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OK hello to everyone.

Bought the above a little over a week ago. It has 86k on it and is an sel so has a lot of bells and whistles. Like the comfort and is our second car so to be honest is not my work horse but the wifes.

Now I have an 07 BMW 535d. What I don't understand is the BMW is as fast if not faster than my subaru impreza turbo and will return 40mpg at 120kph. Against this the lexus is very slow particularly on initial pickup and returns about 25mpg at the minute on mixed driving.

To date I have cleaned the egr valve which to be honest wasn't that bad, I've just put in a new air filter and have a can of BG244 to go in at the next fillup. The car also seems to take an inordinately long time for the temp to get to its normal position. Is this normal (15-20mins). I've bought a thermostat but for the life of me cannot see where it goes (those engine bay covers are doing my head in). Any help on where the thermostat lives would be much appreciated.

The turbo has a little whistle on lift off not too bad but there. Is this normal?

Any other help/suggestions on how to increase the performance and/or mpg would be great. It's a nice car but I do not know if I can live with it's mpg and grunt (lack of)

TIA

Pat

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OK hello to everyone.

Bought the above a little over a week ago. It has 86k on it and is an sel so has a lot of bells and whistles. Like the comfort and is our second car so to be honest is not my work horse but the wifes.

Now I have an 07 BMW 535d. What I don't understand is the BMW is as fast if not faster than my subaru impreza turbo and will return 40mpg at 120kph. Against this the lexus is very slow particularly on initial pickup and returns about 25mpg at the minute on mixed driving.

To date I have cleaned the egr valve which to be honest wasn't that bad, I've just put in a new air filter and have a can of BG244 to go in at the next fillup. The car also seems to take an inordinately long time for the temp to get to its normal position. Is this normal (15-20mins). I've bought a thermostat but for the life of me cannot see where it goes (those engine bay covers are doing my head in). Any help on where the thermostat lives would be much appreciated.

The turbo has a little whistle on lift off not too bad but there. Is this normal?

Any other help/suggestions on how to increase the performance and/or mpg would be great. It's a nice car but I do not know if I can live with it's mpg and grunt (lack of)

TIA

Pat

I have a Ventura Tuning box with K&N panel filter. This has improved the car no end and pulls from much lower down and keeps going. Much more torquier and more driveable on a daily basis. I still only really use 3 gears around town but your not waiting for the turbo to kick in anywhere near as much anymore. Not much change in MPG though. The car doesnt like traffic or city driving..

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I definitely would not compare the performance of the bmw535 to the Lexus. I had a bmw330d and its like a sports car in comparison.

The Lexus is a very laid back car partially due to some poor gearing. It takes a certain driving style to make the most out of the torque.

I have read people getting mpg between 20-50mpg depending on what you believe.

I personally think my 220d is a good example of more typical mpg expectations which averages around 35 on A-roads and low 30's around town. Motorway might see between 35-43mpg.

It is certainly not the most economical diesel out there but don't forget it is quiet a hevy lump and also more comfortable than most of the other brands.

It would appear quite normal for the engine to get up to temperature as you describe. I do a few carriageways before I get onto my A-road route and it takes a good 15-20 minutes. In this time your revs will sit around 1200rpm until warm.

Obviously it is cold at present so as it warms up the engine warm time will reduce to around 10 minutes.

Not sure where thermastat is but usually you follow top radiator hose until it hits engine block and they re usually located in some sort of mounting on the side. Sure someone can clarify this but to be honest, your car sounds normal.

Not sure about turbo whistle on lift off. Sounds like a bit of turbo stall or flutter which is probably nothing to worry about.

Carl

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Thanks for the replies. I have to say I am disappointed with the consumption. I would happily wear it if the performance were better but it seems it has the worst of both worlds in that respect. It had a K&N filter which was filthy so maybe between that and the BG244 it will help but the computer read out of 25mpg is shocking. The 1200rpm when cold had me worried for a while too until I had a chat with a lad who has an avensis which does the same.

All in all seems a solid little car but I may become tired of it if it doesn't shape up a bit. My dad used to have an old peugeot 504 2.3d which had more life and similar if not better consumption, and that was 30yrs ago.

I know a lot has to do with driving style etc and I am well used to changing to suit and can coax mid 30s out of the BMW without any trouble on similar journeys to what the Lexus returns 25. I suppose it would be best to describe me as bemused.

