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Thanks Robb... I've left a deposit today and I'm over the moon! The advert just popped up and I made the most impulsive decision in years today! Like I said to Robb, I only had a kidney transplant few weeks ago and life has already shown me to live for your dreams and desires. thanks again and long live Lexus!

Well today is a very sad day. Stuck the Lexus up for sale this morning and sale agreed less then 5 hours later with a deposit taken! Happy to say it is going to someone who happens to be a forum member so at least I know it is going to another enthusiast and you can all follow the progress further if the buyer makes any changes! I will miss this car so much it has been by far the best car I have ever owned all hope is not lost though as I do aim to find myself in an RX or NX in the future just can't afford one at the moment!

A 2002 and just turned 54k. Proper one careful lady owner stuff. And very much enjoying the 2JZ in it's more subdued form...

No problem John...aka... Royoftherovers 47 years driving, under 70...Retired....4 accidents/incidents ...all no faults on my part...one of which wrote off the car 25 years ago...two rear-end incidents...one sideswipe. Never anyone hurt. Always Fully Comprehensive ...always NCB Protected...never lost NCB. Never cost extra other than inflationary rises which happen anyway. Most recent incident rear-end 4 years ago...never claimed injury only for material damage. Rather than wait for insurance to be worked out always got the car fixed through my Comprehensive Policy ...in one case had to be replaced with brand new...would always use insurers recommended garage...never penalised. Never received any points on my licence. (which helps insurance too) Only ever used mainstream companies to insure...never a broker. THE END...again!

Last hot news !!! News OEM black Lexus IS carpet : Saturday, I tinted the windows and poses of the SpeedHunters windshield : While my friend worked on the glass, I took off the badge of the trunk, I just kept the central emblem to make a contrast with the chrome and the black windows. And to day, two another little upgrade Passage of the third stop light in led : K2000 spirit : And a new trunk lighting, because the original one is really ridiculous : Before : After : The force :

Warm blanket, thermos, Kendal mint cake

So the journey continues, once i confirmed the prop was good to go i pulled the box back out. Now it was time to decide on a clutch setup. I have been watching alot of vlogs on youtube of people running supras and IS300s and 1 guy in particular his chanel is "garage project motorsports" now this guy has pretty much done exactly what my intentions are, very informative, attention to detail is amazing and an interesting chanel to watch. This guy did use a single disc setup clutch but he blew this to pieces and wiped out the bell housing in the process, he is running slightly less bhp and torque to what my goal is. So he swapped it out for a clutch masters twin disc setup and said its the best decision hes made............... Ding dong delivery 😂 i had considered at clutch masters fx850 but it was very very expensive!! I went with the spec twin disc, ive had to use a 1jz kit because of the fitment to the gearbox and it all still bolts straight up to the 2jz (good old toyota again 👍). in this kit it includes a rebuildable very lightweight flywheel, the hydraulic throw out bearing (so converting it from pull type clutch), braided clutch lines and a wilwood clutch master cynider. None of these extra bits come with the clutch masters fx850 and its cheaper. It will handle near enough 1500NM of torque ............... (i know i had to read this twice too) which is over kill but as we all know toyota over manufactured everything in this era which made them so reliable so why should i stop that tradition. Few more pics to admire its beauty ....... There it is in all its glory, 1 6puck sprung disc, 1 6puck unsprung disc, center plate, pressure cover and that buildable flywheel. Once this was trial fitted to the gearbox to confirm the spline fitment i was back on the mission to sort the gearstick issue. This bit is going to be tricky, this being the 3rd revision of the box means the shifter housing extension has a slightly different bolt spacing. Everywhere i looked just seemed to get me to a extension housing that was the early style fitments. There are places that do custom billet made housings but you also need the rod that goes inside which you cannot seem to by anywhere 2nd hand. The 1 i needed for mine i had no idea where to even get the correct part number and because its not the standard housing for the box i have toyota could not even try to look it up on there system. Every project thread i found for an r154 swap was using the early box so i was on my own. I thought i was stuck untill just randomly searching on google images i came across a housing that is very close to what i need. This housing is from a very strange looking car called a Toyota Verossa... This you probably guessed is fitted with a 1jz which uses the r154 (good old toyota 👍..... again) . So i got hold of the part number for the housing and got 1 ordered up ........ fast and furious style "overnight parts from japan" this comes with that rod inside too. Old tripod setup....^^^ New setup ....^^^ this sits around 1inch further forward which now puts the stick in a decent position, coupled with a short shifter it should be perfect with plenty room from the trim surround. The added bonus of its original toyota part too. More to come .............

