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I have been lurking here for a year & reading all your posts about buying a SC 430. Thanks for all your advice! So I finally bought my dream car, a 2006 SC 430 with 34k miles, navy blue, saddle brown leather. Now I just have some questions as I move forward on mods.
1) About the wheels: I know you all hate the run-flats. But I'm a woman with absolutely zero auto mechanic experience, and I don't look forward to a flat on the side of the road. So in my case, what run-flats would you recommend? Or do you have any advice about cramming a spare somewhere?
2) What is your approach to regular maintenance of the leather and wood interior?
Congrats! Nice color combo. Personally, I think the 2006 is the best value -- its the first year after many major upgrades. Of course, I'm biased since that's what I have. As for your questions....
Originally Posted by 4everSC430
1) About the wheels: I know you all hate the run-flats. But I'm a woman with absolutely zero auto mechanic experience, and I don't look forward to a flat on the side of the road. So in my case, what run-flats would you recommend? Or do you have any advice about cramming a spare somewhere?
Once you get rid of the run flats, the car becomes the luxury cruiser that it was meant to be. I'm sure there was a terrible argument in Japan during the design process since the car ride is crap with the run flats, but the trade off is that a spare takes up much of the trunk space.
Lexus makes a "space saver" spare that fits in the trunk but it is hugely expensive. A cheaper alternative is to find a Toyota Supra spare on eBay. It fits in the trunk and you never have to worry about it.
Another option is the Continental Comfort Kit, which is an air compressor with sealant that hopefully seals the hole in the tire. The spare tire is safer.
Originally Posted by 4everSC430
2) What is your approach to regular maintenance of the leather and wood interior?
Personally, my approach is to have great treatment products in the garage and almost never use them. Not the best approach.
Originally Posted by 4everSC430
3) Sub-woofers. Any thoughts?
The SC has a sub-woofer under the rear seat straight from the factory as standard equipment. Are you saying yours is blown or the bass isn't enough?
JohnnyCake! Thank you so much for the lead on the Supra spare. I'm into that idea b/c the ride on run flats is truly less-than-fun. But I expected this, since you all warned me. Also: I had no idea the subwoofer is under the rear seat. Woah. I'll talk to somebody about replacing the subwoofer under the seat. Right now I have good mid-bass but it's not great. THANK YOU!!!
Nice color - wonder what the Lexus/Toyota name for that shade of blue is ? Indigo Ink ? On RFT's if you must have them, then consider Mich Pilot Sport A/S Zero Pressure. I hear they ride almost like non RFTs. For myself, I ride on Conti DWS non RFTs and carry the OEM Lexus F-sport tire patch/foam kit in the trunk which the ISF guys use. Small box with air compressor and ready to deploy foam sealant and allows my full size golf bag in the trunk with the top down ... Fits easily into the recess either on the left or right side of the trunk. It also doubles up as a regular mobile air pump whenever needed just to top up tire pressure when required. Uses the cigarette lighter for power.
On leather, I just use regular leather cleaner/conditioner which you can find in Autozone or whatever and my leather has held up great. And I have the Ecru interior BTW. Some people swear by Lexol which is pretty good as well but that means one cleaner application followed by one conditioner application - a bit more work. I've used it before and I am OK with it except for the extra work.
Really nice car and the hat works really well. The run flats have to go and get your speakers fixed ASAP. I have run out of mods to do . I have everything done I need. Best car I have owned
Congratulations on a great year and color combo! It looks by your screen name that you hope to always own this car. I think there are a lot of forums members who feel the same way, although I think that's related to age. I always thought I would never get rid of my '02 SC white gold/ecru that I bought 6 years ago, but then I changed my mind when I heard about the 2010 SC. It took three years, but I bought mine last January and sold my '02 several months later and actually considered keeping both. After buying the '10, I seldom wanted to drive the 02. The '10 Is my forever car. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it won't be crashed or stolen. I bought it with 28k miles and it now has 30k on it now. It is a daily driver but thanks to my 3 mile commute, it will remain relatively low. You did a great job of finding the best convertible ever built and finding the best car forum there is.
Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new acquisition. (I have the same color combination but on a 2002. OBP, yes that would be Indigo Ink Pearl.)
As far as RFs, there are better RFs available now than there used to be but I already converted several years ago, so I haven't tried any lately. The last ones that I had were Pirelli P-Zero M+S and they were pretty decent but that was several years ago. If you go with standard tires and add a spare tire to the trunk, there are several methods to do that, of which you can find write-ups in this forum on. Sewell does sell a conversion kit, if you want to go that route and it can include everything you need, including the spare tire. If you want to save a couple hundred dollars, you can source the spare and have Sewell sell you the rest. (If you get really lucky, you'll find the kit for sale on ebay or Amazon, but they are rare.) There are several spares that fit the SC430: Supra, certain Camrys, Mazda RX(I forget whether it is 6 or 8, I believe that it is 8 though). (There are lists on the forum also that will likely come up with your search for spare tire conversions.) It all depends on how much you want to spend and how much space you are willing to give up. I got my spare by joining another forum (Supra) and asking if someone local had one to sell. I got mine for about $40. You'll see them on ebay, Craigslist and Amazon also, just be persistent.
A lot of folks use Leatherique on their leather and swear by it. They have a cleaner and a conditioner.
I believe that the subwoofer is behind the rear seat back, not under the seat but I'm not positive. (Someone did a write up in the last 6 months or so on their change out.) Is yours weak or muddy? From your description, it is just weak. (If it was muddy, you can typically fix it by regluing the cone.)
Thanks for all the advice in regards to mods! I'm making a cross-country trip next year, so I'm still deciding between run-flats or the smoother ride. Now I've got your options to consider.
I paid 27k for this beauty. The low mileage was important b/c I want to keep this thing for a decade as my daily driver. Back in July I considered one from the Lexus dealership -- 35k -- 2005 -- 20k miles. According to KBB, I should've only paid 22 k. But I think KBB is just wrong about the SC430. Anyway, I am crazy about the car and feel fine about the cost. Anybody think I paid too much? No, no -- don't tell me!
If you want to keep run flats then my recomendation is to go with the Michelin ZP tires. ZP stands for Zero pressure. You would have 3 choices.
I drove one with the Pilot Sport PS2 ZP tires on it and I was impressed. I couldn't believe they were Run Flats how well they rode.
Others have reported that the Pilot Sport A/S Plus ZP ride great. These are "directional" tires which mean they can't be cross rotated. They must be rotated front to back.
The Pilot Super Sport ZP are new. I have the non-run flat Pilot Super Sports on my SC430 and I love them.
Something to be aware of, if you get a nail in a run flat they cannot be repaired. The tire must be replaced so it would be wise to purchase a road hazard warranty with those tires.
Hold on to your leopard hat girl...did you know that your car is due for a timing belt replacement in 2015? Yep,
its 9 years old now, & even though the miles are low its not worth the risk to the engine. You're looking at about
$1000, and another $1000 for tires. I think these could have been negotiated into the original deal since the
dealer is able to get these at cost. Not trying to throw a wet blanket at you, but your car really cost you between
$29,000 and $30,000. Still a decent deal, but on the pricey side.
12-06-14, 03:57 PM
Thanks to you all, just bought my first SC430!
