Is220D Hard Clutch Concern

[nad1123]

Hi

This is my first post on the forum. I bought my IS220 D (06 plate) about a year ago its done 45,000 miles, from the beginning I felt the clutch was pretty tough when pushing it down. It seems to be getting worse. I'm concerned its on its way out and that will be an expensive job it fix. Not sure what I can do about it, is there anyway I can check to see if the clutch is going. Is it worth taking out an extend warranty. Appreciate any advice.

Thanks

Nadeem

[steve2006]

Hello and welcome to the LOC.

From where did you buy the car, was it privately or a dealer? Personally if I wasn't sure about the clutch at the time of purchase I would either have walked away, asked questions or tried another of the same model to compare clutch operation.

The IS220d uses a DMF which is expensive to replace and they have a reputation of poor reliability but whether this would explain the heavy clutch I don't know.

Extended warranties IIRC will not cover clutch systems as they are subject to "fair wear and tear"

[nad1123]

Hi Steve

Apologies for the late reply, I've been away on holiday and I'm only just catching upon my mails. I bought the car privately but really only started to notice the clutch after I bought it. I was thinking of taking the car into the local showroom to see if Lexus can tell me if its on its way out or whether the clutch can be adjusted to make it a little easier on the foot when driving in heavy traffic. I'm hoping its not a clutch replacement issue but I'm not sure how to go about finding out what the route cause of the problem is.

Thanks

[steve2006]

Sounds like a plan, if the dealer has a similar car in stock it may be worth comparing the 2 regarding clutch operation.

[normski2]

Clutch slave cylinder on its way out?

[Muleatron]

No adjustment as it's a hydraulic clutch so the only way is for you to compare it with another car and see what you think but other than that its gearbox removal and physically assess the condition of the clutch and flywheel.

That may sound daunting but to take a gearbox out of an IS220 is not a big job at all, I did my first clutch replacement on one in about 3 hours so someone who has done a fair few could do it in about 2 I would say