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Hi, I have been kicking around this site for a while now and I thought it was about time I actually posted something. Here is my guide on how to fit a tow bar to an IS200. Hopefully, everything in this guide is correct, if you see something wrong please tell me. I removed all the boot linings so that I could clean the car out and have a good look around. I took the next few pic’s to show the various wiring connectors and the two drainage tubes coming down from the sunroof. You can also see the alarm siren and remote opening ECU tucked up in the "C" pillars. 290 291 292 294 You can also see some surface rust appearing deep in the inside of the rear arches. This is due to water ingress that I think gets in through the rectangular shaped vents. I expect this happens while driving through deep puddles and jet washing. You can't seal these up, they are needed for air circulation. I will be rust proofing the area later. 293 295 Make sure you have everything available, bolts, nuts, washers etc. especially if like me you brought a second hand part. This cost me £30 from Ebay - yes you can still get bargains off there. 296 I have wire brushed and painted it, you cant put dirty things onto a car. The next pic shows the rear tow bracket and under tray. Both need to be removed before trying to fit the towbar. The under tray is attached buy four rusty nuts so use some penetrating spray and the Tow bracket is attached by three bolts. Keep one bolt handy because you need to refit it to the car. 297 298 The rear silencer needs to be dropped. I pulled the rubbers from the back box but I think you can unbolt the complete rear hanger, be careful because rust will have got to these as well. 299 Don't forget to support the silencer. I didn't jack up the car so I just used a couple of bricks and jack to take the weight and dropped it lower when I needed to. I didn't want to leave it at an awkward angle any more than necessary and have to deal with a split pipe. 304 I also put some tape over the bumper to help avoid and scratches. These pic’s show the rust developing, remember this car is getting on for 12 years old so I expected a bit. I cleaned this up and treated it. If you look at the rear sub frame mountings there is some light surface rust appearing. This could develop into an expensive MOT failure in later years. 293 295 300 301 302 I also took a pic of the car looking from the back to the front so you can all see and compare. If I find myself with some spare time this year I might rust proof the underneath. 303 The exhaust heat shield needs to be removed. You can see that two of the bolts snapped when I tried to remove them. You could try soaking the bolts in a penetrating fluid for longer but if you see the large holes in the heat shield I think you will have trouble, keep an eye out for my 'repair' in later pic’s. 305 306 Underneath the heat shield you can see there is less rust. You can also see two blanking bolts. These need to be removed. 307 Trial fit the tow bar to check that it is straight and fits nicely. Four of the six holes are pre drilled and threaded for you. The remaining two should be marked (using the tow bar as a guide) 308 309 310 If you look carefully in the pictures you can see dimples in the chassis rails. These are guides to show you where to drill. They are more obvious from the top than the bottom. The one on the nearside was difficult to find, I had to take off some paint and rust proofing to locate it. Measure, check and measure then do it again to make sure. You will be drilling into the chassis rails. This will affect the structural integrity of the car so it never hurts to take your time over this. You can drill a pilot hole from the top and then the bottom using the dimples as a guide rather than using a long bit and drilling two holes at once. 312 311 If you are confident then you can use a long drill bit and drill right through I used a long 5mm drill bit to drill a pilot hole and drilled from the top down. Make sure the drill is square to the chassis rails otherwise you will come out in the wrong place. Check to see if you are in the correct place by offering the towbar up to the car. Once you are happy the pilot holes are central to the towbar bolt holes use a hole cutter to enlarge them so that they can accept the tubes from the bolts. 313 The upper and lower holes have to line up. I drilled from the top through. 314 You will also have to drill a hole so that the cable can enter the body and connect to the lights. I drilled this by the jack housing. Check that everything fits. Then rust proof. Pay particular attention to any bare metal. I used Kurust rust killer and then some galvanized spray paint. The spray is great for underneath the car, I used it in the front arches when I replaced all the suspension last year. Don’t forget to paint the inside of the chassis rails too. 316 317 319 318 Fit the towbar and run the cable into the car using a rubber grommet to seal the hole and secure the cable. I think that with some towbars you have to cut the bumper a little. It was tight on mine with the lower lip of the bumper rubbing on the electrical socket plate. 320 321 I used some copper slip grease on all bolts and threads. I have a big pot of this so I use it on everything. It helps to keep everything from rusting. Tighten everything to the specified torque. Both the under tray and the exhaust heat shield need to be cut to fit back on the car. 322 323 324 Refit the exhaust, I removed and cleaned up the exhaust hanger while I had easier access. This is the original exhaust so I expect I will have to replace it in the near future. 325 Now you have to connect the wiring. Because the IS has a bus system with bulb failure warning system you cannot just connect to the rear lights as with older cars, you need a bypass relay. This device takes a signal from the light wiring and draws power for the trailer from a source more suitable. I couldn’t find a permanent or switched live in the boot suitable for the amount of current that I could be pulling in the so I ran a live from the battery. This MUST be fused. You also need an earth. I stayed away from the earths already used, this car has far too many ECU’s for my liking so the less I disturb them the better. Place the Bypass relay somewhere easy to access, away from the possibility of water or mechanical damage. I found the ideal place but then realized that it was in the way of the jack!! If you are planning on towing a caravan you will need to run extra cabling. The picture below shows the wiring connections. A lot of people don’t like the blue connectors but the alternative is to strip the insulation and solder, it's up to you. 326 Keep it as neat as you can and tape up the loom when you have finished. Check everything is secure and then replace all the boot trim. That’s it. You have to bear in mind any license restrictions when towing especially for you youngsters. You should also be aware of the vehicle, tow bar and trailer limitations.

