munch

Having a test drove a Kona EV with apple carplay, i think it would finish off this car perfectly.

My alarm has been going off at random times over the last few months. Usually a few weeks apart, but when it happens it goes off two to three times in quick (30 -60 min apart) succession . I drive a 05 is200. Auto. With no mods. With new battery fitted by Lexus 2 years ago. No ignition problems but it has always happened when I have done a 60+ mile drive to somewhere new and parked on an even surface. I keep my car in a car port at home with no problems and there has been no wind where I went. Any advice on how I should approach this? I don't want to send it in to the shop for a serious bill. All advice is appreciated.

Sorry for the delay in getting back. I'm sure you are all waiting with baited breath. Alignment threw up no surprises, also the service, air filter, new plugs etc. No change in economy. The most important thing is the lexus mechanic who looked at my car used to work in BMW in dublin and he said that on a number of occasions people would bring back GOODYEAR EAGLE F1's because of the massive drop in fuel economy. Goodyear Eagle F1's can cause your car to loose 10-15% fuel economy. That is a lot.

The direction of the wheel was the first thing i checked when i noticed a loss of grip which was initially down to brand new tyres. i'll send the car in for aligment later this week and let you know if they find anything suspect.

What made you increase your tyre pressure to 37-38 psi ? What pressure do the tyre manufacturer suggest for your car ? Fuel consumption will always be lower in cold weather. Various things will affect mpg. Are your brakes running free with no binding due to weather? You say due for service so I would expect that to be the main reason coupled with drop in temperature. Put your tyres to recommended pressure, get car serviced and then see what transpires. The economy dropped the instant the wheels were changed. In fact i filled up the tank after about 30km and noticed that at the first large marker on the fuel gauge i was down in fuel economy by 15km with only 135km travelled. That must rule out the weather/brakes/service unless the guys changing the tyres did a botched job.

all tyres were in the region of 31-33 PSI so I bumped them up to 37-38. Will that make much of a difference?

i changed them in november just after that cold spell we had so i've experienced both tyres in cold conditions and recently we had a warmish spell and still the MPG suffered. I have turned off my air conditioning for the last month because of the low fuel economy and it made little difference. I will go and check the tyre pressure at lunchtime and give you an exact readout.

She is due for a service in a couple of weeks and alignment is top of the list. but i have a few questions. I do a lot of B road driving which is probably making a bigger difference as opposed to motorway driving. Do you not think that loosing 10-15% of fuel economy is excessive? In the countless MPG comparison threads here i've never seen anyone mentioning that tyres can make a massive difference to fuel economy. Is it because it is so blindingly obvious that i should have factored that in or is it something that people don't know or like to talk about? Finally. For the careful motorist what would be considered a decent tyre which would give good grip and excellent fuel economy. Thanks, Rob

Its my first time replacing tyres on my IS200 so I changed my old Bridgestone Potenza RE 050 A 215/45R17 to Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 215/45R17 and have noticed a dramatic reduction in fuel economy. I am driving a 05 automatic IS200 (my second) which i have had since february. Almost like clockwork the fuel gauge used to hit each of the large markers every 150km and the low fuel light would come on at 568-695km. Since i have changed tyres i am getting significantly reduced economy. Hitting the large markers at 135ish and getting 490 to 515km when the low fuel light comes on. The tyre pressure is perfect, i have even turned off the air conditioning to try to get better fuel economy but with little effect and i am travelling the same route 90% of the time. The bridgestones were a bit worn but still have a few thousand miles left on them, in fact it feels like i have less grip on the F1's and they tend to tramline much more easily than the bridgestones. I know that the prius has crappy tyres that help give better fuel economy but can it make that much of a difference with two similarly specced tyres? It may help explain the confusion surrounding differing fuel economy that i have read in many threads on this site. Any insight into this would be welcome.

Anyone know a decent tire merchant who is well priced in the West dublin, co kildare area? cheers rob

sweet, thanks all that helped clear that up.

no sat nav and only half leather.

i upgraded from a 2003 chenille with basic options to a Sports Design 2005 auto with rear parking sensors. I am so happy with the upgrade you wouldn't believe. Nicer seats, excellent auto, loving the lack of constant beep when in reverse and in traffic it really shines. My question is was there a change in title for cars after a certain year or did the salesman lie to me? I know i don't have a sports with the nice metal part on the door frame or metal pedals or rear tinted windows. The wheels are definitely larger and the suspension slightly lower and 10 spoke wheels. cheers, Rob

whats the difference between sport and sports design?

generally there is a key on the keyboard for ejecting CD's, usually found on the top right corner. it looks like a triangle with a line underneath. If thats not there then try all the 'F' keys on the top right of the keyboard. There may be a key with a circle and a line inside it, that is the on/reset key. [Apple + E] will eject a CD that you have selected on the desktop. it wont open the drive bay otherwise. Its totally alien to PC users at the start but after a while you will wish you had that key on your PC.