I am a new SC owner (2002, 52K miles) and a new subscriber but i have already seen numerous mentions about timing belt changes. Is there a recommended mileage when the timing belt should be changed? Thanks.

 

Your 2002 manual will state 6 years or 60 kmiles but later models started stating 9 years or 90 kmiles. Since the engines are essentially the same throughout the production life of the SC430, go with the latter.

If you don't have the maintenance history on the car, you should go ahead and have the timing belt and water pump replaced (along with the expected incidentals). Sometimes you can get the maintenance history by doing a search on the VIN through the Lexus website after logging in. But that information will only be there if the previous owners had the vehicle serviced at the Lexus dealer.

 

Look for the TB service sticker under the hood. If you’re lucky, you will find one.

 

To add a little more detail to the previous comments....

The service decal for the timing belt change looks like this:



It can be found in various places, not just one in the engine compartment, so look thoroughly.

In addition, SC430 Owners may, if they choose to do so, add maintenance/service records manually to the VIN history on the Lexus Driver’s website. It is a centralized repository of historical info on the car. I’ve added many various records to the history of my car there. Prefect for DIYer who want to keep the history of their work accurately and current.

 

I have a binder for every car I have. One of these days, I will update my service records at the Lexus Owners Website. I have been slacking and I need to update a couple of years service record.