Lexus Is200 An Unreliable, Poorly Built Car?

[Pumatron]

Well once again my Is200 has gone wrong......I have only had it 2 months but it has spent more time being repaired then most of the other cars i have had since I started driving, in fact on reliabilty terms it is on par with a 1995 fiat punto 55 i had a couple of years ago!!!!!!

I spent weeks looking for a decent is200 with a budget of £9000, I looked at 10+, missed out on many but finally found a genuine good condition IS200 with full main dealer service history and low mileage, I done all the checks for the usual problems, i also had a hpi check on the history, all ok.

Since picking it up i have done around 700 miles or so in it as i only use a car for pleasure and not for business or travelling to work.

In 700 miles I have had to have a waterpump, after the seal failed, repair a banging loose drivers seat when a bolt worked loose, adjust the wiper arm to stop the wipers(genuine toyota blades fitted) banging at motorway speeds, restore the sub standard leather on the front seat...falling to pieces after 30000 miles on a five year old car...not good. The sunroof glass frame has gone rusty for no aparant reason, Lexus not at all interested...its 'my' problem according to the dealer!! The wheels have been restored by a reputable company but after only 2 months the sub standard quality wheels are corroding again, I know it will be done by the repairer for free but just another inconvienience to add to the list.

And now the engine has developed a nasty knock when cold which increases with engine speed..and its a nasty bottom end knock....great! When it is hot it has a light misfire which is noticeable from 2000 rpm and above....with a decrease in engine power and an increase in fuel consumption......possibly a duff spark plug or coil but its the engine knock which is a worry as it really does sound like a big end......

The gearbox has also a nasty noise, gear/bearing chatter only when its hot and after a run on the motorway, the noise is loud enough to be heard when sitting in the car with the windows shut and engine running, the gear change is sometimes fine and then terrible with 'crunching on 2nd gear', a common trait but so sub standard for a prestige mark.

I have only used the car a couple of times on the motorway but I am already noticing paint chip appearing on the dark blue paintwork...the paintwork is original but is again sub standard and is to thin to with stand everyday use.

So here i am, once again in a courtesy car, kindly supplied by the honda dealer who sold the car, they are as I am dissapointed by this japanese car. Perhaps this is a rogue car but once you start reading the forums you begin to get the picture that these cars are sorry to say but RUBBISH, just look of the complaints on the new IS, rattles, fuel consumption etc...its a real worry for a prestige mark. They are a hyped up manufacture, yes they look good and have a prestige mark about them but looks and status won't get me from A to B will it?

In 14 years of driving I have owned a 1981 Austin mini, a 1985 Renault 5, 1989 Citroen bx,1991 Citroen bx, 1996 Renault clio, 1995 BMW 316, 2002 Renault clio, 1995 Fiat punto, 1996 Renault clio van, 1995 Ford escort estate, 2001 Renault megane, 1998 Renault laguna, 1999 Renault laguna,2004 Renault clio and now a 2001 Lexus Is200

A varied selection you will agree, some good some not so good but the Lexus, well she is the worst of the lot in comparison to length of time owned and reliabilty in that time.

The best was the Renault laguna 1998, it was free!!! Cost me £18 to get running, had done 150000, needed two tyres for the MOT I used it for 6 months doing 350 miles a week in it and it did not let me done once, I then sold it for a profit....now thats a CAR!!!!!

I bought this car as I wanted hassle free motoring , with a family on the way the Lexus ticked all the boxes, style, status and Jap reliabilty. How wrong I was.

So once it is fixed I am going to throw in the towel and chop it in for a proper jap car.......Honda, mazda or something along those lines.

Does anyone agree with me or am I being to critical and expecting to much from this car, I guess it will be a split vote as there will be some owners who have never had a problem, but I will aire on the side of dissapointment and put my vote in the 'Need to try alot harder' corner..... :tsktsk:

Regards Pumatron :)

PS Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!!!!!

[Rsarin]

like you said,its gotta be a rouge vehicle.The is200 is an excellent car,I own two and they certainly dont list any of the faults you have described.The Bmw i own however has been a constant pain with multiple moans that still havent been sorted.I think you will find youve been fairly unlucky with all those faults coming at one time,as it is rare to hear so many complaints from one post.I know the cars arent competitively priced but if you purchased from lexus,they would have sold you an approved car with one year warranty and any moans would be solved free of charge.(i know you know this,just wondering why you didnt?)they have plently of cars with below 50k mileage for under £9k.You obviously have to get the coil packs checked and i always change sparks on a used vehicle,just incase,i suggest you do the same.The gearbox as you know is dodgy between 1 and 2 and the wipers,are they bosch ones?cos mine dont bang.30k mileage on a five year old car,thats not normal is it?Hope that your experience gets better soon,or it could be back to the renault.BTW just re-read your post,is your car from Lexus?