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I know where you are coming from. I have both is220 & is250 and to be honest the petrol is only slightly worst on economy when you drive around town. On a run there is little between them and the petrol is considerably smoother, albeit it doesn't necessarily feel lots faster.

I have considered changing the diesel a few times for economy reasons but despite its mediocre mpg I just can't find another car I like to sit in as much currently.

I sold my BMW 330d because I thought the new shape was a boring interior and had very few toys and despite the great performance on most roads I just couldn't use it which made it more frustrating.

The Lexus is a slower car but it also induces slower driving and although its not ideal that performance is somewhat lacking, it suits my driving conditions for the time being.

On top of that I have had my diesel over two years and it has been faultless and very reliable. By comparison my previous three bmw's cost a small fortune to maintain.

The Lexus diesel in particular is a love, hate car and only you can decide if it draw backs are tolerable.

Carl

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The Lexus diesel in particular is a love, hate car and only you can decide if it draw backs are tolerable.

Carl

Problem there being the Mrs loves it and well at the minute I don't :)

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I bought my car at 65K about 3 years ago and now its at 113K . Still going good. Only had one little problem that I fixed myself. The air bag light had come on but wiggling the knee air-bag cable a bit and forcing its two connectors back into position fixed that. I see lots of white smoke in the winters but have been told its normal as engine is cleaning DPF filter. Not happy with mpg, get about 28 town driving, 30- 37 mpg on A roads to work depending on traffic jams, outside temperature and driving style. Only ever breached 45mpg once driving on A roads at 60 in 5th gear for 400 mile journey

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Went on about a 70 mile round journey today shortly after filling up and mpg around the 35 mark. Will decrease in the town over the week I'm sure. Engine does seem to be getting a bit smoother and more linear. Will try AR6200 as indicated in another post but it would appear my mpg isn't a million miles off others experiences. I have to say it is a bit lousy all considered. No wonder they have dropped the diesel. Rattles in the dashboard doing my head in now too so radio etc will be out shortly to try and find whats going on.

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Hi Postman,

I hail from Down myself and the roads there will not suit the IS220d, as they do(as has been said) 'choke up' very easily indeed. It needs regular motorway running to keep it running properly, as I frequently do 100+ mile trips each week and I can feel my car starting to run properly after about 30 miles on such a trip, especially if prior to this it has had a day or two of urban or A/B road driving.

I've run BMWs for years and never had a problem, so it is not my driving style or the type of driving I do on a weekly basis. I changed my MAF and that made no detectable difference, but my car did run better after I used the JML air/EGR cleaner that you spray directly into the air intake; after the MAF sensor. However, my car did then run on an 'off and on basis' for a few days, whereby it felt like the gunge/carbon was cleared from futher up the system and was perhaps blocking the DPF further along the system. My car had never smoked in the previous 3500 miles, but it did 'blow out' one noticeable puff of white smoke when accelerating up a motorway slip road two days after the treatment, and at the same time it felt like I had lifted the anchor(Or more appopriately the tanker given the consumption) I had been pulling. I then got better mpg and even over 40mpg on a run, but you can then feel the car revert back to the tardiness mode as soon as you use it on non-motorway runs.

I run my car on the better brand expensive diesel, such as excellium, in conjunction with AR6200(also redex on occasion) and that makes it feel better, but it is certainly no miracle cure. I would suggest that you don't use supermarket fuel or other non-brand outlets, as that will exacerbate your problem.

Cleaning the EGR - as many do - alone will not solve the problem, but merely provide a shot in the arm - the rest of the system is affected with carbon and that will remain in situ and then block the EGR again. I am going to carry out the cleaning process again via the spray method, but I think I will do it only when there is a DPF type additive in the fuel to see if that will stop it 'clogging up' the DPF.

Despite what some say, the car can feel like a 170 + bhp machine (with enough torque to shift a mountain), as I have managed to find on occassion. Trouble is, it only gives me this on maybe one drive a fortnight if I'm lucky, so it is utterly frustrating!!

Finally, how do you find it on the roads over there, as I don't think mine would fair that well and cope as well as my BMW did during a trip home last year. Any steering jitters or creaks through the front suspension with yours?

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Hi Dromara

I don't know where I'm going with this car to be honest. My heart was set on a GenIV Subaru Legacy 3.0R Spec B (I know it's a bit of a mouthful), and part of my difficulty is that. SWMBO saw the lexus at my mate's garage and she fell in love with it and despite reservations I caved in.

