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My household is theoretically the owner of three current Lexus models until the end of the month (see signature). I thought I'd do a brief review of each on the relevant thread, essentially aimed at helping people considering. Model My wife bought a CT200h Advance in March 2016. This is thus the facelifted model with regular satnav, cruise control, heated seats and front/back sensors; it lacks the premier options or extra satnav-related features (like reversing camera, leather or pre-crash alert). Interior I have very mixed views on this. The steering wheel is outstanding, in wonderful leather. There is also some nice quality padding. Passengers are generally positive about it, and I do like the overall design a lot. But there is far too much plastic in there for a so-called premium model, particularly on the passenger side. This leads to frustrating rattles too. (It is almost like someone gave up once they moved away from the cockpit and gear lever. A pity.) Storage is ok, although the cup holders have no grip so more rattles of you have a flask or narrow bottle in them. Exterior A hatchback, sorry, compact car is what it is, but I do like this one particularly post-facelift. My own favourite angle is the side. Infotainment The infotainment is packed with potential but doesn't really fulfil all of it. The satnav is good, for me; clear enough (although there is no help in the dash itself, unlike in rival models like the A3) and ok to use with the rotary dial once you get used to it. The radio is, well, a bit meh. Sound is ok but no better. The most frustrating aspect is the inability simply to flick through all DAB stations; you have to change between groupings (regional, national etc) or stick to six presets. An unnecessary and frankly incomprehensible rigmarole. Driving For what it is, a front-wheel drive small car, I personally find this ok. It's not exactly a hot hatch, but suspension is not the worst by any means. Progress is notably quite quiet, even at higher speeds but particularly around town. There is a hint of premium comfort even at this end of the scale. Just one slight issue is the incredibly small size of the hybrid petrol tank. Requires frequent stops, as you will rarely get much more than 30l in. Reliability Excluding an immediate satnav failure (sorted quickly and impressively by the dealer) and some idiot opening a door on to the side damaging the paintwork, there have been no issues at all and not even a hint of a problem. Consumption is quite good for what is in effect a 2l petrol - 53mph this summer, down to around 49mpg in the winter. (See other threads for comparison.) Summary If this were a carwow review, I'd suggest "consider". To be honest, I can't help but think that if you really want a premium compact car there are better out there; and there are non-premium cars which do most things this one does (with better infotainment). For all that, it is something different, the customer service is good, and it won't let you down.

Very good Paul, hopefully they do a better job with mine though! Lol. I'm also opting for the more expensive stencilling option as opposed to vinyl for the 'Brembo' logos. This is the firm I opted to use: http://www.brakecaliperspecialists.uk/shop/brake-caliper-paint/kawasaki-green/ I like the fact they also give a proportion of the money to charity. Not cheap mind, bill came in just over £800, but should look the nuts when they are done. My wheels are also going black, and I'll be swapping out the blue lug nuts for black ones as well. Should really pop against all the dark colours. Guess you win the admiration of us all! Cheers. Pete

Just booked mine in for a complete strip down and repaint. Not orange again, but you'll have to wait and see what colour I opted for instead! Also getting my wheels re-done in the next couple of weeks to better suit the new caliper colour. Will be a long wait, place I've opted for is up in Nottingham, and earliest they could do is early October! Still, should be awesome once they're done.

No, I've kept all of the original equipment so that the next owner can put anything back if they so desire. If I replace much more, there will be a whole spare SC430 distributed to the four corners and roof of the garage. The engine had to be lifted off its mounts, the nearside header was fairly straight-forward but making up the offside was a hell of trial and error task. You can't see it but it's a work of art underneath all of the exhaust wrap. The young technician that built and fitted it was quite exceptional. I did explain to him afterwards that although it had been a long process he is the only one to have done it. Much later the car had a few more runs on another Dyno Dynamics rolling road. I couldn't return to the original testers as they had gone out of business but at least it was the same type of machine. I wish I had taken the original dyno sheets as it might have helped the tester match the settings but after a few runs he was happy that the results were consistent at an estimated 307 bhp at the flywheel. It's also consistent with the figures achieved in the US so I'm content but again stress that it's only an indication. The tester said it's the only SC he's ever seen on the dyno, the last Lexus he tested on the rollers was an LFA and it was quite a bit below the claimed power output.

