Dayglows

Hi all, I am after a bit of advice really. I have seen some threads on here about replacement SatNav disks and wondered where it was cheapest to get one and if they have all got the same information on them. I know you can get the updated map software directly from the Mapping people. Is this the same as the official Lexus Disk? I thought that the disks had Lexus software on them as well as the maps. Also, how much are they getting them directly from the mapping people compared to an offical Lexus one. There is one on ebay and I wondered if that was good value or I could get one directly from the mapping people or even Lexus themselves for around the same price. Does anyone know?

I have managed to lock the wife's key for my car when I locked it although I did have my key on me so I wasn't locked out. I just put it down to the radio waves in the local facinity. Pretty much the same problem as can happen when you cannot unlock the car and can't start it as it does not recognise that a key is present. Luckily I did read on this forum that holding the fob over the start button gets around it. :) But thinking about it you need the fob on you outside the car to lock the car anyway don't you?

Does anyone know if you can change the settings for when the alarm goes off? I have twice unlocked the car with the remote when swapping the child seat from my wifes car to mine and only opened a back door. After about 2 minutes the alarm goes off which is usually about 11 at night which causes the neighbours to curtain twitch and are also no doubt seething at me. I suspect as I hadn't opened either of the front doors which is why it went off but it's easy to forget. :(

I have had the airbag warning light come on a few times and yes, when the car is switched off and back on again it has cleared itself. A bit worrying but it hasn't happened for a few months now. Not had the problem you have experienced with the aircon. Did have a squeaking seat frame when I got the car but this was rectified by Lex. I think that there is a technical bulletin for the ceaking seat so Lex should know about that one.

do u know who the authorised lex bodyshop was? got a few stonechips on my bonnet..not many..might just do it myself coz its not down to the metal..also Dayglows what do u think of the final job? Hi mate. I had the car done at Fish Brothers general bodyshop in Swindon. They own quite a few dealerships of quite a few different marques and their bodyshop is approved by all of them. The job is first class I have to say. You cannot tell (even close up) that it has been sprayed.

The Mole, whilst I can totally understand your frustrations I am one of those people that you talk about. I test drove a new IS at the local dealer and would have preferred to buy it from them. However, they were just not competitive. I explained my situation to them so they were kept full informed at all times. Another dealer offered a substantial saving over my local dealer and therefore I did go elsewhere. It was a choice of buying the new car from the nice salesman at the local dealer without MM. Or going elsewhere and being able to afford MM. So in my book the choice was quite easy. My car now however, is serviced at my local dealer so they do at least get some revenue for the good work that the salesman did in convincing me that the car was the one I wanted. Now, it's not all roses. Yes I saved quite a few thousand but...... I have had issues with my car, a lot of issues. But because the warranty work was undertaken by my local dealer I had no come back on the dealer that provided the car originally as they didn't have chance to fix the faults themselves. Buying the car from a different dealer to the one I have the warranty work undertaken by is a huge issue. So is it worth it? In my opinion Yes, I nwo drive the car I wanted with the spec I wanted at a price I could afford. If the salesman who provided me with the test drive to start with would have been competitive then yes I would have bought the car form him without question, but unfortunatley he wasn't and I didn't. Although I sympathise with how the salespeople must feel when the consumer does go elsewhere there could be sales that you make where other salespeople have done all the leg work. There must be a salesman somwhere else that is pulling their hair out so on the whole does it balance out?

Hi Exiled. I have an IS250 SE Manual with MM and I have had quite a few issues. I have had 3 drivers seats, 3 dashboards, 2 door cards, a new sat nav system, a new seat belt adjuster, a new gearstick surround, a new gearbox gate selector, 4 new alloys and a new instrument cluster so my IS has been back and forth to the dealers like a yoyo but it does look brand new inside. That being said I am one of the unlucky ones. There are plenty of IS250's out there that do not have any creaks and rattles and there are those that do. The creaks and rattles are on both diesels and petrol versions but you could buy one that is silent. There doesn't seem to be any logic to whther you will get a noisy one or a silent one. I do have to say however that taking a Lexus back to the dealer is no where near as painful as taking any other marque back. I have come to the conclusin that you will get problems with all cars. It then goes down to how you are treated by the dealer and at Lexus you are treated like a human being, not a statisic.

Hang in there Jamboo. As you say, I think the squeaks around the SatNav are a 'characteristic'. I get the sqeak all of the time hot or cold but only when going around corners. Also if I push my left leg into the centre console it makes exactly the same squeak. I have been driven slightly insane by the noises in that it now feels like it the cars way of communicating with me. :( I too have toyed with the idea of keeping the car beyong when the warranty runs out but to tell you the truth it scares me. I already feel that when dealers see my reg they already knock a few grand off bottom book for the trade in knowing it will be a nightmare. Especially as my car now only has 2000 miles on the speedo after it was changed under warranty. Doesn't really show that the cars history is one of reliability. I think it may be worthwhile speaking to Lex GB to ask about an extended warranty. I think that would be the least they can do for you. Good luck!!!!

