C Andrew Green

Hi @Mauler Is that a .pdf of the UK Spec Manual? If so do you have a link you could share, I searched a fair bit but could only come up with the USA Spec one, which has considerably different customisation options to the UK one. I also acquired an OBD cable as my IS only came with one key and I needed to add a second hand key (from fleabay). Took a fair bit of messing about to get Techstream working, but the key added correctly, I had a prowl around the available options, there's only what's listed in the back of the manual, so I disabled the 'long press unlock winds down all the windows' which whilst it's somewhat useful in hot weather seems a bit prone to accidental activation which is very unhelpful! I also increased the auto lights sensitivity. Unfortunately options that the yanks get like auto locking the doors above 10 MPH and the like aren't available in the UK vehicle firmware. My IS is poverty spec so it came on 16" wheels, I was fortunate to pick up a set of OEM 17" wheels with tyres cheaply and as the 16"'s were worn out I got some Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2 which although not full winter tyres like their Ultra Grips are however winter rated for european countries where winter tyres are mandatory. Last year on normal tyres it took me 10 minutes to persuade it over the little snow berm outside my garage and it wasn't much fun on the road, this year however no problem 'Snow Mode' on until I got to the main road and an easy drive. Andrew

Hi @Mauler I guess there's a separate manual for the multimedia stuff as it isn't mentioned in the main manual. From the USA Spec manual that I found in .pdf form (I'm 6000 odd miles from my IS and it's manual at the moment, slumming it in a Toyota Yaris!) but I'm fairly sure it's equally descriptive! I got a set of 16" Goodyear Vector 'All Season' (snow rated for Europe) tyres on a spare set of rims in January this year, with those on and 'Snow Mode' engaged it made the couple of days of snow we had a quite enjoyable safe experience, I didn't really check what gears it was using but it's more of a 'low torque' setting. Andrew

Andrew

I'm fairly sure that those lock / unlock options are from the US IS250 Manual. US spec cars appear to have different firmware, they're certainly not mentioned in the UK spec manual. When I programmed a new key for my 2007 IS250 I also had a good prowl around in Techstream and couldn't find any trace of those options. Andrew

Well, Fridays' weather made for a proper test, the difference over normal tyres is unbelievable! Snow mode on and just drive off like normal with no wheel spin, braking is vastly improved but obviously there are limits. There's a short sharp hill (Ashford hill) near to work and two cars were stopped and dithering so I just pulled round them and drove gently up the hill, fortunately there were several cars waiting to decide about descending, so I had the road to myself! You could easily lull yourself into a false sense of invulnerability there's so much grip! You still need to be careful with cornering and roundabouts. Andrew

@Vintagesixtysix Haha! Same here..... going from cold stiff 17" tyres with 4~5mm of tread to brand new soft winter tyres with 8mm of tread is significantly quieter! Andrew

Put your tyre sizes here and it finds '255/40R18 99V GOODYEAR UGRIP PERFORM G1 FP XL' £177 a tyre though! Andrew

Hi Shaun, My IS250 is base poverty spec! So it came with 16" wheels (205/55 16" tyres). I picked up a second hand set of 17" wheels with summer tyres so seeing as the existing set of 16" tyres were done for and needed replacing I got the worn out tyres removed and binned before Christmas and gave the wheels a bit of a clean and fitted the TPMS sensors. Andrew

Apologies for the tardy update, as we hadn't had any particularly cold weather prior to Christmas I only got around to getting a set of winter tyres at the beginning of January. As my previous Goodyear Efficient Grips had been reasonable and had worn evenly I decided to go with Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2 which although not full winter tyres like the Ultra Grips are however winter rated for european countries where winter tyres are mandatory. They appear to have plenty of grip when it's cold and wet and looking at the forecasts It looks like I might get a chance to test them properly later this week, While I had the old tyres off the rims I also fitted a set of aftermarket internal TPMS units from eBay. Andrew

@Frosties about the only negative with the 'Essential Service' is you have to pay extra if you need a courtesy car, (I imagine it's free with full price services) and you'll need to book two or three weeks in advance as I don't think they have many loan cars. I normally get my brother to pick me up (we work in the same office), last time while waiting to pick me up with his Imprezza parked outside they asked him if he would like a Lexus instead, they were amused when he said that he already had one, an IS250, as a second car....... Andrew

@Yoda400 no, I paid the eBay seller I bought mine from another £10 and he got his 'mate' to do it. I initially asked if it had been erased and he wasn't aware of the erasing requirement. I put a link in my previous post to an erasing service. Also make absolutely sure that the part number on the new key precisely matches your existing one. I guess you'll be prowling eBay now then? Andrew

@cruisermark Makes a good point, this guy in his eBay listing for Lexus key erasing services mentions it too....

