Leaderboard

Today was the big day after waiting for 6 months for these wheels. I went down to Kwik-fit in the RX to get the Michelin 4 S tyres fitted. When I opened the rear tailgate the guy went Wow they are sic wheels. Then all the other tyre fitters came over to admire them. The Kwik-fit guys were great despite the reputation the company seems to have. I had put tape around the rims to protect them and they put even more on as they were as nervous as I was about fitting. An older more experienced guy came out of the the office to fit them while the others watched. Even he said he was nervous about fitting the tyres and put the tyres on from the inside rim of the wheel rather than outside. So I came back home fitted them on the car straight from the RX and finishing them off went to get the centre caps from the garage only to find the spigot rings I hadn’t fitted so they all had to come off again. Anyway all done now and I am pleased with result. The styling I know won’t be to everyone’s taste, my wife even said they look a bit bling. They fill the arch’s out nicely and I am sure if I was prepared to lower the car they would look even better. I just have hope they don’t get stolen. I have fitted two types of locking wheel nuts one set from the US which were expensive however I can’t believe that anyone can purchase something readily available from Halfords that will remove any locking wheel nut with ease. Doesn’t seem right to me. I went out for a drive and I was pleasantly surprised how good the ride is still. Definitely a little bit firmer but still a comfortable ride. Far and away better than my previous last 4 BMW’s with M Sport suspension and run flat tyres I owned.

So i got my new drive shaft fitted and the click has gone! So far so good. I got a used part for £33 and took it to Albin B Motors in Croydon, who was very good. He charged £209 for labour and threw in a lexus drive shaft nut for free.

I know but at least I’ll try to settle the peasants 😂 putting up a post just now explaining it wasn’t a FB organised meet and in future i will pin a meet post so all can see and get involved if they want….. either that or we get a directory of everyone’s address and sent them a flipping personal invite, with a rsvp and self addressed return envelope 🤦🏼‍♂️😂 had i of been on my toes i should of put something up awhile ago but didnt think about it at the time

So I thought I'd create this thread as there isn't much info on here about IS350s. Well, certainly ownership in the UK. I thought I'd share mine that I am in the process of modifying. Current mods: - RAYS Homura 2X7s - HCmotion rear lights - Flappy Paddle extenders - OEM Wind deflectors - K&N Panel filter - Heads Up Display - Powerflow Exhaust (muffler delete) My other planned mods for the near future is the 4is front bumper conversion with either Vland or HCmotion headlights. I have an Instagram account for my car so feel free to follow and reach out to me - @jdm_is350_uk

This is a very interesting video from the states and this guy is an authority on Lexus vehicles and a Toyota master technician. Be sure to watch the video all the way through as there is a update featured for the touchscreen that replaces the oem version and is a vast improvement. (3) New Toyota Problem I've Never Seen Before! More LS430 Goodness! - YouTube.pdf

I meant to post this last month, however life got in the way. Whenever we go on holiday, we always take the wife's car. She has a Tiguan which has loads of space, and I have the 'smaller' NX. This year with a baby in tow, we had a bit more than we normally take. Usually, we put one case in the car, one on the back seat, however this year we had a bit more to take. I tried to get the cases in to the Tiguan, and it wasn't having any of it. I went to switch the cases with my parents as they have smaller cases. To my surprise, the NX's boot swallowed both cases side by side. A quick change of registration for the parking, and the NX was loaded up. I was utterly amazed on how the NX took everything so well. We tethered everything so that it wouldn't move and made our way to Southampton. Just for reference, there are two large cases, a normal size case on top, a carry on flight case, holdall and a backpack. I could have probably still fitted a bit more down the sides too. The Tiguan is definitely bigger, and had more leg room, but cargo space, not a chance. Well done NX!

I gave it another chance, Set off to Leeds ok and it was going fine down the M62, it was even warning may of lane closure's that were accurate. I thought its actually ok but then once i arrived at Leeds it was telling me to go a different way to what i had jotted down the previous evening. I just ignored it and went the correct way, it then kept on telling me to head to the M1 At that point i just wanted turn it off. Its terrible, the worst i have ever used. Hope the new cars have something better. Got a new phone now so will just use that in future. Thanks all!

