evilweasel

This has been covered a kazillion times on this forum...but it's an evolving story...I know your car has done over 17k, but I take it you haven't had any mods (5th Injector, ECU etc)?

In a normal diesel, you can generally use a higher gear and get better fuel economy - with the torque you can hardly tell...with the Lexus diesel it's a slightly different, if not mixed situation...the power band is narow and the garing high, not a good mix...

The car needs the ECU mod - you will find that it responds slightly better low down, the flat spot is helped a bit, and the car feels quicker through any gear. It's a mod that is recommended by Lexus so you shouldn't worry about getting it done. What you might find is that your economy won't improve unless you change your driving style. I've found that you have to use a higher gear when you wouldn't have prior to the mod - the car will reward you with better economy, but it'll only be conmfortable on the right roads....

With the 220d, you have to be patient. Before 10000 miles, using a higher gear can mean worse economy. For example, until 5000 miles or so, you will see better economy at motorway speeds in 5th then you will in 6th, and on A roads, sometimes it better to use 4th when jammed behind a 50mph truck...

Once I got to beyond 10000 and after the mod, I found that using 6th at 70 has become more economical then 5th. Less vibration and better all round pull to overtake...It was definitely worse before... But even then the handbook states that 6th should only be used beyond 75mph, so there is no point in expecting this car to go up a hill (even a slight gardient) at anything other than 5th...what is unknown is whether that section of the Handbook is officially now out of date with all these mods...???

Check out J.T's thread...http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=42940

2 final things:

1) Has anyone purchased the (TTE?) chip, increasing output to 200+bhp, and if so what is it like?

2) Lexus can't make too many wholesale changes to the ECU as the CO2 output/Euro5 (if it is compliant) could change for the worse....so it would be in their interest to "relaunch" the car with a mod'd chip as a different variant...they may well, for all we know, be forced to do that...especially if too many people complain and they have to do mod after mod.....

PS - evilweasel - just seen your post asking the same question, soa TTE chip is not available (BLAST)

No - unfortunately not yet, maybe not ever. I think it was a bit of a PR exercise by Lexus when they got wind of the Alpina 320d.. I might save my 2000euro for the kit if it does materialise and eventually (wife permitting) chop in for a 450h as I had one all day today and they're awesome - in both engineering and performance. I can put up with the small boot and large loan for that kind of car.

On the mileage thing I only get around 41mpg if I'm lucky and sub 35's if I'm not. I remember mentioning some while back that good quality diesel affected the mileage. I'm not so sure now as I ran for a while with BP ultimate, and then without - although not scientific I just got the feeling there was no real difference.. What I have noticed though is that you seem to get better MPG when the weather is warm. Hot days = good mpg in my book, even when the aircon is on full blast.

I think most of us on the forum have realised that the 220d is just heavy on fuel - maybe because of the weight of the car,maybe because of injector and ECU maps, maybe because of the supposed euro 5 rating (confirmed?). Even so I still enjoy driving mine - comfortable, quiet, swift, great audio, lots of toys, still fairly rare, and even after a few dropped balls, good customer service. I still would buy another...(450h!)

Thats my 2p anyway.

I had this happen a few times when I first got my car - one time it happened during a rainstorm and my car got a bit wet inside... Anyway I had the dealer switch off the auto 'down' on the windows. It's never happened since so I can only put it down to me sitting on the buttons on the remote when it's in my back pocket.

I know that there was somewhat of a flurry of posts re diesel tuning kits some many months ago - especially after TTE quite publicly put together an IS220d TTE, reported all over the web. I personally am still interested in the idea, especially when considering the slow revving nature of the engine and the apparent lack of bang per buck in terms of fuel consumption (I'm used to sub 40's now)...

Anyway this is the response from TTE when I registered my interest..

Hello Mr. X,

thank you for your inquiry.

Unfortunately we do not have a performance kit for your model available and cannot promise if we will introduce it.

But we try to finish the development with success.