Is your key like the one pictured? If so provided you have at least one working key and you get the used key erased/virginised TechStream can be used to program the vehicle to recognise it. When I bought my IS (privately) it only came with one key (risky if it dies or breaks) so I asked around a couple of auto locksmiths and Lexus dealers and none of them were interested in having anything to do with a key they hadn't supplied! I was lucky enough to find one like this for £45 on FleaBay paid another £10 to have it erased, 10 minutes with TechStream and the very specific instructions (no mobile phones nearby, new key outside vehicle, touch existing key on start button, existing key on back seat then a limited time to put the new key against the start button) took me a couple of goes but I have two functional keys now. Andrew

Haha! They'e almost insistent that you should have a coffee, it seems discourteous to refuse! I was paying an indy some 80 odd percent of what Lexus Reading charge for essential services Andrew.

Another possibility is Lexus Reading, once your car is >10 years old the reduced cost Lexus 'Essential Service' is avaialble. I've had my last two services (1 x minor, 1 x intermediate) there, they're really polite and helpful. I used to use an indy local to my work but they changed ownership and it's a very different place now😟 Andrew

Hi all, I've had a search on the subject of winter tyres without much luck....Does anyone have experience of such? Any recommended brands/models? I've just a acquired a set of 17" wheels & tyres for summer use so looking to put some proper winter tyres on my OEM 16" wheels as it was somewhat rubbish in the little bit of snow we had earlier this year. Andrew

I guess another option might be to replace the LED's in your existing assembly. It appears to be made by Lumileds, try searching RS or Farnell (these two links are filtered to only show Lumileds products). Actually buying from RS or Farnell can be difficult as a private individual but it mi9ght help to establish whether the component parts are available. Andrew

Here you go, the the mount is one of these, but bought from Tesco petrol station when they were having a promotion. The gel stuff sticks well enough but every so often you have to take the holder off and wash the gel pad to restore full stickyness, I've got a spare phone case stuck to the gel instead so it just clips in and out. Being quite a long arm means it sits low, doesn't intrude too much on the view and I can still reach the phone (for navigation). I also got one of these magnetic connectors to save beating the heck out of the micro USB socket on the phone which works brilliantly. Andrew

Ummmm, I think most of the CD slot phone mounts are intended for single CD players? If your GS has the typical Lexus in dash 6 CD changer I wonder if the inner workings might get confused (or worse, damaged) with an immovable dummy disc being there? I'm using a long arm suction mount phone holder in my IS250 and other than periodically needing to be released and pushed back on the screen it's been fine. it's actually a cheapy sticky gel one from Tesco petrol station with a phone case permanently attached to the gel so my phone (Samsung S7 Edge) can just clip in and out. I'll try and remember to take a pic of my setup at lunchtime. Andrew

My thoughts: Is there a voltage at the connector where the ABS sensor is plugged in? Maybe check continuity back to the ABS ECU. Is the ABS (I think it's called a reluctor?) ring secure, undamamged, in the correct place, not too rusty and in one piece (not split)? Does the the ABS ECU need a jolly good restarting by disconnecting the vehicle battery for a time? I'm not a mechanic but had some hassles with ABS on my old Mazda 626 and ended up remaking / rewinding an ABS wheel sensor. Andrew

'Want to save fuel' in a 2.5L V6 automatic! I've had my IS for a year now and it came out of ECT/PWR to try Snow mode for a couple of miles on the two snowy days we had! Todays effort (I did roll into the petrol station on minus 5 miles! Oops,) A tedious drive up to Norfolk at the weekend (got stuck in the chaos surrounding Truckfest @ Peterborough), trundle to Reading on Monday then up and down the A34. PS Mostly run on Shell V Power, but todays tankfull was Tesco Momentum as I wasn't sure if I'd make it to my usual Shell garage. PPS Pic was parked at work this morning so add ~8 miles to indicated figure. Andrew

f anyone is interested I saw this cheap 2006 SE-L mentioned on Facebook Lexus Owners Club BUT..... it's Cat D with 155K miles and as part of the Cat D repair it now has halogen headlights instead of Xenons..... Andrew

I just posted a reply in the IS250 section, basically I <think> the lower pin has a hexagonal recess in the inboard (not visible) end. Andrew

@jackcramerr I <think> that while the upper pin has a hexagonal outer end the lower pin has a hexagonal recess (for an Allen key) in the inboard end..... I took my new caliper apart to grease it well before fitting it (in January) but I have to admit to not looking that closely. Andrew

Hi, My understanding is that the Lexus 6 speed gearboxes have the ability to lock up the torque converter so that it drives at 1:1, thus removing the permanent slippage that is present in a fluid flywheel / torque converter and improving fuel efficiency. I can certainly detect it locking and unlocking,, it's almost like a 7th gear, I commute on the A34 in Oxfordshire / Berkshire most days and normally where possible wind it up to 70 Mph GPS and engage cruise control, the revs will be ~2200 and 6th gear, when you come to some of the hills the revs will pop up to ~2700 without changing gear and when it flattens out you can just feel it lock back up and the revs drop back 500 rpm or so..... You could engage 'S' mode and shift down so that it stays in 4th I suppose, 1800 rpm isn't exactly racing the engine, I only tend to use downshift in 'S' mode as a low hold to avoid riding the brakes on downhills. Also are you in standard mode or 'ECT/PWR' mode? I found the extremely non linear throttle response in standard a bit odd so mine is permanently in 'ECT/PWR' mode which also downshifts much quicker if you brake firmly. Andrew