Well calling all you IS200 guys out there, have recently complained about the cluncky gearbox especially 1st - 2nd, and the amount of noise it creates....have been airing my views and complaints to Lexus Bradford & Lexus Nottingham, have had 2 different road test with the guys at Bradford, who say this is the norm etc, even though they admit the noise is higher than usual etc, but wen it comes to submitting the product report it isnt mentioned....All that is said is its the norm...!!!!
Usual crap we all seem to get....!!!!
However Nottingham yesterday took my car in and left me a new 54 plate IS200SE which had higher mileage on than my 53 plate, and surprise surprise the gear change was much smoother than mine, it wsnt as sluggish as mine, it wsnt as noisy as mine.........SO come on you lexus dealers get ur fingers out of ur 's coz if thats the norm with the gearboxes then why isnt this new car making the same load noise and as clunky as mine.....
Still got the courtesy car, phnd Lexus Nottingham to comment on how smooth the gear change was compared to mine etc, and i was told that they think it may have a re-designed gearbox in it...!!!!...
Rang Lexus customer care up and asked them to confirm this, they got back to me today saying that is not true.....So lexus wat is the crack with the ****ty gearboxes and lexus nottingham ur excuse went out of the window......
Im hanging in there trying to get my gearbox changed.........oh yes and before i forget Bradford informed me that the re-designed gearbox was for a different fault which occured wen driving at 70MPH or above, something to do with a whoosy noise...can anyone comment on this, or have had similar problems and excuses....
i await some feedback

Hi,

I'm generally very happy with the way these gearboxes are, they have a solid and precise feel, although some people may find it a bit agricultural. However my '99 model has a slight 50-70 MPH bass hum in 6th gear. This makes me drive in 5th at those speeds, which is, well, less desirable. I was told by lexus this was an early model thing, and the worst vibrating ones got replaced within warranty. They never got a repair instruction, they were just replacing them. Apparently the newer gearboxes were redesigend in some way. Now I've had 2 courtesy cars as new as 2003 that also had a noticable hum in 6th, so I figure it is still a trait that can be found on the IS 6-speed box.

RX-Men-8

Mine is a June 03, and the gear box is the worst I have ever driven, I have had quite a few discussions with my dealer, test driven a few IS's they had New and used, no better than mine, after a long discussion and checking that my G/B had all the latest design changes and fixes, there commet was there nothing else they can do, you will have to talk to customer services, to date I haven't done this because I am so off with the car and Lexus I might just sell the car and get something a bit more reliable.

Well thats my though too, think i'm gonna end up selling the car

It's certainly making me reconsider my next choice of car. I know it's not really a major problem with the car but I don't think I'd have an IS200 manual again. I'm a bit disappointed with the dealers attitude too, it's not really the sort of behaviour I was expecting from a "prestige car manufacturer".

All i can say is that lexus got one thing rite with the car and that was its looks and exterior design, but unfortunately i think the lack of power and the gearbox lets it down dramatically...Luv to have its looks but with a BMW engine in it....!!!....Ive only had the car a couple of months and im sick and tired of its crap gearbox and the amount of leg work and talking u hav to do to get it even looked at without them saying its the Norm......
I miss the volkswagen customer care, if i ever had a prob no matter how busy they were seeing as though it was a new car they wld look at it there and then and if need be keep it in and organise transport for me(courtesy car or even a hired car all paid for, not a penny out of my pocket)....
Lets hope the anticipated new entry of the new IS200 lives upto wat its supposed to, so you gearbox designers pull ur fingers out or ur and combine its great looks with an awesome gearbox.....
Im going to the BMW garage tonite see wat deals i can strike if i get back in time......Im gonna try selling my car privately, tried it on this site but it was edited out. can someone help me here as im not a gold member, wld like it to go to a good home

What I know is the 70mph 6th gear problem, the gearboxes are replaced under warranty.

The noise is because of interferring gears and direct transmission (rev input and output of gearbox) within the 6th gear. Don't know how to explain this. The 6th gear is a special one. Any comments?

My problem: The former owner of my car didn't recognize it
Now the exhaust does it for me. But this couldn't be a solution (except for Dave ).

The bass hum is a problem. But I don't see one while changing from 1st to 2nd.

And don't talk about beemers. "They are crap. Standing everywhere in the greens. And in my way. "

Edit:
Sorry, perhaps a bit hard. Would be better to say, they are "uncool".
I like TopGear