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Hey, first of, hi all. My girlfriend has finally pushed me to the Jap side, coming from a BMW F10 (which I love to bits). I've started to fall in love with the IS250, automatic, aspirated, +200HP and petrol (clean air zone complient which I need because I live in Birmingham and work in the city centre with the clean air zone). I done a bit of research and they seem to be extremelly reliable, which is really important since my F10 is already a money pit and with today's economy, I can't afford it anymore but I do have the car modifications bug itching and it seems that it isn't a tunable engine (with it being aspirated and also locked) but I do like the cosmetic mods out there. Now, which year do you guys recommend? My budget is about £3000 (Maybe £3500 if I wait a bit longer) and I've seen a few 2005-2007 models with around 102k - 180k miles go for under £3000 but I also found 1 2010 model for over £4000 (maybe I can get it down to £3k). There are a few things I'm looking for in an IS Lexus, mainly reliability, being automatic and being clean air zone compliant in Birmingham. It also seems some 2005 models still require a fee to be paid in those clean air zone areas. I would prefer the petrol since I could get a decent exhaust sound from that V6 but I don't mind diesels, even though it seems that they are all manuals... But my annoying mods bug aside, I need a reliable car, the mods might come later on but for the time being I need a reliable family car. Also, something really important to specify is maintenance cost. I haven't hit the £30k a year mark yet (not sure I ever will) so I'd like to know about the running costs, what usually goes wrong with them and how much to expect. I do have a mechanic that specialises in Japanese cars but he's told me that a spark plugs change is a bit tricky since half the engine needs to be taken apart and can be around £300-400, and they have to be changed at around 60k miles or so, and I don't trust anyone selling their car telling me they changed this, that and the other, is something I have to take into account. So would you guys recommend the IS250 for me, or is there another similar model I don't know about? In the meantime, I'll go ahead and read through the other topics on the forum about this car.

I'm with Aviva online at present Ronnie. Paid £348 last year on the NX450h+ (Aviva Premium). Looks like its going to be double that on the RX450h+😭. Increasing the voluntary excess will help to reduce this. Interestingly I got a quote for the NX and it was even dearer than the RX!

I’ve had my 220d for 3 years, it now has 170k on it and is still totally reliable I fitted a Racechip box after about 6 months into my ownership that takes the power to around 210bhp advertised but more importantly it now will pull 6th gear from 75mph despite the silly gear ratios Apart from consumables, this car has been faultless so much so I am looking at a late 200d currently to replace it The diesel engine is solid and with the tuning box a bit of a sleeper Dont be put off in my experience these are great cars with comfort handling and still look good in metallic grey or black Ive had BMW Audi VW but ill stick with the IS diesel

Hi Alex Thanks for your message. I saw on some reviews that you can use the paddles to increase regeneration. But I guess you're essentially just going down gears to do this.

Sorry if it sounds daft but the first thing that came to mind - What a weird sound. All I can think of is one of these: You sure you weren't being followed?

It's like going back in time driving in mainland Europe. Still enjoyable. Driving in the UK is another matter.

I believe it was the LTA, I will turn that off next time I am out and see if there is any difference

Just on this,I did a calliper rebuild with the new piston and seems to be behaving great now. I had to get my brother to assist with depressing the brakes while I inspected and had to open the master cylinder reservoir and it took 5 minutes as the brake piston was very seized up, when the piston was freed I very quickly clamped the brake line using some brake line clamps from Hilka. Cleaned out the area where the piston was with brake cleaner, removed old seals and used the provided red lube on the piston and seals, using a regular piston tool this went in like butter in comparison to the old and bled the brakes after. No more heat kicking out from the rear brakes now!

Hey all, looking to buy an ISF, figured I’d post in here before I start looking from Japan as I don’t really wanna wait 6 months 🙂 Looking for a low mileage example, budget up to £25k for the right one. Thanks

Bob I missed this event. Whereabouts ? thanks Malc

Same happening to me, any news?

Hi John, If you have access to the multimedia manual (and have the patience to read all the details!) then from page 61 appears to describe what you would like. However given the issues other owners have had with registering profiles you may need to take your keys, wife, mobile phones with Lexus Link+ installed and get the dealer to do it… Good luck 😉

Hi. When you're ready please feel free to give us a try for insurance if you wish. Regards, Dan.

