I'm creating this thread for all of us lately that have been hit with any of the dreaded..."Oh crap...the roof's not working/working correctly"!

Right now I know VVTiBob and myself are having roof issues.

VVTiBob's issues seems very rare and very expensive, but will be covered under that extended warranty he purchased.

My problem was brought to the dealer and there were no codes being thrown or any part that seemed to not be working correctly. They just so happened to have another '02 SC430 n the lot and compared it to mine. The other '02 also seemed a bit out of sync on the trunk lid close, but not nearly as bad as mine. The only difference the dealer could come up with was that the trunk struts we in good working order on the other '02 and mine are pretty much shot. They hold my trunk open, but I have to lift it all the way up manually.

I have ordered the new trunk struts from Sewell and will replace them myself and see if that fixes the problem.

On a good note about Ira Lexus of Manchester, NH…they researched and worked on my car for over 4 hours and charged nothing. They pulled 5 of 7 Lexus Master Techs in on the job.

The only unfortunate thing is that both my VSC lights are on and won't go off. I brought it to their attention and he verified there were no codes and told me it should reset after driving for a predetermined amount of time with the wheel straight??? I drove back on the interstate for 2+ hours and the lights are still on. I plan to do the wire jump trick to the OBD connector and see if that satisfies the light situation.

VVTiBob and anyone else who is having roof issues...please post your problem here and eventual resolution of your outcome.

Thanks!

 

I resolve to put my top down whenever the temperature is above 52 degrees and it is not raining.

 

Not quite the resolutions I was looking for on this thread, but well put!

 

My recent problem was the roof retracted into the trunk and then would not go back up. Buttons did nothing. I had to go through the manual process to close the roof. WHile in the middle of manually closing it, I discovered that one of the cables had come off the track. Apparently putting the whole system in a bind. I was able to get the cable back on tract and aligned and then finished the manually closing process. Once I got it completely closed, I hit the button and it worked. I ran it through about 3 complete cycles and now all is well. No problems since. I posted my issues here and another member had this exact same problem and recommended I look for the cable.

Saved by the forum !!

 

I request that pics be taken showing where the repair was done. This will greatly help the members who might come up with the same or similar issues. Everybody benefits from lessons learned. And pics and tips help greatly.

Keep on rockin!

 

Yes this will be a very useful thread and eventually be a STICKY with the right info and contributing pics.

 

I fail to see why the trunk struts have anything to do with it.
During the top opening/clsoing process, they don't extend/retract but remain still.
Even they are completely shot, the convertible top will still work.

 

That was my thought as well...however if they are shot, they do move on the trunk lid closing process. If they are also shot if you stop lowering the trunk lid it will continue to fall and has nothing to do with the trunk lid motors as they have no power flowing through them if you let off the button. With new struts they demonstrated that the trunk lid pretty much stays wherever you stop pushing the button except for the very last 10" or so and at that point the weight is too much for the struts to hold. They showed this to me on another 02 SC430 they had with basically the same mileage...only difference was that one had new struts.

I will be getting the new struts this weekend and will do a before and after pic if it changes the situation.

 

PLAYTYM thanks for doing a nice DIY on this and we wish you success!

 

If they were able to demonstrate that to you, then your trunk struts might be the issue plus you need the new ones anyway.

My trunk struts had been shot for more than an year till I changed them with oem ones, but the top showed no abnormality opening/closing at all.
Maybe mine were just not as shot as yours.

I just opened and closed the top of my sc430 a few times, but still can't understand why the trunk struts have anything to do with it. lol
At the angle the trunk lid is open when opening/closing the top, no extending force from struts is needed.
Actually, it could only be more retracting if that force is indeed needed.

I also measured the length of trunk struts during the top opening/closing process, no change at all.
I must have missed something there. Hopefully, you will figure it out for us.

Full open






Half open

 

TalWang,

I don't believe it has anything to do with the trunk struts expanding, but rather staying tightly closed and not allowing the force of the trunk hinge during the open/close process to distort. I also noticed on your pic of your trunk half open it stayed right there. My top would continue to close at that point as the trunk struts are not holding the top of he trunk hinge tightly closed enough.

It still seems a little far fetched for me, but we shall see this weekend. I may have to take video of what is happening to show open/close before and open/close after if there's a noticeable change.

If it doesn't fix the problem then I pretty much just wait for something to break as even as out of alignment as it is...apparently it's not enough to throw a code or keep the top from working.

I'll keep you all posted!

 

Pics and videos sound good. Good luck with it.

 

Just looking at the complex hinges, slides, guides and cables I have to ask what the best lubricant is for each of these areas? Perhaps someone can do a pictorial of the various locations of the top, trunk and tonneau cover lubrication points to help slow the inevitable wear that these components suffer over the years. I don't want to start a grease war but my favorite all-around lubricant is a spray white lithium grease with teflon from DuPont.

 

Good idea on lubrication. Need to lubricate.

 

"That was my thought as well...however if they are shot, they do move on the trunk lid closing process. If they are also shot if you stop lowering the trunk lid it will continue to fall and has nothing to do with the trunk lid motors as they have no power flowing through them if you let off the button. With new struts they demonstrated that the trunk lid pretty much stays wherever you stop pushing the button except for the very last 10" or so and at that point the weight is too much for the struts to hold. They showed this to me on another 02 SC430 they had with basically the same mileage...only difference was that one had new struts."

"I will be getting the new struts this weekend and will do a before and after pic if it changes the situation."

This is causing me to think that proactively replacing trunk struts, rather than letting them go bad, may be a good idea to ensure that no other components are being unnecessarily strained when opening and closing the top, but not sure yet. I'm looking forward the results of your analysis Playtym.