SC300 heavy doors?
Pit Crew
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 115
Likes: 2
From: South Carolina
The doors are heavy because they are extra long to provide better access to the back seat, and because they are well built. People complain about having to slam the passenger door but I really think that it is because they are used to lighter doors abnd because the door seals so well. If the window is cracked open the doors shut easily, indicating that it is a pressure issue not a weight issue. If opening the window doesn't help then it is probably a hinge problem.
every passenger that has ever gotten into my car at some point does not close the door all the way and they all say the same thing "why are your doors so heavy?!" it is just really funny on person even went so far as to say the hinge is broken and thats y he cant close it. i said it isnt broken u just close the car door like a ***** lol
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
From: KY
Doors are heavier than most cars, hence the titanic cast hinge. Compare that hinge to the ones on other cars. It's quite impressive.
The only reason I have my SC is because of the doors. A friend of mine had bought it for his fiancee, but she was a tiny thing and didn't like the heavy doors. Thank god! LOL
The only reason I have my SC is because of the doors. A friend of mine had bought it for his fiancee, but she was a tiny thing and didn't like the heavy doors. Thank god! LOL
Driver
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 165
Likes: 0
From: CO
This review helped me in buying my 92 sc300. One of the first things he mentions is the door and hinges.
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/200...2-lexus-sc400/
“There is nothing quite like it!” Every enthusiast I know has that attitude towards their car. But rarely is it actually true. Platforms are shared. Engines and transmissions are modified and tossed into whatever else can accommodate them from a cost perspective. Compromises are made. Only sometimes they aren’t. Sometimes you can buy something so unique, so timeless, that you can appreciate it’s qualities even twenty or thirty years later. The Lexus SC400 is one of those rare, outstanding machines. Let’s start with the door hinge.
That’s right. That usual flimsy piece of metal that’s supposed to keep the door open and closed through the ages. On most cars, as the car ages, the bolts holding the hinge to the frame will eventually get a little loose, and the welds can actually wear out over time. At some point, you will eventually hear a popping sound when you open the door. Some owners fix it. Most ignore it. But Lexus SC400 owners will never face the choice.
The SC400′s door hinges were an absolute engineering monstrosity, as over-engineered and built as those of any similar era—or earlier—Mercedes-Benz. Lexus built in quality trying to make this car eternally seamless and genre-compatible silent. The bushes and flanges that make up the SC400′s über-hinges are as thick as a brick. They’re triple-welded into a geometric design that can hold the SC’s door at any angle. No other car from that time period can do it. None.
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/200...2-lexus-sc400/
“There is nothing quite like it!” Every enthusiast I know has that attitude towards their car. But rarely is it actually true. Platforms are shared. Engines and transmissions are modified and tossed into whatever else can accommodate them from a cost perspective. Compromises are made. Only sometimes they aren’t. Sometimes you can buy something so unique, so timeless, that you can appreciate it’s qualities even twenty or thirty years later. The Lexus SC400 is one of those rare, outstanding machines. Let’s start with the door hinge.
That’s right. That usual flimsy piece of metal that’s supposed to keep the door open and closed through the ages. On most cars, as the car ages, the bolts holding the hinge to the frame will eventually get a little loose, and the welds can actually wear out over time. At some point, you will eventually hear a popping sound when you open the door. Some owners fix it. Most ignore it. But Lexus SC400 owners will never face the choice.
The SC400′s door hinges were an absolute engineering monstrosity, as over-engineered and built as those of any similar era—or earlier—Mercedes-Benz. Lexus built in quality trying to make this car eternally seamless and genre-compatible silent. The bushes and flanges that make up the SC400′s über-hinges are as thick as a brick. They’re triple-welded into a geometric design that can hold the SC’s door at any angle. No other car from that time period can do it. None.
Yeah, well. They aren't as over-engineered as that author gushes over. They DO wear out, mainly because the factory elected for whatever reason to seal the undersized needle bearings so you can't grease them. There are enough threads around here for quick fixes regarding popping sounds, my own door popped as it chipped the paint off the front fender. I replaced my driver's hinge with a rebuilt one with better bearings AND grease nipples.
The main difference is that Lexus SC400 hinges will cost a lot more to fix when they fail.
And CMH, I can weigh my old hinge if you like, although it doesn't contribute a whole lot to the door weight since half of it is bolted to the car itself as a non-moving base.
The main difference is that Lexus SC400 hinges will cost a lot more to fix when they fail.
And CMH, I can weigh my old hinge if you like, although it doesn't contribute a whole lot to the door weight since half of it is bolted to the car itself as a non-moving base.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,489
Likes: 107
From: AZ
The door hinges are a marvel in themselves. They are an "articulated" design. That means that the front of the door (at the hinge area) actually moves out away from the body of the car as it opens. They movement allows a greater entrance area than with a normal hinge. Lexus did this because the doors are very long and wanted to make it easy to get in and out of the car without having the door swing more wide open.
A great design and I could care less about people who can't close this door!
A great design and I could care less about people who can't close this door!
