Frank DUva

Thanks, I'm really glad I stuck with my choice. I almost went aftermarket which would have been much more expensive. I like the color and that they are dated to 2002 with close to OEM specs.

Thanks

Here is a pic my friend took of it today

Well, I finally touched up my used 03 17" LS430 wheels with American Touch-up Paint, a little clearcoat, some Menzerna 2500 compound and Meguires ultra-finish polish. They came out shiny but a little blotchy because I over sprayed a little. I bought some Hankook 235/50-17 Ventus V2 Concept2 AS tires because their overall diameter was 26.1, rather than the usual 26.3 for that size. They give me another .7-inch sidewall height and all the specs are all very close to the OEM wheel and tire. The ride is much smoother with no sharp raps over RR tracks, concrete seams and those overpass patches. I'm really happy with them. I attached a before and after shot. 

Thanks Dave, that explains it well

I was wondering, seeing I may be due for brake service soon, why are the rotors on the rear are solid? I'm also wondering do the rear brake calipers have a piston on both sides of the rotor?

I had mine done at Davis Auto Care in Northville

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.