Nice one Mark! Got some lovely additions there from RR-Racing. The USRS and AOS are a must in my opinion. Look forward to seeing the carbon tips you got with the Borla, always thought they'd look good! So you got these coilovers: http://www.rr-racing.com/RR-Racing-Road-Track-Coilover-Suspension-for-ISF-p/isffsu0001.htm In which case, I'm very jealous! Exactly what I am after for mine before I move up to the supercharger kit. Also looking to add the OS Giken LSD to the rear to help tame the extra horsepower. Do let me know how you get on with the new coilovers. Hoping to order mine soon, but won't be for a little while yet sadly! Nice to see another owner pushing ahead with the modified route.

Hey Mark. Still going with the Wedsports SA67R's I have on the car at the moment. Just changing the colour from shadow chrome to black. Lugs I am considering are these ones: http://www.kamispeed.com/Kics-Leggdura-12x1-5-Black-Lug-Nuts-p/kyo.wkic1k.htm My wheel specs are: 19 x 9 ET 35 front with MPSS 245/35/19 tires, and 19 x 10 Et 42 rear with MPSS 275/30/19's. These are lighter than the factory BBS wheels, and are really nice. Only trouble is they are no longer produced, so only way to find them is secondhand! Just have to pray I don't do anything worse than curbing them (something I did the other week, hence the plan to change the colour on all four, and re-do my calipers etc).

In heavy traffic, in Sport Mode the car glides in silence for c. 8-10 miles which makes me feel good as the cars all around me cough & splutter noxious fumes. Never driven economically, yet average mpg over the last 4 years is c.45 mpg in the UK & 55 mpg on the Continent which is twice the rate of my ISF. Swift & Refined & a tenner for Road Tax ----- doesn't get much better. Tel

My household is theoretically the owner of three current Lexus models until the end of the month (see signature). I thought I'd do a brief review of each on the relevant thread, essentially aimed at helping people considering. Model This is the current (pre-impending facelift) NX300h F Sport with premium nav. This gets it most of the good stuff - sport styling/leather, radar/sensors/pre-crash, auto tailgate, electric adjustment on steering wheel and seats, and so on. Missing are some of the safety aids such as HUD and BLIS, and I have no sunroof of any kind. Interior The interior will divide opinion. I think it is superb, but I can see why others are less enthused. Firstly, there is quality everywhere. There is plenty of leather and some excellent padding all round. Nothing in here feels cheap at all. No one would dispute that. Secondly, I like the way the driver's side feels like a cockpit. Unlike most SUVs (including the RX), the centre panel is set inwards, essentially enveloping you (and mimicking, cleverly in my view, the basic outline of the grille). Thirdly, there are some nice touches (like touch sensor light switches), some pleasant touches (like knee padding), and some frankly bizarre touches (like a centre console cover which, when lifted out and turned over, is also a mirror). I also have the Qi charger - adaptors to enable the iPhone to work on this typically cost less than a tenner. Exterior Again, this will split opinion. Some will suggest it looks like any modern Japanese SUV. Some will suggest it is a literally outstanding proposition. Needless to say I'm in the latter, particularly with the F Sport. The auto tailgate is slow, but can be stopped with any of the buttons depressed briefly. It is useful that the car can be locked or unlocked via any door, but why not also the boot? It looks pleasant from the back, outstanding from the side, and like a Samurai from the front. Take your pick! Infotainment A bit of a niggle here - the logbook still hasn't arrived so I cannot register it on "My Lexus", thus the premium nav still isn't working despite the fact I'm paying for it. Ugh! Let's not get too upset, but it is true infotainment remains a weak link for Lexus. I am still not yet comfortable with the laptop-mouse-style controller, which is too easy to depress. That could, seriously, be a deal breaker for some. That said, there are a few nice touches; for example, the Nav now distinguishes between an outright expressway (a dual carriageway with left exit only) and a regular dual carriageway - that is potentially quite useful. The screen is good quality too, although gathers dust too easily. One really good point is the audio. This is not ML is the F Sport but it has extra speakers and is really good, even in the back and even over Bluetooth. Although I believe the car lacks volume control, it barely needs it. Driving This has been a very pleasant surprise. Certainly I miss the IS's turning circle and its comparative pace, but the NX is absolutely no slouch and I find it almost as good. The steering is direct, the ride is smooth (even if bumps do cause too much of a crash in the F Sport), and bar the odd mis-step the radar cruise is sublime (I have managed 20 miles using only he steering wheel and cruise lever with decent consumption levels). Reliability It is too early to say but this thing feels like it is built like a brick. I am currently on around 37mpg (over 40mpg since last fill, mind, so I'll keep watching that!) Summary The truth is I wondered about this car at the start because it is so different and there were so many aspects to get used to. However, with 1000 miles on the board I am now totally enthused. Getting the premium nav working would complete the set and, assuming it operates as it did in the IS, I would have no hesitation in recommending at least a test drive.

