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On a positive note, you'll never forget where you parked that at Asda!

Assuming my disability allowed me to own a normal saloon, I wouldn't swap from a GS to an NX either. Surely the comparison isn't 'luxury' saloon - luxury SUV i.e. GS vs RX, it is 'compact executive' saloon - compact SUV i.e. IS vs NX. The GS imho is from a class above the NX, and was priced accordingly. The GS I had for a few weeks as a courtesy car was for sale at over £45k 'used' whereas my NX Luxury was below £40k brand new. Similarly it would seem logical that the new UX compares with the CT in the Lexus range for those wanting a slightly raised driving position. Looking back at my posts from when I had the RX, I was achieving economy in that of 28-32. I achieve 38-42 in the NX. I also note that while very disappointed in the RX when I had an F-Sport, I was far more complimentary when I had the 'normal' Sport version. None of which really helps the poster of this thread, who needs to decide which car is most relevant for HIS purchase, which will depend on price, age, size and his opinion of both cars. I'd recommend three things @LexusIS300h First, see what age/mileage you can get for your budget in both cars, and decide if you'd be happy with older/newer. Second, make sure you get a 24 hour test drive in both. Third, go and look at the new Honda CRV Hybrid as well...

I had a GS 300h Premier and now a RS 450h (Premier too), and I would have not decide to change my GS for a NX, while RX is "better", except for mpg. So, if you are considering the passage from IS to a Lexus SUV, in my opinion it has sense only getting a RX (mainly for v6 engine); I drove NX as courtesy car but I would have not traded my GS for it.

Great Car, Great buy for someone. Anyone on here ? it would be interesting to know what's replacing it. Or do you have a big reveal planned some time soon.?

Hi All I know been a long while appreciate to see some remember me....... was it my charm.....Witt.....being a pain in the arse ☺️ Anyway being sorting some personal and health issues nearly resolved and I’ll be back....... Oh and Kitt is still with me........ Be good to meet up with old and new sometime Big Rat 🐀

👍🏻 Didn’t take too long to go. Did you sell privately or trade? whats on the cards next?

Greetings, from slightly northeast (Sweden, land of vikings and such), just figured I'd make one of these fairly pointless posts ^^ I've found that this forum offers vastly more in regards of useful information than the Swedish equivalency, and thus here I am! I've already read and learnt a ton from crawling here the past few days. 🙂 Since me and the mrs put a second tiny human on this earth recently, and figured it was about time to move upwards size wise from our Audi A4 Avant (2006), we bought a lovely Lexus RX 400h Executive (2008) about 3 weeks ago. So far, I couldn't be happier, it's simply a tremendous drive as well as a joy to look at, and I find myself making all sorts of excuses just to take it for a spin. 😉 It also works tremendously well in fairly large amounts of snow (on snow tires, since that's legally required around here), which is useful since we live on a mountain, in the middle of a forest, on a dirt road. I must say that it carries itself very well indeed, compared to our Quattro Audi. The project of the past two or three days has been to create an audio DVD with mp3's that was still playable in the Mark Levinson DVD changer (since it doesn't support mp3 dvd's for whatever reason), something that turned out to be rather tricky since the recommended software was last updated in 2009, but somehow I managed! ^^ So, essentially, I just wanted to make my presence known, and thank you all for all the information I've already harvested from this lovely place! Looking forward to more of the same! 😉 Cheers! // Kristoffer

Well my car had an intermediate service today a Lexus Cheltenham. At the same time they replaced the HDD to cure the slow reversing camera issue. Result - camera now switches much faster and some of the other functions seem quicker. The satnav destinations need reloading , but everything functions as it should.. The service adviser commented how much faster the camera switched in, so clearly they made the correct decision to replace the unit ( at nearly 2 grand it was a great warranty claim). While there I extended my warranty for another 2 years and was pleased to learn that the cost includes 2 MOT's. The only thing mentioned on service was that front discs are down to 32mm ( recommended minimum is 31mm apparently). Pads are at 4mm. Quote is £325 to replace discs and pads inc vat , but service adviser Mike said to leave the work for now and pop the car in after another 5,000 miles to check wear again. As always very happy with level of service as all work was completed in 2 1/2 hours while i examined the New RAV4 and UX 's in the showrooms.

