Mylextoo

Yes I know what you mean, I guess it’s what you’ve been used to before. This is a different way of driving with cvt but in Sport+ Mode there is a definite change from the about town driving where you have speed limits etc., to the feel of the car on the open road with the suspension and road holding and as you say, the paddle shift. It has taken me a little while for me to get used to the difference from my previous IS250 (which wasn’t a hybrid btw, I should have mentioned that in my previous post) it’s is certainly quicker than that was and the breaking is superb even on corners, it stays where you put it. Anyway, a good discussion which will give a lot of readers reasons to look at this car in ways they may not have considered and may not have driven a hybrid before.

Reading through these posts, I was wondering if the test drive of the RC300h F Sport included the paddle shifts. There’s a noticeable difference in the performance when using these as you can hold it in lower gear. Another mention was the fuel consumption. There is a huge difference in this depending on where you live. For instance, if you live in hilly terrains you will use more fuel. I proved this with my is 250, normally 32 mpg in Devon, but in Suffolk I hit 50 mpg.

Hi, is there a complete service schedule available for the is250? I have never asked Lexus about this but presumably depends on age and mileage. For instance, in some other makes the cam belt needs to be changed etc., I recently changed the oil in the differential. Has anybody done this? Wow, what a difference this made. The car is so quiet now, the only noise I have now is tyres on our awful roads!

I agree with johnatg, I bought the rubbers from toyota (no Lexus dealer near me). The blades are specifically designed so that the rubbers can be replaced. Look on YouTube for instructions, it's really easy and took me about 10 minutes.

I have just read all the above posts and find them very interesting. I was looking for some answers to my problem which is tyre wear on the outer edges on the front and rear tyres of my '08 IS250. Bought from Lexus with their assurance that the vehicle is thoroughly checked for faults before selling, they confirmed the geometry would have been checked at this time and is correct, after querying it with them following 2nd 10K service. There was some wear on the front outer edges when purchased, but the rear tyres at this time were not showing any wear. Now 10k further on the rears are showing wear on the outer edges. As you may know, all the tyres are directional and cannot be swopped over or front to back as they are a different sizes. There are three questions which I would like to ask. According to the handbook, the front and rear tyres have different pressures and my local Lexus dealer are happy to check this whenever I call in, which is great. What I have noticed however, when checked by my pressure gauge, it does not read the same. So, assuming my gauge is incorrect, I go to my local Tesco and use their machine for convenience. Different again. We are only talking about a few pounds diffence but how much of a difference does it have to be before there is excessive wear caused by incorrect pressure? If we assume the Lexus dealers gauges are calibrated regularly and correct, I wondered if it could be caused by the computer controlled stability when cornering. This car has amazing road holding and does not flinch when cornering hard, but does this also cause extra wear on the outer edges? Finally, I have been told that once this wear is apparent and even if the geometry is corrected, the wear will still be proportionate on the outer edges and there is no advantage. Is it possible however, to changes the tyres over on the rims, to counter the wear on the outer edges if it is being caused by the electronic stability control? I would be greatful for your comments.

Ok first let me apologise for not mentioning my rattle was for 250 sel. Secondly, sorry about the late reply but have now resolved the problem with the rattle. Lexus said they wanted to have the car for 2-3 days as they had other vehicles where they had to remove all the headlining.I wasn't particularly keen on this idea but would expect them to do a good job whatever I decided. None of this was necessary though, as having got the missus to sit in the back and investigate, having feel around, she discovered the noise was coming from an area of roof lining next to the coat hook. When pressing, the noise stopped. I decided to remove the hook to investigate, which is quite easy, as with a torch you can see a small screw. Undo this and the hook pulls out. Behind this, I found a 'backing plate' which was really loose and would 'rattle'. This was probably the cause, as there did not appear to be any other loose components in this area that could be seen in this small hole. I replaced the hook and did the screw up as tightly as I could and found this seem to secure the backing plate from rattling. Hey presto, on test driving I found the rattling noise virtually inaudible (although my missus with her bionic hearing said she could still her it slightly). I'm sure Lexus could have done this themselves without the drama of removing all the headlining, seems a bit drastic to say the least. Anyway, hope it helps anyone that may have the same problem.

I have been informed by Lexus that there has been a delay in recalling vehicles for checking of the Fuel Pressure Sensor due to delayed parts from Japan because of the sunami. Apparently, vehicles are not being recalled if they do not have the parts in stock and are waiting for delivery. Therefore, it must be assumed that Lexus are not performing 'a check of the fps and modify it if necessary' but are replacing the 'O' ring as a matter of course. This is a preventative measure against fuel leaking should the fps becomes loose. They have advised the number of reported cases of this happening are very low and there have been no accidents reported. I would have thought they would be able to locate another source for the 'O' ring, but I guess we just have to wait.

Yes, I have a metallic sounding rattle on rough road surfaces on the driver side, not in the roof but either pillar or rear door area. There is nothing in the vehicle rattling and thought perhaps it might be the seat belt mechanism inside the door pillar. have yet to tackle Lexus about this and if I have any result, will post. I am quite disappointed about this as well as annoying.

Thanks Tango, I don't like to just yank at things unless I know what the consequenses are! lol :)

Don't laugh at this...but can anyone tell me how it comes off! It appears to be fixed in the centre somehow.

Just to update my last post. The holes mentioned are not actually through to the wheel arch. It seems on further investigation that there is one on each side behind the wheel arch and in the area towards the rear of the car. I can only assume these are for some sort of ventilation of the boot area. But why? Is it because of condensation problems in the boot? What are they for? Can anyone tell me?

Hi Steve_L. Although not directly relating to your spare wheel well, I have noticed, after having a thorough inspection of my boot on the is250 sel, that having removed the plastic tray to the left in the corner, there was mud which had sprayed up from the wheel arch. I then discovered there is a plastic moulded box lower down which when feeling around I found a flap of rubber which opens outwards exposing the wheel arch to the ground! I cannot understand what this could be for. Does anybody know? If its for cables, why would you run them on the outside exposed to all the weather? The discovery now leads me to think that a lot of ROAD NOISE is coming through this hole in the boot. Is there one on the opposite side as well? I could not see at the time due to the position of what looks like the camera box of tricks. If water spray is entering the boot through this opening regularly, it can't do the panel in this area any good. I'm little disappointed that I've found this, which unless someone can explain its purpose, leads me to think that this is manufacturing/design fault. Are we only supposed to drive our cars on dry days? What if I use the jet wash under the wheel arch? Will I get a boot full of water? If I do...I'll let you all know.

Thanks guys, really appreciate your input. I think the 5k put me off immediately, but it is interesting to hear the comments of those of you who have it. Reading about it sounds like it would be a good thing but I can understand people being put off if its a bit nerve-wrecking. I must say, its no trouble to flick the arm of the cruise to re-set it. It seems it would be a rather expensive option especially if you did not get on with it!