Taking delivery tomorrow!
06-23-04, 09:36 AM
#16
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Try this link and go to photos http://groups.msn.com/JohnettaLou. If you have any problems with it post on the forum and I will send them to you.
Lou K
Lou K
06-23-04, 09:44 AM
#17
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06-23-04, 10:00 AM
#18
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06-23-04, 10:26 AM
#19
Driver
Thread Starter
Originally posted by lkirchner
I purchased my wife's SC 430 about 1 1/2 months ago (Midnight Pine, cognac interior) and it was fitted with Toyota Racing Development wheels that are made specifically for the SC. The part number is 00644-42800-325. The reason that I mention this is that every time the car is on the road I or my wife gets thumbs up or compliments on the wheels. Check with your dealer if you wish. They are approximately $2,100 for a set of 4 and as I said they are made specifically for the SC
I purchased my wife's SC 430 about 1 1/2 months ago (Midnight Pine, cognac interior) and it was fitted with Toyota Racing Development wheels that are made specifically for the SC. The part number is 00644-42800-325. The reason that I mention this is that every time the car is on the road I or my wife gets thumbs up or compliments on the wheels. Check with your dealer if you wish. They are approximately $2,100 for a set of 4 and as I said they are made specifically for the SC
Did you keep your same run-flats with them?
06-23-04, 10:35 AM
#20
Lexus Test Driver
lkirchner,
I love those pics of your wife's black/saddle sc430 w/ the TRD's.
the de-badging font and back looks clean mystical. It kind of leaves an impression on people's minds guessing what model that car is about.
Hey, are you guys coming to the NorCal Beginning of Summer Meet this Sat. 6/26 at Folsom Lake?
there's gonna be alot of sick looking GS4's/3's, IS3's, LS4's and SC3's/4's there at the meet.
I hate to be the only sc430 there. It would be nice to have a few of us represent the drop tops
teeman3
'03 SC430 Millenium Silver/Black
TRD's stock 18's
Xpel Paint Protection Film
14 coats of Zaino.
I love those pics of your wife's black/saddle sc430 w/ the TRD's.
the de-badging font and back looks clean mystical. It kind of leaves an impression on people's minds guessing what model that car is about.
Hey, are you guys coming to the NorCal Beginning of Summer Meet this Sat. 6/26 at Folsom Lake?
there's gonna be alot of sick looking GS4's/3's, IS3's, LS4's and SC3's/4's there at the meet.
I hate to be the only sc430 there. It would be nice to have a few of us represent the drop tops
teeman3
'03 SC430 Millenium Silver/Black
TRD's stock 18's
Xpel Paint Protection Film
14 coats of Zaino.
06-23-04, 10:49 AM
#21
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Thanks but unfortunately we will be out of town on the 26th. I would love to be there to prove to people that the car is really dark green. I fact one person would not believe me until I shined a flashlight on it to show the metallic green. I will make the next event come hell or high water.
Lou K
Lou K
06-23-04, 10:54 AM
#22
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The wheels were already installed on the car when I bought it as were the run flats. I am almost certain that the wheels also come in a silver painted version for about $700 less than the chrome.
06-23-04, 11:09 AM
#23
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Originally posted by teeman3
lkirchner,
I love those pics of your wife's black/saddle sc430 w/ the TRD's.
the de-badging font and back looks clean mystical. It kind of leaves an impression on people's minds guessing what model that car is about.
Hey, are you guys coming to the NorCal Beginning of Summer Meet this Sat. 6/26 at Folsom Lake?
there's gonna be alot of sick looking GS4's/3's, IS3's, LS4's and SC3's/4's there at the meet.
I hate to be the only sc430 there. It would be nice to have a few of us represent the drop tops
teeman3
'03 SC430 Millenium Silver/Black
TRD's stock 18's
Xpel Paint Protection Film
14 coats of Zaino.
lkirchner,
I love those pics of your wife's black/saddle sc430 w/ the TRD's.
the de-badging font and back looks clean mystical. It kind of leaves an impression on people's minds guessing what model that car is about.
Hey, are you guys coming to the NorCal Beginning of Summer Meet this Sat. 6/26 at Folsom Lake?
there's gonna be alot of sick looking GS4's/3's, IS3's, LS4's and SC3's/4's there at the meet.
I hate to be the only sc430 there. It would be nice to have a few of us represent the drop tops
teeman3
'03 SC430 Millenium Silver/Black
TRD's stock 18's
Xpel Paint Protection Film
14 coats of Zaino.
Actually I've seen a pic of them I think, but didn't know what they are. 
06-23-04, 03:34 PM
#27
Lexus Test Driver
lkirchner,
I called one of the local Xpel installers in the Bay Area and got it installed for around $500-$600.
It covers 1/4 of the front hood, headlights and side mirrors.
The certified installers buy wholesale of the clear bra by bulk, use a software to finely cut the specific shape of the vehicle. They can install it at your house. It's a two man job and takes a couple of hours to do.
A couple of people here might have better prices so you can call around to get what you want.
it's worth the investment since your car is a low profile on the front which is susceptible to all the rocks and debris that fly up.
I've seen a S500 Merc black and the front looks like it's been thru a war. Such a nice vehicle to get so beaten up from rock debris. I told him about the "clear bra" and forwarded the info. to him.
I told him it wasn't too late to get it, so he's gonna do touch up first and then get the "clear bra".
He asked me about the leather bra, but I've had bad experiences w/ it scratching from taking if off and a high maintenance of washing and cleaning the dang thing.
The next event is the big one, End-Of-Summer Meet in a few months which will draw record number attendance. Stayed tuned and check the boards in the NorCal Forums section. you don't want to miss it!
teeman3
I called one of the local Xpel installers in the Bay Area and got it installed for around $500-$600.
