Northern Boys Luv Gravy

You have to look at who your contract is with. I am assuming that when your car was crashed into you had it repaired through your insurance company and they arranged a bodyshop or agreed use of a certain bodyshop. If this is the case your first port of call is your insurance company. You need to convince them the original repair was unsatisfactory and it is up to them to pursue the bodyshop, not you.

I can look at playlist and track names on the move? But then again I don't have the MM.

Mine works exactly as shown in Scott's post. It sounds fine. I have an issue with the Mark Levinson radio, which is woeful, but the system sounds fine when listening to a CD or the Ipod. My only real problem with it is that there seems to be a limit to how many albums you can access. It will move from CDs 1-6, and then show 7-12 as 1-6 again. After that, it returns to the first CD (or Ipod album). What if your Status Quo album is on the 13th CD? You won't get to hear it. :(

Can anyone help or advise?

BTW, I would prefer the connection to be in the centre console, as I stuggle to reach over and push the plug into the Ipod. The lead is quite short, and it's not always easy to tell which way up it should be when you're reaching over from the driver's seat. I am thinking of asking Lexus to move it to the centre for me.

All I did was go to iTunes and set up a couple of dozen playlists each featuring a different artist. Then I moved all the artists' albums into their respective playlists. So now as I'm driving along I scroll through all the playlists until I find the artist I want and then go through that playlist until I find the track I want.

Lexus Newcastle are quoting IS250 Sports new for £18,995.

There's a simple fix to cure the seat creak - they remove a couple of locating lugs under it and it's sorted. The lugs are for use during assembly and are not needed.

The Lexus and the BMW are both good cars, but for my money I would never have a BMW turbo diesel older than 3 years and outside the manufacturer's warranty. The turbos are notorious for going wrong and BMW are not the most accommodating when it comes to goodwill- one leasing company I know had 13 out of 14 320ds break down leaving their drivers stranded over a 2 year period.

Having just blasted back up the A19 with ECT Power engaged I can confirm that the 250 Auto is not gutless....just flex that right foot big toe.

Sorry, if I seem to have upset you. It was a very brief drive anyway(15mins in 250, and 15 mins in diesel).

Although both my current cars are petrol, I'm predominately a diesel fan(previously owned Merc 300TD, Volvo XC90, Audi 4.0TDI,BMW 530d), I currently have a budget of upto £25k, so choosing a Lexus is a no brainer ( the percieved quality and reliability of Lexus), having driven both cars back to back, the diesel was my choice, but now having read various member's posts, you can imagine my disappointment with the below par economy and reliability of 220d.

I'll be asking the dealer for an extended test drive in the 250...so watch this space

LOL - no of course you haven't upset me.

My point is that if someone is used to the rather abrupt power delivery of the IS220d that comes in at 2000rpm and then stops at 4000rpm, the petrol model is going to feel different.

However, the IS250 has 204bhp and certainly not short of power but the maximum power is delivered after 4000rpm when the variable valve timing comes into its own. The engine is beautifully smooth and will rev easily past the red line without seeming stressed. You put the car into Sport and use the shifters to keep the revs up and the whole character of the car changes - it feels much faster.

I agree, but it also means that you need to work the engine much harder to get any decent power (or rely on the kickdown). In the diesel however you could be driving normally and if you require power to overtake all you do is put your foot down and the power delivery is almost instant. I was honestly quite dissapointed with the engine of the IS250 (in terms of performance, cause it was excellent when it came to refinement and smoothness).

Not quite sure how the engine in the petrol is working harder. I had a diesel 220d and was constantly coming up to the rev limiter at only 4500 rpm. I never need to go near the rev limiter in the petrol. I think I know which one is less stressed.

Having just blasted back up the A19 with ECT Power engaged I can confirm that the 250 Auto is not gutless....just flex that right foot big toe.

Sorry, if I seem to have upset you. It was a very brief drive anyway(15mins in 250, and 15 mins in diesel).

