Lexus SC 430

mngtcon · October 2003

Will the back seat of the SC430 fit a forward-facing baby car seat? (Specifically: a Britax Marathon model)

Thanks

bsklar · October 2003

We have a Century Seat that has a thin frame and fits nicely in the back of the SC430. It even has the latch system. Our 20 month old daughter can tool around ok but my wife gets a little snug with passenger seat slid up. We have the marathon in our other car. I do not believe it would work in the SC. I also believe that with a passenger, you could only expect to use a well contoured seat up to about age 3.

jbradb · October 2003

Just had 10K service and mgr. said I need to replace tires at about 15K. I feel the factory tires are loud and rough...very UN-Lexus-like.

I've read here that the Dunlop 5000 series are the best and I'm wondering if that is most peoples' experience? I'm after quiet first and smoothness second....performance is a distant third place for me as I usually drive this car pretty calmly. Comments appreciated.

ron36330 · October 2003

jbrad;
      From what I've read the Michelin Pilot Sports are favored by many. However I've also heard that Michelin has developed a run-flat and I would check into that before making any decision.
      I personally have the Dunlop 5000 on mine and I can say that on smooth roads they are quiet and smooth, however you do feel potholes and RR tracks "jar" the entire car. My .02.
       Let us know what you decide and what your research turns up.
Ron

icdchess · October 2003

My brother-in-law is thinking of a 2 year old SC430 but he lives in Mass. Wondering if it's capable of handling a New England winter. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Steve

squidd99 · October 2003

No, it's not.
Not even close.
I live in southern Ohio, where we get a bad snow maybe 3 times a year, and I have a (small) SUV to get me around in the winter.

I've taken the SC out in the snow to see how it would do, and knew in half a block that it was not going anywhere. Many posts elsewhere on this board are to the same effect.

This would be a bad choice for an only car in New England.

vetlex · October 2003

The tire pressure light on my sc dash has been on for a few months since I put four new tires on my car. During a lexus dealer oil change I had them check the light. They told me that 3 out of four tire stem pressure transmitters were
damaged during a previous tire install......price to replace and fix.....$1000!!!!! or just remove the tirestem transmitters....$300!
I had them leave it as is.

Anyone care to give me some input on appropriate
fee's for parts and labor.

(Yes I know I'm driving a $64,000 LEXUS.......but is there some gauging?)

D

merc1 · October 2003

Who installed the tires previously and how long ago? Thats where I'd start.

M

rcf8000 · November 2003

Can anyone tell me whether it is possible to retain the tire pressure monitoring capability if you put a different type of wheel on the SC430?

jbradb · November 2003

here in the south, one must take care not to move/slide the back-end around in RAIN. i cannot begin to imagine how frisky it would be in the snow or ice!

promise4me · November 2003

Major problems with the recommendation for the integrated phone. Lexus recommended Nokia 6310i with service by at&t. Problem is in our area the gtm service is horrible resulting in missed calls , dropped calls, missed messages both in and out of the car. Poor research by lexus. Phone useless and cost $3000 to install by lexus. Interested in hearing from anyone with similar problem. Lexus giving us a tough time, but they did not tell us about the problem prior to us installing the integrated phone!

squidd99 · November 2003

I am shocked.

A dealer charged you $3,000 for a cell phone?

Even the best built-in cell phone in the world isn't worth $3,000.00! As far as the "recommended Nokia . . . ," my dealer recommended I use the cell phone I usually carry around in my pocket anyway and buy an earpiece or a speaker attachment for hands free use. This has worked out well, and apparently this recommendation has saved me about $2,950.00. Any dealer that recommended a phone which uses technology not supported in the area is not playing square with his customers. Given that the UCC places an implied warranty of fitness on such sales, you could well be entitled to revoke your acceptance of the phone.

I'd schedule a sit-down with the owner.

rcf8000 · November 2003

Has anyone replaced their original Bridgestone run-flats with Dunlop SP 2030s? These are the OE non run-flat tires.

rroyce10 · November 2003

...... Quite holding back, tell us how you really feel ...!

Terry

karklin1 · November 2003

CarMan@Edmunds · November 2003

Hi Roger. I am one of the hosts of the Edmunds.com Town Hall's Smart Shoppers Message Board. I just read your post on your Lexus SC430 in the discussion titled "SC-430 run flats" and can understand your frustration. Unfortunately, your post contains your telephone number and as a result is a violation of the Edmunds.com Membership Agreement. I have pasted a copy of your message below. Please re-post it in the aforementioed discussion without any contact information, other than your e-mail address if you would like. Thank you.

