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I don't have any pets however i watch Super Vet with fascination. Some of the animals have very complicated problems but Noel deals with everything so easily - he is amazing !

i had a 2.4 Accord prior to my Lexus, albeit a 7th Gen. The Lexus far better, i almost did buy a 8th gen 2.4 but the spec and gadgets on the Lexus trumped anything on the range topping ex trim on the accord, I have no doubt the Lexus is much better also. My standards since buying this car have gone up a notch or 2 as I am looking out for a cl55 now. btw, I get better mpg on my is250 than my old accord.

potentially, problem is getting a replacement not easy.

This is the recommended car.....

trick question right ? :)

if you have read this thread it should be pretty obvious which one to buy.

Just to let you know, sorted out the wierd 3 line streaking of my drivers side wiper which was driving me nuts. This may be useful for somebody. So, the first step was change the wiper refills - this didnt work, 3 line streak on the drivers side was still there. Then I got bored and did everthing so it could be one of these factors but obviously Im unsure about what it is: 1) Washed the glass thoroughly with a NON-wax shampoo. Im using car chem 1900:1 (leather oak scent is LUSH btw). Rinsed off but left the glass wet. 2) Used my clay cloth on the glass until it was smooth. There was slight roughness upon doing the plastic bag test. 3) Used Astonish Car glass cleaner with anti fog 4) Used Autosmart Glass Glow polish with an applicator sponge on the windscreen and removed with a microfiber 5) Applied rain x to the windscreen Also a note about RAIN X. I get a lot of comments from people about glare, smearing and what not. I can't stress enough that this is due to poor application of the product and not the product itself. Here is the process for applying rain x properly: 1) Make sure the glass is clean - this means use a GLASS POLISH and not just a glass CLEANER. Glass cleaners contain nothing but ammonia or isopropyl alcohol. These will remove grease and minor dirt. However, tree sap, diesel crap and other hard wearing gunk will remain bonded to the glass. Something like Autosmart Glass glow or Autoglym Glass polish is what you want to remove the film your glass has on it. 2) Apply rain X to a KITCHEN ROLL and buff over half the screen. You have to be extremely quick and thorough with this. Keep buffing for 1-2mins on each half (doesnt sound like much but its actually a long time when you're buffing continously). Finish in straight lines and then do the other half in exactly the same way. Wait for it to haze (2-5 mins) and then remove completely. The most common problem is applying too much causing intense glare at night. 3) Apply a second coat. This is to ensure there is even application and will prevent wiper skipping/juddering. Remove the haze with a microfibre. 4) Now here is where the trick lies - Use a glass cleaner (RAIN X's own weatherbeater is great for this) and buff it in until the glass is clear with no streaks. Then sprinkle some water on the glass and buff the water into the glass using a microfiber. Now it shouldn't smear and you won't get the crazy glare that people get when they apply it in a weird way. Also ensure you clean the wiper blade with some glass cleaner as this can also cause smearing.

Just to provide a bit of closure, the RX went in to Lexus Hedge End again a few days ago. The workshop had the car for 1.5 days. I believe they practically rebuilt the brakes and eventually found that one of the inner calipers or a pin wasn't quite retracting as it should do once braking had stopped. I guess it was binding very slightly. Anyway, all was put back together and the brakes have performed perfectly for the last 50-100 miles. The total cost for two visits and all associated labour - £0. Not a single penny. I've had all levels of customer service with my cars over the years, but Lexus in Hedge End, just outside Southampton have everyone beat. Absolutely fantastic! It's the reason why my wife's RX, and my ISF go there, without fail, every time they need anything looked at.

He sounds like a great dog. Such a shame they get ill and have to leave us. Mike.

I had an IS200 Sport for quite a few years. I made the mistake of the 220d before I settled into my present 250 Auto. I still see my old IS200 and sat in it about 3 weeks back. Kid who has it is not looking after it particularly well, but, for me the 250 is such a superior place to sit. The seats are much improved. The side pillars - front and back - will seem large to start with. The front pillar and door mirror combined are a sizeable impact on vision. Watch out for cyclists/motorbikes at junctions!!! The door windows are shorter in height. Rear vision is not brill...... camera takes care of that though! These are all things you will adapt to over a short passage of time. From your wording I'm guessing you're looking at this at an independent dealer, ie not from the original owner and not from Lexus dealership. Can they fix the rear blind? The Auto box is a dream. When you have had the car a while....you are going to aren't you? Explore the paddles.. they are great for a quick turn of speed. I use my rear shade quite a lot. The obvious occasions when the sun is beating down ... but also at night ... very effective at muzzling bright headlights. Someone on here had a similar problem (the only other reference I have seen), so try a search of the forum. If I remember correctly, I think it was revealed that the motor/controller was behind the rear seat. If the calipers are seized at all then I'd expect you to feel a distinct pull to one side upon breaking and the wheels will be really quite hot to touch. Just get those slide pins greased (and do it every year) and all will be good. There are some reports of sat nav screen failures. But you can source a replacement from the far east .... ebay will help you. It's not a bold step ... its inevitability. You won't regret it. I'm hesitant to say the 250 is bullet proof ... but it's not far off it! Enjoy PS... good colour!!