It covers 1/4 of the front hood, headlights and side mirrors.
The certified installers buy wholesale of the clear bra by bulk, use a software to finely cut the specific shape of the vehicle. They can install it at your house. It's a two man job and takes a couple of hours to do.
A couple of people here might have better prices so you can call around to get what you want.
it's worth the investment since your car is a low profile on the front which is susceptible to all the rocks and debris that fly up.
I've seen a S500 Merc black and the front looks like it's been thru a war. Such a nice vehicle to get so beaten up from rock debris. I told him about the "clear bra" and forwarded the info. to him.
I told him it wasn't too late to get it, so he's gonna do touch up first and then get the "clear bra".
He asked me about the leather bra, but I've had bad experiences w/ it scratching from taking if off and a high maintenance of washing and cleaning the dang thing.
The next event is the big one, End-Of-Summer Meet in a few months which will draw record number attendance. Stayed tuned and check the boards in the NorCal Forums section. you don't want to miss it!
teeman3
06-23-04, 04:01 PM
#28
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: May 2004
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Congrats on your new SC. The dealer should have an optional 5 spoke wheel that's similar to the standard pie wheels but have a smaller circle in the center. It's just a $400 option. Let me know if you would like some pictures of them. On a different note, get ready to show off the retractable top. You'll probably have to show it about a hundred times in your first week.
06-24-04, 07:28 AM
#29
Driver
Thread Starter
It's here!
Well, I took delivery of the SC last night. There's just nothing like that new car smell.
First of all, the earlier post about the LS sport rims was accurate. They are too narrow (7.5 vs 8), so I won't be getting them. I looked at a bunch of options at the dealership, including the 5-spoke center cap kit that is for the pie plate rims. The dealership orders a lot of rims directly from TireRack, so we looked there too. I have settled on a set of Mille Miglia (EV-S) in 18s ordered. I'll see what they look like when they come in. They're a basic 5-spoke.
The dealer was kind enough to have my windows tinted for me before I took delivery (30%), which was nice. Unfortunately, now I have several days (of beautiful weather, I might add) before I can put the top or windows down. Ugh...
A couple initial questions:
(1) The "ECT PWR" mode.... when do you use it? Impressions?
(2) My back window will definitely need cleaned once the tint has fully dried. How on earth will that be accomplished? I think it was on the FAQ thread that someone mentioned stopped the roof halfway through the opening/closing process. Is that something that you can do without hurting anything?
Overall, I am very impressed. The steering is a bit more soft than I am used to (former BMW/Audi devotee), but I think I'll adjust. Great power, acceleration, etc. I do think I might be interested in the sway bars that were mentioned here. (Does the dealer do that? Impact on warranty?) Comfort exceeds any German product I've driven, certainly. Love the nav (same as my RX), stereo, etc. I just can't wait to get the rims swapped out (my only real complaint) and to be able to put the top down!
Thanks for all of your suggestions. You've all been a great resource.
First of all, the earlier post about the LS sport rims was accurate. They are too narrow (7.5 vs 8), so I won't be getting them. I looked at a bunch of options at the dealership, including the 5-spoke center cap kit that is for the pie plate rims. The dealership orders a lot of rims directly from TireRack, so we looked there too. I have settled on a set of Mille Miglia (EV-S) in 18s ordered. I'll see what they look like when they come in. They're a basic 5-spoke.
The dealer was kind enough to have my windows tinted for me before I took delivery (30%), which was nice. Unfortunately, now I have several days (of beautiful weather, I might add) before I can put the top or windows down. Ugh...
A couple initial questions:
(1) The "ECT PWR" mode.... when do you use it? Impressions?
(2) My back window will definitely need cleaned once the tint has fully dried. How on earth will that be accomplished? I think it was on the FAQ thread that someone mentioned stopped the roof halfway through the opening/closing process. Is that something that you can do without hurting anything?
Overall, I am very impressed. The steering is a bit more soft than I am used to (former BMW/Audi devotee), but I think I'll adjust. Great power, acceleration, etc. I do think I might be interested in the sway bars that were mentioned here. (Does the dealer do that? Impact on warranty?) Comfort exceeds any German product I've driven, certainly. Love the nav (same as my RX), stereo, etc. I just can't wait to get the rims swapped out (my only real complaint) and to be able to put the top down!
Thanks for all of your suggestions. You've all been a great resource.
06-24-04, 12:05 PM
#30
i will try to answer a few here:
1) the PWR buttons, whenever you wanna use it. i know people who actually keep them on all the time. the car will shift at a bit higher rpm
2) steering is lose that's the characteristic of all lexus. not sure how you can tighten it up though. you can tighten up the steering rack, but that will also affect the power steering so after a turn the steering wheel doesn't come back fast enough
3) daizen sways is your only option, 500 bucks. you can talk to todd at todd@tmengineering.net about it. install shoudl be pretty easy, not sure if your dealership will do it. it won't void warranty of the car. there is law saying that unless they can prove the parts you put in damage the defective parts, they have to honor warranty. so if your sway bar end links breaks, yes it's your problem. but if you engine die they have to replace it
1) the PWR buttons, whenever you wanna use it. i know people who actually keep them on all the time. the car will shift at a bit higher rpm
2) steering is lose that's the characteristic of all lexus. not sure how you can tighten it up though. you can tighten up the steering rack, but that will also affect the power steering so after a turn the steering wheel doesn't come back fast enough
3) daizen sways is your only option, 500 bucks. you can talk to todd at todd@tmengineering.net about it. install shoudl be pretty easy, not sure if your dealership will do it. it won't void warranty of the car. there is law saying that unless they can prove the parts you put in damage the defective parts, they have to honor warranty. so if your sway bar end links breaks, yes it's your problem. but if you engine die they have to replace it