"#20 of 21 Lexus and their crummy tires and support by sxrxrnr1 Nov 23, 2003 (3:11 am)
I have the run flats. Received message on dash that had low tire pressure. Inflated tire. 2 hours later was low again. Went to Lexus dealer in San Jose, Ca. Was told that had nails in 2 tires and would cost me over 700.00 to put me back on the road. I was told that tires could not be repaired, must be replaced. I called Lexus Customer Service( what an oxymoron that is) and was basically told to get lost. Called Bridgestone in I believe Georgia or Tennessee. Was told by them that Bridgestone had a program with Lexus to replace tires with nail holes. Called Lexus again. They said never heard of such a deal. I gave the service bulletin number from Bridgestone. They finally admitted that such a program existed, but my car was over mileage limit(I had 11,000 miles. This went on for 3 days. Called tire retailer 1 block from Lexus dealer. They said that they fix these tires all the time. Told dealer to take car to them. They did so and tires were repaired. I believe that Lexus is the most overrated in service of any auto manufacturer that I have ever dealt with. Also have a Mercedes and a Jaguar. Will never own a Lexus again. This is not my only run in with this firm and their so called National Customer Service. I am certain that they are leftover from Yugo when they went under. These tires are harsh riding(I have not had a car since my first one(a 1946 Mercury) that would cause me to grit my teeth when I saw a bump coming. Well this car is grinding the enamel off my teeth. The car rattles everywhere, I think partially due to these tires and just generally poor quality of construction.

I wished to replace the run flats with regular tires and asked Lexus about a spare tire. They told me that the kit for a spare tire was about 800.00. For a phony spare and a steel rim???!! This after paying 400 dollars for their run flat(option). I will be back to Jaguar for my next auto. At least the cars have a certain amount of class and elegance and the service departments do try harder.

Mr Lexus you should get off your fat duffs in your corner office and find what us chickens are eating out here. And if I were you I would call your Customer Service 800 number, pretend to be a customer with a problem and see how you are treated by these morons that again must have been trained by Yugo.

A very sorry Lexus owner. I had expected more.

Roger Schaaf

Car_man
Host
Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards

ron36330 · November 2003

Got the numbers from Lexus CS. The total SC's sent to the US for 03 with Absolute Red and Saddle interior was 203. That's only about 4 per state so I won't see too many in my combination.
Ron

ron36330 · November 2003

Lexus CS states they shipped 10,775 SC 430's to US during MY 03.
Ron

gekko2 · November 2003

I would love to see an SC330:

1. Coupe (No Convertible).
2. 6 Cylinder.
3. $40K MSRP.

Would it sell???

rcf8000 · November 2003

There isn't a lot of competition in the luxury coupe world. But Lexus should be able to easily answer the question as to whether a SC330 would be a good product; just assume it would sell in about the same quantities as SC300s did. I'm confident that an SC330 would initially sell better than SC300s did in the latter years of production. If they do produce an SC330 I would hope that they would give it a more useable rear seat, and give it a little sportier handling. (At least 300lb lighter weight than an SC430 would be nice.) If it had an interior like ths SC430 it would blow away any competition out there in that department. There's no way it would sell for $40,000, though. The base price of an SC300 was more than that. But I'm sure they could price it below an MB CLK320, and it would be a lot nicer car.

lehighlexus · November 2003

I think it would be a great idea to do. There are alot of people that come to my work still looking for older SC's and the people that have them don't trade them. IMO, I don't think they will do it depending on what they do with the new GS. I believe they want that to be their premiere sports car, but you never know. Someone should read this though, cause we need a coupe

ipsadoodle · December 2003

Last word on run flats..after much trouble wth original runflats, which I have documented on this format..I spent $1107 to replace the Bridgestones with Dunlops which are perfect..no more pulling, 50& better ride, etc..the best thing after many letters and and my dealers help, Lexus paid me the entire $1107..which they should have in the beginning, but I found our the customer service people in Torrance are no help..

ipsadoodle · December 2003

Last word on run flats..after much trouble wth original runflats, which I have documented on this format..I spent $1107 to replace the Bridgestones with Dunlops which are perfect..no more pulling, 50% better ride, etc..the best thing after many letters and and my dealers help, Lexus paid me the entire $1107..which they should have in the beginning, but I found our the customer service people in Torrance are no help..

ipsadoodle · December 2003

Ovok, overall..and I have owned and paid for and driven Mercedes SL's Rolls Wraith...Rolls Clouds (several) Ferrari Spyder..et..so I like cars and have had some of the nicest..all in all despite having had a couple of problems whch have been resolved. it is the nicest car..my absolutely red SC430 it is luxorious inside drives great..trick top you cant beat..so the body style is not as sleek as MB but 40K less..come on

drgrey · December 2003

My 2002 SC430 went 21,000 mi on the original Bridgestone runflats,which wasn't bad, but the last 5000 mi were so loud and harsh that I had to turn the sound system all the way up to mask road noise. Then I bought 4 Dunlop 5000 DSST tires (their runflats) from Tire Rack, had them installed at my local Big Tire dealer, and the whole picture has changed. The car is quiet, the ride is somewhat softer (no longer harsh), I still have the security of runflats, with a much improved ride-and the car will do better in the rain and have much longer tread life. So, I'm feeling pretty good about the change. I'm not willing to drive w/o a spare unless I have runflats, so I have to make some compromises. I think I've made the best possible compromise available at this time. I recommend the Dunlops!!