I have to say that the only rattle I get now seems to be the drivers window rattling in the door frame over really rough surfaces. But it's bearable as it's rare I go over very rough surfaces. I do have an issue with the SatNav though that in buildup areas tents to take a route of its own and loses me as it thinks I am on a different road. I have told Lex about it twice and they say they cannot find a problem with it. Now with the help of the TSB's that Tango has listed there is a fix for it. Phew, Lex just wouldn't listen to that one. I did contact Lex GB to see if after all the problems I have had, whether they could sort me a out something to get into a different Lex. I had a letter back saying that I could go to a dealer choose a car and then get the dealer to speak to Lex GB who would consider a contribution in reflection of the number of issues and problems that I have had. There was no indication of what that contribution would be. I did actually try to trade the Lex in for a Merc CLS a few weeks ago but the best offer back from my car from any Lex dealer on a trade in was £15,500 which was below what I would have expected especially for an SE with MM and 22k on the clock. The Lex dealers said that they were all stocked up and therefore were offering below book for it. Ouch... So i still have it and yes I get the odd creak but it's so much better than how it has been I just grin and bear it.

I feel for you Jamb. I had the same with my replacement dash but it had dropped on the one side and the gap on the left between the dash and the door was a lot smaller than the dash on the other side. Lex replaced it with another dash (3rd time lucky) and 'touch wood' it looks to be how it should have been to start with now.

I called Chipsaway and the guy came out to give me a quote. He has a look at the chips in the door which were actually about 2mm across so very small. The guy started to tell me what he was going to do. He was going to fill the chips with filler, sand it down, spray it black and polish it. I queried why he was going to spray it bacl when the car was grey. He apologised and said that it looked black to him. I also asked him about the finish as the Lexus paintwork was smooth. He replied that it is not smooth as he could see orange peel on it. I was quite miffed and no matter how much I looked I couldn't see it. To me the Lexus paintwork is smooth. The Audi has a bit of an orange peel look but not the Lex. Anyway he's the professional I thought. He then said it would not be 100% perfect and you would still be able to tell close up but not from a distance. I had the feeling that he was saying that he still wanted to be paid afterwards if I could still see where he had done the work. Then came the quote. He quoted me £160 + VAT. I thought that this seemed a bit steep just to fill in a couple of what looked like stonechips so I took the car to the authorised Lexus bodyshop. They quoted £200 + VAT but said that it would not be noticable after they had done it. They would also take the door handle off etc and do it properly. For the sake of £40 and the peace of mind that it would be done professionally in a sprayshop rather than on my drive I opted for the professionals. I dropped the car off tis morning so the Lex should be back as new when I pick it up. :)

Very similar problem with mine - 4 little markes in an arch - right across the rear passenger door - same height as my son's bike handlebars...but of course it wasn't him and through to the metal!! I have had a touch up go meself and it has come out very good. I've used the car touch up kit from Lexus (£8), used cocktail stick to apply just inside the scratch, let it dry for a couple of hours and then cut it gently with TCut... A real fine job too...almost invisible from a few feet away, and after each wash I re-do it...almost totally filled and difficult to notice thoughy it's not 100% - more like 60%. Takes a lot of time and patience and a very steady hand. Your scratches seem to wide to do this easily, so I would recommend professional attention... I do have one of those repair touch up kits in the garage that is still unopened. It's worth a bash I suppose. Even if it does need professional attention afterwards. Nice tip about the cocktail stick too. :)

I have had the roof panel resprayed on mine due to a chip and dent from a rather large stone/brick dropping on it ...still don't know if it came off a bridge or was thrown up by a truck . The job involved removing the front and rear screens to ensure the clear coat ended under the screen seals, so I was nervous to say the least. The Insurance Company insisted I had the work done by one of their approved bodyshops.....and it was a Vauxhall shop . I did ask them if they would have a problem with matching the finish and they said no. Despite my doubts they did a good job, and there's no noticable difference between the roof panel and the OEM painted panels. The shop manager said it was the best car they'd ever worked on....just as well he told me that after they'd completed the work I would have preferred the local Dealership to have been responsible for the work, especially for removing and refitting the glass and I did get a similar quote from them. However, they readily admit they would have used third parties to do the glass removal/refit and the painting, so essentially there's no difference. If the rework isn't up to the standard of the rest of the car then you don't accept it until it is. ...and yes mine is Cadoxton Slate too, so I'll be very surprised if Chipsaway can perform an 'invisible' local repair. Thanks Tango. I have just tried filling in one fo the online forms with chipsaway and got and SQL error so their site needs looking at. I have therefore called them and they are going to get one of their local reps to give me a call. I will also pop down to Lexus tomorrow to see if they can point me in the direction of their approved bodyshop and I will also get a quote from them. If the chips away guy has any doubts whatsoever I will get the Lex approved bodyshop to do it and take the hit in the pocket.

The colour is Caxton Slate Steve.

Hi all, Some bright spark has put some chips in one of my rear doors. Looks like a trolley or something has been pushed into my back door and taking the paint off but without any dents etc. There are 4 marks that look like stone chips on the door all down to the metal and about 4mm in diameter. I am looking to get them sorted out but just wondered if they can be repaired without the need of a full door respray. Does anyone have any tips or companies that can do it or am i looking at a full door respray? Has anyone had any panels respayed on the new IS? I am worried that because the paint finish is so smooth that any repray will stick out like a sore thumb.