Thanks to John "Old trout" has answered your question basically above, and if you scroll down on the link to a box on the right hand side labeled GS450H- LC600H you will see a depiction of the layout. What is not shown is that the system is operated by it's own external electric hydraulic pump "mounted on the transmission" to enable ratio changes. The pump is turned on by it's controller to enable ratio change. This pump or more accurately it's drive motor has been known to failure due to nothing more than it's bearings failing due to lack of any lubrication. These bearings can be replaced as the pump and motor can be removed from the transmission. The bearings being standard ball bearings available from non Lexus suppliers for less than £10. Lexus will only supply a complete pump unit for over £2500. John.

Really useful to know Lee, I think this is the route I'm going to take also. Let us know how you get on.

Or Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_Synergy_Drive John

https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/947393/ Mostly the same, definitely the same principle. In short - Prius power split device, with the connection between MG2 and the driveshaft happening with a 2-stage ravigneaux gearset.

@PhoeNicks Just what I have bought for my ISF. £280 but hopefully worth it. I ran yellowstuff pads before which I got on really well with. On the OEM discs Vs ECP Brembo discs and also adding MTEC discs into the frame. Only one set of discs cracked on me while on track.... The OEM ones. Really not worth the money in my experience. I am about to run a DS2500 pad and ECP brembo disc combo in a couple of months so hopefully all will be well 🙂

Don't you just love a bit of bodgery? A previous owner of my car had broken the linkage/hinge on the cupholder cover, and repaired it with seemingly whatever they could find in B&Q... Maybe not the most exciting update for anyone else, but it's nice to now have a new one fitted, and the actual cupholder insert present too 🙂

Very true, I was thinking that. I totally agree that a BMW 3 series (e90) or Merc c class (w204) would be a money pit right now with a catalog of problems.

Welcome. Only been here myself a matter of months, having acquired a 2006 400h. Gradually getting things "up to spec" - within reason - refurbished wheels, fixed brakes, couple of new tyres, all that sort of stuff. Got compliments from the in-laws. They always buy new cars (Audi or Land Rover with good Mondeo as a run around), so compliments from someone on a much higher budget really welcome! I think a headlight lens refurbishment is my next thing... UV damage, I think... Not exactly uncommon issue. Anyway, enjoy!

Ah. Thanks for the info.

So now you have 'invested' in fixing the calipers and exhaust then it should serve you a good while yet and I would not be thinking about selling now its 'sorted', if you had a BM or a Merc you'd be spending like this a lot more often I know. Enjoy... Note: that is prob gonna be the cheapest fix for a 12 year old exhaust problem! paul m.

I have owned in succession a RX400h (outgoing Executive Limited Edition), a RX450h (SEI) and now a NX300f (F-Sport). Best on your comments, I am assuming that you would be looking at a previous generation RX450h, as opposed to the current one. Size: On paper, the RX is not that much bigger, but you do notice the difference in car parks and along country lanes. The boot in the NX is smaller, but I have never found it to be a problem. The NX is narrower and this can be an issue if you regularly carry 3 passengers in the back, otherwise space is plentiful for two rear passengers, even with the panoramic root. Room at the front is more than adequate. Performance: No doubt about it, the RX is much more powerful, and therefore feels and is a lot faster. Swifter progress, but you pay for it at the pump, although you'll never stop grinning. I never managed to better an average of 29mpg, but that was without trying hard as mpg never was a priority. Comfort: The RX is very comfortable and I travelled (very) long distances at times without suffering from my back etc. The seats are more like armchairs, the suspension is relatively cosetting. My sons tell me that the rear seats are equally as comfortable and the incline of the backrest can be changed to help find your ideal position. Having said this, all of us agree that the NX is equally as comfortable... but in a different way. Firmer suspension with better control around corners and bends, and seats are better sculpted and more supportive in some ways. Personally, I love the seats in the NX F-Sport. Noise: the 6 cylinders of the RX, backed up by laminated (double) glazing and good insulation contribute to a quieter ride. Also, the engine being more powerful, it is less strained under load. The downside is that you notice that it is far more rattly than the NX. Our RX suffered from a rattly back seat that used to drive us mad, plus the odd squeak here and there that would come and go, and friction noise from the front windows against the runners/rubber (never managed to completely get rid of this), depending on the weather and the outside temperature. On the other hand, absolutely no parasite noise in the NX and I find the engine noise well controlled... until you need to hurry up a hill. Technology: The RX is an older design than the NX. As a result, you get more toys in the NX - depending on trim level of course - and they are more up to date. At the end of the day, I'd recommend the NX over a previous generation RX450h. Unless you want the performance and the space, the NX is a better compromise, it arguably looks better, is cheaper to run... and for the same amount of cash you will get a much newer car. Now if I had to make the choice between the current RX and the NX, I'd plump for the RX!