This months (August) edition of Car Mechanics has a 4 page feature on buying a used IS, covering all models. Sorry cannot post up on here due to copyright but may be worth grabbing a copy if you are in the market for one.

My household is theoretically the owner of three current Lexus models until the end of the month (see signature). I thought I'd do a brief review of each on the relevant thread, essentially aimed at helping people considering. Model This was a MY14 IS300h Lux, registered July 2013. It was in fact the first 3rd gen IS in Northern Ireland. Lux trim added leather and auto sound control ("fake gears") with paddles; and this one had Premium Nav (including remote journey planner, DVD player and reverse camera with full guidelines). It lacked extras such as HUD, electric/memory seats and lane guidance. Interior Initially I really liked the interior and the materials oozed quality and stood the test of time. The seats are extraordinarily comfortable and the analogue clock adds a touch of call. The touch sensors for the climate control were good and utile. The dash display is fine; nothing to write home about but a few nice touches like the change to regular layout in sport mode. I must say, over time I came to find the central section a little bland, almost like something straight out of a Casio wris****ch. Storage is ok; there is a large centre console (for the rear-wheel drive) with plenty of space. One problem is the cup holders are single size and too far back. Boot space is fine too, but the boot lid just lacked quality and really just had to be slammed down. Storage is somewhat limited in the back, however; this is compensated for by a nice arm rest. Exterior This is subjective of course, but I think the IS is a superb-looking car, particularly but not only from the front. Infotainment This is not a Lexus strong point; the nav map looks a bit old and some of the options take so,e working out - it took me weeks to work out how to turn the voice off but leave turn-by-turn instructions on the dash on. A major and frustrating omission is volume control. I had this on a 1998 Volvo! I know the IS is quiet, but I still found myself shuffling the volume on my music regularly at higher speed to counter the slight road noise. For all that, it does basically work, the DAB worked fine for the most part, and the DVD screen quality was outstanding. Also, I did like the split screens on the nav. Driving Without reservation, I found this a superb car to drive, contrary to many of the UK reviews. The turning circle was staggeringly good; steering was direct; yet the ride was generally comfortable. With the modes and the paddles I found I could drive the same route two very different ways. 223bhp also moves you away swiftly when you want to - but it is all so pleasant because it is so gloriously quiet (with even wind deflectors contributing to the silence) you often don't. Really terrific, for me. The engine is terrific too, and the "growl" referred to in reviews is simply non-existent. But turn the ASD off; it's a gimmick! Reliability Not a single problem beyond the odd infotainment hitch. Tyres are repaired for free too. The car also remained in good nick inside and out - the next owner will scarcely believe it has 40k miles on it. Out of interest, I tended to average around 48mpg in the summer and 45mpg in the winter (see other reviews on other threads for comparison). Summary For anyone in the market for a mid-range premium family saloon, I recommend a test drive unreservedly. Infotainment lets the car down a little; others are now moving well ahead. Also, the hybrid isn't quite the obvious economical option it was four years ago with plenty of outright electric now on the market. However, for comfort and quality (and in my view looks), I don't think the IS can be beaten. It remains a great financial proposition particularly as a business car, and for reliability and customer service it is a clear class leader.