I took the plunge in back in December and ordered my new company car. An IS 300h F-Sport in white. After what seemed like forever i took delivery in March and i love it. Unfortunately so does my wife.... So much so that on Friday we part exchanged her VW EOS and in 15 days time we'll be collecting her new CT 200h f-sport, white, premium nav, sunroof. Does that mean we now have Alexus's are is it Lexi? :-)

A nice birthday treat indeed - looks very good. I had a couple of w126s myself - a white 420SEL (2000-2012) and a black 500SEL (2005-2013). Both now sold and replaced by two Mk 3 LS400s. I liked the w126s - hence the long period of ownership - but on balance I think I prefer the LS400s. I hope the keep them for a long time too. Enjoy the w220!!

John hi , the remote fobs you describe sound the same as my Mk3 ones , as for the keys if the non Lexus one is not a transponder key that has been programmed for your car then it will behave as you describe . I can only assume that pushing certain pedals overides the immobilizer in some way to allow the car to start ,if that is the case it is not much of a theft deterrent . I have had a spare key done at a local key cutting shop, the wife looks after this in case I lock my keys in the boot again , the key opens all the doors and turns on the ignition but wont start the engine . Will have to try that pedal trick to see if I can start the engine with it . Glad you have got your other fob working ,its good to have a spare .

His labour would double the price of the car. Wish they would knock on my door

Ever noticed how they never include Labour charges for poor old Edd. If I knew where he hung out I would book my cars in there. Parts only, rather appealing. Mike

Do you know that rather than buying a new 3 button key, you can convert your 2 button one? no soldering is required,just get a 3 button key case and a repacement 3 button rubber. The 3rd button is already in place on circuit board.On the denso key anyway.

Note:All users are required to read the Workshop Disclamer. If you want to take apart your headlights to either paint them or remove the orange indicator bar here is how.... Front lights dismanteling. removal of light,undo the 2 screws on the top,there is also 2 screws behind the indicator 10mm,you can acces these through the arch liner,the left side is harder cos of the washer bottle(deep 10mm) dont forget to disconnect the cables........1 main,1 side,1 indicator and high beam,they are a press release(press at the tail of the plug) when you come to remove the light,there is a plastic clip at the bottom,use a flat point to push the prongs down,and be a little brutal pulling it out!!!!!! ok, the lights are out... headlamp dismantling get a flat point screwdriver and a hairdryer,starting at the bottom edge of the light working your way around,dont concentrate in one area at the moment,your trying to get the glue and plastic soft once you have got everything hot ,starting with the bottom edge again,use the screwdriver to prise back the edge(heating as you go) remove any glue you can get to,work around the whole light ......but dont prise back the plastic on the top. now once you have got this far ..........start heating the whole light but concentrate more on the thin edge of the light(nearest the grill) get it hot,now slowley pull the lens back,it will be difficult at first,keep heating the edgesas you pull it back ,keep the glue as soft as possible when you are left with the end that has the indicator in heat it up well theres lots of glue here,then slowly seperate it.... the chrome surround shuld now pull out of the lens,now i cleaned all the glue from the lens and the sealing groove around the light body,using the hairdryer reshape any plastic thats wobbly sand the surround if your gonna paint it,good prep now makes a perfect finnish(no chrome!!!) if you dont want the orange indicator lens,it just pulls out(remember to colour the bulb though!!) on reassemble get some silicone sealent and put a continuous bead in the slot that the lens sits in this bead need only be the thickness of apiece of string. place the surround back into the lense...........and push the lense back onto the body,ensuring it fits evenly and the tabs lock over the little lippy things,place the lights face down for 30 mins,while you rest. do the next one the front fogs and taillights come appart the same way Thanks to Mat Clawley for this Guide!

It is recommended that the engine ECU is reset after any engine performance modifications have been made to the vehicle, including using a higher octane fuel, to accelerate the learning of any new parameters. Resetting the ECU will also clear any stored error codes, however if you have a fault with your vehicle it is advisable that these codes are retrieved rather than wiped as they may help in diagnosing the problem. Make sure the ignition is turned off Remove the engine bay fuse box cover Remove the 20Amp/25Amp EFI fuse Remove the 15Amp ETCS fuse Wait 30 seconds Re-insert the two fuses Install the fuse box cover It is also possible to reset the engine ECU by removing the battery. Please note that this method will also reset any memory settings such as radio presets, trip mileage, clock etc.