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I can just imaging you sitting there thinking "what's the most controversial thing I can say to the ISF community?? I know I'll tell their car is practically a IS220!!"

Pete It sounds like you have a airlock within the heating matrix and this is causing restricted flow that is fluctuating with increased pressure from the engine when the temp goes up. You will be best served getting the system totally flushed and refilled properly exhausting any airlocks. The leak in the radiator can cause the problem you have in that it will draw air into the system as it cools down after use this air lock will travel round the system and get lodged because the pressure on both sides of the airlock equalises.

Linas is making friends again......

Firstly, I'm probably the least technical person on this forum - by a mile, so all my views are based on my experiences during ownership and those of many other F drivers (who I meet on a regular basis). With regards to the radiator, all I can say is that one member had his replaced - can't recall why, but Lexus Japan didn't even have any in stock. It had to be made!!! I'd be careful assuming that parts for the IS-F are easily swappable with IS parts. As an example, my IS-F had a leak from the air conditioning system. Replacement pipe was IS-F specific. Time to fix, several months as the part had to be ordered from Japan. Who'd have thought the pipework wasn't just off an IS (or other Lexus)!! In summary, unlike the world of BMW, Mercedes, Audi, etc, there simply isn't an abundance of independent garages with knowledge of the IS-F, so when things go wrong, most of us will have to resort back to using the main dealers. This will never be cheap. Of course there are those talented individuals that will engineer fixes, make their own radiators in their back shed, rob pipework from the washing machine to fix the air con etc etc, but whichever way you look at it, this is a pain.

Yea it's rare but so is ebola, doesn't mean I want one. All joking aside, my daughter put her feet against my glove box and scuffed it, wonder if an IS220 glovebox for would fit. I really hope it doesn't!!lol.

I prefer this interpretation

My instinct when I first got the car was to want to see the battery meter full. Instinctively I was probably looking at it like the petrol gauge where "full" is reassuring but "low" is worrying (in case you run out). But actually, as a friend pointed out to me, you need the battery not to be full if the car is to make the most of regenerative braking. If the battery is full, any electricity generated from braking is just thrown away. Imagine driving down a long hill with the battery full - all the electricity generated from using the brakes on the downward slope is lost. By contrast, when you're accelerating, if the battery is full, any spare electricity generated from the engine driving the generator (MG1) can be routed to the main motor (MG2), so none of the electricity is lost. So I realised that the best reading for the battery meter is probably around half-full or less, giving plenty of space for generated electricity when you're on a long downward slope. In any case, I've read on a Prius forum that the meter doesn't give an accurate reading of the actual state of the battery. The battery is kept between around 40% and 80% charge. So when the battery meter says empty (I've never seen this) the battery still has a 40% charge; and when it says full the battery has an 80% charge. This is done to extend the working life of the battery as overcharging the battery can shorten its life.

Colin . Apparently we can just rob the parts of a 220d

That was me. When Lexus had the car in bits doing the fuel pump recall they spotted it was worn where it shouldn't have been and decided to replace it. None in stock in the UK, Germany (where there's apparently a large Lexus parts bin) nor Japan. They had make/assemble one for me. I would have thought they would have made a batch but I don't know. Took 2 weeks. TBH if the car was out of warranty then there are some other ways of getting one (probably cheaper too) but that won't be the case for other parts.

Saying the engine and gearbox are the only things unique to the IS-F model is at best plainly wrong, LSD, wheels, suspension parts, pumps and other ancillaries are model specific, yes a radiator is not a moving part but to say it cant "rust" is not completely true, alloys corrode and therefore can leak. Nobody is saying an IS-F is a totally bespoke car, they are sayng how reliable it is.

Recall done today at Lexus Stockport with wash/valet done and £25 of fuel added plus a healthy binge on their tea, biscuits and sweets. Very happy. Given a CT hybrid for the day which is just odd to drive (milk float reactions in eco mode). Also got intermediate service done for £230 and love the health check video they email to you. Decided to go all in and purchase a 2 year warranty and 2 year service plan. Probably won't need to use the former but the F is almost 9 years old and on 91k so you never know, plus includes 2 years AA membership etc

Very nice. I had a similar treatment a few months ago and this is what it looks like now even aftet my amateurish attempt at cleaning. VID_603740201_165433_204.mp4

I always wondered how would GS mk3 rims would look on IS mk2... and to be honest not that bad - I probably prefer them over 18" original IS rims. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2007-Lexus-IS-IS220d-2-2-Turbo-Diesel-Sport-6-Speed-Black-Wald-Carbon-Kit-80k-c/173023235453?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D49567%26meid%3D078e19d18485431b97372b6b06346177%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D382304826182&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

£200 fuel bill in my first month of ownership Worth every penny though 😊

three years, 30,000 miles. 800 quid on fixing misfire which was the mass air flow meter , broken spark plug and squashed air intake which would have leaked around the sea under load. all non warranty repairs. on top of that new front discs n pads. Lots. i forget, but a grand or something from a Stealer. new tyres. (winter and summer). Again lots. that's all general wear and tear though. lastly, a paint magician in a van to mend the bloody dent some git put in the door as it was parked outside a client. It was quite a job and that cost a fair amount too. again I forget, because its best not to remember.

Looks really good and staying with oem is a win win.

@Jgtcracer That's right matey it's going into a Museum apparently along with @Flytvr 's trusty old OVLOV 😏 🐀

It is, like that fat berg they found in the drain that weighted 100t

Go look at these guys... https://www.bmcspecialistcars.co.uk/ I was looking for a "nice" car....Honda Accord, Lexus IS250 or similar, Honda Legend etc. These guys do Youtube vids as well. They do good cars at good prices. I test drove a 2.4 Accord, Legend, etc and bought an IS250. They have a couple of very nice, low mileage IS250s in just now. Just about doable for you to get there and back in a day and have a good test drive of a Legend, IS250, Accord to see which one you like.