If you are still interested please contact me end of summer again.

Kind regards,

Toyota Motorsport GmbH

I really would like this kit to be brought to market by TTE because of lack of warranty implications when fitted but it doesn't look likely to happen - however in the meantime has anyone had any experience of third party tuning kits and their performance increases on 220d's?

Just had all 4 wheels changed under warranty due to paint bubbling. Had a few other issues with wheel alignment since, but that's a different story....

Had this done around a year ago when I got the car - tell your dealer to go for 'light 2'... It's one of the 5 settings available and mine's on it. My lights go on under motorway underpasses and tree lined roads now. Just right.

Same with mine - I had lexus MK play with the settings and the documentaion is as clear as mud - Dark 1, Dark 2, Light 1 and Light 2..... WTF?

After somewhat of a kerfuffle mine's now at Light 2 and it's sensitive enough now. Go through an underpass and the lights flick on.

Funny that.

I had the same 'problem' at the weekend and I was sure I had read something about this in the manual (I'm sad like that) - if you hold down the unlock and lock buttons on the keyfob you can toggle the same effect. When it was switched on it hacked my wife off no end, when she had to wait the few seconds until I pushed the button when I got in... So I turned it off.

Yep - mine are starting to blister too - I will take mine in when the blisters get bigger. I think a proper bead blast and refurbish with a decently thick layer of paint and laquer will probably do the job. Should have been done like that in the first place though....

I get this too after a long run (my commute!). More like a 'hot' rubber than burning rubber. Predominantly round the back as I get my gear out of the boot. I'm not too worried about it though...

Back to topic - Qtek9100 PDA phone - works out of the box. Can't transfer entire phonebook though, and the Battery and signal strength are not reported. Downloaded a little Blutooth util and now they are. As for the phonebook, I used my trusty SE T610 to upload it all.

I have been looking around for ages for ahem.. alternative sources for said disc. Nothing as yet, as it would be really interesting, if not handy... eBay usually has all sorts of TIS discs, merc, beemer, ford etc. I haven't seen anything for the new IS yet though.

I just left it in first and didn't touch the accelerator - even at a standing start...just let the diesel torque get you moving forward, then gentle throttle...never used 2nd at all...

On the way back, in 1st gear, took the left hander down hill, at a very slow speed - the car was in 1st and at a steady engine brake speed...all semed in control...until I did a 180 !

PS - I think it's the camber in the road which really unsettles it - typical of most RWD on slippery roads

Same here - left it in first, no gas, TRC off. Wheels just span on the slight incline and the car crabbed towards the verge on gentle opposite lock. It was like I was on a giant car treadmill. I played around with 2nd gear but eventually I had to back down the slope to get a run up and over the bridge in first with slight gas.

The last time it snowed I actually tried to do a 180ish on an empty bit of tarmac. Frighteningly easy - just slight gas and lock. I sometimes think that the safety systems lull you into a false sense of security - once you reach the handling threshold, physics kick in and you've lost it big time...

Well - don't attempt to take out your 220d in snow either - I have just got back in this morning after aborting my 60mile run to work. I have about 2 miles to a main road. I got about a mile and turned back after I couldn't get over a humpback bridge. Interestingly I got stuck again on the way back, along with a merc. RWD is no good in snow... I saw corsas and swifts coping really well - front wheel drive vehicles had the edge.

Good luck if you're going out today - I'm working from home!

I don't think you should have gone german for some of the same reasons that I didn't (525d).

One of them is exclusivity -you won't be a boring b*****d. Every time I blast up and down the M40 I must see hundreds of 3s, 5s, a4's a6's etc. On the fingers of one hand I can count new IS's.

Customer service is another - economies of scale mean that the more customers an organisation has to support, the less personal the service is. Lexus is #1 in CS for a reason.

Lastly (and probably what swung it for me) is the kit - MM, reverse camera, electric blind, blue scuff plates, LED brakes, vented seats .... the list goes on. Stick those on a beemer and add 10K for a start.