I've said this before but I'll say it again, the worst drivers in my area are the yummie mummies taking and fetching their kiddiewinkies to and from school. I certainly wouldn't be without my cameras now.

Tbh I've never tried. She's off on both cars now and that's the way she's staying! The dealer is removing the reverse beep on the CT this week too! :)

12 1/2, rescued when he was 10 months old and we were his third attempt at being homed. He's a labrador/staffie brindle coloured cross (we think!!), and was a right handful when we got him, but he soon matured in to a marvellous pet, once he realised he had landed on his feet. Sadly, after some dental work, he developed a growth on his gum, which when removed was found to be cancerous, and the vet has said 5 months is the average time left. So, he's going to get spoiled rotten, as long as he's with us, Spain can wait.

I go along with you on the advisory side of the MOT. Funny how your rust healed itself. Congratulations on a new ticket. Mike.

That's the problem as its registered in 2010 they are pricing up as so, even though its a 2009 build. In price guides its probably spot on. Unfortunately for them ISF buyers know a lot about the cars they are looking at.

... and to be honest... driving through the mud AND rain and surface water and heavy traffic ( sensibly ) with my two children, I felt SAFE. So, worth every penny. You will too.

Excellent news Michael! Going to rust treat mine when the weather improves, I am a wimp when it comes to cold these days.

I was/am having the same issue with my Is250. The problem is with the GDI engine design, petrol no longer washes over the valves, so the detergents in fuel do not clean them. Lexus have addressed the issue with a GDI and conventional port design on the 350. You are correct Terraclean or hydrocleaning will not help the carbon issue. I have been experiencing heavy oil loss (easily 750ml per 1,000 miles). After a lot of investigations, it was determined I had no leak, thus the oil was being burnt in the combustion process. I have always been concerned by the amount of exhaust I can see emitted, and would often compare to other cars at traffic lights, for instance. Here is how I addressed the issue, I believe I have 'fixed; it. Early days, but it looks hopeful. 1) use a good quality valve cleaner from Forte, Liqui moly or Wurth. Before changing the oil. These must not be added to fuel, that is useless on the GDI engine, instead they are to be sprayed into the air intake, so that the cleaner mixes with air in the manifold. I have also used seafoam, but to be honest, I didn't find it particularly effective. The one that seemed to make the most difference was the Liqui Moly valve cleaner. The car seemed much better afterwards, purely gut feeling, no scientific data. 2) Change the PCV valve at least every other service, so 20k miles. Lexus have no maintenance schedule for this valve. That is a major oversight. This valve works on a similar way to an egr valve, passing unburnt gasses and vapours (inc oil) back to the intake manifold to be burnt. It is part no. 12204-31040 and is £28 in the uk. I ordered one from the states for less than half. I wasn't due to service it for 2 weeks so could wait the 8 days. I actually ordered 2, for less than the price of 1 in the UK, and I don't feel ripped off!! The old valve, when shook, was hardly making any noise, ( it should rattle). The new one was much better, Upon fitting, the difference in the car was immediate. Barely noticeable exhaust smoke!! 3) Use a fully synthetic oil with a low NOACK rating. This is the amount of oil that evaporates at a given temperature. This is given as a % and the variance can be be huge. I am using Mobil 1 ESP 5w 30, which is rated at <6%. Other oils, such as Comma Syner-Z 5w30 are <13%, some are higher. Mobil actually recommend a different oil for our cars, but it has a high NOACK of <13%. Therefore these higher NOACK oils will be burnt off at a much higher rate than the mobil 1 esp.. Lexus changed the oil spec to 5w20, but this was purely for economy reasons. This oil is much more difficult to source, so I've stuck with the 5w30. I have only completed 500 miles thus far but have not shown a loss at all on the dipstick and the excessive exhaust smoke is a thing of the past.

Agree with Michael, you should be ok when it is warmed up. Mine is Turbo so I have no cats at all now and a "friendly" garage for MOT time but for normally aspirated as he said you can have too much freedom and need to get it right. The exhaust itself is an "airgap" one so a pipe within a pipe, so a decent exhaust will feel a bit better too. I changed my back box before I went turbo and did feel a slightly better pick up.

I went for Meister R coilovers as they had a lower spring rating than the Tein or BC ones and with our roads I think I made the right choice. Shocks are 32 way top adjustable so you should be able to find a setting that suits you. Most of the Japanese stuff is pretty hard as it is made for their super smooth roads, so it just depends on how you like it to feel. One of the best mods I did was poly bushes, really tightened it all up and improved steering response too. Super Pro do a full kit. Have fun!

Well regarding the extra oil cooler for the gearbox, I actually asked a lexus trained tech today about putting an extra oil cooler on my ls430 due to the horror stories regarding the gearbox failure, and his words were you can put as many oil coolers on the ls430, if the radiator is going to leak water into the gearbox, it will do regardless. He said best thing to do was fit a new radiator and that's all you need to do.