my reg no into the website and was simply told it was OK, but if 16 is an arbitrary checking point, I'm worried that I may have a non-ULZ compliant car come September this year. Those who don't need to drive in ULEZ areas don't have a problem, but others like me may find themselves having to sell off their SC430s once Khan's system goes live. I'd appreciate the views of others owners, especially of those who live in London's suburbia.

I keep seeing comments about the importance of getting this work done, but I haven't seen a recent quotation for the work. I'd like to know roughly what the bill would be if anyone has the information?