LHR27R

Hi, I have used mainly 97 (or above) fuel in my IS250 but haven't done any mpg calculations myself, just going by the mpg indication on the car. The majority of my driving has been in and around London in traffic. I find that BP 97 fuel gives the best economy (I'd say around 20 miles more per tank for my journeys) and I did notice smoother acceleration but not a big increase in power Esso 97 gives similar economy to the BP 97 but car does not feel as smooth when accelerating - I'd say similar to normal 95 petrol Tesco 99 does seem to give more power and quicker acceleration but economy is not as good as the BP or Esso Not had a chance to try Shell V Power - they have closed down all their filling stations along my usual routes! So whenever possible I used BP 97 which seems best for me Hope this helps

Thanks for all the well wishes The IS finally departed this morning and as I understand it is destined for a car auction soon, according to the guy who collected it... real sad to see it go... and surprised to hear that it wil be auctioned. Is it common for cars like these to end up at an auction rather than back at a Lexus dealership? I terminated my hire purchase contract early with no extra to pay. Do the dealerships only take part exchanges to re-sell? Just wondering... And here is one last photo of the IS which I took...

Hi, Just parked up my IS250 for the final time having done 25,500 miles in almost two and a half years. First of all I must say the reason for getting rid of it is nothing to do with the car itself, in fact it is probably the best car I have owned/driven to date. I have been offered a very good opportunity to work in the Far East for the next few years (at least) so will be moving with the family but not the car. Wanted to share a few thoughts on the IS250 with current and potential owners. Overall I have been very pleased with the car and aftersales service from Lexus although there were a few "not so happy" memories during the past two and half years. Why an IS250? I owned two first generation IS between 2000 and 2005 - an IS200 and an IS300 and love the build quality, reliability and value for money. In 2005 I decided that I wanted a coupe so went for a 330Ci which was very disappointing in many ways. After 10 months, I have had enough and looked to change cars again. So tried an IS250 and decided it was time to come back to Lexus. Order placed the next day but it was a long four and a half month wait for the 250 to arrive. Car looks great, the build quality is fantastic and the engine/auto gearbox combination makes it very smooth and relaxing to drive. The IS never failed to impress me even today, whether it's on the daily commute in and out of London, shopping trips to Tesco, visiting clients or the occasional 300 mile+ round trip in a day. The arrival of our first child in October last year meant the IS has to cope with the usual extras like the car seat, pushchair, bags etc etc and no complaints there in terms of boot space and comfort. My baby son obviously likes the smooth and quiet ride in the IS - always falling asleep quickly once we are on the move which means nice quiet journeys! Love the toys and gadgets on board. The reversing camera always grabs passengers attention, even if it's not their first time in the car! With the camera, I can easily park the IS into the small office parking spaces. My wife always asks me what I will do if my next car doesn't have a reverse camera? And it's funny that the front seat passenger will try and go for the "I Agree" prompt on the screen when I turn the car on! The Sat-Nav I found very easy to use and the re-routing function is very useful. On one journey, it decided to route me onto the M25 THE WRONG WAY for a junction and then back in the right direction on A roads... I thought it was very silly at first but followed it and found out later the my colleague, who was minutes behind me joining the M25, was stuck in traffic for over an hour! Quite pleased with the economy as well. With the majority being town driving, I have averaged overall 28 MPG and on a long motorway run I can get around 35 MPG. Not bad for a 2.5 V6 auto. In the 330Ci I was getting less than 20 MPG overall doing the same sort of journeys... So onto the "not so happy" bits of my time with the IS250. Two insurance claims (my first ever, in fact!) - one when a coach ran into the back of my car at low speed which meant a new bumper and the second when an MPV crashed into the back (again) this time causing much more damage. The IS needed "a new rear end" (according to the bodyshop), bumper, parking sensors, bootlid, exhaust system, lights etc etc. I was amazed at how well built and safe the IS is... this heavy rear impact looked no worse than a bad parking accident from the outside and I carried on driving the (damaged) car for a month without any major problems other than a ratttling (broken) exhaust. Even the reversing camera was still in focus after the accident. Lexus and Accident Exchange sorted out the claims and repairs on this one with no complaints from me. Other expenses over the 25,500 miles are four new tyres, one headlamp bulb, two brake pads and two brake discs. I was lucky not to encounter any of the well known dashboard rattles during my time with the IS... or so I thought... until yesterday... just a few miles from home the centre speaker on the dash started rattling... perhaps it really is time for it to go?! Hope my IS250 finds a good home. Not sure what I will be driving next (if anything at all...) once we are settled down in Hong Kong but if I do decide to buy a car then Lexus will obviously be on the top my list again.

Hi, One of my xenon headlight bulbs failed earlier this year and it was NOT covered by warranty. I parked the car at Gatwick Airport for two weeks in January/February during my holiday and the bulb was fine when I started the car on return but blew a few minutes after that - not sure what the exact cause was but perhaps the freezing temperatures had an effect? Had to make three visits to the dealership to get it sorted. First time they didn't have any new ones in stock and the second time they managed to break the new one during installation and had to order another. The whole process took just over a month! The bulb itself cost £146.15 and labour was quoted as £90!! They didn't charge me for the labour in the end after I complained to the manager. Hope this helps.