Ill tell you something about ECP brake discs and pads and I dont know if this is true for all of them However, for a friends son's Hyundai, he needed pads and discs all around. Got them from ECP with their 50% off brakes - Brembos They didn't fit correctly, they were way too tight in the rear and needed grinding down (not the first time this has happened from ECP). Showed them to the mechanic and he was pretty adamant they were not original brembo quality and claimed they were very good knock offs. He claimed that a lot of the brake pads and discs on the market are very good knock offs and even if buying from a reputable company theres a chance they'll be fakes

I do see it aswell in the new Mercedez/BMW compared to 90's and early 2000 models. yes a 2019 model will have newer toys than a spaceship would but you can just tell its not the same. not sure what new car buyers pay for these days when buying a luxury car. mediocre quality even when you put reliability aside. its more the badge if you ask me but whats the point in being 'exclusive' when every man and his dog drives one.. I'm not sure if the financial collapse experienced in 2008 has something to do with it but Luxury car models released afterwards are hit and miss in terms of quality with a few models still being well built in terms of material quality. the worse of the Luxury brands for me is Tesla interior build quality how can a car be worth that much and have such interior build. no offence to Tesla owners

I looked into having a radio with DAB fitted into a previous vehicle, but was advised not to bother, as a decent antenna system would be in the region of £300..... I listen to DAB most of the time in my IS300h, as I like to listen to Talk Radio which is only on DAB. I do get the occasional black hole in reception, but it's generally pretty good.

I am not sure about 2006, does that includes model year 2006 aka every model introduced up to that time? For me personally it was introduction of CT which was clear way to bank on the badge without delivering much of the car. 2012 GS is still quite good - that is potentially why it is being killed, LS'es are continuing, but more entry models started suffering since ~ 2010-2011. Second point regarding reliability, not every reliable car can claim to be "luxury", to be luxury you need much more then just reliability. I am sure ES is just as reliable and any other Lexus before it, but textured plastic shouts Toyota in the face.

My old one i traded in last week is now on autotrader, no pics as yet but advertised at £19980 at lexus teeside, and just a mere 48357mls on clock, fantastic motor with unmarked as new interior and excellent body work no dings or scrapes, owned it for just short of 5yrs, one of the if not best on the road, cant fault it, i put it back to standard prior to trading it in ie took of aftermarket alloys and replaced with the standard alloys and took out GROM vline V2 system i had fitted to infotainment system and took off and gave away the wind deflectors to another LS owner This is the last photo i took of it after i parked it up and handed keys in 2nd pic is how i had it prior to swapping things over

Someone once told me Lexus built good well spec'd cars with quality materials up until 2006. anything after that was mediocre. and not just Lexus i have also seen this mediocre quality in other so called Luxury brand cars. they sure dont build them like they used to anymore at least Lexus overall is still a reliable brand on average..

Took delivery of my UX Thursday (From Bristol). In Sonic Titanium with Premium pack. Very pleased, major improvement on my CT200h. So quiet and refined. Plenty space for us (also in our 70's!!).

