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Hi Guys, posted a couple of times over the past while, and a few members have asked for better interior photos of my USB IS-F Never actually taken any half decent photos of the of the cars interior since fitting the seats and having the steering wheel re-trimmed. Quiet afternoon at work and an ideal chance to give the car a wash an hoover, and take a few pics. Hope you like them! The Seats are Recaro CS Sportsters from a Lotus Evora and came with manual runners. Yes, I've lost the heated seats and electric adjustment, but small price to pay for the perfect seating position as I've always found the standard seats didn't' quite go low enough for me. I must admit though, the heated seats were missed over winter, but it is nearly summer :) There is quite a bit of wiring involved to address the PCS and Airbag lights. This was taken care of by a professional Auto Spark. The bases came from the states, using IS350 mounts, although if I'm being 100% honest, the drivers frame isn't perfect and I'm going to have the original adjusted or an entirely new subframe fabricated. I used Optimus Trimmers up here in Glasgow for the wheel. They are top notch. Even did the wheel in once piece, unlike my GT3 which wheel uses three sections. I wouldn't ever have known, but Del the owner wanted it to be like the factory finish. He's some man! This is my third IS-F and chose to address all the little things I didn't like about the model with this car. There isn't much, but always room for improvement. I'm not into going overboard - Prefer to get the car like they way I imagined it might have come from the factory. OEM+ I think its called on the 'scene' :) Cheers, Stevie

Decided against H&S exhaust as almost as common as RCF's nowadays.... ;-) Taking one for the team and I have ordered an exhaust from Fox in Germany with black tips. Contacted them directly and got free shipping to the UK and 10% off the exhaust Also ordered a Takeda intake from the States. Bonus gone :-) Bring the noise :-) Will post relevant pics & vids once arrived and installed.

So finally got sometime to install the Greddy Ti Exhaust. As previously stated I had to do a slight modification to the mid pipes to include HFCs, so I didn’t use the Greddy Ti mid-pipes, instead I had a new set made out of SS with cats and resonator. I’ve only driven around for like 1 and half weeks and had to travel, loving it the more I drive it and reminds me of how the car used to sound with the Joe-Z Exhaust. I was surprised to see I had a significant exhaust leak when I took of the OEM exhaust. Driver side bottom was pretty bad, and passenger side Top seems to have started to leak (below pics). I hope this custom installation should in general give a much better compatibility between the PPE Header flanges and exhaust flanges. (Driver Side Exhaust flang) (Passenger Side Exhaust flang) Below pic of the new pipe alone: Greddy Mid-pipes vs SS Mid-pipes Below comparison of both mid-pipes together: If anyone is interested I did the work at Styledynamics in London, so far I’m loving their work. Any finally a short sound clip below:

Not a bad read on here...... https://www.pistonheads.com/regulars/ph-spottedykywt/lexus-is-f-spotted/37829

No, they use a two box system. One near your key, the other by your car. They use a different technology to transmit between the two devices, the distance can be 100s of metres. The device nearest your key can also use a more sensitive receiver/stronger transmitter so it can be further away from the key than 12 feet.

Bloody hell. I just got quoted 1500 for a front end respray on my ISF (black so stone chips magnet). She's not a garage Queen so decided to spend 1500 on exhaust and intake instead ;-)

Last time I posted about the ISF on PH I got trolled about the boot hinges compared to those on an E39 M5. I ******* you not.

I made a guide a few years back in pdf form. Here's the thread The clay lube was an unnecessary purchase. Bilt hamber clay is designed to be used with water. Additionally, car shampoo in a spray bottle mixed with water would make a clay lube. UHD wax and BH cleanser polish, not really sure on. It's certainly not a tried combo but should be ok in theory. Personally would have gone for BH double speed wax instead, cheaper, longer durability and known compatibility. Furthermore, would argue that BH cleanser and Poorboys glaze are doing the same thing. In fact, BH cleanser is so good that poorboys glaze is somewhat useless. Bilberry wheel cleaner is OK but on darker finish wheels leaves white marks behind. Worth bearing in mind. Rinse wheel immediately don't let it sit. Clean seats once a year or if seat is shiny. Doesnt need anymore than that. Nothing needed on dash and plastics apart from damp cloth soaked in mild apc solution. I prefer not to dress the dash anymore as i prefer the original matt finish. Can get mass dressings but they look the same as factory fresh so why bother?

In over 40 years, I've never put a car through a car-wash......not even my first Mk1 Escort. I usually wash my car weekly and enjoy it, not a chore, very satisfying when viewing the end result. I don't go in for any fancy products, usually Simoniz wax and wash and their polish afterwards occasionally. My vehicle always looks smart, but probably wouldn't stand up to showroom scrutiny. It does for me and I'm very proud of my RX. I really struggle to get the glass sparkling. I've used Autoglym and other proprietary products to no avail. Any tips ?

