Paradroid

The quilts in the boot trick is an interesting idea, but it proves out that the noise you're heading is almost entirely down to ringing in the metal panels, caused by vibrations from the road. That's why wadding-type sound proofing doesn't work. It's going to need full body-panel deading (i.e. dynamat) if you really want to kill noise. Or smaller wheels :)

Well I'd definitely wire brush off the rust, but Waxoyl do a few different products, as well as the waxy/oily stuff they also do a paint. The paint is thick and black, you might want to spray the subframe in that first, before putting on normal waxoyl. The paint stuff should be more resistant to stone chips etc.

He he, reminds me of the time I took a picture of my old car with 66,666 miles on the clock. Afterwards you do wonder why

I think the scratches on the interior because it seems to mark easily, and also the crunches and thumps when changing gear. Clutching at straws though here, it's a very good car :) Funnily enough the so-called lack of power never bothers me, it's plenty quick enough for normal road use, and is great on country roads where the handling and brakes are more important. I think the only time the lack of power really shows up is away from the lights on 70mph dual carriageways, then it does feel slow.

Hmm that's interesting. My car has the original Lexus windscreen and the lights on problem only happened once for the dealer it's never done it for me. I'll put it down to him doing something stupid then :)

When I went to pick my car up when I bought it the dealer said he'd had to charge the battery because he found it was battery flat that morning, and it was because the lights were on auto. I thought nothing of it at first but later when I thought about it, I couldn't work out how it had happened. Since it was locked up inside his garage, I thought he might have left the keys in it and the ignition on or something, otherwise I couldn't see how the lights would be on. Maybe there's something that can cause this. It's never affected me since because I don't use the auto lights. I know it sounds daft but have you checked the manual, maybe there's something in there that might explain it.

Aaargh!!! Don't get me started Wozza, I spent ages soundproofing my last car. Part of the reason I bought an IS200 was so I didn't have to bother with stuff like that. But I'm now thinking "well, it will make a quiet car even quieter"...

A lad at work put the banjo music from Deliverance on his phone for a laugh, it's quite funny when his phone rings. Someone else has "Matt Damon!!!" every time they get a text. It was funny at first, but I'm not laughing six months later.

Aren't the crystals wonky?

Yes that's true, I once compared my dad's Rover 45 against my MG ZS. Essentially the same bodyshell, but one has 15" rims with chunky tyres, the other has 17" rims with 45 profile tyres. The difference is massive, you'd think the doors were missing in the MG it was that noisy. Your point on alloys transmitting noise is interesting, I once wondered if it was possible to apply dynamat-type material to the outside rim of the wheel (hidden by the tyre). It sounds a bit daft and obviously you'd have to do it in a way that would avoid problems balancing the wheel, but the question is - would it make a difference?

There will definitely be sound proofing in the car already, but they use it sparingly because it adds weight and costs money. You should try driving a car without any soundproofing, like the MG I mentioned. Then you'd think the Lexus was well soundproofed! I am curious about the new IS though, would be good to get a go in one to compare to my IS200 but I'd have thought the IS250 would be quieter than the IS200 to be honest.

My car came with a set that were broken so I got an aftermarket kit fitted. He painted the sensors for me, and fitted everything, it was about £140 all in and it's been great. Thing is he's a local person so not much use to you, but I got his details off this web site so they might have a list of fitters http://www.parking-sensor.co.uk/gallery/lexus-is200.asp

I did quite of work on my previous car (an MG ZS180) because it had almost no soundproofing due to cost cutting. Under the carpets I put an underlay made up of a thick fibrous material with a rubber crumb, which helped quite a bit. I also lined the insides of the doors with dynamat, which reduced noise and improved the quality of the sound system. I'm really surprised your car needs it though, the IS is supposed to be a very quiet car, my old-shape one is. Are your tyres getting worn because they can get noisy. Try changing them and possibly look for a different make. Some degree of road noise is unavoidable especially on low profile tyres. It also helps give you a sensation of speed which is not a bad thing :)

That is quite impressive actually, most be some consolation at least when you've been in an accident.

I don't think there is for the IS200 actually :( The Haynes web site states all UK Lexus models are now shortlisted for consideration, so they might get round to doing one shortly :)

In the past I've changed worn tyres for exactly the same kind and they have been a lot quieter, worth bearing in mind when you're comparing different sorts of tyre.

Yes that's what I was thinking too. If other IS250's don't do it, then you could *maybe* get the geometry checked, because I think I read somwhere that a lot of castor angle can cause this issue, but it could well be a trait of the new shape IS. I don't think my older shape IS does it but then it's a totally different car. If the Lexus technician is happy it's normal then it probably is :)

Is the skipping noise coming from the front? Does it feel like the car's trying to go straight on or is it just a noise?

Cheers for the link I was looking on that last night actually! Anyway I think Steve is spot on with the date format on that part I saw. I spoke to Lexus Chester who did all the servicing on the car and they confirmed that it's just had the four services and some brake pads, so nothing else has been done to it. Which means I probably misunderstood the date on that sticker and it is the original factory part. Rattles always seem a pain to me, independent mechanics don't seem keen to get involved, and it could cost me a fortune at a Lexus dealer if it's not something they've come across before as they'd have to do quite a bit of investigating. But I might try Lexus Bolton which is near me.

I've checked all the springs, like you say they would seem like an obvious answer. But it seems to be lower down than that, in the section of the steering column towards the floor. There's also two small metal tongs that I thought could be the problem but I've modified those a bit so they can't make any noise and it's not that either! Thanks for your help though :)

That's interesting Steve thanks (and it makes more sense than it being a new part), might save me looking stupid with the dealer!!! The problem seemed to start after I adjusted the steering column to make the wheel lower. After that the noise started, but now it doesn't matter where it's positioned the rattle is there. I'll try and get some pictures woz :)

As you might have read I've been trying to find an annoying rattle on my IS200. It starts up after 5 mins of driving, and sounds like a loose bolt. It is aggravated by bad roads. Tapping the bottom of the steering wheel rim with my fist aggravates it. Holding the top or bottom of the rim firmly (i.e. pushing the wheel forward) stops the noise. I've spent ages already trying to find the source, but today I noticed something interesting - 1/2 way between the steering wheel and the floor is a part that fits around the steering column. This part has a sticker on it with a date of 04/05/05. My car is a September 2004 car. I think this might be what is rattling. Can anyone shed any light on what this item is, any ideas why it would be changed? I'm going to ask Lexus Chester who supplied and did all the servicing on the car, but sometimes dealers can be a bit funny about supplying info, so I'm not sure if they'll help.

There's white smoke and there's steam/condensation or whatever you want to call it. The IS200 will throw out lots of the latter kind, as long as it looks thin, clear and doesn't linger then yes that's fairly normal. But if it's actual white smoke then that's not right.

I didn't think there was a 130 Coupe, only a 135 - but that one is an actual rocket :winky: No you're right the 130i M Sport is in hatchback form, but unless you really liked the style of the 1 coupe I'd say the 130 is the better car all round, there seems to be a few good ones around for 15-16k, and they're more practical than the coupe too.

Glad it's not just me then :) How did they get past quality control I wonder -don't they have people tasting stuff before it goes on sale?