Great to see you back on the forum. 👍

That (~14K miles) is about what I got from my last rear pads - EBC Ultimax. I've replaced them with EBC Redstuff (I use Redstuff on the front - they produce very little dust and what does get deposited wipes away easily as Redstuff contain no metal - they are ceramic - the only pads which don't deposit metal particles which eat into the paint/lacquer of the wheels). They are a bit expensive though. But worth it for their excellent braking and fade resistance (once they are bedded in). I once posted that I was going to use Yellowstuff at my (then) next pad change, but then I found that they contain metal. As I said, Redstuff are the only ones (of any make) that don't

I've got a four week old, 19 plate NX (Premium pack + Protection pack) that I may be moving on. I just can't get comfortable in it. It'll be for sale for less than dealers are currently selling year old ones for. Only has 900 miles currently. Feel free to message me if you'd like more information

Statistic speak for itself from 1700 deaths which is very small number only 300 were deemed to be speed related. Your terminology here is correct - these includes both above speed limit and speed inappropriate for the situation. Sadly these are not split further, but I reckon from 300 larger part would simply not suitable speed for situation and not actually speeding (just a stab in the dark). I don't want to repeat myself again, but if you would have red my post till the end, I specifically said speed limiters won't help because they will only enforce posted speed limits. Specifically, in UK I find a lot of roads not suitable for even those limits posted, hence I consider this new requirement not beneficial. 1. if you have issue with me watching dashcam videos on youtube I am sorry (not) to broker the news for you that these are ones of the most watched videos on the internet... perhaps only second to cats videos 🙂 People watch all sorts of things - horror and gore movies, series about murdering people (heard of Dexter?), how does it surprise you somebody watch dashcam videos? 2. "legal" is not equal "good idea" and "sharing" is not equal being "stuck behind". Yes it is technically legal to cycle on the road but become an obstacle for others isn't good idea... Secondly, legitimacy can be argued - I consider that anyone who uses the road should meet minimal requirements - know the rules (license), have insurance and have a valid MOT. If that doesn't sound reasonable for you, then you should know that "rule of law" is based on rights and responsibilities, cyclists have no responsibilities, hence I see all "road using cyclist thing" as a rights without responsibilities aka loop hole in the law/not legitimate. 3. yes the taxes motorists pay are not spent on "improving" the roads, even if you consider cycling lanes and public transport infrastructure an improvement. Directly motoring related taxes - £37bn last year, expenditure and roads only ~ £4bn, of which £2.2bn are public transport "subsidies" (meaning that private capital companies literally getting paid billions for providing consistently terrible service), ~1bn were things which I do not consider improvements i.e. pavements, cycling lanes, bus shelters, bus lanes and only ~1bn was spent "on the roads" i.e. building new roads, fixing potholes (maintenance, not an improvement), making roads "safer" etc. That leaves £33bn not spent on transportation at all and whatever little has been spent doesn't improve the roads i.e. from ~£1bn spent on the "improvements" that could include things like speed bumps, speed cameras or other infrastructure which have not contributed in any direct way to "improve" the road. Now importantly, the government knows that people are ignorant and they do not look into the facts and numbers. For the government, it is easy to play this "bad motorist game". What they achieve is that cyclists and pedestrians find justification not to spend money on improving the roads where the money is spent on improvements for them (selfish but natural), what they fail to understand however is that we are still just fighting for "bread crumbs" whereas government can keep the cake. If cyclists and pedestrians would look at the wider picture and get behind spending all amount for road improvements we all perhaps would have £37bn to spend. Finally, what makes the road suitable for use? There are many things, but one of them is "designed for traffic loads and volume". This means that there should be no traffic jams on the road, no obstacles on the road, no potholes and one should reasonably expect to be able to drive safely at the posted speed limit for prolonged periods of time (this literally makes most of London roads during the day are "unsuitable for use"). There are obviously exceptions to that - severe weather conditions, traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, accidents etc. where one would need to slow down - however that is "exceptions". At the traffic lights - as long as all cars waiting can cross during single green signal it is not considered traffic, if after green signal there are still cars waiting, this is already traffic and means road/crossing does not meet the "volume" requirement. As we all know the UK has worst traffic jams in Europe and it is not "normal" for the road to have traffic on it continuously - such roads should be deemed "unsuitable to use". I reckon extra £33bn would help with that a little bit (considering it is 33 times more then is currently spent). Now obviously, I am 100% sure you won't read all above and continue to claim I am just cyclist hating weirdo... I am fine with that..