I think on the whole the IS is a great car - and as soon as mine is rattle free I'll be more than happy.

I think the 100k mark is a psychological thing - once it's exceeded, most people think the car's had it. Really, that's not the case. Manufacturers design engines to cope with incredible stress over long periods of time, esp. Toyota. The things that do wear are brakes, shocks, clutches and bushes. Well looked after engines can easily do intergalactic mileage so, as the other posters have mentioned - make sure of a FSH and you should be ok, and get an RAC/AA check if you're still a bit worried.

Anyway best of luck with your new motor - I still look forward to getting in mine - even though I have a few rattles (I'm due for the dash out job, but that's a different story..)

How old is yours?

Mine's a year old now - the rattles became apparent in the cold weather.

Wouldn't you have allsorts of difficulties initially with the MM system? All the legends would be in Japanese. I did remember seeing a video of a one in Hong Kong and it had a TV option on the DVD button. Would the UK software work with it?

What about spares for the 350's engine - they would also have to be imported....

Maybe it would be more sensible to buy a 250 and drop a 350 engine into it, or even perhaps just supercharge a 250?

Congratulations - nice spec.

I got Oakham leather, but soon replaced the beige mats with black ones as they hide the muck. You're doing well at around 37mpg - how many miles on the clock?

I remember the sunglass holder for the ashtray area - i think it was $197 plus delivery. So funnily enough I decided against it.

Anyway best of luck with your new motor - I still look forward to getting in mine - even though I have a few rattles (I'm due for the dash out job, but that's a different story..)

When I arrived with my car they told me they had spoken to the people there and they were told that the customer had told them what to do!

After driving the car for a while it seems that the speaker padding was unnecessary, and the low d foam is useless, and deforms the vent -making for poor airflow. Also they left greasy hand ( and head!)prints on the windsceen. Waste of bl**dy time!

So - Jamboo - can you let me know the exact type of foam used?

Hope this helps. Also, when you say the foam has deformed the vents, what do you mean? The foam is applied no where near any vents...

I mean the vents that supply air to the windscreen. As the LD foam is applied only to the middle of my dash, it flexes the outer middle edge of the dash in towards the front of the car, squeezing the air vent gap somewhat. I'm going to remove it and get on the phone to Lexus Leicester and find out the correct foam to use. I've a feeling it may be the stuff thats used on closure seals - bonnets/doors etc... I'm sure it'l fix my problem as if I hold the dash in with my hand (while driving) the rattles stop. When stationary if I grab the dash around the instrument binnacle and push and pull I get exacly the same rattle/crack.

Here it is - the lighter grey strip (as it appears in the shot, running across the dash at the base of the screen).

In reality, it looks absolutely OK, and does not stand out at all. The piccy does not do it any justice. It is actually pretty good and I am just soooooo glad that the technician managed to do it without a full on dash out job, which he and I did not want (at the risk of installing additional rattles...).

I have mixed feelings about the whole thing, with hindsight:

1) the car should not have been manufactured like this

2) this and Matus's thread proves that 2 cars (one LHD and one RHD) have a similar dash problem - how many other have?

3) Whilst I am happy it's all fixed, it is, lets face it, a slight bodge up (though it works)

4) I could have been petulent and insisted on a complete new DASH with all the correct trimmings but who at LGB would have listened? I haven't even had an acknowledgement to my email from LGB...lets face it this was the 3 rd visit into the dealer for dash rattles - I was told it was two strikes and then Lexus techinical...still waiting on that one!

5) Some vindication that there was a problem, and the dealer did actually do their bit to fix it

and the biggy final two...

6) would I ever buy a Lexus again

7) would I ever buy a new car at all, or one that is in it's first 18 months of production?

That final question is already answered...we just bought a pre-reg'd Nissan Note to replace the Honda Jazz.... :o and yes it does rattle a tad! And no it's a Petrol one!

