Checklist for used 2007 with 12K miles....
10-07-12, 05:18 PM
#16
previous models had HID you mean the upgraded look of the head light and the LED tail lights? Both of those can be added to any model SC. I purchased my 04 with 8k on it for 33k back in 2010 its got 12k on it right now no complaints. We did upgrade the tails but since the headlights are HID anyways I didnt touch the front.
Are you sure the alternator was needed and not a battery? Also if your already went out of factory warranty you can not just have lexus add it back, you have to do it within 4 years 40k. What Lexus will do is sell you a 3rd party warranty which is much cheaper if you do this on your own. To avoid issues find out which they sell and buy that type direct so you know they wont have issues taking it in the future. That is what I did with mine. If I could do it over I would have went with the 06 but there were none with low miles at the time.
Are you sure the alternator was needed and not a battery? Also if your already went out of factory warranty you can not just have lexus add it back, you have to do it within 4 years 40k. What Lexus will do is sell you a 3rd party warranty which is much cheaper if you do this on your own. To avoid issues find out which they sell and buy that type direct so you know they wont have issues taking it in the future. That is what I did with mine. If I could do it over I would have went with the 06 but there were none with low miles at the time.
10-07-12, 06:33 PM
#17
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
previous models had HID you mean the upgraded look of the head light and the LED tail lights? Both of those can be added to any model SC. I purchased my 04 with 8k on it for 33k back in 2010 its got 12k on it right now no complaints. We did upgrade the tails but since the headlights are HID anyways I didnt touch the front.
Are you sure the alternator was needed and not a battery? Also if your already went out of factory warranty you can not just have lexus add it back, you have to do it within 4 years 40k. What Lexus will do is sell you a 3rd party warranty which is much cheaper if you do this on your own. To avoid issues find out which they sell and buy that type direct so you know they wont have issues taking it in the future. That is what I did with mine. If I could do it over I would have went with the 06 but there were none with low miles at the time.
Are you sure the alternator was needed and not a battery? Also if your already went out of factory warranty you can not just have lexus add it back, you have to do it within 4 years 40k. What Lexus will do is sell you a 3rd party warranty which is much cheaper if you do this on your own. To avoid issues find out which they sell and buy that type direct so you know they wont have issues taking it in the future. That is what I did with mine. If I could do it over I would have went with the 06 but there were none with low miles at the time.
We also felt the difference in the feel between the 5 and 6 speed transmissions was also worth it.
I'm hoping it's just the battery. If it is, then I'll be further ahead than I expect. When I pick up the car, the first thing I'm going to do is replace the battery before I make the 400 mile trip home and retest the alternator voltage. Maybe I'll get lucky.
10-07-12, 07:41 PM
#18
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
One more thing this one has going for it. It's not an auction car or a trade-in. It's being sold by the original owner. In fact, it's the first '06+ one I've looked at that is being sold as a one owner private party.
10-09-12, 04:03 AM
#19
Advanced
Sounds like a very nice SC430. From my own recent purchase experience ( also from a private party ) I would definitely recommend going to a dealer with it. Mostly for the scan tool OBD2 diagnostics. If I had found this site sooner it would have saved me a bunch of money. 
In my case, the current owner had a generic hand held scan tool and was resetting the CEL on each of my inspections.
He was hiding a P0420 ( left bank cat inefficient ). He tried the inexpensive fix ( replacing the O2 sensor ) and when he realized that wasn't the cause, decided to dump the car before the state inspection ran out. Found the new O2 sensor when we replaced the left bank cat. Lexus wants to replace both the left bank and the center cat at the tune of >$3,500 with the P0420 code. 
He also failed to mention several other issues that a quick visit to the Lexus Drivers site with the VIN number would have turned up. Most Lexus dealers are pretty good at documenting repairs and problems found during a service visit in their reports.
I believe the low alternator voltage is due to the load at idle. If the battery needed to be jumped and was near flat, the alternator voltage at idle would be a little less while it was throwing a serious charge on the battery. My understanding is that the SC430 needs a very high quality battery with a lot of cold cranking amps.
Good luck with your SC430 search!
In my case, the current owner had a generic hand held scan tool and was resetting the CEL on each of my inspections.
He was hiding a P0420 ( left bank cat inefficient ). He tried the inexpensive fix ( replacing the O2 sensor ) and when he realized that wasn't the cause, decided to dump the car before the state inspection ran out. Found the new O2 sensor when we replaced the left bank cat. Lexus wants to replace both the left bank and the center cat at the tune of >$3,500 with the P0420 code. He also failed to mention several other issues that a quick visit to the Lexus Drivers site with the VIN number would have turned up. Most Lexus dealers are pretty good at documenting repairs and problems found during a service visit in their reports.I believe the low alternator voltage is due to the load at idle. If the battery needed to be jumped and was near flat, the alternator voltage at idle would be a little less while it was throwing a serious charge on the battery. My understanding is that the SC430 needs a very high quality battery with a lot of cold cranking amps.
Good luck with your SC430 search!
10-09-12, 07:48 AM
#20
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
Sounds like a very nice SC430. From my own recent purchase experience ( also from a private party ) I would definitely recommend going to a dealer with it. Mostly for the scan tool OBD2 diagnostics. If I had found this site sooner it would have saved me a bunch of money.
In my case, the current owner had a generic hand held scan tool and was resetting the CEL on each of my inspections. He was hiding a P0420 ( left bank cat inefficient ). He tried the inexpensive fix ( replacing the O2 sensor ) and when he realized that wasn't the cause, decided to dump the car before the state inspection ran out. Found the new O2 sensor when we replaced the left bank cat. Lexus wants to replace both the left bank and the center cat at the tune of >$3,500 with the P0420 code. He also failed to mention several other issues that a quick visit to the Lexus Drivers site with the VIN number would have turned up. Most Lexus dealers are pretty good at documenting repairs and problems found during a service visit in their reports.
I believe the low alternator voltage is due to the load at idle. If the battery needed to be jumped and was near flat, the alternator voltage at idle would be a little less while it was throwing a serious charge on the battery. My understanding is that the SC430 needs a very high quality battery with a lot of cold cranking amps.
Good luck with your SC430 search!
In my case, the current owner had a generic hand held scan tool and was resetting the CEL on each of my inspections.
He was hiding a P0420 ( left bank cat inefficient ). He tried the inexpensive fix ( replacing the O2 sensor ) and when he realized that wasn't the cause, decided to dump the car before the state inspection ran out. Found the new O2 sensor when we replaced the left bank cat. Lexus wants to replace both the left bank and the center cat at the tune of >$3,500 with the P0420 code. He also failed to mention several other issues that a quick visit to the Lexus Drivers site with the VIN number would have turned up. Most Lexus dealers are pretty good at documenting repairs and problems found during a service visit in their reports.I believe the low alternator voltage is due to the load at idle. If the battery needed to be jumped and was near flat, the alternator voltage at idle would be a little less while it was throwing a serious charge on the battery. My understanding is that the SC430 needs a very high quality battery with a lot of cold cranking amps.
Good luck with your SC430 search!
10-09-12, 08:49 AM
#21
Advanced
The SC430 is a 2004 with 95,000 miles at the time. Just over the limits. Managed to make the cat replacement ( with a quality aftermarket part ) my self for a lot less. Still running great 4,000 + miles later with no CEL's. But an expensive lesson learned.
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