Hi Everyone, I have had my Lexus IS200 for 18 mths now, it has been a nice car so far. Yesterday when driving I started to hear a water sound coming from the dash, then sure enough the smell of radiator water. Doing the right thing I stoped by a car shop to have a qoute, needless to say $$$$ouch just for the labour. I was once in the auto trade myself and wasn't happy to be screwed, so DIY. I looked online but found little info on how to change it, and the info I did find told of stories of having to remove the dash etc. NOT TRUE!! It took me 5 mins to remove and 45 mins to install. Here is how you do it: Tools required: phillps head screw driver Torch or some form of light Pliers Hacksaw Hose the same dia as the heater hose 4 hose clamps Proceedure: Removal 1. In the engine bay, Losen/remove both hose clamps on heater hoses. 2. Disconnect Both heater hoses (if they are stuck on try to twist them). 3. In the cabin, Remove the pannel below the stering wheel (three screws), then dissconnect fog lights, dimmer, air temp senor and unlatch bonnet cable. 4. Remove the 3 screws (these hold the heater and the heater pipes in place). 5. Slide the heater out, as it is broken anyway just yank the pipes out, they will bend very easy. note: you may want to have some rages on hand to catch any water that comes out of the matrix or pipes. Install 1. On the new Matrix, cut the frist pipe (higher pipe on matrix). Make the cut in beetween the two mounting positions on the straight section. Be gentle and take your time. 2. On the new Matrix, cut the second pipe (lower pipe on matrix). Make the cut before the mounting position on the straight section. Be gentle and take your time. 3. Cut two lenghts of hose and install both on the matrix side of the pipe. Be gentle when installing. 4. Place losely two hose clamps on each hose, fasten the clamp close to the matrix. Keep in mind the positioning of the clamps for easy access later. 5. Gently side the matrix into place. You may need to rotate the pipes to clear everthing for a smooth entry. 6. Once in place, re-latch (screw up) the frist mount and tighten. 7. Starting with the lower pipe (it goes throught the top hole in the firewall), once though the top hole insert it into the hose to connect it to the matrix. 8. Once in the right position tighten both mount for that pipe and also second hose clamp. 9. repeat above step but though the lower hole in the firewall. 10. In the engine bay, reconnect hoses and hose clamps. 11. Top up water. 12. In cabin, re-install pannel below steering wheel. 13. Start car, top up water again Note: it is allways a good Idea to check no water is leaking from the re-installed pipes and matrix Done.

So following on from my earlier thread I wanted to create a new thread to keep track of all the mods I do from here on: Current Mod List as she stands today: Black Powder Coated Exhaust Tips Flat Bottom CF Steering wheel Cowon dash cams (front and rear) Candy apple red pearl powder coated calipers All emblems blacked out + window trims + front grill PPE Headers Sikky Sway bars 2014 LED Fog lights Carbon fiber rear spoiler Afe or Toms drop in filter Apexi Throttle controller RR Racing Air/Oil Seperator Orange electronics TPMS with display Figs Racing Brake 2-piece front and rear rotors RR Racing Titanium Intake Figs LCA Bushing and Housing Full interior trim changed to Carbon Fiber (pictured below):

:)

Those seats look amazing, love the wheel aswell.

Yeh, PPF definitely old school but proven. My mate has it on his Evora..... Exige.... no, Evora......always get confused between the two 😞

That is why they have independent receiver and transmitter. The person with receiver comes close to your house and amplifies the signal which would pick-up the key fob signal from further than 6-12 feet. Another person stands next to the car which can be even several 100's of meters away and receives the signal via relay and transmits it to the car - car thinks that key is in proximity. Faraday cage pouch does block it however. ... @ColinBarber was faster!

Well a lot of cars, Mercedes, BMWs and Ford Fiestas in particular have been stolen in this way. The devices you can buy on Amazon and eBay for £257 work up to about 30 metres from the key, without obstruction. Metal and walls etc reduce the range but by some random amount. The further from the front of the house and the more metal in the way, the better. The Faraday pouch is a good idea, so obviously you do take it seriously - probably more so than the rest of us, until now!

Yes, deadlocks are only there to stop the door being opened from the inside (smash window and reach in).

It’s annoying having to unlock the doors when you stop, i always forget. Also my car isn’t worth enough to worry too much about carjackers, if i drive through central london i always lock the doors but anywhere else.. meh. I did notice there was an option to have the doors unlock when you select park but i’d rather it just left them alone.

