JFB2

Hi folks, hope you can help me out with two 'smell' related problems with my IS 250. Absolutely love the car, which I bought from Lexus Hatfield a year ago. Problem 1: The dealer offered me free GardX, which I took. Never had it before. The car still has an unpleasant 'chemical' smell inside. It's a sickly smell which I just can't get rid of. Tried wiping all the surfaces down, to no effect. Any suggestions, as it really is horrible? Would prefer to have a 'leather' smell, which my previous IS had. Problem 2: The A/C fills the car with a bad smell on start up. Like 'cat pee' or sometimes rotting compost. When Lexus Tunbridge Wells serviced it recently, I asked them to clean it out, which they say they did. But again, the smell hasn't really gone away and can be embarrassing when giving someone a lift. 'Welcome to my Lexus, sorry about the cat pee smell'. Any suggestions much appreciated. Justin

The IS220D is not a bad car, but if you are used to petrol cars you will quickly become aware that in terms of refined drive, despite enormous advances, the diesel is 20 years behind petrol engines and the IS220D has only 4 cylinders - this is the penalty you have to pay for economy. The best of the breed remains the IS250 auto, but superb though it is, the diesel is sadly a bit cheaper to run. I am used to a petrol car. I have a ClioSport and it is quick. Even the IS250 that I drove wouldn't be able to keep up with it. I expect to compromise some of that performance with either the petrol or the diesel. But if I am going to compromise I'd rather not forego both the performance AND the economy. I'd also rather not have to give up the simple little "luxuries" like auto headlights and wipers! :D I'd think carefully before going for the diesel, especially the sport version. I had a 220d for three years, and never had any problems with it, but it was a strange beast. The engine/gearbox combo just never really convinced me. I then switched to a 250, and I absolutely love it. The creaminess of the engine, smooth auto gearbox, fuel consumption is OK (typically 35 mpg). And I particularly hate harsh suspension, which would put me off the Sport if it has 'uprated' suspension. The regular version is absolutely fine for handling, poise, etc. You would also have a lot more choice of vehicle on the forecourt.

I hope it is just pre-delivery glitches. Why do Lexus hand these cars out when they're not performing at their best? Undermines the brand in my opinion. Will definitely be taking one out in the spring when they arrive in the showrooms. Have to say, the cardboard cut-out thing is a bit pathetic. They're obviously desperate to pull people in. Dealership was like a ghost town when I had my IS serviced last month!

Thought folks might be interested to read some of the first reviews of Lexus's new 1-series rival. Unfortunately they're not good - neither Autocar nor Top Gear have a nice thing to say about it. http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/FirstDrives/Lexus-CT-200h/253056/ http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/top-gear-drives-the-lexus-ct200h Slow, bumpy and numb to drive. Plus expected to be expensive. I hope this is just German-car bias from these publications, as I was hoping the CT200h (silly name I know) was going to be our next run-about. It won't be if it's got a choppy ride. The roads round here simply won't allow for a hard ride... Anyone from LOC actually driven one of these yet? Justin

They definitely need to update the SatNav to include Traffic Avoidance and full postcode entry. The current system is severely limited in its usefulness. Don't think they realised that many addresses don't have a street number... I'm surprised there aren't more moans about the system on LOC forums - it's pretty basic.

Tooros, if you're buying privately, I'd definitely recommend the IS250. I had an IS220d to 3 years and it was fine. No reliability issues at all. Fuel consumption would not go above 36mpg in mixed driving. Motorway it would go up to 38mpg. Had new IS250 for the past month, and it's already getting 36mpg in free flowing traffic (motorway and A/B roads), and 33mpg in mixed driving. Driving pleasure is 100% better. Creamy, silky smooth 6 cylinder. That's what Lexus is meant to be about.

Thanks for all the compliments. Very chuffed with it. The 6-cylinder is incredibly creamy and smooth. Love gliding along in near silence. Have printed off the UK list of compatible phones - found out that I'm long due an upgrade anyway, so hopefully all sorted out soon.

Thanks - it's incredibly SHINY! They put Gard X on it, and you could use it for shaving. I might go for a Sony Ericsson then. Would be great to have it sorted.

Thanks! It may be that I need to upgrade my phone. Lexus Hatfield did suggest that Motorola weren't the best for Lexus systems. Anyone have any suggestions for a new phone that might work better?

As promised, here are a few photos of the new IS250 SEI I bought yesterday. What a beaut! Hadn't realised quite how dark Cadoxton is, but love it all the same. Just having one teething problem - my Motorola V3 won't hook up with the car's bluetooth without manually linking them up each time I start the car. Anyone know how to get round this? I know they're not a good combination, but my Volvo never had a problem and picked up the phone and phonebook list without me needing to do anything. Frustrating! Any help much appreciated.

Thanks! Yes, I didn't do too badly. Got a good discount on the XC60 to start with, trade-in support for my IS220d, and finance contribution. The trade-in hasn't been too bad as it's a MY10 version with the latest twin-turbo diesel and revised full postcode satnav. All-in-all losing a couple of grand, but having no back pain is worth millions!

Well, after having bid everyone on LOC farewell just two months ago, I'm back!! I chopped in my IS220d for a Volvo XC60 back in May. Lovely car, except the seat kills my back. Seriously hurt my coccyx. So I've taken the financial pain of switching back to an IS, this time an IS250 SEI in Cadoxton with black interior. Excited to be having the Lexus I should have bought originally. Will post some shots when I pick it up on Sat.

