is250newbie

Sorry for the delay, but have been away. Delexus, on my car, the auto locking feature was activated when I got it. It is also documented in the manual along with a way of changeing the settings. I think that if you do not have this featureor the soft rear seat pockets then your car is an earlier build. The 4 DVD nav set only needs to be changed if you are driving to an area on another DVD. The DVD that I have in covers at least all of the UK, France and Spain and possibly a few other countries. You do not need a dealer to change the DVD (although it cannot be done while driving!). In the tool set, you will find 2 long metal rods. These are used to go into 2 holes in the clock panel. When depressed, this panel comes off easily and the nav DVD slot is behind it. I agree, a bit of a pain though. Bob

I had the first SLi version. Since then, Vaistech have released the SLi2 and of course the video version. I can't comment of the latter 2, but the Lexus dock is better than the Sli. It works faster, seems better integrated and the sound is better. No video though. Both work on playlists and both emulate a CD changer so no artists, albums, etc. Track names and playlist names are displaid on both. The Viastech allows you to go back to iPod control, the Lexus version does not (that I can see).Not bothered as I did not use this feature. I hope that helps. Bob

I haven't posted for ages (no longer an IS250 newbie!) but have just changed my old IS250 over to a new one so thought I would comment. My PCP contract is up in January so I have been searching for a replacement since October. Looked at all of the usual suspects and found them all lacking in at least one respect against the Lexus. BMW 320d - Great to drive, but not much else. However, if that is your main criteria you will not find better. For me though, you will get used to any car and its driving style. Once the novelty wears off, then you have to live with the rest of the car. I could not live with the rest of the BMW. Merc C class - Where to start?! Expensive, stupid vinyl (sorry - immitation leather) seats, expenisive, bland looks (to my eyes), really expensive. Its only advantage - its a Merc! Audi A4 - Very close - In fact if the new one was available, it may even have won, but overall, the Lexus is better than the current version. Ford Mondeo (yes really) - A really good car. Great to drive, well built, good equipment, OK looks, less common than a BMW 320. Only disadvantage - Its a Ford! (I know - this makes me a real snob, but I would imagine that this is a real problem for Ford who have basically designed a fantastic car) Also looked at Honda Accord and the Mazda 6. Both were good, but Lexus was better. So, for the first time ever, I have the same car back to back. Brand new shiny Black/Tan IS250 SE Auto MM with Lexuscare iPod Doc was delivered yesterday to replace similar Silver/Black version with Vaistech iPod dock. My first impressions are that the new one is tighter in build quality. Some minor changes (posted elsewhere I think) - Auto locking doors, soft rear seat pockets, 4 DVDs for the Nav system covering all of Europe in detail, slightly different texture for the steering wheel leather (yes....I am officially a saddo!). MLS also sounds sharper to me. I bought it through Broadspeed because my local Lexus dealer really could not be bothered to try and sell me anything. Never rung me back on numerous occasions, etc etc. Lexus dealers (or at least my one) would not last 5 minutes selling software! Very happy with Broadspeed and would definitely use them again. So, very happy with my new car, and, I am sure, will be for the entire 3 year contract, by which time there should be a brand new version I hope. BTW, even though Lexus never win road tests (BMW is king), they always score very highly in long term tests. It would appear that you DRIVE a BMW, but you OWN a Lexus. Bob

I had a similar thing recently, where someone crashed into the offside front of my 12 month old IS250. Basically, a pillock who wanted to turn left at a roundabout from the righthand lane when I was going straight on! £3500 of damage including the replacement of the entire offside front suspension and steering arms. It took 7 days and it has been returned in perfect condition. In fact, I would even say that it drives slightly better than before the accident. So as long as it is Lexus aproved you should have no trouble. They are perfectionists.

I bought this a few months ago from this site. It is the Viastech. Lexus fitted it for me for free when they were doing the rattles and it works perfectly. Good sound and good control. I use it all the time. Perhaps a bit expensive though.

I think you will find that the MM system is playing the CD layer of the SACD disc and NOT the full SACD mix. The Lexus MM system is compatible with DVD Audio but not with SACD.

So you will get mats to protect the mats to protect the carpet :-) hmmmm.......