Well Council says is not a responsible party.... Ended up with £300 bill. Two legs and new battery as the old one was knackered. Have no idea what caused the problem but the car after two days started to be fully responsive. All the issues disappeared. We done so much is hard to say wat was the cause. Im very disappointed with council reply. Good that all works as it should. Sent from my FRD-L09 using Tapatalk

Check out this page on my build thread it has the 3is sound creator installation then follow it a few pages through and you will hear videos of the noise and such, alongside the F-Sport box mod I did a page or 2 back it creates a fantastic sounding system when you open it up or silent when you want to keep everything quiet and clam

The car price is very reasonable, so I don't mind the extra cost, maybe knocking something off; my main concern is that I couldn't get a second key made, making the car a very heavy paperweight without one!

Me and my car are still married after going through a rocky patch. I'm now calling it my marmite car. I love a lot of aspects of the car but still hate some. On balance will keep it for a while longer and try to persevere with it. My recent mileage has been a lot of urban driving or pootling around the Cotswolds and the car comes into its own. Hell, I've even been considering running it as a company car which means it would be here for 3 years. Watch this space!

Not really. Find wheels are quite straightforward. Just make sure you decontaminate them properly. We don't have to worry about wheel backs too much as they're not clear coated but I suspect your rims are

Great thread mate really enjoyed the story. Very jealous of your wheels the 3is F-Sport are the perfect winter wheels in my opinion and the ISFs are the ideal OEM summer too, I am very tempted to swap to ISF myself for the weight and genuine quality over aftermarket. I've always been a big silver car fan and yours looks superb in silver its a real credit to you. The slight drop will work really well Look forward to watching the progress, also if you want a bit more induction depth and roar I highly recommend the 3is sound creator, alongside the F-Sport box the sound is amazing!

I'mthinking more about increasing the rear camber but the article can't confirm exactly what parts were changed to do this. I think swapping the bushes is worthwhile but I'd only do that when mine are knackered 😀

@Flytvr You've answered your own question in the first 8 words 😂 🐁

@Neil E Only just discovered this great work and shall look at in in more detail. Ive skimmed through quickly and can I ask what are they and where you got the discs from in Aus. Secondly if it helps reading through where you'd like to up the engine power but where to get different cams I believe this outfit in Sout Africa do different cams and as you can see they know a thing or two about Lexus V8's. http://www.lexusv8.co.za/ I guess this is where you say I know all about them 😂 Big Rat

Be careful of these. I bought one on eBay and it was full of viruses. Had to scan and remove them first before using on the car otherwise it could totally screw the ecu and modules. Also download to your laptop offline as if it's online it will try update the version you have and lock you out of it. Just a heads up as that was the problem I had. Good luck. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Agree with this. It is surprising how many people run cars without having them serviced until they go wrong. On that basis a service history is wirth its weight in lead!

Yep, that is the one. Although you will see there are many to choose from on Ebay, so you can usually get the same thing a couple of quid cheaper.

haha, no offence taken, I'm just chucking money and parts at it until I can get it to a garage :( Till then its stuck on the drive.

Yes Peter, those are indeed the ones. Hoping to drop the car slightly with these as well. I'll try and get some decent pics shortly, plus some feedback on the mods On the lookout for decent carbon or gloss black front & rear diffusers as well, but most quality ones seem pretty expensive... Think I was born with the mod bug already installed...

Running a 32Gb memory stick here, it is pretty full, takes a wee while to scan it. There are several reasons for not seeing all the tracks, the first one is the number of folders, I believe there is a 256 limit on folders/files in the root directory. I have mine with folders for artist and sub-folders for each album. Vince

some fare points there.. but i also think it boils down to how a car has been engineered.. i think from what i have seen so far Japanese cars like Lexus, Toyota and Honda tends to have major engine and gearbox and exhaust parts designed to last at least 100 k miles. all my cars have been 2nd hand the the only time i suffered an unexpected break down was in my Ford Cougar V6's alternator and Rover 45 head gasket but was still driveable which were both understood to be a design problem for those manufactures bedsides that i tend to do the preventative parts change every time i get a car like spark plugs auto gearbox oil change, cam belt change if its belt driven, basically anything related to oil or cooling i change them and by following this principal has mainly not left me stranded 9 out of 10 times in a second hand car. 'touch wood' That's not saying 2nd hand Lemons don't exist but there are some decent cars with 50-100k miles on them that will do another 100K without encountering an unexpected break down and will still have performance and drive like it just rolled off factory if of course taken care of which wont cost an arm and leg either to maintain.