Welcome to the LOC!

Trust me, you're about to loose your backbox, my symptoms were exactly the same as yours. Do you know someone handy at welding? Get him to investigate, this will save you a fortune.

It does look quite plasticky. I’d like to have a few hours in a new ES, to experience for myself, but from the pictures it doesn’t look a patch on the GS. It’s a big shame, but the interior on my GSF was one of the things that stood out to me as being a little special. *Disclaimer - I am aware of the price difference between the two - I’m merely a little disappointed Lexus didn’t try a little harder with the ES.

mk-lon, if any use to you there is a national company called powerflow who custom make exhausts for is. Had mine done by them also advised another member to use them. I don’t work for them or anything but they have a branch in Mitcham Greater London if any use for you. My is220d new backbox was about £200 with fitting all custom made, the other member was quoted about £225 because a quad exhaust on his is250. His centre was in sittingbourne. Just google power flow if you need any more info, made up with mine and probably saved £££££ over Lexus main dealer.

Whilst I don't agree with you about the drive because we have different priorities, I couldn't agree more about the interior quality. It definitely has the feel of a higher end Toyota rather than what I'd expect from a Lexus, especially as a replacement for the GS. Very disappointing.

No Problem......and no matter how good their coffee & biscuits are the telephone number bill at the end of day is gonna hurt! So having spent a good bit of money on it then if you continue to 'keep on top' of niggles then it's gonna last you a good long while yet I would like to think. Shame about having to replace the calipers ( pads and discs are expected) as this is preventable if inspected/cleaned/lubed on a regular basis ( even though it is not a Lexus service item) paul m.

To mk_lon, get it looked at ASAP. I ignored my shaking tailpipe and lo and behold my car parted company with its back box pulling the bumper away at speed. Not nice experience. Cost me couple hundred quid to sort but annoying because an Indy probably could have welded it. Most quick fit places don’t stock Lexus exhausts. Dealer only parts. So looks like Indy weld job or custom made parts if you don’t want to line lexus dealer pocket with your hard earned £££££. funnily enough your car same age as mine, others had issues on the forum with is,gs exhausts with cars our age too. Please don’t ignore it.

Yeahhh found it....and you Deffo don't want this happening any time soon.... paul m.

As you probably already know ( that's why you mentioned it!) lots of short engine use journeys are not good for the longevity of, in particular the Exhaust, cars and their constituent parts. You have perhaps been behind a vehicle when it has made a forward movement and a noticeably large amount of liquid ( highly contaminated water really ) has poured out of its tailpipe! This liquid has accumulated due to condensation in the cold metallic exhaust from the hot engine exhaust gases. If the said exhaust does not get hot enough to evaporate this condensate then it is gonna build up, keeping exhaust cold ( not good) and rusting it from the inside out ( again not good). The engine block, exhaust manifolds and exhaust system on the IS is a lot larger than your average car ( straight 4 ) and therefore will take longer to get upto high enough temps to evaporate the condensate from its two large back boxes. Also the engine oil will prob need changing more frequently than the manufacture reccomends, as you can actually get condensation on the inside of the engine block and thus contaminate the engine oil. So regarding your observations, I reckon you have a holed exhaust or worst! The sound will be from the exhaust leaking somewhere, to what extent then inspection will tell, but the 'knocking' may mean it has become detatched somewhere! So I thoroughly reccomend inspection sooner rather than later as it may cause major damage to your or others cars! (Looking for previous example right now.....) paul m.

Yeah, mine got knocked off at the Sainsbury’s car park about a fortnight after I picked my car up...can’t seem to get it back on though...however i’ll work it out for the MOT, just before it gets ‘knocked off at the Sainsbury’s car park again’...

+ considering current diesel prices (+10p/litre) and increasing bans on city centres I doubt it is even cheaper running one, even without considering IS220d has a lot of problems compared to "nearly" problem free IS250 Auto. My answer in short would be - do not even consider IS220d.