It seems the post itself overall was well received and sparked some interest in future meets, which is superb. As always some negative nancy's - where was my invite... can you do a non F car meet next time... I did explain as clearly as I could that the club itself did not organise, it was a members idea and of course there is nothing stopping other groups organising their own meets... can't please everyone these days! I do like the idea of more 'F meets', as well as an 'All Lexus' meet, can bring the slammed NX... (kidding), but the LS's could see some daylight!

Love a nice 350! Not many of them around. I'm sure many of us here are jealous as we can all agree that 250 could do with a little more power considering its weight. I'd love 4IS bumper but they're still well over a grand at the moment... I think I'm going to just treat myself to 3IS bumper as they're sub £600 delivered. (+ paint on top) High five for the wheels! I'm also on RAYS - GramLights 57CR

I can't remember the last time I saw a car over here with those yellow deflectors stuck on the headlights.

That's easily corrected, when going down on rim diameter one goes up on tyre section thereby maintaining the original rolling circumference. The speedometer will not see any difference. This is normal practice even the manufacturers do when offering different wheel sizes for a particular model.

I would say the rear set up at 285 30 19 on 10.5 is 'spot on' perfect for best grip/handling, 9.5 width rims at the front may be a tad too wide for a precise steering feel and it will tramline a bit in lane 1. With such wide rims and low profile tyres it's always going to be quite a harsh ride on all but the best road surfaces and until the ARBs are upgraded, it's going to grip but sway around the curves when pushed. As said above, that's the compromise but it will look amazing.🙂

Yup needed a second jack. The wheel jack worked fine and it hasn’t been used to date…spotless and I had to wrestle it free from the mould! It went under the cross member and did the trick. Knowing that Razor61 had to use a second jack took a lot of stress out of getting it to fit.👍😉 All back in, bar one bolt. I managed to get an appointment at a local garage where the specialist visits - he would not do a mobile visit as he’s quite rightly given up crawling under vehicles. I know the mount replacement is going to make a big big difference…I’ll keep you posted on the bolt thread repair. Will be a week’s time.

Car had MoT last week and passed but the inspector commented on the amount of rust and suggested I get the underbody cleaned and coated. There are lots of companies in the UK offering this service with various procedures, products and highly variable pricing. Have any SC430 owners had underbody treatment done and if so what company and product was used? I did think of doing it myself with Waxoyl but then cleaning would only be a pressure wash and then some Waxoyl clear or black?

How many times do you read of repair jobs that take folk minutes…and your experience points in a different direction? This is a long story… Having bought a gearbox mount from I can’t spell it Aramera or whatever as usual I got a bargain for a bit over 30 quid OEM. Jacked the car up, propped gearbox with the Jack and dinner table place mats in a bag to spread the load and set about the job. My newish fabricated Y exhaust section is a bit off normal location so the big bolts had to come out with a spanner and even then one bolt: longer front one on one side would come clear so I manoeuvred the alloy cross member about to get clearance to the mounting bolts. Nothing. To buy more space I took the Jack away from the gearbox noting minimal drop but… Back around to other side of car…wiggle and bolt drops out…cross member free so I have clear albeit close access. No idea how that happened but it’s a result. But not good. Big faff. Time ticks. First bolt out ok. (Securing mount to gearbox.) Now for second…snap. That was enough for one day so I ordered a new set of bolts and went to screw fix for drill bits, punches, extractor bits. So. Get broken one sorted in situ now or try other bolts? Called a bolt removal specialist: sorry trade only, please? No trade only. Another mobile mechanic failed to call back and another thread man doesn’t do my patch. Classic garage I know said they do t do that sort of thing. Right. Next day and a rest: sprayed the remaining 2 bolts that looked in worse condition…so slowly and gentle small movements commenced their undoing. Luckily it wasn’t my undoing. They came free and so did the mounting. Mounting looked ok and I wondered where the vibration and slight noise was coming from, everything else in ok order. Now looking closer…after 22 years and just about to hit 100k…just have a look at this… pictures below… Snapped bolt: Drilled a pilot hole after punching a hole. A bit off centre I drilled and after ages cut a small hole. Tried the extractor: nothing useful happening at all. Drilled more, tried again: no result. Sprayed top end of the bolt - it’s hard to reach. Pipes are close and I can’t smack anything with a hammer. Upsized drill bit after ages drilled through the bolt. Tried extractor: useless. Tried again: useless. Don’t want to break it. Upsized drill bit again and that’s the limit: drilled though the bolt. Managed to chip out lower piece of the bolt from one side but the threads seem mostly covered by the husk of the old bolt. I can’t tell if some shoulder damage is old bolt or shoulder… Ok now tap and die time. But I’m trying the thread specialists again now I have everything exposed…so to speak. I’ll take it to them…I’ll remove the mounting…whatever…I’m not doing any more. 10 minutes…🧐