That (non) folding seat issue is a bit of a bummer, lots have complained. Wonder why Lexus haven't done something about it, perhaps it's not possible for some reason? Yeah it's weird they haven't done the obvious and made the seats folding. Would have looked seriously at the new RX450h, but woweee, the price of it! Out of my league...

Hi Parthiban It's actually pretty good to drive - as you would expect the centre of gravity is higher, but I've not noticed any need to take bends any slower on familiar roads. Feels very safe. The main difference is the new (MY10) D5 engine - very quite, very smooth - and a lovely manual gearbox which moves into gear with a satisfying "click". No more tractor transmission I was used to before! The car is bigger than it looks - lower than other SUVs, so doesn't stand so tall in the car park, but longer than I was expecting. Still fits in garage thankfully. JFB

Just wanted to say "byee" to everyone on LOC. Thanks for the advice and banter over the last 3 years. Excellent site, best owners site I can find! Have swapped my 220d for a new Volvo XC60 D5 in bronze, with Comms pack, leather, sunroof, power tailgate, etc. etc. Already getting high 30s mpg in mixed driving, same as my old Lexus. Loved the Lex, but no longer met my practical needs. If it had folding seats I may have considered a new IS250, but the XC60 is incredibly spacious...

I get the same tapping noise from the rear parcel shelf when the car has been sitting in the sun on a hot day. It doesn't happen on any other occasion. On the basis that it happens infrequently, and if I take it to a dealership it certainly won't manifest itself, I put up with it. If the worst thing this car can throw at me is a squeak from the back, I'm happy. Certainly after having several less than reliable German cars...

gti1 - it sounds to me like your mpg readings before the service were awry. i've always had an average of about 38 -39 mpg with mixed driving, reaching a max of 41 on the m-way and down to 35 in the town. when you read the long-term test reports in autocar etc on diesel cars, in practice most are getting in the high 30s and 40s on average. in fact, the new Accord diesel will only get in the low 40s in mixed driving. my advice: try not to stress too much!

My warranty runs out on 20 March. I'm going to take a punt on it. Japanese cars shouldn't really go wrong, and I've not had a single problem with my little motor. I'm just recalling all the reasons why I went for Lexus. It's easy to forget, but reliability was definitely up the top of the list.

Thanks for all the great advice. The one with the kettle gets the prize for originality!! There's been a turn up for the books on getting the jam jar serviced - Lexus Brighton have said they will open JUST FOR ME on a Saturday to do the yr3 service. Ahhh! Cheers guys. (maybe they look at this site) Now I can go back to Tunbridge Wells and say thanks but no thanks. Serves them right for choosing a site miles from anywhere and not having weekend courtesy cars or drivers. Booooh!

Thanks for the useful input. I'm definitely going to get this service at a Lexus centre, but past the warranty I agree there's probably no point. My local dealer can't honour my expectations because he doesn't really exist any more! Lexus really can't afford to lose any more dealers... As for the A/c service, I did wonder about that. They say it's for a full leak test and recharge etc. but it's working fine and doesn't smell or anything like that. Shouldn't be leaking after only 3 years. Need to think about it.

Hi Folks, IS 220d due for its third year service before end of March - previously I've been to Lexus Brighton as it's dead easy to get into Brighton town centre on the bus while they do the service. Sadly they closed down the sales section recently, and reduced servicing to weekdays only. As I work in London I can't get there during the week (and they don't offer pick-up as I'm about 25 miles away). So they turned the business down. So am going to Lexus Tunbridge Wells instead. They quoted more than Brighton - service at £250, MOT at £55.10 and A/c service at £99. And no courtesy car as they don't do them on Saturdays. So I'll be stuck on some industrial estate miles from anywhere for three hours. This is bad customer service. Am really happy with the product, but annual servicing is a complete nightmare. Will prob switch to nearby Toyota dealer for year 4 servicing if they'll do it. At least I can get a lift there and back! Anyone used a Toyota dealer for their IS? JFB

All this criticism is fine, but Lexus is running out of suitable models to sell in Europe. Cr@ppy diesel in the IS, uneconomical petrols in GS and LS, and very top-end only hybrids in GS, LS and RX (especially next year's). Where to go from here?

This is actually a really interesting poll and confirms my own experience with a 220d - the "band" of fuel efficiency in this model is really pretty narrow, in that I get very similar MPG in very different conditions. Whereas you might expect town and M-way to give very different results, my 220d gives low to mid-30s in town, and mid-30s to low (v. low) 40s on the M-way. And it doesn't seem to matter how I drive it either - so my motto is just go for it - the impact on MPG is minimal.

Steve, yes I did, but it transpired that he wouldn't actually agree to commit to take the IS off my hands until Jan anyway - "need the market to settle down a bit". Parthiban, to spec a 325i Coupe the same as the 125i Coupe I want to buy would cost an extra £6.5k. Plus the fact that the 3 coupe really isn't my cup of tea. I much prefer the upright look of the 1 coupe, just like the original 2002. The only item that really pushes up the price is the Professional SatNav system at £1,900. But I'm determined that my next car will have SatNav! (Even if it's another IS). I tend to keep cars for 3 years, as I've been stung at 3.5 years with a big bill before. BTW, you're absolutely right about shopping around - I plan to go to another BM dealer to find out what their best deal is. The only prob is that it's so time consuming! I'd rather be having a life...

I have an 06 220d with 19,500 miles on it, and the mpg is stuck at 36-38, which I am resigned to accepting. Not great for a diesel, but the IS is a really heavy car. My next car will be petrol, as there is now a 15p per litre premium for diesel over petrol in these parts. If it gets any worse, definitely go back to the dealer, but 35mpg is not horrendous.