funkey

Me & the Mrs made a 20 mile round trip this morning and when I looked at the info screen in clocks I was astonished to see 77mpg!! The average normally reads around 46mpg. Big achievement!! Simon

I'll try changing the balance towards rear of car tonight. Unfortunately I find the bass to be very wooly and lacking in definition (but not volume :) ) Has anyone tackled any upgrade projects yet?

Folks, I have been driving an IS200 since 2005 and loved every minute of it (when I wasn't refueling!). I have recently taken delivery of a new IS300h F-Sport with premium Nav. I have probably been institutionalised with my IS200 but the hifi in it SOUNDED so much better! It had a small power amp and, granted it was "old-skool" (with no MP3 or USB capability), but the sound quality was impressive for a stock system. I really hoped the new car's hifi would be equally impressive :-( Has anyone else found similar?

Does anyone have experience of replacing the standard indicator bulbs with LED equivalents? IE does the IS300H require CAN-enabled bulbs?

I made a call to the local Lexus dealer. The J3 filter has a valve and is the correct filter; J1 is not in spec as it does not have this valve. Result!

Thanks for checking Patrick!

Thank you for checking. And the plot thickens...

Hi folks, just a quick query. I called into my local Toyota dealer to get an OEM oil filter for my lex and he handed me part# 90915-YZZJ1 but after checking via google, there appears to be another part# - 90915-20003??? Perhaps it's the same filter but labelled for US market? Would someone mind checking the correct part#? Prolex link: http://prolex-uk.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=595_167_187&products_id=1227 Any help appreciated!! Simon

Cheers Igino! Looks like this starts the count down until I replace it. I'll be checking every 500 miles from now on since it only takes 10th minutes

Folks, I've checked my timing belt and found the width to be 26mm while the pully is approx 32mm No point in checking if I can't tell if there's been any wear!! after a 10min search, I've been unable to find any mention of what the original width should be. Cheers, Simon

See also on the lexus blog website here Isn't this the first recall to affect the any of the original IS?

Yes, but are the Japanese models as fuel efficient? The Prius & Civic hybrid are the only efficient models that come to my mind

Have thought about that too - putting the cash into fuel instead of car+depreciation, but I like the idea of moving up the years to something a bit more eco friendly!! Reliability has been top notch with the only problem being the infrequent yet common problem of the engine starting on the third turn of the key. I will miss it IF I do get rid of it next year 4wd on the A5 with the 40/60 split was pretty impressive too!

I've had my 04 is200 SE just over four years now and I've been mulling this one over too lately. I'm leaning towards a used A5 as I recently had back to back test drives in both a Sportronic S4 and a Tiptronic A5 3.0 TDI Quattro. While both were amazing and felt like an upgrade, for me the diesel was a much more relaxing car than the over excited S4 - I'd loose my license within 3 months!! The new chassis platform designed for the A5 is definatley good but the S4 didn't feel just as positive - more like I was taking an over excited pup for a short walk!! I'm aiming to change late 2010 and will definately be sticking with rwd after the IS. I'm only sorry I didn't get a sport when I had the chance!! Have you been considering anything else?

Fixed!! Local car electrics shop reconditioned the motor :) Took them 2.5Hrs and charged me £100 but it's as good as new now. Saved £100 by not having to buy a new one. And I think the fix & re-use approach is so much more satisfying than replacing anything that breaks. Hope it lasts another 5yrs!!

Excellent suggestion!!! :)

Does anyone have any recommendations to source the regulator? Local dealer's best price is supply @ £150 + fitting @ £90/hr! Thanks!

Anyone think it would fit in a Mk1 IS?? Be a whole lot cheaper than an IS-F if you've got the skills. Expect it would put the one-off IS430 to shame!!

Got Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3's on front and GDS2's on rear and loving them! They seem to be lasting much longer than OEM Bridgestone RE040's (14k). GDS3's only half worn with 16k on them. GDS2's 3/4 worn with same mileage. Wouldn't mind hearing about GSD3's asymetric durability

The taxi engine test focused on engine wear. The interesting point being that one group had the engine sump welded for 60k miles. Analysis of the oil highlighted the quality differences between mineral & synthetic oils during the test... But I do agree that real cost probably isn't reflected by a high priced product but this can be applied to so many products aimed at a premium market... Simon

Has anyone had any experience of using the extended warranty option? I'm having poblems with front of car let me explain. It started out with noises from front of car during corning + braking and that was resolved with replacement of ball joints. Now, I'm getting further clunks when turning tightly + braking when moving less than 15mph. Has anyone been told the extended warranty does not cover this or that?? I intend to contact the dealer to discuss the benefits tomorrow. The published cost of 12mths extended warranty is £665 and I'm wondering if this would help with getting this ongoing problem resolved + give peace of mind for any other problems. Am I crazy for considering this folks?? Simon

Mine used to do it lots but I put it down to colder weather making the oil thicker when it was 10-30w. Now using Amsoil 5-30w and it hasn't done it since. Got 40k on mine now Just properly read VVProtocolVV's comments. Hot as well - doesn't sound like oil's the problem there then!

I'm a big Amsoil fan too!! B) During a service, the local Lexus dealership poured that Shell Helix into mine (only 32k on the clock then), which was ok for the next 12k miles or so but then I noticed the engine note changed a lot during normal driving, especially during tick over. Sounded as if the oil had broken down and wasn't providing enough lubrication. I did a bit of research and came up with Amsoil too. Settled on 5-30w ASL and I'm stunned by the difference. Sounds even better now than when I first got the car (only 2k on it then) Got the Amsoil from link There's a lot of hype about this stuff including the "million mile new york taxi test" using sealed sumps for control! link to the story here

Kazi, there is a fantastic guide here, care of MacRS200 and it's full of lots of great pictures.

Do you mean cv joint, link005? Anyone any thoughts on this? Anyway, the noise is still there!! After the ball joints got replaced and I got the steering re-tracked, I've driven a few hundred miles but I'm disappointed there is still a noise. I've taken it to Lexus Belfast and they had a quick look at it up on the ramp but couldn't find anything obvious. I might go and get OEM front brake pads to see if they have anything to do with it...