Hi Craig, Not sure if this helps you, but I have the same issue on my car using the US style front grill. This is down to the badge being different, and causes the PCS to flash up intermittently when I'm driving along. Your symptoms sound identical to mine, so if you are still running the UK OEM front grill, I suggest you remove it to see whether there is something blocking the sensor box located directly behind the grill. It may be worth asking your dealership to open up the sensor box to see if there are any signs of dirt/debris that might explain the false readings? It's clearly something blocking or inhibiting the sensors from gaining a true reading of what's in front of your car. Hope you get it sorted!

Good stuff, thanks Pete. I must admit, your car is the finest looking this side of the pond Current mods on mine are:- custom remap, K&N typhoon & custom rear exhaust section/silencers. Goodies just arrived from Simon & Rafi are:- USRS, AOS, new spec RR Racing coilovers (fast road setup), and full Borla exhaust with hi-flow initial cats, 2nd cat delete and carbon fibre tips. Can't wait for the results/looks/noise/handling & ride improvements. Then hopefully before year end I'm getting a full paint correction, new rims & tyres c/w fancy lug nuts

Clearly if you're doing regular 20 mile commutes and you don't want to pay for fuel, you need an electric car not a (non-plug-in) hybrid.

Cheers Pete, The kamispeed lug nut range is very tempting! Also, I'm guessing you're on coilovers... did you have to roll the arches to avoid them rubbing the tyres? My RR racing delivery has arrived so good times ahead lol. Thanks, Mark

Indeed hassle free motoring at its finest. The choice of vehicles on this scheme is fairly extensive, majority of variants from every model of the Lexus range (bar the LS). The list to choose from is updated on a quarterly basis...unfortunatley they dropped the F-Sport RX from the list when the time came for me to order my car. I'm hoping it will re-appear when it comes around to ordering the next car. Also no priority, each vehicle is built to order and I have the option to add optional extras (increases the monthly payment as you'd expect but not massively)...I added the opening panoramic roof which costs me an extra £10 per month. Right I'm off to collect my new toy , pics to follow.....

There was an official Lexus LSD for sale on ebay a few months ago but I don't remember what it was on for. There are a few from Japan/US on there now but they're quite expensive. Not sure whether you'd have to make any other changes for the car to get the maximum benefit from it.

@Peter P18 Gotta admire a man who knows what he wants and simply goes for it 👍 Big Rat

@Peter P18 I think if there is going to be a wait this is the ideal opportunity for a little competition to guess what it is going to be,the winner receives nothing except the admiration of us all 😉 Big Rat Ill start here's mine......

A very impressive list and a good idea to take stock of progress to date.

Anyway... the question related to an IS... I *think* the question you are posing is will you get a significant period on electric power only? Probably not. You do not, in general, get to use electric power only from start-up; you need to have been driving the car for a while before the potential to use electric power only (for just over a mile at under 30mph) becomes possible. What you will get is a very fine, refined and comfortable petrol car which you will be able to run for the price of a diesel.

A good find that, readable and interesting [emoji106]

Don't worry, I'm only jesting - there are so many good reasons to have cover in place no matter the brand, you can never predict what's round the next corner. On a lighter note I am now the odds on favourite to breakdown tomorrow

It's what I term 'The Lexus Paradox'. People are attracted to the brand in no small part by the legendary reliability and then spend hundreds of pounds per year on Lexus extended warranties because they're worried about the reliability I know this thread is about breakdown cover rather than warranty but personally, it's a must for me. My LPG tank lives where the spare wheel should go so for small punctures I carry a can of goo and a small compressor but if anything were to wreck the tyre such as a puncture in the side wall or a blowout, then it would be a call to the breakdown people.