And what a pain in the backside of a job it was. For those who aren't aware the whole back bench and seats have to come out to reach the top mounts for the rear struts. Whilst time consuming it isn't particularly difficult. The issue came when removing the bolt holding the bottom of the strut into the rear frame. The way it was put in meant that it hits the anti roll bar on it's way out! After a lot of wrestling and help from some friends we managed to get the rear done. As for the front, also a pain in the backside. The first strut was no issue, remove the bottom bolt, the three in the top, and take off the top wishbone for more access. Job done. However on the passenger side all hell seemed to break loose. When the bottom bolt was taken out the strut shot into the base of it's seating area and refused to move. The sides needed prising apart enough to allow the bottom of the strut out through the front. Why this happened on one side and not the other I don't know but it's a job now done. Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Bit of a while since the last post but definitely been busy. I've finally managed to get round to smoothing the nasty holes out of the boot and although not perfect not bad for a diy home job. Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Colour match is near enough spot on. It's not the best job up close but definitely happy for a diy job Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Finally got a working techstream cable and disabled that annoying driveaway locking! Also managed to turn off the lock/unlock beeps but then decided I actually prefer them :D

I found an ebay seller who can get aftermarket modules so gonna try that first. £40 for a full new working remote key will be awesome if it works.

No... In UK car crime is almost decriminalised nowadays - so you very rarely see any prosecution. As for criminals themselves - stolen cars are worth very little (I heard that the actual people who steals the cars gets £500-2000, regardless of the car). If they are in any doubt or suspect something they will simply dump the cars - as such you will rarely see anyone arrested in these raids. I have red the article from eastern EU about raids on car breakers (the ones who steal for parts) and even though many arrests are made, very few gets prosecuted and the jail time is very rare and very low. The reason for this - usually there are gaps in the chain, so depending where they get caught only limited liability can be proven. Police tracks down the garage where car is being dismantled (usually they can dismantle the entire car in 8-24h after it being stolen) and rounds up everyone in the garage (say 10 people), but there are no tools for stealing only normal garage tools - they all claim that it is their friend car they were asked to "repair". Most say, they just hanging around and have nothing to do with car altogether. Obviously, everyone gets arrested, but probably only 1 or 2 going to be charged... likely because they own garage, were closest to the vehicle or had similar charges previously - 8 going to get away without any charge. Other 2 probably going to be charged with minor crime like "assisting the crime" - because no actual link can be proven between steeling and the people disassembling. And that is in eastern EU where law is much more straightforward and the requirements for proving it are much lower then in UK. I guess in UK even those last 2 get away, because police would not be able to prove "beyond reasonable doubt" they have stolen the car. The biggest penalty and highest risk of prosecution is literally straight after the car being stolen e.g. when they get into the car and drives away. Most of the time they have tools for the crime with them and are clearly in stolen car. Therefore you will see unbelievable car chase scenes in such circumstances. But realistically very few gets intercepted... majority gets intercepted in later stages where culpability for the crime or the criminals themselves are very hard to establish.

Nice haul for £120! Those products are more than good enough so I'm not going to recommend any better alternatives. The only thing I do notice missing in your arsenal is some kind of chemical decontamination product, so I'd definitely recommend getting a iron/fallout remover as claying on it's own won't necessarily lift everything that's on the paint. Maybe get a few soft detailing brushes too as they're great at getting into nooks & crannies like window frames, badges etc. You can actually still use snow foam without a pressure washer. You can just apply it via a pump sprayer instead of a foam lance. Granted, it won't land on the car as "foam", but the cleaning power is largely undiminished. Normal practice is to do the wheels first as they are usually the dirtiest part of the car. The tyre dressing is one of the last things I will do.

The answer - yes very susceptible. There was video of CT being stolen in seconds. But that is not only keyless cars - all cars with remote/central locking. The Amazon and eBay don't need to be lobbied they need to be fined - clearly those tools have no other purpose but to commit crime, so should not be on sale.

Scraping the barrell if that’s a serious comment!

Just saw that, felt it was my duty to write a paragraph or two!

Gtechnique perfect glass then gtechnique c2v3. No smears at all. https://gtechniq.com/products/auto/perfect/exterior/paint/g6-perfect-glass#content

Slippery slope my friend. Detailing world forum is where you will get the best advice from professionals and enthusiasts. You don’t need snow foam just a prewash. You have some good products there. Dooka to the best washing mits and drying towels I have come across. The biggest discoveries for me have been: - using a pressure washer and a citrus prewash is a massive game changer in terms of reducing scratches on the paint and saving time - discovering gtechnique products. They are simply incredible and their c2v3 body way is the best thing to happen to detailing in many years. It is a spray on and wipe off wax that finishes harder and is more durable than wet waxes. It can also be used on plastics, glass and wheels. Took me 20 minutes to do my Evora. It used to take me 2 hours or more tonwax the the car, great the plastics, windows and wheels.

