true blue

Hi Malcolm ,I don't think council MOT centres do the pre check ;If you google 'money saving expert cheap MOT ' the article explains council sites and gives details among other relevant information Dave

Hi as Andrew says an MOT will decide if this is a genuine problem or a generation of revenue item .By inspection on some bushes the ends you see do look as though they are peeling back slightly ,but it my not be a serious problem .If you do need an MOT and worry about having work done which may not be necessary my advice would be to use a council MOT centre, they normally do not do repairs so you will get an MOT that is not about finding work ,you will have to arrange rectification of problems at your own garage but at least you know it is genuine Dave

Hi glad you were able to get this sorted quickly, the roof is something that is at the back of our minds as it is a specialised area ,usually simple if you can trace the fault ,that's the expensive part as you have found out ,absolutely crazy hourly rate at Lexus but you are paying for the technical expertise .I wonder what the hourly rate is of the guy who does the work. Summer is coming !! so enjoy the roof off experience (the rain is warmer) Dave

Hi I agree with Paul ;I have been trying to do this for years with the I phone11 without success ,but I'm no tech on phones; if you succeed I'd like advice ,up side is keeps the wife quiet as a secretary Dave

I understand Linas outlook but I do feel he is exaggerating a bit .I am fortunate in being a well trained 'old school' engineer; I look after all the families cars and I am appalled at todays dealer standards ,I have taken my Lexus to a dealer once in 7 years for the air bag recall . If I needed a dealer I would look for ex Lexus trained guys who have set up independently or small family run firm with a reputation to look after ; I am not in this position but I am sure there are some in his area .Linas seems very savy so I'm sure he can tell a cowboy outfit just by looking round their workshops(if they will let him in). Dave

Hi John, I have done many long distance holidays in this car over the years ,and on runs touring on the continent I can regularly achieve 40 mpg calculated on main roads cruising at an indicated 80 mph on cruise . ,no need to stop for the toll booth as I have a tag , I'm sure you will enjoy your car the more you use it Dave

Hi John great choice ,I have had mine for 7 years and I am not going to sell it any time soon . You have done well getting such a low mileage car that will run for many years and I like the light upholstery ,mine is back inside and a bit dark with the hood up . I have run convertibles for years as I did ride motorcycles as a preference.§ These cars are really cruisers and relish long runs ,I will be interested in how you get on with the TPMS as this is one thing I'm sure I will encounter soon and I don't do Lexus dealers Enjoy Dave

hello again just to clarify the engineering a bit, chains do not stretch ,the rollers between the links wear to a smaller diameter allowing play to occur between the gear teeth (original pitch) and the new worn chain pitch ,this in turn will wear the sprocket teeth allowing the timing to vary by a small amount (this will usually put the engine light on ) as the timing is now outside the pre set limit .This is why regular oil changes are vital to keep all wear down to a minimum . Dave

Hi mike ,58800 is nothing at all ,so I would guess you will have no major wear at this stage unless some cheap /recycled oil has been left in for years . My advice would be to give the engine a good flush (Forte is good ) refill with a top quality oil and genuine filter ,and see how it goes .I would be very surprised if it is chain stretch Dave

Hi Mike stretched timing chain would be a problem, you should only get this with high mileage and a bad service regime of leaving oil and oil filter in way beyond recommendations.What is the mileage and do you have a service record ? as these cars should cover a big mileage without this problem .We bought a Honda CRV for my daughter a few years ago with this as a known fault ,so the dealer sold it cheaply because of the work involved .I changed the chain etc and all back to like new ,fairly big job ,but I would not like to tackle it on the IS 250 much more work ,lets hope its just the garage upselling work (not unheard of !) Dave

Hi I agree with Vlad ,cold damp mornings don't help ,also there have been some problems recently with this new E10 petrol causing some cold running problems ,I don't think it burns the same when left standing.I keep a record on fuel consumption and during this time of the year I have usually got 23-24 mpg round town ;now at 18.1 over a few hundred miles ,car is 100 percent serviced by me so I am filling up today with super unleaded to see if this improves the situation .I would give 'Sedately' a miss for a short time and have what we used to call in the old days an Italian tune up !! keep it in manual mode to keep the revs up 3500-4000 revs clear out the crap Dave

Hi Giles. OCD not a bit of it I am the same and call it pride of ownership that car is a credit to you ,keep up the good work as you obviously get satisfaction from a job well done ,as I do ( and it keeps me out of the pub ) Dave

Hi Tim ,I'm pretty certain your car will have the disc ,mine is the later model and has HDD system which can only be done by the main dealer ,Lexus informed me this is no longer available . Go onto http://www.lexus-mapupdates.eu/home/index put in your disc number and they will tell you the price if it is available . Dave

