Is250 Se-L First Few Days Of Ownership

[Simon_D]

Hi there,

I've had my '57 plate IS250 SE-L for a few days now and all seems pretty good so far except........:

1. The creaking and clacking that appears to come from around the Sat-Nav unit on bumpy roads.

2. The effort required to open the boot lid - are they all like this?

3. The fact that I can't get voice control to work for the Sat-Nav - it tells me that I must be on the "scrolling map" for the comand to work - despite the fact that the map is on the screen at the time.

4. The parking sensors don't seem to do much. The beeps are rather erratic; had I trusted them I would have damaged the bumpers already.

I'll pop back to the dealer in a few days but was wondering if any of these things come under the "they all do that Sir" category.

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.

[Tango]

Hi there,

I've had my '57 plate IS250 SE-L for a few days now and all seems pretty good so far except........:

1. The creaking and clacking that appears to come from around the Sat-Nav unit on bumpy roads.

2. The effort required to open the boot lid - are they all like this?

3. The fact that I can't get voice control to work for the Sat-Nav - it tells me that I must be on the "scrolling map" for the comand to work - despite the fact that the map is on the screen at the time.

4. The parking sensors don't seem to do much. The beeps are rather erratic; had I trusted them I would have damaged the bumpers already.

I'll pop back to the dealer in a few days but was wondering if any of these things come under the "they all do that Sir" category.

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.

Had mine from new five years ago and can't say I've suffered from any of the above. However, the sensors on the front are biased towards the corners so if you approach something centrally (like a post) it may not register.

[tinka]

Ive had the clacking, i took the centre vents out and put some tape around the vent and put it back and it seems ok, the buttons can make a noise as well, i also had the ns dash knocking on the screen, so i had to put some foam between them. The interior quality is very poor on the IS, imho.

[Simon_D]

Thanks for that.

The noise could well be the vents. I guess to get at them the Multimedia unit needs to come out. I might get the dealer to have a look when I get the Sat Nav maps updated.

The boot is odd. You have to open it almost completely against the pressure of the dampers before it will hold. Every car I've had has a spring loaded boot that will rise on its own after a light touch. I'll check the one in the showroom when I go in but can anyone say if this is normal? It feels like a spring is broken - the kids can't open it without help.

I'll ask the dealer about voice control.

The parking sensors are fine. Just a case of the nut holding the wheel!!

[Parthiban]

I've currently got a '10' plate IS250 courtesy car and have to agree about the boot, I can lift the boot on my IS200 with one finger whereas this requires brute force to get it up.

Weirdly though when it gets to about half way then it lifts on its own......and closing it is tough but nowhere near as difficult as opening it.

[Exiled]

Fortunately no creaks or groans. Now you mention it the boot opening and closing is different to previous cars I've owned and from your description I would say mine is similar to yours, it doesn't cause me a problem though. Some owners have complained about the boot lid hitting the bumper when being closed perhaps the damping has been modified in some way, don't know.

With regard to the front sensors I'm only confident using them to protect the corners, I wouldn't trust them to pick up something directly in front of the number plate, why they don't have 4 sensors on the front like the rear is a mystery to me.

[UpSideDown]

The trunk lid on my 09 250 is super heavy to open. It doesn't lift on its own from half way open as on Parthiban's car, it holds the position from half way open. So every time I it I have to lift it whole way up. But, it does close super easy. I have to take it easy to not slam it close.

[Parthiban]

The trunk lid on my 09 250 is super heavy to open. It doesn't lift on its own from half way open as on Parthiban's car, it holds the position from half way open. So every time I it I have to lift it whole way up. But, it does close super easy. I have to take it easy to not slam it close.

Not actually my car but I know what you meant :)

I wouldn't say it's super easy to close on this car but it is a lot easier than opening it, makes you wonder what kind of springs they've put in there! Also it's a bit weird how we've got so many different experiences with the bootlids on the same car!

Another annoyance I discovered yesterday, had to pick something up but left the engine running as I had some passengers who wanted to stay warm, went to put it in the boot but there's no button on the bootlid any more? Then tried the key fob but because the engine was running that doesn't work either! So had to go back into the car and use the button in there.........

[UpSideDown]

Not actually my car but I know what you meant :)

I wouldn't say it's super easy to close on this car but it is a lot easier than opening it, makes you wonder what kind of springs they've put in there! Also it's a bit weird how we've got so many different experiences with the bootlids on the same car!