Spot on Linas, i recall this was also written in the manual on page 1 in BIG capital letters. -- never use this vehicle for short city journeys - if i am not mistaken there was even a sticker on the rearview mirror with thesame text.

Have you driven one back to back with a Honda ? That should be your decider..

You could even use the seats - they are exactly the same.........

Just popping out to convert my IS200t to an ISF Apart from a radiator and a bit of piping what else do I need chaps....I have a Euro car parts up the road, oh yeah and a Screwfix. Great thread by the way, It kind of makes me feel warm inside..and I don't even own one

Probably posted up before but worth a browse for us newer owners curious how our tech works.. Nothing too deep just some nice flashy images http://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/videos/how-it-works

Write smaller, or use a continuation sheet?

I've got an 'O' Level in English!

Or, being more diplomatic, “It had its issues”

All the info one needs to know about this is by simply googling Ackerman Steering geometry and all will be revealed. Perfectly normal........... I won't go into vehicle related qualifications this page isn't big enough Big Rat

No, what we are realising from this thread is that with the very low profile tyres and colder weather, we are noticing this 'characteristic' (as Mercedes Benz describe it ) at extreme lock. There is no 'poor' design with regard to Lexus or MB come to that.

The ISF was derived from the IS250/220 etc, but there must be a considerable amount of parts which were uprated to deal with the extra power, performance etc. You might get lucky and find a part that could be pinched from an IS but there are alot of parts which can't.

Best mpg are obtained keeping the state of charge around 6th notch on the meter (accordingly on hypermilers ). On my GS I see full charge (80%) only after a long descent with regenerative braking, and only when it happens I use engine braking with a lower "gear" set manually.

These Lexus are clever...hot water and music !!!!!

I've had them on my RX300 for over a year now and I can honestly say they are excellent, they perform very, very well and really are great value for money. I may as well show my ignorance in such matters though because I'd like to know - what difference does it actually make? Is it 'wrong' to put tyres "designed for SUV and 4x4 vehicles" on a standard car? My reasoning would be that if they are good for the size and weight of an SUV then they must also be good for a car - is that not so?

Linas a 400hp car is great fun to drive . Wasn’t you interested in the black one on autotrader

Very happy with the results. Full detail with gtech? Serum. Paint was dull was badly swirled. Guy who did the job said the paint was also extremely hard and hence difficult and time consuming to polish - he was expecting the paint to be quite soft being a Japanese car. Pity the weathers not a bit better, don't know how I'm going to teleport it home in the morning to prevent getting it dirty! IMG_1838.MP4

9 months so far and apart from intermediate service all I've had to do is replace one tyre (due to nail puncture) and the battery (but it was the original so had lasted 8 years). Not bad so far but I've just bought the 2 year warranty for peace of mind re: 91k engine and gearbox and not knowing how the previous owners had treated the car.

@Rusty Crobar I don’t get the running cost thing either, depends on the negotiated package I suppose, maybe they thought the estate was a ‘Ute’ 🙄 🐀

Looks AMAZING!

I can't see anything that a bmw offers over a lexus to a police force unless they want estates or 4wd. They are just not comparable for long term running costs surely?

The first 4 words were in reply to post 13, the rest were general comments I made.

We all know the ISF are pretty much bullit proof. There’s got to be a time when things start to fail . With the marjority of ISF made in 08 /09 and coming up to be unable to get a warranty.. how will this affect the prices?. As we all know once they go wrong it’s very expensive

Don't know if the video has upload properly - here's a couple of screen shots

Haha, I did wonder what would happen if the wipers didn't have this feature! I dont need much pressure to get mine to flip flop but other online comments find theirs stiff #ahem

Agree way over priced and if your gonna spend that much on an ls430, I would get the facelift model instead, but be very aware that you will get the same issues as you would with the earlier models

I was with you up to then

Should be fitting mine myself over xmas. I'm borrowing a ramp/lift + tools off a mechanic while on shutdown

The rack was a pain. Lexus Bristol just wouldn’t recognise there was an issue. Took over 5 trips to the dealer. Then there was the clicking seat - to replace Lexus quoted £3500. Lexus warranty REFUSED to help 😮 I’d say that a large number of the miles I put on the car in the 18 months I had it were down to trips to and from the dealers 😢 Dont get me wrong, in comparison to other performance cars, the reliability was amazing 😀 She is now a tip top car and whoever gets her (in my eyes) will be buying one of the best Fs out there. Shame nobody on here has shown any interest 😢

@Mark GHave no fear matey should this shocking expense befall you your trusty crew will carry you bodily to the below establishment to save you the lengthy journey from your gaff , opposite, and ply you with food and drink to recover.............

Hi Eamonn, I am just loving the IS250C, it is such a great car. I washed her today and never realised what a good looking car it is. I have done nearly 500 miles it her already. There are a few things that need fixing/sorting. I got an air filter today, and hopefully will fit that soon, as I’m only getting about 27 MPG. The Mark Levinson unit is something else and you can hear it with the roof down. Yes I have been out a few times with the roof down, just to see how good it is. I am so looking forward to warner weather and many a mile travelling with the roof down. So all in all, it’s a great car, one that I am looking forward to keeping for many years to come.

"mature gentleman had installed a boom box in the boot" A couple of months back, whilst on the M40 I saw an elderly gentleman and his wife in one of those things which I guess is called a 'chav car' complete with all the mods that you could imagine. Looked a bit like this(image courtesy of Google)