[Pumatron]

like you said,its gotta be a rouge vehicle.The is200 is an excellent car,I own two and they certainly dont list any of the faults you have described.The Bmw i own however has been a constant pain with multiple moans that still havent been sorted.I think you will find youve been fairly unlucky with all those faults coming at one time,as it is rare to hear so many complaints from one post.I know the cars arent competitively priced but if you purchased from lexus,they would have sold you an approved car with one year warranty and any moans would be solved free of charge.(i know you know this,just wondering why you didnt?)they have plently of cars with below 50k mileage for under £9k.You obviously have to get the coil packs checked and i always change sparks on a used vehicle,just incase,i suggest you do the same.The gearbox as you know is dodgy between 1 and 2 and the wipers,are they bosch ones?cos mine dont bang.30k mileage on a five year old car,thats not normal is it?Hope that your experience gets better soon,or it could be back to the renault.BTW just re-read your post,is your car from Lexus?

Hi Rsarin, thanks for reply... I did go to lexus dealer to buy an Is200 but I had three dealers try to rip me off by giving very little for my part exchange and wanting way over the top for the vehicles they were selling, i didnt mind paying a premium but £2000k is lot for a premium, they also like to lie alot to make a sale. According to one salesman at the delaership the Is200 has a four pot engine that sounds like a six pot but it is definately a four pot engine fitted...and it was not an import i was driving, i counted 6 under the bonnet....perhaps there was two spare for when it goes wrong...LOL One dealer put the phone down on me after telling me try an independant sales garage after saying I had a £9k budget!!!! Can you blame me for not buying main dealer!!!!

All of the faults have cost me nothing so far as the honda dealer has paid for lexus to do the all work so far, and the warranty i have got with the car is a honda warranty so is pretty comprehensive.

The previous owner lived and worked local so hence the mileage, he was careful with the car as the condition of the vehicle even before any valeting had been done was superb. The car has been over serviced with 6 services in 5 years and 30k. Wipers are sorted, genuine toyota ones fitted, a big screw driver to adjust the pitch of the blades rectified the fault.

regards Pumatron

[Rsarin]

its good to hear that you are protected by a warranty,once again i hope you get some pleasure from the vehicle soon.

[Bloodygoodbloke]

sorry to hear about your problems.

I have had my Lex fr 2 months an has been absolutely brilliant.

I only paid £7k for a 2001 model and of the 20 odd card i have owned its the best car by a long shot.

that includes several brand new cars.

my advice

flog the B and buy another sounds like you have a friday Afternoon car

[IRLRs200]

Just sounds unfortunate for you, Lexus the best cars i have owned so i think you just got a bad one or the previous owner destroyed it on you

[Parthiban]

I'm sad to say it but it looks like you've got a bit of a lemon there - yes the weak paint is a known issue and it does chip easily, but the others are all unlucky faults.

My IS (also blue) is 4 and a bit years old, 33k miles (so almost the same as yours) and its almost as new - and has been totally trouble free since I bought it new. Sometimes I consider changing my car for a new IS, but I really can't see any reason to replace a car that has absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Its a shame that yours clearly has not been as well looked after as it may have seemed, but hopefully once you get all this stuff sorted out, you'll be able to enjoy the trouble free motoring that the rest of us do :)

[marcus]

Sorry to hear of all the bits you have had to do to your car...................BUT i have to say the IS200 is one of the best cars i have had, looks like you just got a bad one thats all.

[Kremmen]

Unbelieveable !

I'm also one who has had a totally problem free car from new and 31K down the road now.

There is definately something amiss with that one you have got.

IS200 - 4 pot

[fatpieman69]

i didnt mind paying a premium but £2000k is lot for a premium, they also like to lie alot to make a sale. According to one salesman at the delaership the Is200 has a four pot engine that sounds like a six pot but it is definately a four pot engine fitted...and it was not an import i was driving, i counted 6 under the bonnet....perhaps there was two spare for when it goes wrong... regards Pumatron

Im in sales and I try to be as honest as possible, infact it has cost me a few good sales in the past, Im disgusted by how you was treated, I'd recomend getting the salesmans name and writing to Lexus GB about him or them and about your reliability Issues, they may not be able to compensate because it's not from one of thier dealers but they should know that a member of staff is lying or really really really stupid!

I feel so sorry for you, I brought mine in feb off e-bay ( someone has to do it) I checked the main things and took it for a drive, luckily 2 of my friends have got them so they advised me on things to look out for. I paid nothing compared to what I feel the car is worth, It has been no hassel and problem free.

yes the New IS is not fully sorted yet but after 7 years the old IS has stood the test of time and most people have got a good reliable car. sorry that you havn't.

I do hope that you get all your problems fixed.