Although both my current cars are petrol, I'm predominately a diesel fan(previously owned Merc 300TD, Volvo XC90, Audi 4.0TDI,BMW 530d), I currently have a budget of upto £25k, so choosing a Lexus is a no brainer ( the percieved quality and reliability of Lexus), having driven both cars back to back, the diesel was my choice, but now having read various member's posts, you can imagine my disappointment with the below par economy and reliability of 220d.

I'll be asking the dealer for an extended test drive in the 250...so watch this space

LOL - no of course you haven't upset me.

My point is that if someone is used to the rather abrupt power delivery of the IS220d that comes in at 2000rpm and then stops at 4000rpm, the petrol model is going to feel different.

However, the IS250 has 204bhp and certainly not short of power but the maximum power is delivered after 4000rpm when the variable valve timing comes into its own. The engine is beautifully smooth and will rev easily past the red line without seeming stressed. You put the car into Sport and use the shifters to keep the revs up and the whole character of the car changes - it feels much faster.

The ratching noise when the dials to their sweep is not normal. My first IS didn't do it from new and then started doing it at about 10k miles. When I enquired with the service tech he told me this was normal and I believed him. My new IS has done 15k miles and has never done it - the dials sweep silently.

Having just blasted back up the A19 with ECT Power engaged I can confirm that the 250 Auto is not gutless....just flex that right foot big toe.

Hi all,

Long time reader - haven't done much posting though!

So i'm considering purchasing an IS220d early next year as a family car that my wife will use 90% of the time. Going to go for a low mileage used one. At least i was until i heard that the car isn't all that great and they have some problems.

Is this true? Should i steer clear of the car? Not all that interested in a 250 due to tax, mpg etc. I genuinely thought buying one of these would be a no-brainer but now i'm confused. Have been a Japanese car buyer for years and they have treated me very well so don't think i want to go German either...

Any advice/comments appreciated folks!

Does your wife do the miles to justify the extra expense of a diesel? Not all motoring needs are suited to a diesel car - particularly one with particulate filters such as those fitted on the Lexus and newer Audis. If you don't do the longer journeys regularly the filters get clogged and the soot never gets burnt off by the 5th injector and you can get numerous problems. Also diesel is 10% more at the pump. I'd get her an IS250 auto - still cheap to tax and she'll love you for the ease of driving the thing.

Since the introduction of diesel particulate filters on Audis in early 2006 they have had so many complaints of poor mpg, cars going into "limp" mode, poor performance they now do a pre-qualification questionaire for all potential diesel buyers to see whether the car would be suitable for their needs. My wife is currently negotiating the buy back of 2 diesel Audi A4s by Audi Germany and putting the owners into petrol models because they should never have been sold a diesel in the first place - they were doing local trips and low annual mileages and getting crap economy and clogged filters. Newer Skodas are suffering too.

You're going to get a low price at the moment - book values are falling month on month. My wife's Audi dealership have made 30+ people redundant, including all the centre hosts and most of the back room staff. Business has just died and they have no interest in taking part exes at the moment unless they are paying buttons for them. And this is Audi who are actually doing far better then Mercedes and BMW at the moment - so god knows how bad it is at your local Merc or Beemer dealership.

My IS was rear ended when it was 4 weeks old by a transit van. Both rear quarter panels had to be pulled out, new bootlid, new boot floor, new bumper and rear trim. some minor damage to the front. The total bill, including car hire was something like £6k. However, I put the car into the Audi bodyshop where my wife works and they did a fantastic job. You really could never tell it has had an accident. In fact the paintjob is probably better than new.

I took the car to Lexus once it had been repaired and they confirmed that they would have no problem selling it as an approved Lexus - so I was very happy with the work.

It didn't stop me pursuing the other guy's insurance company for diminshed value though and I got a cheque in my hand for £1000.

Sonar?? What is it a submarine?

I don't think you can reject a car for a persistant rattle. Someone on here had Lexus GB take away their car to fix the rattle at their technical centre or something and that seemed to work fine. I believe the rattle is just caused by a couple of clips that are left in from installation of the windscreen so it really shouldn't be a difficult or lengthy fix.

Just had the Lexus Dealer on the phone saying its been hard to track down the car I want, and that they can get an IS250 SR, but without heated front seats. This would be £200 less than the one with.

