Advice On Buying Is 200

[ozbod]

hi guys, im looking at buying a is 200 around 8-10 years old i just wanted to know if theres any common issues i should look out for?? heard cd player fails,alloys suffer corrosion and cambelt should be done way before lexus reccomend at 100K any advice much appreciated.

[wegiel]

Right, I guess coil failure is also a common problem :(

[Steviewevie]

The common things to look out for are detailed here. Yes, cam belt should be done at 60K miles or 6 years.

[wegiel]

My pc soft claims that timing belt should be replaced every 100k miles/150k km or 72months. Isn't this right? Why 60k miles then?

[Steviewevie]

The original interval for the cam belt, which is in my Lexus service book, is 100,000 miles, you're right. But Lexus revised this down to 60,000 miles (90,000 km) or 6 years, whichever comes first. I think this was because they'd seen some belts in bad condition coming up to 100,000 miles.

Considering the engine is an interference engine, meaning potential expensive damage to valves and pistons if the belt breaks, it's best to not take a chance on it.

Also consider changing your water pump when changing the cam belt, since the drive belts all have to come off for that job too.