Julius777

Hi
Is there an 'idiot guide' for removing the wooden console surrounding the gear lever please ?
Thank You

Julius777

Don't know how I managed to post the above question on here , as my membership was only activated today, 4th July 2017 .
This has undoubtedly been posted somewhere previously , but being a newbie , I'm still finding my way around so apologies in advance
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The answer to my original question above,though, is a lot more straightforward & simple than I originally envisaged .
TOP TIP :- don't use force : do it slowly & gently . Over the years , experience has taught me that age makes plastic clips very brittle and liable to snap if forced .
Gear Lever in 2L to facilitate removal of console : -
Step 1 : Open both "elbow" compartments so you can access the two heated seat switches .
Step 2 : From behind, gently coax these two buttons forwards ( towards dash ) & upwards (diagonally towards windscreen)
Step 3 : Once they are free, disconnect the electrical plug connection
Step 4 : Now this section is removed , gently manoeuvre the main body of the console upwards & outwards , gently . There are 2 securing clips midway & either side
about half way along. The remaining two clips are below the radio fascia panel . Once again, don't force it and you will be amazed how easily it comes away .
Step 5 : Putting it all together again is simply a reversal of the above steps . Doing everything gently . Remembering to connect up required electrics.
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The reason I needed to do this was to disable my TPMS gizmo . I have only had the car for a week and got cut up really badly by one of those Lovely Ladies in a Range Rover ;
you know the type - nose in the air, blonde hair tied back in pony tail, designer sunglasses up on head - basically ticking all the boxes to achieve "the look" . Anyway, to avoid
her, I had to swerve sharply and ended up gashing my alloy wheel badly . My alloy refurb guy phoned to say that when he removed the tyre from the wheel , the sensor unit was
badly corroded onto the main stem , and the only solution was to cut it off and revert to a standard valve . Collected car, excellent job BUT,as expected, flashing red light on dash
advising me of tyre issue and audible alarm every few minutes .
Phoned Lexus Main Dealer next morning . £89 each sensor plus £10 fitting kit +VAT+Labour . And the usual main dealer caveat, I had to have all four sensors done as a set, not
possible to do this one at a time due to programming blah blah blah . Now, maybe it's just me ,I have no issue with the majority of modern day car technological advances , truly
amazing, B U T I seem to be hearing " it's a faulty sensor" far too often nowadays . If a sensor can become faulty enough to give inaccurate ( and sometimes dangerous) info, then
that sensor has no right being in my car . Consider the cars that can park themselves . Absolutely fascinating development . Right upto the point where you drive into the car behind
you because of a faulty sensor . I'll stick to parking my car using the old fashioned , practiced & perfected technique , thank you very much .
Which is exactly the juncture I found myself at with regard to the Tyre Pressure Monitor Sensor . I prefer to go to the petrol station, pay my money every week / ten days and know
for a fact that my tyres have been checked by hand & eye . And are all safe and correctly pressurised . Getting all close & personal with your tyre also gives you a physical VIEW
of the tyre itself, any gashes / uneven wear etc . Something a sensor ( prone to being faulty) will never be able to do . And, when you get stuck out in the middle of nowhere, freezing
cold ,pouring with rain with a flat tyre because the faulty sensor didn't inform you, you have to resort to a tin of glorified shaving foam and a jumped-up bicycle pump . And the knowledge
you will then have to lay out for a brand new tyre , as opposed to a puncture repair at a fraction of the cost .
Yes, I accept this is not a Lexus only issue - it's the way the whole industry is moving .
And I am 100% delighted with my car.
But surely, simple common sense must play some part in these manufacturing decisions . If not in the Boardroom , then at Governing Body level ?
God, I really have become a miserable old git, just like my daughter is constantly reminding me ......

Harold57

Welcome to the forum Julius. Thanks for documenting that process. There is more information in the stickies at the top of the main SC430 forum page.

You shouldn't need to replace all of the sensors, just the one that died. It may be too late, but that will be easier if you managed to keep the damaged one or snagged it from the mechanic. The dealer should be able to handle this. There is also a cheap unit on the market that allows you to program these into the system. (Unfortunately, the name escapes me right now but I suspect that Bgw will jump in to remind us.)

Be sure to keep a close eye on that tire since it is difficult to tell when these low profile tires are low.

Julius777

Thank you for the welcome Harold.
I really do think that the Main Dealer was tying to "pull a fast one". What compounded the situation was that when I flicked through all the paperwork that came with the car ,
there was an invoice going back some 3 years saying that the front offside sensor had been replaced ! ( so much for the chap who told me that all 4 had to be done together .)
I really don't have a problem checking my pressures by hand, truth be told I feel safer knowing I have done it myself & that the reading is 100% correct . My next job is to go
around to the local car spares shop and get a new pressure reader .
Anyhow, thanks again for the welcome & I'm looking forward to exploring the pages of your Forum .

Harold57

There are also aftermarket sensors that you can place on the end of the stems that talk to a unit placed inside the cab. It was written up on the forum a while back. The whole thing was about $100.