Can this be right? Would it be a proper IS 250 SR or some bodge made up one from a dealer....ie a Base IS250 with body kit, wheels, and extra scuff plates, and pedals??

I initially have said that I want heated seats, as I am forgoing a lot of features such as leather and heated/cooled seats, so heated was a must.

Thoughts?

That's interesting because at first I thought the IS250SRs were base models with a body kit and bigger wheels and were a way of selling off excess stock. Then I saw they had a different seat material to the base IS so assumed they were indeed a new model. I wouldn't be too bothered about heated cloth seats but check they haven't just tarted up a base model.

BTW you made the right choice with the auto, and despite some diesel owners suggesting it's not as fast as the IS220d, you drop it into sport and hold the revs using the paddles and the thing will absolutely fly. My favourite is holding it in 2nd round a roundabout and then flooring it as you come onto the dual carriageway - it really takes off.

Your comment, "forget the rubbish new A4".

Would you go into a bit more detail please, point me to some owner feedback as I've owned a few over time and always been well satisfied.

Thanks.

We had one of the new A4s - 2.0T petrol in a rather striking white with tan leather interior, it certainly turned a few heads. It was a bit bigger inside and handled a bit better too, but it didn't really feel like a massive leap forward over the previous model. I did think that the interior was not constructed as well as the previous model either. It certainly wasn't rubbish though - just not attractive enough to get me out of my Lexus.

I suppose looking at the figures comparing the S80 and IS220d, power and weight are virtually the same so the poorer fuel consumption of the Volvo can only really be put down to the auto box and older design of engine.

To be honest I find those mpg figures for the S80 quite disappointing - certainly not warranting the 10% surcharge for diesel. Have you had the fifth injector checked? (joke!) :)

I'll stick with petrol - diesel is the fuel of Satan!

Surely an SE without leather would be identical to the base model?

Hi guys,

I just got quoated £516 for a 20k service at LEXUS EDGWARE .... + 10% discount for being a gold member ...(£455)

Is that too much ?

Any ideas for cheaper London area service ?

Cheers

Matt

Far too much if you ask me. I know London prices are high but that is taking the mickey. If they can't do it for £350 - AT THE MOST - tell them to stick it. I was quoted £290 at Lexus Teesside so they should have some room to manouvre. I would have thought in these credit crunch times they would want your business at any price.

Good choice on the A5 but you will see nowhere near 45mpg in real life. We have an A3 with the new 2.0T petrol engine and 6 speed box and it averages 34mpg. It is a good engine though - it has plenty of low end torque so it feels very diesel like - but smoother.

Actually the fact that there are 20 BMWs sold to every Lexus was one of the main reasons I chose Lexus. :)

As I've said before I was never that impressed by the IS220ds I've had as courtesy cars - but then again I think you need to drive a car for a few days before you really get a feel for it. IS220d drivers complain the 250 auto is slow but believe me slip it into manual and use the paddles and the thing absolutely flies. I know three people that are so delighted with their IS220ds that they have ordered new ones when their current lease runs out so obviously not all drivers are unhappy.

I also laugh when people start going on about Mercedes or BMW depth of quality - as if somehow a Merc or BMW engine is made to a higher standard or quality than a Toyota engine - absolute nonesense. In fact historical data would suggest otherwise. Mercedes engineers used to claim that they spent just 300 euros in extra engineering on their mainstream models but it enabled them to charge 3000 euros extra over their competitors from Ford and GM. I think there's a lot of smoke and mirrors going on.

what do you think is the best it could achieve,if you drove say,at around 55mph,on the motorway.

i tried this with my bmw,and just got to 60 mpg,it averaged out at 47mpg,all after resetting the computer.

You'd get 45mpg+ easy.

PX prices have fallen - but the discounts on offer have increased. At the end of the day it's the cost to change and the point at which both parties are happy to sign on the dotted line that counts.

I find dealing with car salesmen quite simple - you tell them how much you want for your car and what you're prepared to pay for theirs and they either say yes or no. If they say no you walk away - if they are keen to do a deal they will recontact you and make a counter offer. It's just business and there's no point in getting emotional about it, no good salesman is going to show his best hand straight off.