I'm new to the whole Lexus thing too. Picked up my low mileage IS300 a few weeks ago. So I'll be watching this thread. Not that I plan on doing anything remotely similar to my old girl but so I can shake my head and say "You crazy kids..." a lot.

Haha you are right it is a huge slippery slope 😂 cheers for the support. Now thats an idea for the is200 badge, would be fun if i could use original is200 wheels to, could probably suprise a few people! The v160 would be a dream as these will handle 1000bhp aswell as being 6speed. There is something about the soarer that keeps me looking at them, i had considered that but the smaller size of the IS swung my decision. This was the good thing about the Focus RS mk1 is that they just kept going up in value, so the money ive made off the Focus i have just ploughed straight into this. By the time its done i would have input very little extra money to build this and ive got a car way more reliable, way more driveable, hell of alot quicker, sounds nicer, better place to sit in and something easy and cheap enough to fix if it ever has a little bump not like the Focus.

Bought is220d in Feb. Have had constant battle with the vsc eml triangle Xmas light display on and off for months. Had the egr cleaned, used lots of dpf cleaner, serviced with Mobil 1 fully synth oil. Longest lights stayed off was for three months. Now they are back, even mainly motorway driving hasn't cured it. I checked my fuel cap, cleaned it and the filler neck. Guess what? It clicked when locked left it few seconds and it clicked open again. Who notices it you just fuel up lock and go. Next time you get a chance just check your cap is staying locked might be causing someone a vsc eml lightest. went and got a replacement cap. Fitted it hey presto lights out. Had good drive on motorway as usual and five minutes from home vsc eml again. the car never goes into limp mode either so assuming not a serious fault. Just want it to go bang so can justify to swmbo to get nice is250 auto

Oh! just what the build section needs, I've pulled up a chair. Cheerleading section at your service. In the days of Soarer ownership, I used to dream of V160 and R154 but even the rich kids couldn't afford them. No need to spill all of the beans just yet but I hope I know where this is going. I considered taking on an Aristo project a few years ago but the big bhp slippery slope looked a bit too steep at the time. If it was mine, I would re-badge it as an IS200.

Well, I did another run to France and back. About 2000kms total. The trac light and abs problem turned out to be a broken front brake back plate that was twisting back and forth and pulling on the abs sensor wire. Finally set the tps up properly. Had a broken egr pipe, which i removed and blanked off. Finished the new stainless dual exhaust system including 120 cell race cats. Notice more power at 4000rpm and above. Below I don't feel much difference). The car flew through its yearly test, emissions good. The 2000km trip was flawless. Average speed over 200km runs on the trip on some motorways 130 -170 (80 - 110mph). So no difference noticed with the egr removed. Average consumption on 98 ron 1ltre to 11km (about 28mpg) So everything seems fine. So I think I can safely say the problem is solved.

Starting to think about Winter, on the year's hottest September day. Just cleaned out my and my wife's Pollen Filters. They were dirty! Tyres fine. Antifreeze fine. Battery new. Hi Viz in the boot. Anything else?

I am impressed and a little surprised that I havent had less than 39mpg (calculated) yet, mixed driving with a lot of stop start through rush hour traffic which depletes the battery quite quickly. The last tank was again 39mpg but the car said 38.6. The cars fuel consumption calculation is the closest to actual that I have had in any car. My previous IS300H was consistently at least 5-6% optimistic Does anyone else have similar experience

Lexus CT voted as the most reliable car in the Autoexpress 2017 Driver Survey... http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/best-cars/driver-power/64280/most-reliable-cars-to-buy-in-2017

Treated the ISF today as the weather was great!