Its not just the dealer discounts. I bought 2 flights to Florida in November from the Thomas Cook site and saved £60 per flight against the cheapest (including charters) that I could find anywhere else.

Mine is between 2&3 and then only above 75 mph (which of course I dont do). After Tango's fix I went and checked my door alignment, which looks perfect, so that is probably why. Regarding the A/C, in my experience of any climate control system, the general rule seems to be: If the inside/outside temp is hot, then the A/C blows cold air mostly through the face vents (because cold air falls). If the inside/outside temp is cold then the system blows hot air mostly through the lower vents (because hot air rises). My one seems to work this way and seems to be more intelligent than others that I have had. The sun sensor seems to work very well, giving you a blast of cold air through the face vents when the sun shines through the front window.

I have not been totally trouble free: I've had the seat belt sticking problem and the center dash rattle, both dealt with promptly by Lexus Woodford with a free replacement car if I needed it. And they fitted my iPod connector for free at the same time. However, the car is truely great and the after sales service has been second to none. I am a happy owner and get pleasure from the car every time I drive it. If I had been treated the way Jamboo has obviously been, it would have been a totally different experience. It shows how a sympathetic dealer can make all the difference. BTW Jamboo, contrary to what your service guy said, James tells me that he has video'd both the fault and the fix (for the center dash rattle) and that it has gone back to Lexus and is available to all. So your guy is speaking rubbish. So no car is perfect, but if you have a dealer that is prepared to work with you rather than against you, the experience can be positive rather than negative.

I think that it is more sophisticated than just volume control (at least on the MM system). It sounds like it alters the tone as well as the the volume. For instance, it increases the base when there is a lot of road noise. The effect is subtle and not always that noticable (as it should be), but the sound stays constant.

It didn't cost me anything because they fitted it at the same time as they fixed the dash rattle under warranty. Once you have access to the stereo it is very easy to fit. So, do you have the dash rattle? :winky:

Having said that I would not buy this http://www.mp3yourcar.com/ and cancelled it (I thought) it subsequently arrived by UPS 2 days later. Since my car was going in to get the dash rattle fixed (sterling job BTW, car just feels tighter without the rattle), Lexus Woodford said they would fit it for me. So, does it work? Yes......and no. Yes, you can get playlists and track names to display on the nav screen and use the random & rpt buttons to perform similar functions on the iPod. You can also use the track up & down buttons on the dash and steering wheel and switch between playlists using the disk buttons. iPod will also switch off when stereo or car does and pause when bluetooth phone rings and is constantly being charged. No because that is really all you can do. There is an iPod simple mode that allows you to use the dash and steering wheel track change buttons but everything else has to be controlled from the iPod with no display on the nav screen. So a mixed bag really. Would I reccommend it? I think it is a bit pricey and the sound is no better (and no worse) than connecting it through the standard aux socket. It really depends how much you want to control your iPod through the standard kit. Lexus have installed it really well including a small gromet in the center glovebox to surround the hole where the new lead comes in. Looks very proffessional and everything is hidden. Overall I am quite pleased with it and try not to think of the price too much. :)

Also you diesel guys will be saving £30 a year on road tax compared to us 250 guys so I suppose you have the last laugh......

Did you know.....? That when you use the window washers, the wipers give a final flick after 5 seconds to get rid of the dribbles. Did you also know that when you have the wipers on, they slow down when you stop AND if you have been stationary for a reasonable amount of time, will give a double wipe to get rid of the water more quickly. That the front ceiling lights have a small LED that shines onto the gear console. It gives this whjte glow to the console at night. Can only really be seen if the MM screen is off.

Just finished a 2 day trip to Manchester from London which involved a 400 mile round trip as well as other driving. Must have seen thousands of cars, dozens of new BMW 3s but how many 250/220s?.......... 0, nada, zip!! So who is buying them all? Is it one guy who keeps them in a big garage and is hoping to corner the market? I love the exclusivity but don't want to necessarily be unique! BTW, (sorry diesel guys) I got an average of 34.7 mpg for the whole trip. Lots of different driving conditions and I was not trying to be frugal. Not bad for a 2.5 litre 6 cylinder auto. Who needs a diesel?! (sorry again guys).