Now I know modern diesels and town driving do not go hand in hand but as I commute to Dublin every day I reasoned that I could keep it clean with a run or two a week in it rather than the BMW. Unfortunately when we were test driving it, the drives were on open A and B roads and to be fair it is not a bad little car for that, it even handles decently though the steering feel is a bit numb. I certainly missed the fact that 1st is a little clunky in progress before 2k rpm, the gearing is stupidly tall and of course the consumption is not what one would expect.

As for squeaks and rattles. Well the dash doesn't like normal (ie poor) roads and the door seals make themselves known over speed bumps. I also think there may be front right suspension wear as it seems to clunk a little on first take off of the day. Some of these issues are normal wear and tear I'm sure but others aren't. To be honest the build quality is not up to the 535d which is the same age and the BM is not up to Subaru standards for reliability. To say I'm underwhelmed by Lexus would be a slight understatement.

Now the car has some good points. The suspension is more forgiving than the Bm Msport. The leather feels a lot more comfortable, it's just a pity the shape of the seats isn't on a par with the BMW comfort ones. The multi media pack is a bit of a novelty and handy when waiting to pick up the kids etc. The vent choices on the aircon is poor and the fact that the car raises it's idle revs by 400rpm when cold to provide heat is nuts.

I've cleaned the egr, a tank of BG244 is nearly through and I have some Ar6200 waiting in the garage. If for no other reason than herself loves the thing we will be hanging on to it for a little while longer. I might nip up to Belfast though to try the petrol version to see if that would appease me. A friend has a GS450h and has been urging me to look at those so I might even though I feel it may be a little too big for what we want.

It's a good little car with some serious issues, if that makes sense. I'm usually quite tolerant but this car has me perplexed. I think Lexus really dropped the ball with it. It has potential but is hobbled by a silly gearing in the gearbox and an engine which is very inflexible. If I can get ours to breathe properly I think it may be a goer, at the minute you can feel it is choked and not getting into it's stride at low revs. maybe thats the way it is and if that is so it might be a goer as in gone.

As for bringing yours over on holidays. To be honest the suspension on mine copes very well, it's just the trim which has issues and which I can hopefully fix if we decide to hang on to it.

Sorry that probably reads as a mindless rant

Pat

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Guest bigbullhead

Fuel filter above the axle is something you should change mine had not been done in the 110000 of its life till I got it serviced and asked to have it changed!!! It was mingling and tight on the mechanic took an hour to take it off lol

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Ok a little update. The car has gone through two tanks of fuel since my last post. The first had a tin of BG244 and the second had AR6200. The car is getting better with each mile we put on it. The BG244 seems to have cleared some of the muck out of it and the AR6200 would appear to be helping too. On very mixed driving we got 35.2mpg (done the old fashioned way with a calculator, though to be fair the computer was only about 1.5mpg pessimistic). Long runs would appear to return just over 40mpg maybe as much as 42mpg with stooging around town about 27mpg.

I am warming to the car slowly (I don't have much option apparently :innocent: ). When and if the weather warms up a bit the centre dash is for out as it rattles like a banshee. Then gearbox is a bit notchy when cold too so will have a look at sorting that with maybe an oil change and/or additive. It still sounds like a sick tractor (compared to the 535d anyway) at idle but when going is actually not too bad at all.

At some point in the not too distant future a couple of areas are going to need a paint touchup, mainly stone chips but there is one area on the boot lid which the previous owner must have carried something which shouldn't have been in there. Also the dreaded wheels are terrible. I DIY these normally but am also considering a second set of alloys for winters next year which will help.

All that will remain then is finding out how a lot of the stuff works (satnav etc) which might mean reading the manual something one doesn't always seem find time to do :eerrrmm:

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm glad it is moving in the right direction for you Pat.

I had thought about the Subaru Legacy Boxer diesel, but they are hard to get with fewer miles on the clock (at the price anyway), and I do think the IS has aged very well indeed as a shape.

I would suggest that you also try the cleaner that you need to spray diectly into the air intake whilst the car is running, as this purports to clean the carbon build-up from the top half of the system, along with the EGR and the turbo's vanes. When I've done it it has intially made a clear difference to the low-rev urge, but then you can feel the motor clog up for a period of time(a week or more) before it then seems to clear when it has eventually burned off. I haven't done this in conjunction with anything other than AR6200 in the fuel, so it is perhaps wiser to do it with something like BG244 in the tank to assist with getting the durge through the DPF etc.

