I know this thread seems a bit long, but I assure you that it is not complicated, it is just really detailed and actually rather simple. Please read, as I do really need some help with the following things on my car.

I'm going to make this as short and sweet as possible so no one loses interest in my thread after seeing all this text.

Okay, so I went to my local Lexus dealership this week and got my 94 SC300 inspected. My inspection failed because of these 6 things:

1.) My exhaust is aftermarket and has a couple holes in it that need to be welded so it doesn't leak anymore which is no big deal.


2.) My inside driver's side door handle is broken/snapped off. I bought the car like this, but when I bought it, the handle was super glued back on and it broke off when I pulled it to hard to get out of my car without thinking of how fragile the handle was.


3.) My rear view mirror is the stock LCD looking mirror that you push the center button on it and it dims it for night time driving. On the mirror for some reason though there are 3 little holes the size of a dime evenly spread out on there. These 3 little holes never dim when you press the button and are always looking like the regular mirror even when the mirror is dimmed.


4.) My passenger side headlight leaks with water when I wash my car for a decent bit of time. If I wash my car quickly, it leaks very little to none. It only leaks when it has prolonged exposure to rain or water.


5.) The two front tires need to be replaced because they are running low on tread and the sidewalls on the front tires are cracking and are showing signs of dryrotting.


6.) My rear rotors need to be replaced because they are getting pretty slim apparently from what the dealership told me; although the pads all around the car and the rotors on the front of the car are just fine.


I bought the car with all of these problems and knew about them before purchasing. Not bad for a 94 with 113K miles on it though.


My questions to you guys are:


1.) My exhaust leaking, do you have any tips on trying to find the holes that are on the exhaust piping that are leaking? How can I go about finding the holes on the exhaust and welding them shut?


2.) The driver's side inside handle is broken/snapped off. I found a driver's side door handle on eBay for about $40-50 shipped in almost mint condition. Is that a good price or can I find a better price at a junk yard, on another site besides eBay, or does someone on here know have one I can buy off of them for a cheaper price than that?


3.) Does anyone understand what I mean or has anyone experienced what I said about the rear view mirror description above? Just like question #2 above, does anyone know where I can get one of these OEM replacement mirrors, besides eBay (where I found one for $50 shipped), or does anyone have one I can buy off of them for a cheaper price?


4.) My passenger side headlight leaks, and dries out on it's own if I do not expose the car to water for about a week to a week and a half. I can pass inspection on this issue if I just do not expose the car to water for that amount of time, but I would like to find out how I could possibly reseal this headlight in order to make it never leak again? Does anyone have any tips/suggestions/ideas on how to do this? Other than it leaking, the headlight is in near mint condition like the driver's side, which has no leaking or other problems.


5.) Does anyone have any suggestions on websites for finding the front tires online somewhere for a good price? I have 19" HP Evo chrome wheels and I am not sure about the width of the wheels or tire size at the moment, so I'd have to get back to you on that one. Just looking to get these front tires for a good price, that's all. I have TOYO Proxes on the rear ones and they are brand new and have about 4-5K miles on them. The guy bought them right before he sold me the car.


6.) I also looked on eBay for rear rotors and saw some for about $100-120 shipped without pads. Is that a good price for just no-name brand "OEM replacement" rotors? Would you guys recommend the cross drilled rotors? Also, would you recommend replacing all of the rotors and pads if I already have to do the rear rotors? I was kind of thinking of going that route. Does anyone have any recommendations as to what brand or website I can go to find good rotors?


I appreciate any help/comments/suggestions/tips. Thanks in advance.

where do u live that most of this stuff matters for inspection?

1. not sure
2. 40 is pretty good, i know i paid a little more than that
3. never seen that before
4. if the lense isnt cracked u can open it and reseal it
5....
6. the cross drilled and sloted dont really matter , the only problem is that after it rains it turns that rusty color, but a little driving will take care of that.
u can change the rotors yourself, its real easy and each side could be done in like 15min

good luck

Thanks for your help. Anyone else have any suggestions?

Oh, and I live in Maryland. Yes, they have VERY strict inspection requirements. It's gay I know.

i would suggest get it inspected some where other than the dealer cause that want you to get those fixed with them. My lexus had most of those issues other than the tires and brakes and went through the inspection just fine and i also live in maryland anne arundel county to be exact. And the mirror problem is because the mirror is electrically charged to make it darker and the circles your are seeing are from were the wires attach to the mirror it is easily fixed by replacing the mirror it self from a junk yard. I got mine from crazy rays and it only cost 8 bucks, and the mirror it self is the same as an early model Ls which is much easier to find than an sc you will just have to use your mirror housing and take the mirror it self out of the Ls one cause they mount to the window differently but the mirror it self is exactly the same. i had the same problem

I just got my door handles direct from Lexus for $45 each no shipping, I just picked them up and went on my way. I hope that helps. I'd rather have parts from them than from ebay when the option is there

I have the same problem with my rearview mirror. It's just the film that is supposed to dim that's bleeding, like many people's AC displays. There are one's on ebay that I just saw for less than $25 shipped.

for the headlights, follow this procedure https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...finishing.html

you can find the holes in ur exhaust if you see excessive amounts of carbon on the piping...it looks like a dark powdery substance and its happens around welds

How's the engine tho? That's what I'd be concerned about

The engine is just great! That 2JZ-GE motor hauls *** man I'll tell you that much lol. I'm used to owning 4 cylinder motor cars so this is a BIG step up for me lol. And the tranny shifts nice and smooth too. Great car, no regrets about buying it whatsoever.

Anyway, keep the comments/suggestions coming guys, they are really helpful! Thanks!