Frank DUva

Glad to hear, the stereo is definitely one of the outstanding features of the SC430 and having the system working as good or better than new is a must.

Yes, that's definitely a good possibility. I repaired my stereo cover and when I finished, my HVAC unit did not work, nor the top. No light, no nothing. I took the unit out again and to my relief, had found I didn't push two connectors in all the way. I have no other suggestions, hope you sort it out.

If you have the manuals, you can check the diagnosis chapter for the connectors pin locations, and purpose.

You probably should check electrical connectors for power going into the unit, and continuity for the switches. Or, you could gamble and replace the unit, but they go for $300-$700 on e-bay.

Does the top "open/close" button have power?

Have you checked the fuses? Did the previous owner install a back-up cam? Does the nav screen work? Maybe they removed the plug for the nav screen to install the Pioneer stereo unit. There seems to be a few possibilities.

I don't believe there are many companies making 8 ohm speakers anymore, and they would be very pricey. If you remove the speaker, you may see the surround foam deteriorated and is falling apart causing your speaker failure. There is a kit for under $30 from Simply Speaker, that I have used on two of my speakers, the sub-woofer and passenger door 6x9, and the speakers are better than new. The material for the surround foam in the kit is much stronger than the original. Attached is a pic of the repaired 6x9.

When I picked up my 2002 SC430, the radio trim bezel never worked. I wanted to have it function, so I ASSumed the door mechanism and motor had to be bad, so I bought a replacement on ebay with a darker bezel. No problem, I would swap it with my original cover. So I removed my radio, removed the mechanism and decided to check the mechanism to make sure it was bad and it worked!!!! 😮 Come to find out it was the little connecter in the switch wasn't seated all the way. Now I have a functioning cover and a spare mechanism that will be going back on ebay. Hopefully this post will save someone a lot of work,...and money

I am replacing the non-working motorized audio door cover sub-assembly and was wondering if I have to set the radio in "ship mode" before removing it

I was thinking about having them refurbished but they quoted me $150-$175 per wheel also. They also said the color being that old it might have to be custom mixed paint, which might be even more. I think a body shop may be worth it, seeing they have experience with paint restoration. Or I may attempt to use a light compound then a finish polish by hand then wax. The scratches are many but light and the wheels are in good shape, maybe a good place for getting some experience.

I recently bought on eBay a decent set of 2003 LS430 7 spoke 17" wheels in Millennium silver. I have 2002 SC430 in millennium silver that has a like new paint finish. The wheels need some paint touch up, but they are somewhat dull. Not sure if I should polish and wax or compound cleaner and wax. I have no experience in abrasives.

I'm sorry , in reference to my above post, the used 2003 LS430 wheels I bought are 17"

I bought a used set of 2003 LS430 7-spoke wheels to replace my gorgeous stock 18's on my 2002 SC430 to improve ride comfort. I want to increase my sidewalls a bit while retaining most of the suspension dynamics. If I buy 245/45-17, the wheel and tire combo overall identically match stock specs with a (.4 in.) increase in sidewall height. If I buy 235/50-17, the wheels are (.6 in.) taller and (.6 in.) narrower but provide a (.7 in.) increase in sidewall height. Does anyone have experience or knowledge of tire size swapping for improving comfort.

That saddle color interior makes for a sharp combo with the red. I'm all in for keeping it stock for the fact the designers went out and broke their usual parameters with this car for a pretty specific product and I think everything about the car says that.

wow, nice car. Never saw it before. Looks like a concept

Yes, what you say makes sense, but I like the idea of keeping it as close to stock as possible to keep the dynamics built into the design remains.

The OEM wheel size is 18 x 7.5, the OEM tire size is 245/40-18, The 2003 Lexus rim is 17 x 7.5, a 245/45-17 tire will match overall tire specs. except for sidewall height, 1/2 in. taller which makes tire diameter 25.7, same as SC430 OEM diameter. I just drive my car for pleasure with the original, in working order, Mark Levinson stereo playing and top down on beautiful days. No track. It's really a GT, not an SC.

I think the 2nd one fits the style more than the other two, and they are rims from a 2003 Lexus LS430 so they maintain all stock SC430 wheel specs except they are 17" rims instead of 18". If I mount 245/45-17's it will give me correct tire dia. and 1/2" taller sidewalls for I hope a noticeable improvement in ride quality.

Well there maybe a little credence to it. I grew up in the era of timing belts, and of course accessory belts, and I haven't heard about many timing belts breaking with in recommended maintenance intervals, not many accessory belts for that matter. But I'm sure some mechanics could tell you otherwise. I had changed a few 30 years or so ago and the old belts still looked in good condition. I'm sure they've improved some to go along with extended replacement intervals. All we can do is follow the recommended maintenance and enjoy the ride.

I emailed a question about belt life determination to Mitsuboshi, a big belt manufacturer for many OEM suppliers and I attached their response, for what its worth

I believe there is a manufacturing code on the packaging and stamped on the belt itself. Independent shops don't usually stock timing belts due to the many models that use them and are ordered from the distributor when needed. So, if a shop is going to maintain its warranty and integrity, it will or should pay mind to the manuf. code for identity purposes which also contains the manuf. date...hopefully

Had a mild shimmy while driving my car, not bad, except for the fact it's a 2002 Lexus SC430. A car that was designed to be a superb grand tourer featuring a silky-smooth powertrain and 4-wheel independent double wishbone suspension. After having Belle Tire attempt to balance the wheels, though unable to, unable to remove the brushed aluminum pie pan wheel covers, I took it to a Goodyear Tire center where they discovered that the wheel, that went flat twice while picking the car up out of state, had 10 - 20 ozs. of fix-a-flat liquid in the tire, causing the shimmy. The dealership I purchased the car from did replace all four tires the 2nd time it went flat and did find a leaking TPMS valve in the wheel. So, they replaced all the valve stems and must of given it a good shot of fix-a-flat for insurance.😲 Now my Grand Tourer rides like a grand tourer

Thanks for the encouragement, my friend used a 1/2 in. hex socket and an 18in. breaker bar and with a little effort broke all of them free. I may need a gut check when working on this car...lol

They are hex head cap screws and I've been able to apply as much torque as I want, I'm just afraid they may break off in the wheel, then they'd have to be drilled out.

I have a beautiful 2002 SC430 and have a slight shimmy at all speeds. I took it in to Belle Tire to have the wheels balanced and they were unable to free the 10 screws, on the trim cover, to mount the wheel on the balancing machine. Does anyone have any experience with this or suggestions.