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Well I'm sorry to say, and I am because I have loved every minute of ownership of my isF but she's gone a year or so earlier than I planned but with big 60 on Monday Mrs Rat said "Go for it treat yourself " bless her. So left early this morning with a list of 3 RcF's to view Hatfield- Swindon - and Cheltenham, leaving Cheltenham to last as it's nearer home and that's where I bought a great deal IMO and a fantastic car pictures below not good it was getting dark by then. Thanks for all the help at Lexus Cheltenham Alex Ben Karl and Tim. I want to say that the journey from Isf on this forum to the RcF isn't only about the cars for me it's about the people on here a considerable number I'm pleased to call friends and I have had some great support and advice about an assortment of matters from you I'm naming no one there are to many, I don't care if this sounds a tad odd to some who may read this but I like being on here and the banter and personalities make this place the cars are a secondary issue whatever model age colour and so on you drive cheers guys 👍 Some will be horrified I bought something that isn't SILVER 😳 Big Rat

Few people may have followed previous threads regarding the is220d smoke problem myself included... My is220d was on76k when out of nowhere it started smoking at around50% operating temp followed by poor turbo performance bad mpg and basically being embarresing to drive. Have to say I researched said problem thro every forum/mechanics sites etc only to find its a widespread problem with every motor lexus/toyota fitted with this engine but with no conclusive results...However!!!! In a chance meeting witha friend who built his own TD rally car using a Toyota turbo he just said..Ah yeah sounds like a dodgy map sensor!! On this info I whipped the map off (2min job) sprayed some electrical contct cleaner in there and WOW!! seriously it was like a new car..performance was restored..mpg jumped from30's to 40's and no smoke at all...well until 7 days later smoke returned!! again cleaned the map and hey presto!! new map sensor orderded and I love my car again!! really hope this helps folks as I know how frustrating the smoke issue is!

Took the GS450h to Italy twice and no issues at all. Lexus advised no adjustment necessary for European driving as it is a flat beam.

Phil, If your dipped beam is flat as mine is there is nothing to do. (The flat beam is why it is difficult to see if AFS is working.) I think from memory some LOC members have found it helpful to carry a letter from Lexus GB to convince the local constabulary though.Try a forum search on "headlights in Europe" or something. John

RCF spotted thread on PH

Beauiful car and the right colour finally 😉. Glad you'v stuck with lexus so you'll be sticking around making the forum look busy 😁. Looking forward to a ride in KITT B.O. already 👍

@Martin F No there is that but I guess I’m just waiting for the first person to photoshop ‘The Hoffmeister’into the car now that @Flytvr has named it ‘Kitt’....... Oh my god what have I started me and my big mouth...... 🐀

Please forgive me for raising this old thread, but I must admit this gave me quite a giggle! This was my LS400, and I was the seller. There's a Land Rover Series now sat on my drive fulfilling the dog walking duties, and indeed I did sell my 924 also. I've driven older classic / modern classic vehicles as daily cars for a long time, spreading the mileage across them so not to clock up silly miles. With regards to the subframe advisories on the MOT, I too was concerned by this when I bought the car. One of the reasons I wanted an LS was that they avoid the ravages of structural corrosion. However, the car was owned by over a decade before me by a lady who took it to the local Renault dealership for MOT and servicing. I can only think they are dutifully bound to advise of any surface corrosion and are usually experienced with a nearly new Megane. Clamber underneath and it's immediately apparent the subframe is completely solid, hence why it disappeared once I took it to a different test centre. Had I owned the car longer, a new set of rear pads and ball joints at the front would've perfected the car and ensured several more years faultless reliability. The LS went to a very respectable gentleman in Essex who has a large collection of over 50 classic vehicles. It was a lovely example, and sorely missed. I would quite like it back if ever it appears again for sale. It's a shame that people jump to negative conclusions so quickly, but I appreciate we all need to approach used car purchases with a sceptical eye and scrutiny!

So unless I'm very much mistaken I think this maybe just maybe aimed at me........ So negotiations with Mrs Rat have commenced....... Big Rat

Congrats on the purchase Big Rat! Not long to wait now. Might want to get your cameara lens cleaned though. That silver RCF almost looks black in the photos

@Flytvr Good spot matey please tell me you the reg or part of ? Great well written post on Pistonheads fella....... 👍 🐀

So how many of us gentlemen of impeccable taste have made the IS-F to RC-F swap now?

Looks lovely! All the best new F cars are black, anyway...

Congratulations @Big Rat. Stunning car. Look forward to seeing her at some point 😀

@emjay82Ok first thing was ok darling which of these Gucci handbags would you like.........."All of them" " No problem dear" 🐀

When you get a moment please share the secret of how you got Mrs Rat onside for the purchase? Fine dining, handbags, flowers, double storey extension 😉...