Almost certainly the 12V battery gone or going flat. You say you bought a new battery recently but exactly how long ago and how much have you used the car since fitting it? The 12V batteries used in the hybrids aren't very big and don't have a huge capacity because they don't have to turn a starter motor to crank the engine. All they do is to provide power for the entry/exit system and power for the computers to boot up and get the car into the READY state. A 'traditional' starter motor will draw upwards of 300A to crank the engine but as you can see in the photo below, my 2013 RX450h only draws 15.32A to get it to READY. Even if you don't drive the car there will be a drain on the battery for things like the alarm and immobiliser circuits; keeping the radio presets in memory etc., etc., and if the car isn't used for any length of time, say, stood in an airport car park for a week or two waiting for you to return from your holidays, the battery will have drained to the point where it won't start the car. I'm fairly sure that a set of jump leads or an overnight charge of the battery will see your car up and running again. If you're not using the car on a regular basis I would seriously consider buying one of these jump start battery packs or something similar.

Depending on your location I would recommend these guys: http://www.toyotec.co.uk Honest and highly competent. I went there recently and they could have easily billed me for a bunch of work that was indicated from an MOT advisory, but had a quick look under the car and told me (and showed me) that it was entirely spurious and didn't need to be done at all.

Previous owner put an ipod lead in, I borrowed ipad mini from work (I am firmly android) and that works fine too.

Problem solved. Thanks for the suggestions. On the lock assembly there is a piece of black plastic that is part of the child lock override button. This pivots on a pin. It would seem that it had jumped the pivots and was floating free. It can’t go anywhere as it jams the locking mechanism. With a small screwdriver it clicked back on the pivot. After reassembly everything locks and opens as it should. I can’t see how it popped off in the first place, maybe a previous owner slammed the door too hard. Anyway, saved the price of a door actuator. Incidentally, the inside door panel comes off very easily with a plastic pry tool, but putting it back on is not so easy, it tricky getting the top part of the door trim over the metal of the door, opening the window helps a lot but its still difficult. Hope this help someone. steve

I would but we go on holiday every year with our dog. If you go on the ferry the dog has to stay in the car and you're not allowed to stay with them. Not really very nice for the dog being stuck in that environment for 3-4 hours. Tunnel is much better, they really cater for dogs well with exercise areas and free doggy gifts, you're all in the car together and it only takes 20mins.

The 400h never had air suspension.

Not actually changed the speakers on an RX but have on other vehicles. Hardest thing is finding speakers that will fit unless you want to get into custom door / panel building. Once you have speaker dimensions (and fixing positions) you can find new speakers, however this is not the way i'd proceed. Speakers are probably the last thing i'd replace. 1st If there is an external amp in the system, replace that as this is usually low quality in standard kit. If there is no external amp, replace the head unit with one with a good internal one. Also, ensure the amp and / or head unit have a crossover facility. 2nd Fit a sub, this doesn't have to be a big box taking up half the boot, there are plenty of subtle slimline powered subs that can be fit discreetly - I had a seat alhambra and fitted a blaupunkt slimline sub in the passenger footwell for example. This is also where the crossover facility is useful, this allows you to direct low frequencies to the sub and higher frequencies to the factory speakers. This will probably give you your best improvement as most issues come from small speakers trying to reproduce low bass and distorting. 3rd Fit new speakers, either all in one coaxials or if you can split the mid and tweeters with a passive crossover. This will give you a bit of a bump too but not like 1 and 2. I know it seems a bit of a faff but this is probably your best route to improved sound.

On our sadly departed XC90 I had both. Ran Nokian WR SUV 3 winters year round and they were superb but I suppose may have worn a little quicker. Absolutely unstoppable in snow. Then swapped those for Pirelli Scorpion All Seasons because the price was good. Again, no problems but not quite as sure footed in snow. Never had a problem, I just had to be a bit more cautious. You can thank me later for not answering your question in any way

Fleet's in. Averaging 30mpg too which is a bit of a change. But I have to say I do like having the IS as a bit of a garage queen. I'll make the most of it while I've got it.