You mentioned that you may have some suspension wear. It may not be the same fault, but it may be worth checking your drop links, as I have just had my car into my classic car mechanic and he fully assessed the front/rear suspension and steering rack, and nothing was moving aside from the drop links. They are a short/stocky design in the IS and they apparently shoulder quite a bit of the work - mine moved by just grabbing them with your hand, but yet they weren't split. The backs hardly moved at all, so there was a clear difference. They are also not cheap, as I have bought some genuine parts from Toyota for the tidy sum of £143! BMW replacements are much cheaper despite being longer, but then the other items in the BM design tend to come as part of an expensive wishbone. I'm told the Lexus bits are typically individual items.

I'm still miffed that I'm having to replace suspension on a car with 45k, but the suspension did seem to look very well engineered. Shame you can't say the same about the engine and the interior trim, and I suppose I will be happy if the front end is tighter and doesn't feel disconnected in concrete surfaced multi-storey carparks.

I'm thinking of having the next service carried out early, as I wonder if the software updates will provide a marked difference - mine seems to choke itself most of the time, unless you push through it. Are you aware that some cars have a tendency to over-fuel and cause excessive carbon build-up?

David

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My engine was replaced under warranty by the previous owner not long before I bought the car at 40,000.

I have now done 84,000 and fingers crossed all seems fine.

That said, I have noticed on occasion that when you part depress the accelerator you can feel the car almost brake rather than accelerate.

after this momentary pause it goes through whatever causes this and accelerates as normal.

It doesnt always do it and I wonder if this something slightly blocked somewhere.

I have never had the DPF cleaned but do the EGR every 10,000 or so miles.

Carl

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guys ive recently bought an is220d sport and was wondering what the mpg return you get is, as my trip computer says at the moment im getting around tank average of 30mpg with gear changes around 2.3k revs

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I think i know what the problem is. Your trying to compare a IS to a 5 series and a 6 cylinder diesel to a 4 cylinder diesel. Two very different car classes and two very different engines. The IS has always been in the same class as the 3 series, and even then Lexus has its own uniqueness and way of building cars. Ive always preferred the laid back relaxed driving style of Lexus over BMWs sporty and dynamic approach. So like people have already said its down to what you prefer.

Ive always said 4 cylinder diesels are a waste of time. You will get the best out of diesel technology with a 6 cylinder. Even most HGVs have 6 cylinder, its just the best way to utilise diesel as you have found in your 535d, not to mention this was Lexus's first and last attempt at making a diesel engine :unsure:

Maybe you should of looked at the GS450h. 0-62 5.9 seconds, and the economy of a 1.6 Petrol, even more so around town, with the quality your looking for too... but still wont drive or feel like a BMW of course.

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I would suggest that you also try the cleaner that you need to spray diectly into the air intake whilst the car is running, as this purports to clean the carbon build-up from the top half of the system, along with the EGR and the turbo's vanes. When I've done it it has intially made a clear difference to the low-rev urge, but then you can feel the motor clog up for a period of time(a week or more) before it then seems to clear when it has eventually burned off. I haven't done this in conjunction with anything other than AR6200 in the fuel, so it is perhaps wiser to do it with something like BG244 in the tank to assist with getting the durge through the DPF etc.

David

Hi David

Thanks for the reply and could I ask what intake cleaner you used. I have been googling and have ended up googly eyed. The best seems to be a BG product but you need a special rig to put that in. The car is definitely better than it was but is still very lethargic till it gets to 2k revs. We are averaging 30mpg around town which isn't too bad I suppose. The take off from standstill though has had me worried a couple of times as I got badly caught out.

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I think i know what the problem is. Your trying to compare a IS to a 5 series and a 6 cylinder diesel to a 4 cylinder diesel. Two very different car classes and two very different engines. The IS has always been in the same class as the 3 series, and even then Lexus has its own uniqueness and way of building cars. Ive always preferred the laid back relaxed driving style of Lexus over BMWs sporty and dynamic approach. So like people have already said its down to what you prefer.