A fantastic looking car, very stealth, welcome to the dark side..... 😉 Extremely happy for you, well deserved and the perfect birthday present!

the only one i got

@Mark G Missing it yes I keep looking out the window now as she's sat there it's almost as if she's saying " I've done nothing wrong so why oh why................. Ive been outside and tried to pacify in the good old fashion man up way........,.. it's not my fault it's that @Flytvr bloke and his 'skunk worx' that made me do it, ah yes.............let's blame him 🐀

Members who say 17'' wheels fit over IS350 calipers are correct, but to relate this to upgrading the IS250 with IS350 calipers and discs is completely wrong . The IS250/220D hub is different than the IS350 hub, so although the IS350 calipers are a direct bolt on without modification, they do not have the same clearance as they have on a 350 hub. The standard 17'' wheel does not therefore fit over the IS350 caliper when it is bolted to the IS250 hub. Exdee has already stated this fact, but it appears either no one read his post or the misunderstanding continues, I know for a fact that the 350 and 250 hubs are different because I still have a pair of new IS350 backplates/dustcovers that I purchased in the USA believing I could fit these bigger diameter plates when doing the brake mod, but they do not fit.

@mike m Your time will come Matey I’m old 😂 🐀

Worst - 2009 VW Tiguan. Bought new, and what a terrible car. Loads of gremlins from new, including poor paintwork finish on a door and a malfunctioning touch-screen, but as time went on it just got worse and worse. A hole in the driver's carpet at less than 30k miles 'fair wear and tear sir' and then the seat bolster on the driver's seat wore through before 40k miles. The final straw was it destroying the (infamous) DSG gearbox on the M1, fortunately JUST a few months within warranty. After that was replaced it broke down a few times - transfer box fault, alternator, starter motor...so it went. Good riddance. Never again will I be fooled by a VAG product! Best - 1993 Daihatsu Charade 1300 CXi. I loved that car. Rare, fast, quite cool for a youngster back in the day and indestructible. Only sold because my first wife wanted something 'more practical' which turned out to be a bland Hyundai Accent. I still regret selling my Charade now...sigh. The wife went shortly afterwards, but I was left with the Hyundai.

@Big Rat Looks awesome!

Maybe the batteries are reducing in price but I don't see this affecting Tesla price. They're all hideously expensive for what they are. The interior quality of every Tesla is shocking as is their quality control. Mercedes get trolled for it on their sub £30k A class so I find it hilarious how Tesla don't get it. Must be rose tinted glasses

Don't hassle the Hoff lol. What a bunch of sell outs Looks spot on though @Big Rat can't be many going about in Black. I'm only jealous cos I'm not getting to change mine anytime soon.

@paul99 Thanx Paul 👍 🐀 @NemesisUKPeter @Comedian Said that it's easy being a dark shade of Silver 🐀

Have you seen the JR24 wheel? It's a nice clean 5 spoke. I have Japanracing wheel (a different design) so the should be available in the correct staggered sizes. They're only £1000 and seem decent quality.

Stunning car you have there!

To be fair to the dealer I bought mine from he said if the car didn't match the description he gave me on the phone he would refund my fuel cost! But generally I agree, our expectation of "immaculate" mostly leads to disappointment.

Congratulations, great car You going to retire now in the hope of having the time to keep it clean??

lovely. Both the car and your wife's advice...

Lovely birthday treat . Health to enjoy .

You can't rely on a description of the condition of a second hand car from a dealer full stop. They turn over so many cars that when a 'good' condition one comes along compared to the 'fair' and 'poor' that they have had previously then it gets described as 'immaculate' and unless you stand in front of it and rate it yourself it always gonna be subjective, bit like like 'Awesome', American 'Awesome' means 'good' but English 'Awesome' means a whole lot more! paul m.

I've bought extra lottery tickets since this thread started but unfortunately I'll still be running about in the 250 tomorrow 😦 Paul you have bought yourself a truly awesome car and I'm sure you will enjoy every minuet of it.

The whole business of buying a car is so frustrating. I went to see a GS430 a couple of weeks ago after being told it was impeccable, and although it was great looking the first thing I noticed was a tear in the drivers seat which I couldn't live with. The next one, a GS300 had a damaged door which wasn't mentioned. A morning wasted. I then went to Bournemouth (85 miles) to see a GS300 which turned out to be great. It just means being prepared to travel and sometimes be disappointed. Good luck with your search.