Bit late posting this one but.... Here's my new car, had it about a week but never had chance to get any pics so I got some this morning with not being able to sleep 😒 It's a 2007 Lexus IS220d and it's one of the best cars I've had, packed full of tech and Aircon that actually works 🎉 I'm from the North east, so hello to anyone who's from the same area, I've never owned a Lexus before so any tips and upgrade options would be much appreciated 👍

From Nottingham to Hemel Hempstead last Saturday the car averaged 31.4mpg. That is with average speed of 72 mph with some sections of the M1 down to 50mph

I will do. Hopefully its a minor issue such as droplink or something.

No worries, let us know how you get on! I love the look of the 2011+ facelifts but I really wanted the memory seats functions which only came with the early facelifts from 2009 to early 2011.

Congrats on the 2012 IS, shes a beaut! Im a 2010 F Sport owner myself and there definitely isnt a clicking noise as standard. Would indicate a lose part or something amiss, may be worth taking to a Lexus specialist as the dealerships vary largely in quality depending on your location.

Mine took 2 weeks from UK arrival to Derby for some checks and then another 2 weeks to the dealer with their checks and handover time. The extra 2 weeks was probably longer than normal due to all the new September registrations as my dealer said they were very busy.

Mine was about a week once it arrived at the checking place. it went from Bristol docks to Derby Toyota site and then down to me.

The problem started with the car companies. They all install a sweet gentle cat. What if they installed a growling, hungry tiger? SORRY!

A glimmer of hope Just been contacted by my dealer who informs me that "Oct 31st is when it is scheduled to arrive in the UK, it then has final checks at Burnastone before coming to us" - What does this mean in terms of time before it reaches the dealership (Lincoln)? Days? Weeks? thanks

I don't think there's any danger of our LS400 cats being stolen, you only really have access to the bottom end of the cat and the top end is tucked up alongside the engine block. It would take them too long and would be easier for them to find a more convenient target. On my road we've had thefts from four cars across all times of the day, the last two in broad daylight in the early afternoon. Pruis, Auris, Honda were the targets.

You're certainly not alone in this. For me it's almost always the case that the job takes far longer than expected, partly down to me being too fussy about doing it properly and also picking up other jobs while I'm there. However, I think it's mainly down to working on older vehicles that have had more than their fair share of rust and time to get permanently attached! The sense of satisfaction once done is great though.... if you can overcome the urge to give up and get rid of the car that is 🙂

Haha ...snap!!

Paint Protection Film. Basically, it is a plastic sheet that is applied on top of the bodywork to protect the paint from damage e.g. stone chips, light scratches, etc... https://www.3m.co.uk/3M/en_GB/car-wrapping-uk/paint-protection/

did they actually remove the engine and put it on their bench to test whatever ? seems a little extreme ........... and heaven knows why they couldn't provide a sensible answer to your problem, especially as she has been driving superbly I'd imagine for the past 15 years Guess all they needed was an old fashioned mechanic with those skills sets to fix older non-complex cars Wish you well whatever . your problem seems mystifying and never reported before on this forum to my knowledge Malc

Excellent news and thanks for letting us know 👍

Their build allocation do seems to be all over the place @dog3665, I guess I'm one of the slightly lucky ones that took delivery already. I ordered rougly a month after @Marlinleg, alomost identical spec I think, so base 350h AWD with premium pack plus the 14inch screen, at the end of December 2021, and all mine timeline seems to be rougly following rougly a month after @Marlinleg. So my dealer originally quoted ETA was June-22, then got pushed back to Aug-22, finally arrive at dealership early September and collected last week. Hang on there for those you still waiting, it's worth it! Just been through London rush hour traffic this morning (proper traffic with a HGV broke down in the middle of the Hanger Lane roundabout for those of you who knows the area!) and the hybrid system is working its magic!

