aimcat

Hi guys - new (lady) owner of a 99 Lexus SC300 with 119k. After admiring these cars for years I lucked up on this one. It has only had 2 owners, has tons of service records from Lexus, and very clean - all stock. It is silver with black interior and automatic. I am just a gal in her early 30s and this will be my husband and I's weekend cruiser along with me driving back and forth to work. So I have a few questions to keep this car in top shape and looking great.
- There are no records of it having the timing belt or water pump done. I assume at 119K that should be done? Could I buy these parts and then take to my dealer to change - I don't trust my mechanic with this type stuff - LOL!
-Is there any other things that should be checked currently? Last year the owner had a full tune up, diff fluid changed and trans flushed.
-What is the paint code for silver?
-I am not sure how crazy I am about the stock wheels but want to keep lexus OE wheels on it - does anyone have pictures of their SC300 with maybe newer lexus wheels on it? I would like to keep 16" that's on it because it has fairly new tires and don't want to change those.
-The headlights are a little sun oxidized - can anyone recommend a good treatment for this? I am very familiar with doing detailing work etc ourselves but have never seemed to find a legit headlight cleaner.
-Did they make any OE all weather mats for these?Ok guess this is all for now! Thanks in advance!

tfwnoturbo

I would check if the T-belt/pump have been done already, sometimes they don't document it or they take it to a private shop because it's cheaper. Not sure if the dealership allows you to buy your own parts though, depends on where you take it.
If it's had a full tune up recently I wouldn't be too concerned about anything other than the normal fluids.
Check the door jamb for your color code or refer to this site http://www.toyotareference.com/lexussc/1992-2000
Headlight cleaners only work to a certain point, if you want them to be almost new-clean you're gonna have to wetsand them, buff them and apply a protective coating afterwards. There's tons of videos on youtube and undoubtedly several write-ups for it.
No all-weather mats for all I know.

Enjoy the car and welcome to the club!

mak89

iTrader: (6)

Hi aimcat, congrats on the purchase. Sounds like you found a nice year and low mile sc300.

- Timing belt/ water pump should be done at 90k. Price should be 500-800$. I recommend taking it to a lexus/shop indi shop. Given if owner was honest on listed items I would suggest checking for leaking valve covers.

- As for wheels you have many options. The gs350 look good along with many others. Infiniti has nice wheels that have same bolt patterns, 5x114.3.

-Headlight oxidization can be removed by wet sanding, 1000, 1500, 2000 grit, with a finally compound polish. Spray it with a UV clear coat to prevent future yellowing. Or purchase new headlights, just stick with oem. $200-400.


Also I suggest you create a account on www.mylexus.com. After setting up account you can add your vehicle info, VIN. This allows you to download all lexus service maintenance history. Also get used to using 'search' function within here, plenty of helpful tips and info.

Good luck and welcome!

Blkexcoupe

iTrader: (8)

1. If there is no record of the timing belt being changed, then I would recommend changing it just to be safe. In my experience, the dealer won't install parts that aren't supplied by them since they have to offer a basic warranty on the work, and they don't want to be liable for faulty parts the customer supplied. It never hurts to ask if your dealer is willing to do it, but if they won't, then I would search the regional forum for recommendations for a trusted independent mechanic.

2. I would recommend checking to see if there are any oil leaks and changing the seals on the front of the engine while the timing belt is out. On my car the vvt-i cam gear was leaking oil (which is common with old age). It is only about 2 or 3 more steps in addition to the timing belt service.

3. The code should be in your door jamb or the dealer can look it up by your vin number

4. The longest lasting solution would be buying a headlight restoration kit online and wet sanding the lights, then applying a coating like opti-lens.

5. I'm not sure if Lexus makes all season mats, but weather tech should make an oem fiting all season mat.

freakness

Dude,


My headlamps were suffering from moderate to heavy haze and I simply polished them with a plastic polisher, no sandpaper. Here's a link.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...ml#post9104948