[Diesel Do Nicely Brian]

Hope you get it sorted - my Lexus has been superb, as have all my previous Toyota's and my wife's too :)

[Kazi]

Sorry to hear your troubles. Had my IS 200 over 2 years and even after fitting my Supercharger has been fautless.

Hope you get it sorted dude.

[T7RY B]

Really feel for you.

The truth is that you have been landed with a lemon. It happens with all mass produced cars.

A "Monday morning" build. It doesn't mean the brand is bad, just THAT particular car, and it is really unfortunate that you copped for it. My wifes 1st.car was a Fiesta and it did more miles on the back of a recovery truck than on the road.Problem after problem. She hated it and ever since then she swore that she would never have another Fiesta. A bad experience with a particular model does put you off the brand.

As you can see ,all the guys on here with the same car can't stop praising them!!! BUT that doesn't do YOU any good.

Sorry for all the problems you have had and just hope that you can get it sorted and that LEXUS isn't a word that sticks in your throat.

[GWilso]

Sorry to hear of all your troubles it's defo not the what you should expect from a lex my last car was a Fiat Punto active sport and this had the same probs as T7RY B's wife it spent more time on the recovery truck rather than on the road. Anyway after a claim for money back through the small claims court I got all of my money back plus a years free motoring I decided I wanted reliability so i used the cash to buy my (99) IS200 back in march and apart from a new starter motor its been pretty much trouble free

All I would say is at least you got a warranty behind you so its best to get all the niggles big or small out the way nice and early which I hope would ensure future trouble free motoring

Good luck

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

I never owned an IS200, though I did test a few 4 years ago. 2 I drove both made a whining noise (like "shot" gearbox bearings), but apparently that was a trait of the car, as was the slightly notchy gear change (which incidentally an IS250 I had recently had too).

What I have learnt is that a car is a car, and like anything mechanical, you get good and bad. The key thing is not to lose your nerve (as I almost have on at least one occasion and almost jumped ship).

My experience has been a dodgy one, but admittedly even I can say that most people have trouble free Lexus cars. Like me, you too are an exception by the sounds of it. Just stick with it. It is easy to read too much into the forums at times and when you've sepnt this sort of cash on a premium brand with the sort of reputation that a Lexus has, you really do expect perfection. I know I did!

Insist on the Honda dealer helping you out whilst the warranty is there - and remember, you have a rare car, and no matter how you feel, the status, jap reliability, rarety value, Style, value for money etc are all in there...somewhere...and will reward you in the end.

Does your warranty allow you to take it to Lexus? If so do it.

In the meantime don't lose heart - I know how you feel - good luck, and Happy New Year!!

PS - some of the things sound familiar (i.e. waterpumps, alloys etc) but others almost make you think the car's been clocked...especially when it sounds like the big ends gone...does it have a full history, bills, stamped book etc...

(sorry just realised you mentioned it does...which is even more worrying)

[The Transporter]

With the best will in the world no motor trader can buy a used car and know for 100% that it is perfect. Despite the full dealer history the previous owner could have been a complete gimp and given the car a really hard time. The paint and wheel issue as has been said is a known fault. As far as I can tell the IS200 seems to be an excercise in making a car pretty bomb proof and having owned quite a few new cars from Peugeot, BMW and VAG, the Toyota brand has drawn me to conclude that the Tercell (A small Corolla that I drove in Dubai) RAV4 that I bought for my Ex and the IS that replaced the RAV may not have the glitz of the European competition but do tend to be beter designed and use better components in their construction. Although I replace my car every 3 years, I cant imagine what I would replace my 2005 IS with, so I think that the wise decision is to keep it. It feels nice to get in to, it goes as quickly as I need it to, it has all of the toys that I want and it never gives me reason for concern.

BMW? Mercedes? Audi? I'll stick with my Lexus thanks

[Pumatron]

I never owned an IS200, though I did test a few 4 years ago. 2 I drove both made a whining noise (like "shot" gearbox bearings), but apparently that was a trait of the car, as was the slightly notchy gear change (which incidentally an IS250 I had recently had too).

What I have learnt is that a car is a car, and like anything mechanical, you get good and bad. The key thing is not to lose your nerve (as I almost have on at least one occasion and almost jumped ship).

My experience has been a dodgy one, but admittedly even I can say that most people have trouble free Lexus cars. Like me, you too are an exception by the sounds of it. Just stick with it. It is easy to read too much into the forums at times and when you've sepnt this sort of cash on a premium brand with the sort of reputation that a Lexus has, you really do expect perfection. I know I did!

Insist on the Honda dealer helping you out whilst the warranty is there - and remember, you have a rare car, and no matter how you feel, the status, jap reliability, rarety value, Style, value for money etc are all in there...somewhere...and will reward you in the end.