It's about now The Daily Express do their snowmageddon story isn't it?

Thanks matey, still trying to work my way round the project threads and the rest of the site. Some real good impressive stuff on here.

Yeah I'm glad its staying on the forum. I won't lie I'll be gutted with every new picture that appears when it isn't in my drive but that's life. I'm getting there slowly done a couple of jobs to make it a bit more "me" not going to lie it isn't half the car the Lexus is but it is more suited to a baby or 2! Plus the wife likes being sat up high in it. It's had the emissions recall done though and after speaking with the local master tech at the dealership that will be coming off and it would be rude not to remap at the same time!

Yeah there is obviously no difference in the brakes on the IS but can completely understand why they would be different on the hybrid, basically the was I would describe the PWR button is that it just suits the way I like to drive

I'm guessing its more than just the gearing ratios on your car unlike the IS250 but I always leave my IS in "PWR" mode its a much better drive in my opinion with no negative effects on fuel economy as long as I drive the same as with PWR off

Now this is what I call a build thread, top work! Look forward to watching the progress!

Very very interesting Paul.Not too dissimilar from my own experience. I`m approaching 71. Fully comp all of my driving life.Always fully protected ncb. 2 accidents, both my fault, many years ago, .... both approaching roundabout expecting car in front to move off..it didn1t so I HIT IT.Never losr ncb.Never claimed for injury.Never received any points on licence. Only ever used mainstream too. We must have a beer or or 7 seven sometime!! Regards John

Finally had a chance to get out with the car and my camera today. Still looking to scout out some cool locations for a more dramatic photoshoot but these will do for now! VJ

de-icer, scraper and a telescopic shovel

Washer bottle topped up with winter screenwash in it Put the hi-viz in the cabin rather than the boot - you need to be visible the moment you step out if you break down in an awkward place.

Yes alot wider, im not giving any clues on body kit i want just yet (nothing extreme) but i will be using a 10.5 inch wide wheel on the back so maybe a 285 or a 295 tyre, i will probably need a 20mm spacer on the back to keep it flush with the kit

Hi Mark I did wonder if you had disconnected the battery earth as there's very little danger whilst swapping the amp connections. Lurking in a box under a pile of electronic stuff I did find this. I think the radio/CD unit was just a good spare. It's been there gathering dust for ages, PM me where to send it if it's a match for yours.

Good research on the transmission, the mods may need to consider an '18 cert' for the clutch assembly pictures. Just been to the garage to look for some radio bits for an LS430 and the V8 SC is now looking woefully under-powered. The Soarer is a very special car. Only those that know really understand the statement but it's quite a big lump with some old skool high tech to navigate so you're better off with the IS 300. Like your thinking on the standard wheels but fear much smoke and tyre shredding could follow. There are low key wider alternatives that may not give it away but with lots of power are you considering a wider track?

Have you got your owners book. It covers in there all the different configurations for door locking and unlocking. Page 19

Sorry matey i posted this after seeing just the 1st page!! Still getting use to the forum. MIJ is not far from me, the next 3 pages was very interesting!! What a build, alot of time and effort ploughed into this, love it

Great build what a transformation! You are right they are a wolf in sheeps clothing, i bet that sounds amazing now with that exhaust, where in the midlands did you get it done? Headunit install looks good too!

Admiral and associated companies don't let you drive other vehicles. Not really a concern as dealer has insurance for the courtesy car anyway

Sounds like a bit more than tyre pressures. I would get it to a garage and let them take it for a test drive.

My car computer says 40.4mpg average after my first 1000 miles or so. I've not checked the gallons in versus miles out myself. That's after some fairly mixed driving though I tend to drive fairly gently and keep below 60mph on motorways. I keep the car in "Normal" mode and I've had plenty of start-stop journeys. Which? magazine reported 37.2mpg combined for the RX. I tend to trust Which? The Fuelly website reports 27.1mpg average for a 2016 RX. This is for mostly US results so this will be miles per US gallon i.e. about 32.5 miles per "real" gallon. I had an IS220D before and it's computer said 34.5mpg - so I'm well pleased (and surprised).