Ive always said 4 cylinder diesels are a waste of time. You will get the best out of diesel technology with a 6 cylinder. Even most HGVs have 6 cylinder, its just the best way to utilise diesel as you have found in your 535d, not to mention this was Lexus's first and last attempt at making a diesel engine :unsure:

Maybe you should of looked at the GS450h. 0-62 5.9 seconds, and the economy of a 1.6 Petrol, even more so around town, with the quality your looking for too... but still wont drive or feel like a BMW of course.

I'm not really trying to compare the two cars. I have owned and driven 4 cylinder diesels over the last 30+ years. The effort in the IS is the worst by a margin. I bought it eyes open but am still a little disappointed. It's not a bad little car but would be considerably better if a 30 year old peugeot lump and gearbox were dropped into it, and could be great if a modern diesel were utilised. It's our second car and apart from dropping the kids to school and a weekly run of about 90 miles return to keep it healthy doesn't really do alot. The GS is just a little too big and what happens when the duracells wear out?

At the moment I am not convinced that our car is performing as it should and is the reason I'm on here moaning and trying to pick people's brains to see how I can improve it. I'm a bit of a silly sod and will persevere even if the engine goes bang and I have to put a new lump in (myself). If that does happen I might try and convert it to petrol.

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I think i know what the problem is. Your trying to compare a IS to a 5 series and a 6 cylinder diesel to a 4 cylinder diesel. Two very different car classes and two very different engines. The IS has always been in the same class as the 3 series, and even then Lexus has its own uniqueness and way of building cars. Ive always preferred the laid back relaxed driving style of Lexus over BMWs sporty and dynamic approach. So like people have already said its down to what you prefer.

Ive always said 4 cylinder diesels are a waste of time. You will get the best out of diesel technology with a 6 cylinder. Even most HGVs have 6 cylinder, its just the best way to utilise diesel as you have found in your 535d, not to mention this was Lexus's first and last attempt at making a diesel engine :unsure:

Maybe you should of looked at the GS450h. 0-62 5.9 seconds, and the economy of a 1.6 Petrol, even more so around town, with the quality your looking for too... but still wont drive or feel like a BMW of course.

I'm not really trying to compare the two cars. I have owned and driven 4 cylinder diesels over the last 30+ years. The effort in the IS is the worst by a margin. I bought it eyes open but am still a little disappointed. It's not a bad little car but would be considerably better if a 30 year old peugeot lump and gearbox were dropped into it, and could be great if a modern diesel were utilised. It's our second car and apart from dropping the kids to school and a weekly run of about 90 miles return to keep it healthy doesn't really do alot. The GS is just a little too big and what happens when the duracells wear out?

At the moment I am not convinced that our car is performing as it should and is the reason I'm on here moaning and trying to pick people's brains to see how I can improve it. I'm a bit of a silly sod and will persevere even if the engine goes bang and I have to put a new lump in (myself). If that does happen I might try and convert it to petrol.

Sorry, its just how it read to me. Anyhow this is no surprise to me. im a full blown petrol head and even i know the IS220D, how can i put this nicely, not up to scratch. I thought it was common knowledge. Like i said Lexus first and last attempt at making a diesel, says it all really. Saying that Toyota seem to know what there doing in that department. Well hopefully you can iron out some of the issues your having. keep us posted, especially if you convert it to petrol :blink: :)

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  • 1 month later...

I get around 34ish around town and 38ish on short motorway journeys. but on hour plus journeys I can get well over 45mpg :)

just depends on how you're driving it, I drive it like im following an old vw campervan, slow and gentle!

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Guest bigbullhead

I think that driving the is220D steady is a bad thing on my opinion as I think that's where my dpf went funny as I was trying to get the best mpg now I use the throttle abit more harsher and its better and I still get 39 which I am happy with which is better than the 44 mpg and a dodgy dpf lol

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I get around 34ish around town and 38ish on short motorway journeys. but on hour plus journeys I can get well over 45mpg :)

just depends on how you're driving it, I drive it like im following an old vw campervan, slow and gentle!

You need to give a welllying every now and then to get that 5th injector working and promote DPF regeneration

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I'm guessing it may smoke a wee bit for a short period?

Once had a plume of whiteish smoke come out for about 1-2 mins on way from Scotland to Bournemouth. Over 600 miles in one day...so its safe to say she got hot. I would have been doing 75mph in 5th. Never used 6th the whole time I had it.

As I understand it, the filter can, pretty much, get red hot and this burns off all the carbon/soot/gum/varnish deposits in the filter.

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