Does your warranty allow you to take it to Lexus? If so do it.

In the meantime don't lose heart - I know how you feel - good luck, and Happy New Year!!

PS - some of the things sound familiar (i.e. waterpumps, alloys etc) but others almost make you think the car's been clocked...especially when it sounds like the big ends gone...does it have a full history, bills, stamped book etc...

(sorry just realised you mentioned it does...which is even more worrying)

Hi jambo, yes i have read many of your problems with your IS, and feel more for you because you paid alot more for your car than I did and still have had many problems. It just really puts a bad taste in my mouth when I think about this car, and the sinking feeling in your stomach is not nice knowing that you have bought a lemon, even by doing everything by the book.

I have not heard anything from the honda dealer so far but it is Christmas/new year, and all the time the IS is in the workshop I am not putting any mileage on it. The courtesy car I have got is a new Honda accord 2.0 auto, brand spanking new, so its not all bad. Got to admit though did not like it at all at first, yucky front wheel drive!, but the more i drive it,the more it grows on me.

All the checks on my IS do not point to it being clocked, I have all the service receipts for the car so can trace the history right back to when the last owner bought it.

I have got to be honest and say that I worked in the motor trade on the workshop floor for 14 years, and the experiences gained over them years told me that jap cars are very good. Since leaving the trade to pursue another career the interest of cars has almost left me, I still dabble but only to a small degree. It has damaged my pride abit that even with all my experience you can still get one to come back and bite you in the rear!!!!!!, I mean i went over this car like a fine tooth comb before parting any money, hey, but lesson learned, always expexct the unexpected.

It is nice to know there is a Forum like this where so many fellow lexus owners/members can share there woes, thanks to you all, and I will keep yar posted on the outcome.....

Regards Pumatron.

[Kremmen]

Might be worth contacting the last owner for the low down if you have the details ?

[PQuist]

I have owned two IS200 and now the New GS all of which were trouble free. Sounds yours was assembled on a Friday when the guys were getting ready for the pub!

Don't loose your cool. It will all be sorted!

[Pumatron]

Well, I have got the car back.

The Honda dealer said 'no fault found'!!!!!!!!!!

The numpty on reception reckons that it is the traction control cutting in that makes it feel like a misfire........you can perhaps imagine the words I gave in return. :tsktsk: .......all in all i think they just used the car as some sort of 'toy' obviously attempting to wheel spinning my baby and generally drive it like idiots. When i got in the car the stereo was right up, how could they listen to a misfire/shudder with the radio pumping out sounds. She was also in a bit of a filthy state, a damn sight more dirty than when i took it in!!!! I left in disgust with a flea in their ear.

So if you want a job doing then do it yourself, right?

I drove it to my local Lexus dealer, i know a few of the technicians in the workshop, they plugged her in to the intelligent tester and that showed no probs, so that put some of my mind at rest, he wouldnt even take any money for his time, so i owe him a favour!!!

After a few pointers I decided to do a few tests, good job I did as obviously the monkey from the honda dealer had a memory of a gold fish and had forgotton to connect the breather pipe back onto the air filter housing, anyway I checked the compressions on all six cylinders, all ok, but I did find although the cylinders have all been burning equally with good colour on the spark plug nose etc... the plugs do look a little tired, and the gaps are not all the same (0.9-1.1mm) so it looks as though the plugs are causing alot of the problems I have experienced.

I also decided to check the oil and coolant level....coolant ok........now the road outside my house is of and adverse camba so an exact oil reading is not easy on the dipstick....i have dipped it a couple of times since owning the car and seen it was slighty overfilled but just put it down the road......so on level ground I was horrified to find the oil level some half an inch over the maximum still!!!!!, the numpty who 'serviced' the car when i bought her must of overfilled it due to his incompetence!!!!!! :tsktsk:

The noise i have been hearing from cold is the oil slapping in the crankcase this would make sense as it only started when the temperature dropped and we had a frost, the oil would be at its thickest so thus causing this 'knock'.....I mean to think about it now if it was a big end it would probably be worse when the engine was hot,underload and the oil at its thinnest. So i am gonna drain some oil then recheck!!!!

As for the gearbox noise, after discussions with the technician at the Lexus dealership I am being to critical and the noises heard are pretty much standard, but will get gearbox oil changed for piece of mind!

I am speechless .......in future this car is going to only get touched by people I actually know and trust.

The love is returning for my Is200, as it it appears to be the error of the idiot who worked on it and only the products fault to a small degree.

Hopefully once i have fitted some new plugs and drained some oil she will be running sweet :D , Lesson learned.

Happy new year to you all!!!!!!

Regards Pumatron. :winky:

[Rob]

remember that the plugs when u get them should or will be pre gapped.

also the denso ik plugs need to be changed at 30K and not 60k like the std plugs.