Jester1868

I noticed this today when I tried to put my top down. The trunk opens up and i hear the lock by the windshield disengaging per say but when it's time for the top to go down, I see the hinge on the back of the roof pulling but it's not disengaging from the windshield. I noticed a couple of weeks ago it was making a louder noise when locking to the windshield but thought nothing of it but now, it's not releasing. :( What can I do to fix this? Thank you very much for any and all help provided. It's a 2003 SC430.

I find it very frustrating to see how many people don't understand the simple rules of thermo-dynamics. You can't get something for nothing. It takes more energy to get hydrogen from water than the energy that you get from the hydrogen. Why do you think we don't use hydrogen to free ourselves of the oil dependency? It is so utterly stupid for the government to support biodiesel and ethanol, when it takes more fossil fuels to produce them than you get from them.... It would be like buying watermelons for $2 each and selling them for $1.50, does that make sense? Not to count the rise in food prices, because we burn our food in our cars. It would take 90% of the USA land mass planted in corn to meet our oil demand.

I am sure it would increase your gas mileage to add a hydrogen injection system. It cost about $.15/mile to power your lexus on gasoline. Just guessing, but it would probably cost around $.25/mile with hydrogen and gasoline, not to mention how difficult it would be to find a hydrogen station... And if you thing you are going greener, think again, because it takes electricity to produce the hydrogen. The electricity comes mostly from coal.

I am a great nuclear power advocate, its our only way out. If you sit down and thing about it, the only energy not dependent on the sun, is nuclear and geothermal. The wind comes from the sun's heat, the hydro dams use the rain made by the sun, biodiesel and ethanol are simply plants converting the sun's energy to oils, coal and oil are simply stored plant and animal energy from millions of years of sunlight. There is no magic energy supply and people need to understand that. We all have to cut back, reduce the population, and not waste our very limited resources.

Please check the site before making assumptions! The system uses the energy already being produced in the vehicle and uses it to produce the hydrogen. You can also supplement the power usage by installing thermoelectric (Peltier) power modules and recycle the wasted heat energy. I'm not saying I'm going to use/try all that but keep in mind that a lot of the energy the gasoline produces is wasted/untapped. Simply use that waste energy and recycle it for something else to supplement the fuel powering the car, thus DECREASING the cost per mile by squeezing more energy out of the original fuel! The electricity involved isn't coming from coal, or your preferred method of nuclear energy, it's coming from the car itself (alternator/battery plus optional peltier modules)!

While I agree trying to go greener, while wasting fossil fuels is hypocritical, getting the most out of your fuel isn't! I never said I was trying to get something for nothing. A perpetual motor does not yet exist! All I'm asking is if the gas mileage would increase by injecting a hydrogen and oxygen mixture into the ICE engine, which you agree should do just that. So why not try to harness all that wasted energy from burning gasoline and supplement the engine? Think about how much electricity the alternator is generating when the engine is running. Think about how much heat the engine is producing while burning its fuel. Harness both and guess what? You can produce your own hydrogen without spending any more money!!! I know Peltier modules are pricy so that's more of an addition than anything but I highly disagree in your statement that you can't get something for nothing. Why can't we get energy from the Sun? Yes, wind and rain are from the Sun, yet there is no waste! None at all! I agree with you that nuclear is a good source of energy but then you're creating a waste problem. Where do we put it?

Electricity can be produced from running water, wind, solar, thermal/heat. Many sources that we have in abundance and guess what?...it's there for all of us to have for nothing! Producing the equipment to harness that energy costs money, which is why everyone prefers the easy way out but we also call for recycling aluminum, paper, glass, etc. Why not recycle the energy being produced from the engine itself?

With the gas prices the way they are (and looking to go a little "greener"), I was looking into purchasing and installing a hydrogen booster that injects hydrogen and oxygen into the intake, making the ICE (internal combustion) engine burn less fuel and lower emissions. Has anyone ever tried one and what results did you get? http://www.hydrogen-boost.com pretty much guarantees a 50% gas mileage increase. What do you think? Any and all input is greatly appreciated.

Hey, DC'.

Thanks for the quick response. Part of the problem is that the discs won't eject, and when I try to add discs to the three open slots, I get a SLOTS FULL message.

I purposefully shut the radio (and all other accessories) inside the car of and dis- and recnnected the battery a second time, but it didn't help.

Any other thoughts?

-Joe

I had the same problem and I "accidentally" fixed it. My issue was that one of the CDs got stuck in the loader. I tried unplugging the battery for half an hour as I had read in another post. I ended up with all 6 disks showing even though I had 3 in there. I had given up. When my battery died, I obviously switched batteries. I ended up taking over half an hour doing the switch because of a hangup. That 2nd "reset" did the trick! :D It's working wonderfully. Try it out and good luck.

Whats the difference between the 2004 model and the 2003? I neeed the manuals for '03! Thanks.

i KNOW THIS IS A TOPIC THAT HAS BEEN COVERED HERE BEFORE, BUT NOT FOR SOME TIME. I AM GETTTING READY TO CHUCK THE RUNFLATS ON MY 05 SC430 AND REPLACE THEM WITH NON RUNFLATS. IT SEEMS MOST PEOPLE ARE VERY HAPPY WITH THE MICHELIN PILOT SPORT A/S. STILL TRUE? IS THERE A BETTER REPLACEMENT BALANCING COMFORT AND PERFORMANCE? IS THERE ANYWHERE TO GET A COMPACT SPARE FOR THE CAR WITHOUT HAVING TO BUY THE $700 KIT FROM LEXUS?

I just ditched the run flats and went with the Continental - Contiprocontact, what a differance the ride and handling are far better than the run flats. The Michelen will give a little better ride but the Contipro will give you more milage at a little less cost. As far as the spare we just keep a couple of cans of Fix a Flat in the trunk.

Can you use Fix-a-Flat with the tire sensors? I was always worried it would damage the tire sensors. Anyone else have any experience with this?