PS - Matus - the rattle from behind the vents is likely to be the centre dash speaker - mine sounded like it came from behind the vents at the start, then it got worse...when you pressed the speaker cover down, the rattle stopped. Try it...just press the speaker down a little (obviously get a passenger to do it when you drive/hear it rattling) and see if it fixes it.

The cure is simple - some added insulation/padding around the speaker assembly. It only takes a few minutes.

Sorry to bump this old thread back to the top - but I had my car in for service recently and I got the Lexus bods to look at my dash rattle - I even sent a link to this thread to the rep and pointed out the fix applied to Jamboo's car. I said they should get in touch with the guys in Leicester to get the info.

When I arrived with my car they told me they had spoken to the people there and they were told that the customer had told them what to do! Anyway - they said they'd do the same. I got my car back serviced, vacced and cleaned and also with a bit of what looks like low density grey foam wedged inbetween the screen airvent and the windsceen. They also had removed and padded the speaker grille. I thought OK - lets see...

After driving the car for a while it seems that the speaker padding was unnecessary, and the low d foam is useless, and deforms the vent -making for poor airflow. Also they left greasy hand ( and head!)prints on the windsceen. Waste of bl**dy time!

So - Jamboo - can you let me know the exact type of foam used? It looks like the rubber around car doors in the photo. I want to tell Lexus exactly what to do, or if not, do it myself (my preferred option as I'm beginning to think all auto technicians are numpties!)

An aside- I got a lift back home from the garage, as they didn't have a courtesy car for me. A new Yaris. Same indicator stalks as IS! Quality.

Is it just me or do -

The wheels look too small

The body kit - esp. front wings looks like a cheap OTT job

White leather?

I guess the extra power would be good considering the weight of the vehicle - that V8 block won't be the automotive equivalent of Ryvita!

I saw the pics of the prototype hammering round the 'ring so maybe the handling has been tuned - I have a nagging feeling though when the car's reviewed that it won't handle like the new M3 or the old RS4. Good for the US - lots of straight roads, but not so good for Europe - bendy!

Anyway that's my two penneth.

If I remember rightly the IS only has 2 front corner sensors?? I had one as a courtesy car and they seemed to work really well when you turned into a space and then went quiet until the last possible second as you approached an obstacle head on. Not sure, butcan you get 4 on the front of an IS??

Don't think you can get 4 on the front as standard. FYI you can bump the front end, head on an obstacle (bollard etc) even with the sensors on. I found out the hard way - no beep, just stop. I guess that's why they're called corner sensors. Beemers have 4 at the front - why can't Lexus?

Thanks, I know that a lot can be changed but hardly anything can be changed on the IS200 - the most I know of is the auto headlight level and the microwave interior alarm - and thats about it.

As I said no one here has ever had it done and I know a lot of people have asked for this and the answer was always no - but we will see what happens when the guy takes the car in and see if it is reality or the usual dealer waffle.

Didn't I read somewhere that legislation prevents alarms from chirping due to the noise nusiance?

Hello all,

Can someone please clarify something for me: what does the Kinrow hardware Mod allow you to do if you still cannot access the volume hack (for UK cars)????

It allows you to (while in motion) access the file/folder list on the cd changer, watch DVD's, and use the full phonebook on the BT phone system. On an unmodded system these things cannot be done or are severely limited.

As you probably know, the satnav destination change is still locked out as it gets it's speed sensing direct from GPS. The volume hack is a 'back door' to allow this, programmed into the US software, not Europe. Maybe there is another 'back door' for Europe, but AFAIK no-one's found it out yet...

I wonder if anyone else gets this, or I've just got a 'special' MM system...

While on the move when tuned into Radio 1 for instance, the radio signal will cut out for around 1/2 second and then come back in - as if it's about to switch to a traffic announcement but never does. I've turned off TA and it doesn't make a difference. It's quite annoying really as sometimes it will happen like 4 or 5 times per minute...

Has anyone else got this problem?