I knew it @Flytvr have you messed about with my avatar again 😩 🐀

Love the square set up looks awesome! What tyre specs you using and did you have to get the rear arches rolled might have to go the square look now Ive seen yours

@Flytvr I’ve just realised when I put my plate on ‘Kitt’ as you’ve dubbed her which incidentally Mrs Rat quite likes 🙄 The plate as you know is K17TBO look at the first ‘4’ symbols....... 🐀

She’s a beaut!!!!!! She's KITT

Dan try this site mht wheels they've got a car builder with the Lexus isf on so you can see what each wheel looks like on the car it's pretty cool, the company builds wheels for rotiform and many others been looking at the niche wheels myself

UPDATE: Took out the back seats. The cap of the suspension strut (from which the squeak was coming from) had a dent in it. Took the cap off and wondered if the strut was traveling too high... - i.e. suspension somehow f****d. Took the cap off the other side to compare. Noticed that the plastic sensor thing at the top of the strut was the wrong way round. The problem one had been replaced by Lexus before I brought the car. So; turned around the plastic sensor, - test drive - squeak gone. The plastic sensor is higher at one high than the other. Best outcome really - very very happy.

quite nice looking externally in Aspen Green ................ but please don't think all Ls400 Mk3 owners are screwball ..... I'd only want £8500 for mine with a derisory 203k miles on it Malc

I wonder who's this is then as if I didn't know............. Big Rat

Time for some rambling input from me, I suppose... I've had my GSF for about a month less than @Mark G and I can only echo his positive experiences. Mine is a black car with a black interior. Mine is an ex-Lexus UK car too. The inside is more modern, with far, far more toys than the ISF, an alcantara dashboard (I can't tell you how much I love this!), and far more comfortable seats. The ISF wasn't exactly uncomfortable in this respect, but the GSF is so much better, if you catch my meaning! The seats are now cooled as well as heated, the radio is a class above, and it's obviously a bigger car inside (as well as out) - it'll seat 5 people whereas the ISF was really designed for 4. The boot is utterly collossal and the sunroof really brightens up the inside. Outside, the carbon fibre accents really work for me - the rear wing and the front splitter look magnificent. The car manages to look purposeful as well as being subtle - after a few cars that really drew attention I realised that this wasn't necessarily a good thing! The headlights are excellent. I suppose you'd like to know how it drives? Oh - go on then! It's smoother and more grown up than the ISF for sure. As mentioned before, it's obviously a bigger car to park etc, but once on the move it absolutely doesn't feel it - it sort of shrinks around you - for me, this is the sign of a well engineered machine. You'll have to drive one to see how you get on. The noise is broadly similar to the ISF, the engine revs higher and the gearbox is slightly smoother and a bit more intelligent than before. The different drive modes - economy, normal, sport, sport+ all subtley change the steering weight, engine response and the gearbox's willingness to change. Sport+ really feels like the car is ready to eat the traffic in front, however the lesser sport mode changes the rev counter to match the LFA, with a little persistence line on a gearchange to show what revs you'd reached! As mine is a '16 plate, it doesnt have variable dampers but the standard springs/shocks (remember this old tech?!) are nicely chosen for a good balance of comfort and sportiness. In cold, damp weather it has no problem bothering the TCS at the top end of 3rd... Economy - urban driving (lots of 30/40 limits) my average is 20-22mpg, on a run you’ll get better than 30mpg without trying too hard. As for reliability; well - nothing's gone wrong so far. Looking at the service history, I believe a few visits were required back to the dealer to begin with to get the HUD working correctly, but it's been fine ever since. Depreciation? - who cares! Maybe it'll depreciate less, there being only 50-55 of them in the UK as upposed to 200-210 ISFs; maybe it'll continue to drop like a stone as many expensive Japanese saloons seem to. Bear in mind, mine had lost £30k in 18months with the previous owner. It's by far the most well-sorted car in it's class and can perform effortlessly as a comfortable cruiser, but change to a full on muscle saloon in around a second with a turn of a dial. I honestly had no idea what I'd ever find to replace my ISF, but it seems the answer wasn't so very far away! Here are some pictures of the filthy girl to whet your appetite... As always, I'll answer any more questions if you need :-)