Glass polish is what you need. They have a cream like consistency. Barkeepers friend is very good just don't use it on the exterior driver and passenger windows otherwise will affect the coating.

Work from the top down. Don't allow the panels to dry in the sun. Accept the fact you will get swirls. Clay once a year. Wax as soon as water no long beads. Apply tyre gel on clean tyres once they are dry. Watch you lovely clean, waxed car look dull and dirty by the end of the day.... I used a quick detailer between washes to remove light dust. Interior wise, clean leather with a damp cloth once a week, depending on use, clothes worn etc.. Deep clean 2 or 3 times a year. Wipe dash top with a damp cloth. Use an interior quick detailer to remove spots/ greasy marks on door card or grips. The only reason for 'detailing' a car is because you like doing it. If it's a chore it'll never look good. A car is for driving and enjoying. Basic cleaning and dealing with stone chips is all that's really needed. Perhaps get the car professionally 'detailed' once a year.

that does sound nice!! Looks a very nice job you've done there, obviously put some thought and effort into it.

Yes on public roads you will never notice due to the high limits you need to reach, but the nerd in my will always want it, I had a few Honda's with LSD but they were front wheel drive with lower performance limits, on them you could few it work and made the car feel more fun. No hurry to change current daily car as I have had it for long time so will see what else comes up. Hope you enjoy the car as it really is a nice one.

Well maintained/preserved Lexus LS400 models are desirable classic collectables now, so your timely purchase will reward you with both the pleasure of ownership and a good investment.

Was more asking about the oil but yes dont worry i have a brand new is220 dpf unit which is not installed , my MOT not due till next year , i'll probably get a refit done closer this time next year

I have an 08 and have driven a friends 2011. I have tracked mine a few times and tbh the e-diff works fine. You would be amazed the amount of performance cars that have e-diffs rather than mechanical diffs (I think the Ferrari F430 and 458's have e-diffs). The diff wasn't worth the 5k difference in price at the time of purchasing my ISF (different between mine and my buddys). Preference would be a mechanical diff but beggars and choosers. Although bluetooth music streaming and DAB.... I would like that but those are fairly easily obtained with relevant tweaking.

After driving a few I couldn't tell much difference between the suspension on the later models and certainly couldn't get into a situation where I could tell the difference between the ediff and a LSD on a test drive. I wont be driving hard in the wet or tracking the car so it wasnt essential for me. The condition, mileage and history of the car were the main factors and this ticked all the boxes. You pays your money and makes your choice, its not like there are lots for sale and I think anything around the 20k mark without mega miles is hitting the bottom of its depreciation curve. Good luck with the search.

Dev Do yourself and your Dad a favour ,the car as no returnable asset value to you or him if you start spending money on it the wheels and the touch ups will cost at least a grand, regardless of how popular these cars are the one you have is not the most sought after of the 400s that prize goes to the Mark 4. Stick it on auto trader and if there is a enthusiast out there it will fetch its correct value .

@Flytvrthe ngenco looks terrific. Definitely on my list when the time comes....

Awesome work man. Great attention to detail [emoji41] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

With the amount of interest in these cars on pistonheads, you should create a thread on there under the “seeking advice” banner.

I bought my 400 from a neighbour that had reached an age where he felt he could no longer drive. The local Lexus dealer would have taken it off his hands. The wheels are poor, plenty of paint off the front bumpers, couple of dents and a ding. I replaced the cambelt, pulleys, water pump. Serviced it: it too had Lexus history. Recently I replaced the front discs and pads. You can't scrap it. In fact you don't need to. I would do the wheels but not the respray. Perhaps forget the current value and consider that to replace it with such a quality and reliable car would be a) difficult and b) expensive. Please don't sell it to trade. There are plenty of Lexus fans and first-timers who will take your hand off. I thought I'd take mine as a runabout until I could muster a big fancy sports beast. Can't sell it, it's too good and nicely fast when pushed. Keep it/buy it yourself. Believe it or not, you have a very desirable car that whilst it's not worth a fortune, is sought after.

This is quite a turn up for Lexus, that new model price is sparring with earlier model used prices but the main reason is the upgrade system used in the states since the launch of the LS 400 back in 89 . We in the UK have only experienced small upgrades like DHP and electronic accessories but the US would be everything from fabric to leather and satnav ,so they have now started here and if you go to the premium side of the new model it will add a considerable amount to that £76 k lead in figure.

Just a small update. Managed to get round to priming the boot today. Can't wait to get some colour on it :) Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Thanks guys. I'm still considering the is convertible but the interior of the 450SC with that wood and white leather is pure automotive porn! My is250 is a great car and the change is not imminent but keeping my options open. So impressed with the Lexus quality and service that I won't be looking in any other direction. I miss a V8, the last one I had was in my Triumph Stag, the opposite end of the reliability scale!