Matty I think you probably saw this in your other post, but just in case you didn't: Regarding the rattles: If it is the front dash rattle, then James at Lexus Woodford knows exactly what it is (they have already done the full investigation). My car has it and I will be booking it in this month. James is a top guy and says that the can definitely cure it (under warranty oif course).

Hi Matty Car looks great. I hope you will be as happy with it as I am with mine. Regarding the rattles: If it is the front dash rattle, then James at Lexus Woodford knows exactly what it is (they have already done the full investigation). My car has it and I will be booking it in this month. James is a top guy and says that the can definitely cure it (under warranty oif course).

Anyone tried this? http://www.logjamelectronics.com/soundauxlex.html Looks good Tango but it would appear that it has to be ordered from the States and before doing that I would like to hear from someone who has fitted one, to see how easy it is etc. Anyone tried this? http://www.logjamelectronics.com/soundauxlex.html Looks good Tango but it would appear that it has to be ordered from the States and before doing that I would like to hear from someone who has fitted one, to see how easy it is etc. Going out again tomorrow so will see what I can find :winky: I had a look at this myself, but these guys don't export. However, I found another company that does the same thing and theses guys do export. Ipod integration I spoke to them and they are certain that it would fit a UK spec IS250 withh MM. My local Lexus dealer would also fit it and does not think it would void the warranty. However, the $299 price together with $80 shipping charge made me decide that it wasn't worth it just to get control of the iPod through the nav screen and from the steering wheel. I do not think that it will improve the sound over my current setup. I'm willing to be persuaded otherwise though.

No, its this Belkin Adaptor Thanks for the info. Just one quick question though, Does that Belkin adapter allow the centre console lid close properly? Cheers No you need something like this 2 way adpator but it means that you can also plug your phone in (also in the center glove box) at the same time. No visible clutter (which I personally hate)

No, its this Belkin Adaptor

I use my iPod with a Belkin adaptor that re-charges the iPod at the same time. One of the annoying things is the electrical noise that is generated because the iPod is plugged into the car 'mains'. The official name for it I believe is ground loop noise. Its says that this will happen in the manual so I was expecting it. I have just bought a supressor from Maplin - pt no. VW43W that fits inbetween the belkin and the aux socket. It costs £8.99 and works like a charm. Zero noise and no adverse effect on the sound. In fact it seems to improve the base but that may be my imagination. Everything is hidden in the center arm rest and, because the iPod is powered from the engine, it switches off when the engine does.

I would be interested to know what MPG the manual 250 guys are getting. I have the 250 automatic and I suspect that it has a lot to do with the good MPG on the 250.

The road noise seems to be a Japanese phenomenon. My Hondas all had bad road noise as well.

I've been reading this thread with interest and having had my IS250 for nearly 2 months and 3000 miles would like to make the following comments. There is no question that if your main criteria for buying a car is the driving experience, then BMW is the car for you. Out of all the cars that I have owned, the 3 BMWs were the best to drive. But they were not the best cars overall. This honour goes to the 3 Lexus's (Lexi?) - a 200, 400 and now the 250, followed by Honda, Mercedes and finally BMW. The fact is that now, rather than emulating BMW, Lexus have carved out their own path. I own a Lexus to have the Lexus experience not BMW or Mercedes. Most motoring journalists look at handling/driving experience first and then everything else. That is why BMW always win the comparison tests and why, as I said at the beginning, if this is your main criteria then BMW should be top of your list. Regarding the motoring press pamporing to their advertisers; I'm sure a little of this goes on, but basically, BMW are very good at building cars that journalists (but not everyone else) like. Bare in mind also that more 3 series are sold than Mondeos. How clever are BMW that they can make a mass market car 'exclusive' and more expensive? And people buy it. As regards the diesel, I personally did not look at it because it did not come in an automatic and with the traffic now days, I did not fancy going back to a manual. But I do not feel that I have lost out. I average 30 to the gallon (and I'm not light footed!) with more on a long run. The 6 speed automatic is the best automatic I have ever used and has the steering wheel tabs (a la Ferrari) if I ever want to indulge myself. If you are worried about the diesel, then I would seriously consider switching your order to a 250 which is, without doubt, THE best car that I have ever owned. Other threads have gone into lots of detail about why the IS is so good, but I will just say that it gives me imense pleasure to look at it, to own it, and to drive it. I cant think of three better reasons to own a car.