I've got itchy feet. A sensibly coloured GSF (sonic silver with black leather) has appeared in the dealer network not that far from home, at Lexus Teesside. Seems it's come straight from Lexus UK, one owner and low miles. I realise that others are for sale at other dealers in the effluent south but realistically its a days travel there and back to see any of them, then the same again to pick up, don't really want the hassle..... I've had my ISF(2011 facelift) coming up to 2 years and 17,000 miles at the start of the summer and it is a great car. Utterly dependable, reliable, comfortable, quick, effortless on the motorway, rare and remarkably better on fuel than the M5 touring (known to friends as George, as in Best as it liked a drink) that came before it. And like the M5, depreciation is / has been glacial, but fortunately unlike the M5 though, I'm not on first name terms with the service department at the dealers! The reliability of the thing is the main attraction of the GSF over all of its rivals - and to be honest it was the same for the ISF.I looked at all the options before I decided on the ISF - M3/4/5, RS4/6, C/E 63, Jaaaag XFR/F-type. But it came down to the reliability, the same questions over the potentials on the list are still there now. A mate has owned a RS3 from new (its now 2) - has been in countless times to Audi, one 10 week(!!!!!!) period for a misfire, and is onto its 5th set of front brakes due to squealing and juddering of the front discs. I couldn't and wouldn't put up with issues like this. Maybe I've had my opinions of the other manufactures cars clouded by this friends experience , in the same period my ISF has been to the dealers twice - once for a service, the other time for the airbag upgrade. I'm not the most tolerant when it comes to the incompetence of dealers and their shortcomings, so keeping away from them is only good for them as well as my blood pressure! I'm off to see the GSF over the weekend. The opinion of the OP and another poster on the thread is that it's been a positive experience moving to the GSF, has there been any downsides yet, any problems raised their ugly heads? My concerns are it's size and depreciation. Size wise the ISF is spot on. We very rarely as a family use the car, but if we do, its big enough, if a little tight. The GSF is a class up - it may too big. My wife has a company e-class estate that does the family/dog stuff, the question to myself is do I need another big car? I've been lucky with the last half a dozen or so cars I've had where depreciation hasn't happened or been very slow (except for a ruinous Merc estate). I realise that its part and parcel of owning a car - and as with all the GSFs up for sale its taken a huge hit to date - but as I'm tight I'd hope that the rate of decline in the value has slowed somewhat to make the depreciation more palatable. Against the GSF the first offer for the ISF is quite encouraging certainly in the right ballpark. Its unlikely that the GSF in 2 years time would achieve the same level of depreciation! So, that's where I am, anyone who has made the change to an GSF your opinions will be gratefully received, and I'll let you know how I get on at the weekend!!

I recently came across a DVLA spreadsheet showing the numbers of individual makes and models registered with them between 1994 and Q3 2017. It makes interesting reading. The Q3 2017 figures for the RX450 are: LEXUS RX 450H ADVANCE PAN ROOF CVT 1525 LEXUS RX 450H ADVANCE SUN ROOF CVT 1135 LEXUS RX 450H F SPORT CVT 2694 LEXUS RX 450H LUXURY CVT 3410 LEXUS RX 450H PREMIER CVT 2275 LEXUS RX 450H SE CVT 161 LEXUS RX 450H SE-I CVT 3311 LEXUS RX 450H SE-L CVT 1930 LEXUS RX 450H SE-L PREMIER CVT 270 If anyone wants to see the whole list it's HERE.

So i finally have got the pistons rings and rods fitted but not without a small drama😓 I started with the ring gaps got most done but had small issue with number 4 piston top compression ring, i checked the gap using the feeler gauge, filed, checked, filed, checked, filed and checked...... and it went over spec!! I did get distracted by the mrs on the last file and it was around 20 mins before i continued so i think i just applied more pressure than the previous times. Its not far out of spec but its different to the other 5 and as im at this point and just 20 odd pound for a new ringset its a no brainer. Really annoyed with myself for this but these things happen! pretty easy and pain free getting the piston rings in the correct location, bearings installed and pistons fitted using a piston ring compressor they just glided in. ARP bolts dipped in 30 weight oil, fitted and torqued down to 60ft lbs. So just need the new ringset now to finish that. I took the cylinder head to work and soaked it in wheel acid before jet washing it all off and its come up amazingly clean ready for me to get the valves out to send the head away, i also did the valve covers and they too come up amazing. No pictures of these just yet but will grab some soon

@Flytvr Looks great, the carbon finish is stunning in the flesh. I remember having a nosey at an orange carbon edition in Lexus Edinburgh last year.

Whilst trying out some scaffold boards under my jack/stands at the weekend (gravel drive) I decided to clean up the OSR arch/suspension before slapping on a good coat of rust converter. I applied some to the tired rear disk bells earlier this year, didn't coat them with anything else and they've stayed nicely protected. I hope to get all of the undercarriage cleaned, treated and under sealed before too long. Anyhoo whilst I was rummaging around the OSR tail pipe I found that a heat shield fixing had corroded through. I managed to remove the nut and add a penny washer back only to find a second fixing had also failed but in a more awkward position on top of the rear box. This nut wouldn't budge but still had enough thread for me to add a spacer and washer which nipped up the heat shield properly. A bonus of this find/fix is that the rattle I thought was the rear parcel shelf/boot has now gone

A friend of a friend had his IS 300h stolen in London a couple of nights ago via thieves amplifying the keyless entry signal and someone else has told me of the same occurring recently with another IS 300h in Hatfield. I knew this was prevalent in BMW and Mercedes but didn't think Lexus' would be targeted since they are less popular - I have ordered some faraday cage key pouches from eBay.