Two weeks shouldn’t be a problem on a healthy battery, although it would have discharged the battery to a point where it would start to damage it and therefore the capacity may have been diminished. Three weeks is when you start to run into problems.

Went to a local car show today….weather baking 🥵

Seats and doors are a mixture of leather suede like material but there's still a lot of plastic around the interior. Alex.

To answer your questions: 1. I went for the Takumi because I wanted the ML audio system and the adaptive high beam system both of which are excellent. 1.1. The ride is better than my previous RX400h despite the 21" rims. 1.2. It works by chopping out regions where there are cars in front of you and coming the other way on the opposite carriageway, the hard shoulder remains illuminated to high beam levels and if you come to a road sign that section is boosted to give you really good illumination. It's worked flawlessly since I took delivery last July. 2. Regenerative braking is not user adjustable but the car seems to make a good job of controlling it for you. 3. Not personally, but a friend has who says it's very difficult to get any kind of delivery date on popular models. Alex.

My LV renewal in January was substantial. I ended up going with NFU; they weren't the cheapest (although much better than the LV quote), but they have an office in town, so I can pop in if I need any changes. Also, I like to pay monthly and they don't charge interest.

Current stats. 2559 miles 83 gallons 30.8mpg

More of a 'thing' in the US than here. This link has details of someone installing a kit https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-7th-gen-2019-present/994169-7th-gen-lexus-es-ambient-lighting-kit-installation.html

Yes it's a lottery - run the comparison quotes and choose from what you get back. Many of the "unknown" brands belong to the large insurance companies and a quick Google will tell you which so worth considering all quotes. Some are alps brokers but you won't know where they place it so you may choose to skip those.

I'd personally avoid anything other than OE pads. Having fitted fast road pads, carbon and ceramic pads to cars in the past, most have created more dust and much and not lasted as well as the OEM ones. You need to be careful with some ceramic (sintered) pads as they can lead to premature brake disc wear depending on grade. Avoid ones like the EBC Green pads (sometimes referred to as organic) unless you want to be changing them every few thou miles. They have neither the stopping power nor longevity IME. It's a big heavy car so don't skimp on the brakes. I always replace mine with OEM.

Forgot to add, a second car is currently insured with Darwin and I suspect that too will double in price and so that will be two policies that will not be renewed with them. As for RIAS home insurance, that was 118% increase in premium and so it's goodbye to them and hello to Quote Me Happy.

Leaving it to become a problem invites the problem really. All it takes is a simple two step process. 1. Have the rust brushed off with all loose particles and rust removed with a brass brush. 2. Have a Lanoguard specialist absolutely coat the thing in Lano. They get to everything, especially where normally inaccessible for DIYers. I did an old Rav 4 and it stayed fresh through several winters without any reapplication needed and kept it nice and rust free. Did my RX now twice and parts of the underside still look brand new after 10 years. Avoid anything like the old fashioned waxoils which eventually harden, crack, let moisture in and hide the rust which eventually eats away the steel. Lanoguard is made and supplied by a small family business in the UK and has been so successful it's now sold world wide. It's made by processing waste products of the wool industry (chiefly Lanolin). It can be applied to everything bar brakes, won't harm plastics or rubber and won't catch fire if the exhaust gets some on it. It's a natural product and non harmful and even good as a moisturiser! The great thing about it, is it dries to form a non-sticky or gunky extremely durable layer which prevents corrosion and very hard to remove unless you use repeated high pressure washes with strong detergent. Overlanders in New Zealand and Australia swear by the stuff, especially those living in coastal areas. I do my bikes and cars myself at home and apply liberally with a paintbrush to every part I can access but for most cars you're better off having access to a ramp and spray apply it. It's around £60/litre but that will do two cars easily. The specialists offer better coverage for a reasonable price and if you want peace of mind, this is the product to go for.

You say "full leather",I think you'll find it is only the parts you put your back and bum on will be leather.The outer edges and back of the seats,as well as dash,doorcards etc .,will all be plastic or vinyl with a leather look grain.