Hi Tim ,just been out and pulled the blanking plugs out on mine ; they are just a straight spigoted plastic plug and push back in again ,a small amount of force is needed but straightforward. I don't understand ' change them over ' they should be just 2 holes for the metal pole .Is there something else in the hole ? With regard to the deflector it is a crazy price for for what it is unless you can find one second hand .I have owned many convertibles and the Lexus IS very calm in the cabin ,I have not found the need for one ,even on continental holidays cruising at 85 mph. One trick is to have 1 front window down and the opposite rear window down ,this reduces the backdraught of air coming forward over your shoulders Dave

Hi ,the sticky pads don't always work ,usually because the surfaces have to be really clean I have had problems in the past with cars hastily prepared by dealers they like to replace plates .I know this sounds drastic but I have used 'no nails 'adhesive they won't come offf again , if you do really need to remove them pour boiling water between the plate and the bumper Dave

Hi Lucas ,might be worth taking out the pump and checking ; when you can hear it running it does not mean the spindle is turning the impeller which may have jammed and sheared had this happen before but not on the Lexus Dave

Hi I also use Gummy Pflege ,have used it for7 years with no issues ,use it on door and boot seals as well keeps all rubber seals supple ,a little goes a long way ,also not had any water leak problems with the roof with no special maintenance . I also have a MX5 now that is a different story still use the Gummy Pflege but the roof drains have to be cleaned out with a trombone brush regularly or you end up in a gold fish bowl . Dave

Hi another vote for Goodyear F1 asymmetric ,been on 18000 miles with no problems and quiet ,important to me with the convertible, they replaced bridge stones which were a big disappointment and very noisy ;original Dunlops were O K but when they got down to about 4 m/m lost a lot of grip Dave

Hi yes same colour as my convertible ;great colour and quite rare on is 250 ,don't see many it will brighten your day. Enjoy Dave

Hi brembo are a good quality disc and pad ; changed mine over Christmas the brembo fronts had been on 35000 miles no problems ,I think there is a bit more dust than OE but otherwise good .There was still life left in them but I needed to change the rear discs which were original and I got a good price for complete F/R set, I have fitted Blue Print this time ,I have used these on previous cars without problems ,and they were a really good price. front discs £51 pair. rear discs £44 pair pads both sets £51 left me money to replace slider pins and rear pins and clips All good as new now ,car stops OK but early days on wear rate Dave

Hi I can only agree with the previous comments ,as your post was headed 'burning oil heavily' it would be helpful we had some accurate amounts of oil used ,because if it is excessive and you continue to run the car normally ,you are risking damage to the catalytic converters with expensive results Dave.

Hi John ,glad you are getting your car into shape ;it will be well worth it . With regard to the TPMS ,refer your garage to his MOT inspection manual Section 5 5 :2 :3 the inspection of TPMS is for vehicles first used on or after January 2012 which means it will not fail ,still worth getting it fixed for peace of mind but no panic if you have a tyre pressure gauge Dave

Hi Rowley, I think all IS250 C are fitted with TPMS , My car is not fitted with runflats but a compressor with integral bottle of goo in the boot . when I bought it ( not from a Lexus dealer ) it had been fitted with 4 new Lexus 18 inch wheels and standard tyres at the 3rd service by a a Lexus dealer in Belfast ,I don't know why ,but it is entered on their sheet . They are not the original pattern so not staggered for the rear ( IS 450 ) I think. The TPMS works and I have replaced tyres with standard tyres over the years ,This suits me as they are all the same size . I purchased a spare off E bay which have in the well in the boot .I would not worry too much about TPMS on these older models as they are not included in MOT test requirements until January 2012 Reg ,should a problem arise at testing time .I have the sales brochure somewhere so I will check on if the system was standard ,I did not know about that. I would post a picture but I struggle with this computer (apple) and pictures .Don't panic take your time you will find what you want Good Luck Dave

Hi Rowley,does seem a bit on the high side, the convertible has always carried a premium price but S/H prices are crazy at present ,I would get full details off them of the service history ;is it receipts or just stamps ,also get the reg No ,this will help you check the MOT history and ,if the stamps are Lexus you can get records off a dealer I have been looking at a replacement Honda Jazz for my son and a replacement VW polo for my daughter in law both have increased approx £1600 over the last 9 months according to dealer prices !!! so not a good time to buy .If you do get the reg you can put it through WBAC ,this should give you an auction indication Good Luck Dave

Hi Rowley,regardind the roof ,there is a built in system which checks the outside area for obstructions prior to operating ( via the camera as per parking ) because the roof moves a long way when operating ,but I worry more about smaller items in the boot which may protrude and deflect or strain the hinges.As regard to servicing I grease the gears, check and grease the toothed quadrants ,ensure all bolts are tight and clean out the rain channels annually, I don't think Lexus do anything on their service ,but as an engineer I am not overly impressed with the Lexus service regime.and I have only visited a dealer once (for the air bag recall ) I have the sales brochure and a F -Sport spec is not listed . I think you will need to pay 'top dollar' for a car with as low a mileage as the one you have but if they are serviced properly high miles are not a problem Dave