I’ll pin a announcement next time thes a meet so the fb members get a heads up….👍🏻

Fine by me.

Can do so with mine, please credit me though. I barely go on Facebook these days.

Here's a few of mine- quality of pics is very....variable!

Just to add to this - I bought my 2014 IS in 2018 with 165K on it but full history. Originally supplied and serviced by Reading. The only repairs showing in the history beyond servicing and consumable are a auto wiper sensor replaced under warranty and a bonnet latch. Its now on 230K and just keeps going - the interior is getting a little creaky in places and I did have to replace a DRL and the transition between engine and EV is not quite as smooth, but I cant really think what else would rack up those miles so flawlessly. PS - still on the original 12V

It's faster than that Merc....

You might get a free umbrella like I did. Plus my showroom has a special side room with cool lighting to unveil your new car in private, so I got chance to get a good look over before taking outside.

Very nice Matt, you lucky b****r !, more pics and ownership comments when you have time. Is that 'velvet black' or 'graphite black metallic' ? I have ordered my 350h Takumi in graphite black metallic with Hazel Interior.

The car went straight from the dealers to be ppfed !

Apart from the fact my maps are 12 years old, it works fine in my experience. It displays the route you have to take, visually, and warns you of any impending junctions and lane changes etc. I'm not sure what else people need from a sat-nav for it to have such a terrible reputation.

I've took the plunge and ordered the satin finish and a toolkit to go with it. I'll see how I get on and posts some pictures.

Yesterday in Cranbrook Kent I hailed down and parked up and chatted with the owner of this early Ls400 ......... a guy from Benenden who assures me he's not yet on this Forum Needless i encouraged him to now join ! he told me it's one of only 2 1989 cars left in the UK, he had bought it some 8 ? years back from the ( widow ) owner who had it many years prior and spent £6k on wheel mods etc .... ( yuk ) This new owner had it part resprayed a few years back and the finish now is terrible, worn-out and clearly a bad reaction to the original paint finish and paint that he tells me is a different type of " compound " to original, older paints A blue/ grey but mottled and cracking and lifting and well, just awful He's probably going to have it properly resprayed . she's done 125k ? I think he said and he's recently done the cambelt etc . he has a few older cars and a mechanic guy himself too Only does a couple of thousand miles a year and loves the car to bits, been all over the north and west country in sublime comfort ( all as we of course know ) So if you're that guy and read this, do tell us more about your very rare beast .... she sounds as quiet as a mouse ( of course ) AND if my conversation hadn't revealed his imminent respraying quotes gopinmg-on I'd have probably offered him a bundle of old used £50 notes to start the process myself .......... Oh to have one of the originals eh ! Malc

Another option is to disable the sound beeper try disabling it not sure if its a techstream job or if it can be done manually like earlier lexus models look on youtube.

Try cleaning inside the belt holder mechanism compressed air or hoover.

Hi Mohamed and welcome to the forum. You've had your car 5 years now yes? Why didn't you join the forum then? What kind d of service history does your car have? Lexus history or independent? You say the PSC light xame on and steering gone stiff? You say you checked battery and alternator? How old is the battery? How gave you checked the alternator? I had the same problem. Battery seemed fine. I even bought a new one. The problem was the alternator. I had to get a new one as it wasn't charging properly. My car now runs as sweet as it was like new. It won't be cheap to replace the alternator but with the age of the car aswell you really do need to get a new alternator fitted.

here is the whip!

Thank you for this info. I agree with your opinion regarding cleaning and hoping for the best. I now have a quote from South West Rustproofing unfortunately the cost has increased quite a bit since 2ddesign had his SC done. I am now thinking it over but will probably get it done as it looks like they do a proper job, although I am surprised they only offer a 1 year guarantee?

Hi had my SC430 treated at https://www.southwestrustproofing.co.uk who had the car for 2 days, cost £670, rust removal and dinitrol treatment,

Back in the day I would agree... Now I think, first of all inspect or get someone to inspect, to identify any rusty components first and then decide what to do with them, before... covering them up, as it were.