I just recently purchased a Absolute Red 2003 SC430 that has the most beautiful paint job and body. It had a 106K miles but has had a lot of tender loving care during it time as well. It is my toy car that will probably be used mostly in the summer. It was so beautiful that I took it to the upholstery shop and they did an absolutely beautiful job of reworking the side panels, console, and front seats. The car looks brand new inside and out. I recently saw a car like my in color leaving the Lexus dealer recently and I believe it had metal strips around the bottom of the side windows. Does anyone know if that is a feature that came on later models or an enhancement that an owner did. It was really pretty!

 

It should be a aftermarket part. There is only one trim for the SC430

 

Would love to see pictures of what you saw. Are you thinking the black molding has been changed to something with chrome in it? I suppose it would be easy to attach a strip of chrome trim.

 

You can check ebay or amazon for chrome moulding. It comes in different widths and is not very expensive.