drgrey · December 2003

drgrey · December 2003

Anyone have any news about the next SC 430? My lease is up in March of '05, and my dealer tells me that the new model won't be out until '07, though there will be continuing improvement on the present model through '06. He says the '05 will be sufficiently improved to justify leasing or buying it, but it will be the same design as the present car and I'd sooner try to extend my current lease, or release it for two more years, especially if it's a lot less than a new one, and then go into the '07. But I'll do that only if the '07 model will really be a big step forward-say, like the new SL, which looks so much better than the old one and is a better car too. If anyone has any info or scuttlebutt about the '07 car, please pass it on. Thanks.

hermann2 · January 2004

After 16,000 miles of driving the original Bridgestone RFTs, I determined that it was not safe to use them any more. The car pulls even on a dry road, slips on the wet road and rides harsh harsh on any slight road bumps. Although there was still 50% treadwear remaining, these poor quality tires were replaced by the Dunlop SP5000M DSST. With the new Dunlop tires, there was great improvement in the ride quality and the control of the car. If anyone has similar experience as mine, please write to Lexus and also call your sales representative to get a refund of your tires. I doubt that Lexus would recall these bad tires as they are not made by the Toyota company. A recall would also cost $1000.00 dollars per car sold. That translates into 20 million dollars for 20,000 cars. I just hope that no one gets hurt because of these tires.

rcf8000 · January 2004

My wife's SC430 has 20,000 miles on the original Bridgestone run-flats, and they seem OK to me. She's not complaining about them, either.

hermann2 · January 2004

I suspected that the Bridgestone RFT problem had been corrected. There was earlier message regarding this issue as some owners found the Bridgestone RF replacement tires (same 040 label) perform much better than their original tires. The SC430 I brought was one of the first few cars that arrived at the dealership in 2001. Most of these earlier cars have the tires replaced already. In addition, this may also be a production quality control issue. The same company made the Explorer Firestone tires.

hermann2 · January 2004

I recommend the owners of the SC430 to try different tire pressures on their vehicle's RFTs. You can go 32psi, 34psi, 36psi and 38psi. Compare the road feel, handling, noise level and traction. You will find the amazing differences.

rcf8000 · January 2004

My wife's SC430 is almost three years old, with 21,000 miles on the original RE040s. I recently increased the pressure to 36psi, and it did improve the ride. But in the interest of increased style and even better ride, I just this week replaced the wheels and tires with HRE 448Rs and Michelin Pilot Sport A/Ss. This really made a big difference. The ride is smoother and quieter, and tramlining was eliminated. I went with the original sizes.

ipsadoodle · January 2004

Again let me tell you the absolute truth..I bought my SC430 March 2001..lst one out. the Brigeton tires were defective from day one...after putting up with them for 10,000 miles with the pulling and poor ride, I finally, on sound advice put on a new set of Dunlop runflats...a world of differece..no more pulling...a smoother ride..excellent..like driving a different car. and finally after about 5 letters and most of all my dealers help...they paid me the $1107 I had spent to make the car what it should have been...I love Lexus and their cars..have had 4 of them...own 2 now but they tried their best not to pay me.. so now for our next car...I am pricing BMW..because I wamt a mew GS300 to replace my wifes 99 GS300 but just found out it doesnt come out until 2005 as a 2006 model..really tired of waiting....

32caddy · January 2004

Has anyone seen/ thought of having the back seat removed and modified in pleasing color/ material for a lockable storage compartment??!! Just make the car a 2 seater like the new caddy and others. If it has been done I would like to know where and what it looks like. Thanks

agani85 · January 2004

Hey there folks!

I bought my 2002 SC430 new about two years ago, and opted for the regular tires, NOT the run-flats. Overall things were great, although after about 9K miles I started having recurring tire pressure warnings in the car and after adding air would find them losing air again shortly thereafter. I also had the tires rotated at the dealer. After the rotation I noticed terrible road noise, especially under braking, sort of an uneven whumpf, whumpf, whumpf... Long story short, the dealer told me that the tires had cupped, probably due to being out of alignment, he did an alignment, provided two new tires, I bought the other two. After that, problem solved, everything sounded and felt great again. 9K miles later, same problem, lots of noise, darting around the road, etc... I'm really irritated. This is my 3rd Lexus, after LOVING my GS300 and enjoying (maybe not loving) the wife's RX300. This is enough to make me want to trade the SC early.