Hi all. Just thought I'd share my experience with cleaning the cashmere leather in the LS400 MKIV . I've tried a couple of different leather cleaners, neither of which really shifted the grime. I saw a video on YouTube of a guy using cif cleaner to really clean them. Well, I've tried it and i am amazed with the difference. Once wiped off and given a condition the leather is clean and supple. No damage and worked a treat. Here's a before and after. I had no idea quite how dirty they were.

On mats I have also used old fashioned Swarfega. We had car mats that were covered in lots of brown/black diesel grease after a forced stop in a lorry car park. In the bath. Vacuum well. Swarfega on the grease, with a nail brush. Amazing how it lifts it out. Then 1001 carpet cleaner next. (from a £1 shop?), rubbed in well. Big wash in fresh water in the bath and a drain. On to the washing line in the direct sun. One day later, immaculate dry car mats smelling wonderful. Total cost.......about 75p.

You say "same commute, same roads" but that commute could be different every day, being affected by weather (especially wind speed and direction), minute differences in accelerator pressure and a whole host of other parameters. As for detergents and cleaners in the 'super petrol', your theory may well be right. If they have actually cleaned the engine and its components then you should now be able to go back to 'normal' petrol and see an improvement in mpg over what you used to get on normal petrol, now that the engine is cleaner. If it holds true, maybe the same effect could be had by chucking some Redex or other engine cleaner in the tank every now and then, which may work out cheaper.

My RX has returned a better mpg after running a few months on Shell Vpower. I previously only ran it on 'normal', I once filled up about £45 with higher octane v power from almost empty and noticed no difference at all, so reverted to normal. However in the past 4 months I've done nothing but run it on higher octane v-power and my average mpg has now increased by 3. Same Commute, same roads, on average. I actually do not attribute this to the octane difference but more so the additional detergents they claim they put in it help clean the fuel system and touch point engine components. Which I feel is supported by the fact I had to run it on v-power consistently and it was a while before I started seeing postive results but those results have remained. I otherwise agree on your assesment of octane vs vehicle requirements. I believe the RX manual advises 91 minimum which I believe most branded fuel is in the UK.

To get a true mileage figure just sign up to fuelly.com (click on my sig to take you there if you like or there's even an app for your phone if you want to do it 'at the pump') and enter the details of a few fill-ups; you'll soon see the 'real world' mpg as the pattern emerges. And at the risk of igniting the age-old discussion, there's really no need to spend extra money on Shell V-Power or any other brand of 'super fuel' unless your engine is tuned to make use of it (and even then it's still very debatable as to whether there's any benefit or not).

Well done finding a low mileage example and hopefully the damage is limited to just the panels. She's cleaned up pretty well tho [emoji106] It's good to see someone getting properly 'stuck in' to a job. Will be interested to see how the car develops. Good luck.

Well done David, gorgeous colour and interior looks spotless. Car looks well cared for, worth paying the money for the right car. I had the 300 Sportcross, if it's the same engine, an inline 6 then it's the best engine i've ever known. Oh, and a sunroof, the only thing I really miss in my RX450. Enjoy it, nice stable of cars to have. Ed

When I first purchased my is250 that had the original dunlop tyres fitted I was disappointed with the load tyre noise. However I've recently had uniroyal rainsport's fitted all round and barely notice any road noise at all. These are by far my favourite tyres and I've had them fitted to several of my previous vehicles. In the wet nothing can touch them. They stick to the road like glue.

Yes it's neat that the sensors return it to the set position, Lexus have always been clever with mirrors. I wish they would bring back the ultrasonic door mirrors used in the V8 Soarers. Cleaned the raindrops away in a matter of seconds.

Although for the earlier model the proceedure on the link below is basically the same for the later LS400 radio removal. http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/audio/headunit.html If you don't fancy repairing the head unit yourself feel free to PM me as I have done several of them for other members.

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