Looking To Buy A Is200

[wellsie]

right im looking to buy an is200 as title says, can anyone help me in what to look for in buying an is200 as i want to make sure i buy the right one

[aztecbandit1]

Welcome to the club matey :D have a look HERE!!! For some info on what to look for when buying an IS :D

[Andy-R]

Welcome to LOC :) a hello would have been nice tho

[wellsie]

thanks for the link there it will prove to be useful, put a thread in the new members section, forgot to say hello, woops,

[aztecbandit1]

thanks for the link there it will prove to be useful, put a thread in the new members section, forgot to say hello, woops,

No worries mate, if you have any questions, ask away and i'm sure someone will be able to help :D

One thing i would do though when looking, is to drive a few of them before making your choice :)

[Steviewevie]

Missing from the knowledge base article (I sent in a comment a while back but it hasn't showed up) but very important is to check that you get at least one "master" key with the car.

Without a master key you can't programme any more keys, potentially meaning if you lose the other key(s) you will have a *very* big bill to get any more (new ECU required).

To check if a key is a master, put it into the ignition and watch the flashing "Security" light on the dashboard. If it immediately turns off when you put the key in, it's a master key. If the Security light comes on for a couple of seconds when you put the key in, it is not a master key. Don't just rely on the number of the buttons on the key (when new, it's the master keys that have a boot release button) being the sign of master/non-master.

[Andy-R]

Whatever you go for mate will be a great car and like Chris says any questions and we'll do our best to help.

[reganlives]

Missing from the knowledge base article (I sent in a comment a while back but it hasn't showed up) but very important is to check that you get at least one "master" key with the car.

Without a master key you can't programme any more keys, potentially meaning if you lose the other key(s) you will have a *very* big bill to get any more (new ECU required).

To check if a key is a master, put it into the ignition and watch the flashing "Security" light on the dashboard. If it immediately turns off when you put the key in, it's a master key. If the Security light comes on for a couple of seconds when you put the key in, it is not a master key. Don't just rely on the number of the buttons on the key (when new, it's the master keys that have a boot release button) being the sign of master/non-master.

oh???? mine only came with one key. will have to check if its a master or not when i get a chance. the key looks fairly well used tho and has the boot release button too.

[Steviewevie]

oh???? mine only came with one key. will have to check if its a master or not when i get a chance. the key looks fairly well used tho and has the boot release button too.

Hopefully it's a master. If it is, then if I was you I would ASAP get hold of another key and programme it up as another master (instructions in sticky posting near the top of the forum). If you've only got one key and you lose it, then you're facing a big bill ...

[reganlives]

As far as I can remember the last time i started the car the security light did go out straight away so fingers crossed its a master. the Battery is dead on the car atm as it hasnt been driven for so long but I've nearly got all the parts I needed now to get it fixed so when I next start the car I'll check properly. If it isnt a master key is there a way to make it a master or can i add more keys?

[Steviewevie]

As far as I can remember the last time i started the car the security light did go out straight away so fingers crossed its a master. the battery is dead on the car atm as it hasnt been driven for so long but I've nearly got all the parts I needed now to get it fixed so when I next start the car I'll check properly. If it isnt a master key is there a way to make it a master or can i add more keys?

If it's not a master, then if you ever lose that key then you're screwed, sorry (new ECU). Hopefully it is a master though. If it's a master, you can programme in new keys (you'll need to buy the fob/transponder etc, e.g. through eBay, see sticky thread for details).

Basically you can only programme new keys with a master key. If you don't have a master key, you're stuck with the keys that you've got, as I understand it.