ANYWAY, my question is, I've read lots of stories on here about problems with the run-flats, but I've got to tell you folks, the problem exists (or at least A problem exists) with the regular tires too!

Anyone else experience this? Any suggestions on what to do? I've thought about maybe getting different, slightly harder tires, ie not Z-rated, so at least they'd last a while.

Thoughts are appreciated!

carnaught · January 2004

Wow, that's a hard call. Unless I'm convinced otherwise in the future by new and better run-flats, I will probably never own them or a car with them again. The problems and poor ride with my SC and it's run-flats proved lethal to my car experience leading to my ditching the car.

I don't regret the decision, especially after recently riding in my friends's SC.

capriracer · January 2004

Because the front on the vehicle is doing different things than the rear, tires need to be rotated on a regular basis - 5, 000 to 8,000 miles. This prevents the tires from developing irregular wear on the positions prone to doing so.

I should also point out that most vehicle manufacturers' alignment spec have a fairly wide tolerance - IMHO too wide by half. Modern radial tires do not like to be more than 1 /32" off from the nominal toe setting per side. (I think that's 0.06 degrees). Toe in is a major cause of iregular wear.

Hope this helps.

karklin1 · January 2004

I own a Lexus SC-430 with Bridgestones run flat tires they are safe I had an experience where the stem broke off the car ran streight and with no problem steering as far as handling I don't find much of a problem also.when it comes time to replace the tires I might get Dunlaps,as I hear they suppose to be better handling.Any advice?
Thanks Leo-K

vjm · January 2004

I too own a SC430 '03' and I have noticed increased noise level and incredibly rough ride and stability, only 15,000 miles. I am sure that when it comes time to replace the tires I will try the Dunlop.

ipsadoodle · January 2004

Again..let me tell you..I put on Dunlop runflats on my SC430 ..a world of difference...I was advised by relative in New York.who did it first..then I did it...best thing..its a different car...Irv

jbradb · January 2004

I've been waiting to change from Bridgestone to Dunlop RFs, but I think I'm gonna do it. The car simply doesn't feel like a Lexus should.

My question: Should I have the dealer do it, or is it okay to have my friend who works at a tire shop do it? My concern is that if the tire pressure sensors start acting up, the dealer will tell me "too bad" since Lexus didn't replace them. Any suggestions?

carnaught · January 2004

Go with the dealer. It may be more expensive but the car is finicky and they will back up their work better. Take it from me as I had a problem putting on aftermarket chrome wheels thru Discount Tire. Ultimately no one "knew" better than the dealer.

hvan3 · February 2004

Just read in the USA Today that the SC430 is selling below Lexus expectation. In fact, sales on the SC430 has been slower than previous year. I always felt that the shape of the SC430 looks a bit weird. My sister is in the market for a SC430. I'm trying to persuade her in getting a 350Z convertible for much LESS....

rcf8000 · February 2004

A 350Z convertible is a completely different animal from an SC430. Sporty vs luxury.

rwclifton · February 2004

I read about a year ago that Lexus was considering an SC330 to go along with the 430 -- Does anyone know if this is going to happen?? Also, has anyone fit car seats into the back seat?

merc1 · February 2004

I just thought about it, YES there will be a 6-cylinder SC, but it won't be a SC"330" it will be a SC300, using the new (245hp in the GS, maybe more for the SC) 3.0L V6 from the new GS300. This motor is reported not to be related to the current Toyota/Lexus V6. Sounds like it will be a high-rev unit more like a Honda V6, not the usual Toyota V6. Makes sense. They'll facelift the car and introduce the new 6-cylinder model at the same time. This should happen this fall, my best guess.

M

lngtonge18 · February 2004

Do you mean the new GS300 will have an actual V6? The current car has an inline-6. If it stays an inline-6, that would explain why its different from Toyota's current V6.

merc1 · February 2004

Nope, it's a true V6. Completely different from the current Toyota 3.3L V6. The inline 6 is history.

M

ipsadoodle · February 2004

There is no way in this world to compare the two..the Nissan is ugly and small..the Lexus, while not a beauty, is beautiful next to the 350Z conv and hands down a world of difference...Lexus hit a home run with this car..syling 2nd place everything else 110% I should know, have owned the SC430 since it came out... Nissan is great for the money but its like comparing an apple to apple pie.....my opinion from Chevy Chase

toydriver · February 2004

merc1 : Who do you think Lexus would be "marketing" to with a V6 SC model? How much less would you anticipate the price to be c/w the 430?
If they could offer a 6cyl. model with the same retractable hardtop, same interior and near 250hp for, say around $40-$45K msrp - that could be a homerun!

Lexus SC 430

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