OK, a million thanks to Lee Riley and katabrontes and others who have recommended www.keytrader.co.uk They have just cut a new key for my Lexus RX400h (2009 model) after the plastic key shell totally disintigrated. I'd tried to order a replacement on eBay but the blank blade comes permanently attached to the plastic key shell, and my blade worked perfectly it was just the plastic bit I was after. Keytrader cut the key from a photo (how does that work!?) that I emailed them, and as soon as I inserted my remote control module into the new key shell I was able to open up car and start up the car. Took 2 days, and all for a tenner including postage. Now what would a Lexus garage have charged for that! What a wonderful thing this Forum is.

That's when man maths comes into play.

Honestly, I hate these type of debates simply because its so difficult to tell. Some cars get closer to their MPG than other cars, every driver drives differently and heck, the wind speed changes day to day! You say you don't drive with a heavy foot but again, one man's lead foot is another mans feather. Only one way to find out, take one for an extended test drive and found out yourself. Additionally, with the cost of depreciation being so high, how much does it really matter if the car even did 70mpg - I don't think very much, but it sure is a good way of getting customers to justify getting a new car. "I bought a new car and its getting 2MPG more than my last one, sorry forgot to mention that the depreciation is £3k higher per year!"

I once had my XF 3.0DS Premium Luxury in for a service and I walked out having bought a 5 litre V8 XF. I knew after 500 yards of driving it that I was going to buy it. So did the sales manager in the showroom when he was urging me to take it out, I suspect. I've always had a pretty good idea of what I'd buy next but this was the first time I ever bought another car when I had absolutely no plans to. Not quite what you were asking I know but thought I'd mention it.

We've had a couple of cars from new and always regretted it due to depreciation - the worst being a 30K nissan leaf worth 6k after 2 years 24k miles (loved the car though and will definitely go full electric for one car in the next 5 years). We still own the other 'new' car - a diesel kia ceed which is still under warranty so we're trying to get our money's worth out of it. That said I've also had a number of disastrous 2nd hand buys - a £600 audi A6 which lasted less than a month before cylinder head failure and a peugeot 407 coupe which destroyed it's gearbox (warranty paid 3k to fix) had multiple sensor / electrical gremlins and then started making a road speed noise which no one could fix so that got handed back under halves and thirds. They were learning experiences though, I'll probably never buy another new car as I don;t like the new cars I could afford , I hate the idea of losing thousands the moment i take ownership and I'm much more inclined to walk away from a used car if anything at all 'spooks' me - a noise, a wobble, a salesman's attitude I've walked because of all of them safe in the knowledge that the right car is out there and will come along. The only thing i will say is that when buying 2nd hand the right car is often a fair distance away so don;t be afraid to travel.

Got myself a bit excited and bought a load more products after reading a few reviews on Detailing World So after a discount code for clean and shiny I bought myself some: Auto Finesse Spritz - supposed to give an fantastic OEM look to interior plastics, I currently use Meguiars but it is a bit too shiny for my liking and doesn't quite have the look I would like Auto Finesse Total - Again supposed to be great on alcantara in the centre of my seats and steering wheels Microfibre Madness Incredimitt - have not read a single bad review about tjis mitt seems to be the daddy of all mitts by those in the know Microfibre Dry Me Crazy - Nice bit well rated towel to dry after washing G3 Clay Mitt finally arrived Then the Autoglym rep turned up in the van this afternoon and gave me a cracking deal on UHD Shampoo that made it pretty much as cost effective as the Carchem so it would have been rude to not purchase a bottle and at least give it a try for myself

I was talking about something less than 4K, but, as you say, we can agree to disagree, it's all about choice.

Thanks David! It was very satisfying, you're right! Can't say it wasn't a little daunting though. However for jobs like this, they are designed so that any technician can perform them. Only removed a few pop clips up top, 3 or 4 clips at the front of the wheel arch and half a dozen or so on the under tray. It looks more invasive and serious than it actually is. Once you've done one job, it will give you great confidence to do more in the future.