Another annoyance I discovered yesterday, had to pick something up but left the engine running as I had some passengers who wanted to stay warm, went to put it in the boot but there's no button on the bootlid any more? Then tried the key fob but because the engine was running that doesn't work either! So had to go back into the car and use the button in there.........

I think my trunk lid opens more easily when I bought the car new last year and gradually got heavier. The lid feels heavier in winter even there is not snow or ice on it. Feels like ice builds up inside the lid. It doesn't require any force to slam it close from full open.

OT - The hood.

Every time I close it I literally have to slam it, or else it wont close. Is it the same on other 250s?

By the way. There is a push butten located to the right of the backing camera. Press and hold it and it will unlock the trunk.

[Parthiban]

By the way. There is a push butten located to the right of the backing camera. Press and hold it and it will unlock the trunk.

Oh they've moved the button! Didn't bother to poke my head under to check, just put my hand in the middle (where its been on older cars) and got a hard flat surface so assumed they'd got rid of the button

Should be getting my car back today but that'll be useful for next time, thanks :winky:

[Simon_D]

That's all very useful. So the boot and parking sensors are a case of "they're all like that"; the creaking I'll get the dealer to have a look at when I get the map updates.

Other than that I'm pretty happy with the car. Road noise and creaks aside it is a quiet and comfortable place to be. There is more real world space in the back than road test measurements suggest and the gearbox is streets ahead of other non-German autos. I was tossing up between this and a C280 - I'm happy with the choice. The Merc rides better and the engine is stronger but the spec available for the same money was poor and the dealers are shocking.

At this time of year I really miss the bottom end power and AWD of my old Impreza but if it snows I'll get the wife's Subaru out and put the IS away. I really wanted to buy a Subaru Legacy SpecB but I am concerned about the future of Subaru in this country. I have dealt with four dealers in the last 13 years of Subaru ownership and all of them have shut down. I was unimpressed with my first visit to my new one a couple of months ago. Their model range has shifted towards the North American market and it shows..........

Anyway, it's good to find a useful source of IS info. Thanks for your help.

[tinka]

With regards to road noise, which is an issue, i wonder how much of a diff a good set of tyres would make to the road noise. I have been looking into this an have narrowed it down to some falken ze912's, when im due to change, as the reports seem quite good.

[Simon_D]

Very little.

A change in tyres will never make a noisy car quiet. I have been down this route with other cars in the past and the differences are tiny if you are talking about road tyres. I've also used sound proofing kits in the past and these are equally ineffective. If you can't live with the road noise then change the car. We will still use the Subaru for long trips away with the family because it is quieter at speed and more spacious - I'm happy to live with the IS for shorter distance work.

[tinka]

The persuit of perfection, yet they can't eradicate road noise.

[rogerthedoger]

Hi all,

I agree with the comments about the boot - i was wondering if there is supposed to be a gas strut assistance ? but maybe not; I'm going to check with the dealer next time I'm over there.

Rattles and creaks - yes, there are a few, particularly bangs from the doors going over some of these ruddy potholes we now are blessed with !! I fixed the worst of the door clunks with the forum suggestion of putting some tape on the B post latch loop - yes I know, it's a Lexus, but, heavy doors and all that, and it is really quiet on decent roads !! no other negative comments from me guys, it is dream to drive - auto box is superb and everything works

I decided against a car with the multimedia package, because I've got a good SatNav, - but i have heard about this mod to fit a popup SatNav holder - anyone know about that?

Noisy tires ? - well, large diameter rims and bootlace tires are well known to be much noisier than the good old big boots.

cheers

[F.A.]

Hi all,

I agree with the comments about the boot - i was wondering if there is supposed to be a gas strut assistance ? but maybe not; I'm going to check with the dealer next time I'm over there.

Rattles and creaks - yes, there are a few, particularly bangs from the doors going over some of these ruddy potholes we now are blessed with !! I fixed the worst of the door clunks with the forum suggestion of putting some tape on the B post latch loop - yes I know, it's a Lexus, but, heavy doors and all that, and it is really quiet on decent roads !! no other negative comments from me guys, it is dream to drive - auto box is superb and everything works

I decided against a car with the multimedia package, because I've got a good SatNav, - but i have heard about this mod to fit a popup SatNav holder - anyone know about that?

Noisy tires ? - well, large diameter rims and bootlace tires are well known to be much noisier than the good old big boots.

cheers

I think the pop up sat nav holder is for the first Gen IS