My 250 SE-L has so far been trouble free after 24,000 miles, apart from a blown headlight bulb a few months ago. Started the car tonight and some of the buttons on the MM system stopped working. Could not adjust the volume via the knob on the unit itself nor the buttons on the steering wheel. The Disc/Aux button did not work either. Everything else seemed to be fine. Drove a few miles, stopped the car, ignition off, after 10 mins. restarted it and more buttons stopped working, this time including the phone dial/disconnect on the steering wheel, voice control and track up/down on both the centre unit and the steering wheel. The only button on the steering wheel that was working was Mode... Got home and tried restarting but still the same... Any suggestions? I guess it's not an easy fix so will try to book the car in with Lexus in the morning.

Hi, I had an accident about 15 months ago... a VW people carrier smashed into the back of my IS 250 causing lots of damage. Took it down to the local Lexus dealer/body shop and had an estimate of the repairs. Was told to do the claims via Accident Exchange. Everything was handled very well by them. Got a call very quickly to take details and the car was booked into the Lexus body shop for repairs. I'm with Direct Line insurance who had no problem with repairs being carried out at the body shop of my choice. Did get a replacement car via Accident Exchange during repairs - a brand new IS250 SE MM delivered to my office. They even asked whether I wanted one with Sat Nav... Never had to make a phone call myself during the entire process...

I believe the road tax in Japan (and other countries in the Far East) is done on the basis of engine size and not emissions so every car with a 2.5 litre engine will cost the same to tax, regardless of emissions Perhaps that's why emissions are not mentioned in the Japanese brochure

Hi Roger, There is no specific mention of changes to fuel economy/noise etc... But the bit about two steering set-ups does imply that the "L" and "S" specs will have quite different handling and feel. The "S" being more sporty and the "L" (plus base spec) being more comfort-biased. Perhaps there are suspension changes? Seems like a bigger difference than the current version (Sport vs. non-Sport set-up) Apart from that, no other clues as to mechanical changes on the "new" IS I have checked the Japan Lexus official website and no mention of the face-lift on there either

Hi, Since I am probably one of very few who can read Japanese on here, this is a quick translation of the article (which is actually in Korean but the scans of the brochure are in Japanese) New IS debuts in Japan in September Will be available in three levels: base model, "version S" and "version L" specs for both 250 and 350 New sharper and more elegant front grille Rear (lights) combination incorporates the "L" motiv New body colours (x2): Bronze mica matellic and Sea Blue mica metallic for a total of 10 colours New interior colour Option of leather upgarde (soft leather) with wood steering wheel inserts on S and L specs Switches and displays in English as a factory option (obviously not applicable to export cars!) Movable rear head rests for improved visibility Two different steering set-ups - a more direct one for S spec and more "comfortable" one for the base and L specs VDIM standard on all cars Tweaked auto gearbox which allows paddle shifts even when in D

Hi, My IS250 came fitted with Dunlop Sport Maxx. Had to change the two front tyres after around 17,000 miles thanks to a puncture - got two Sport Maxx as replacements. The rears now need changing (approaching 20,000 miles). I am tempted to change all four tyres and try a different brand, depending on cost. The Sport Maxx seems to generate quite a bit of road noise. Had a 250 courtesy car with Toyo tyres and those seem a lot quieter... may get those instead of more Sport Maxx.

Yes, I managed 35-38mpg on a long motorway trip with cruise control at 70-75mph But these trips are very rare for me... usually stuck in London traffic!! I also have the optional 18 inch wheels which I am sure affects the fuel consumption?

Hi, According to the on-board display on my 250 auto, I have averaged 26.5 mpg overall after almost 20,000 miles - around 75% town driving in and around London Did manage 27.5mpg overall at one point Tank average has shown between 25mpg and 28mpg Not done any calculations myself But an improvement from my previous car (330Ci) which only managed 19.5mpg!!

Hi, I have had the same thing happen to my 250 Auto. Stopped at traffic lights. foot on brake pedal but the car suddenly launches forwards briefly. Need to step on the brake pedal harder to stop it. Quite scary the first time it happened but just like yours it only happens once in a while On one occasion I put the auto box in "N", applied the parking brake and the same happened but car didn't move forward thanks to the parking brake but did "shake" for a second or two Did ask the dealership to investigate at the recent 20,000 mile service but they found nothing wrong No burning smell on mine though

I had to deal with Camden and their parking tickets several times. On one occasion, I was dropping off some very heavy boxes outside my apartment block and the car was on double yellow lines. Having spotted a parking warden I politely explained to him that it will take two minutes to unload and I will be moving the car. He was surprisingly friendly and said "no problem" and walked off. About four weeks later I got a letter from Camden Council asking why I haven't paid my £100 fine!! So the warden obviously said I could unload there, took the details down, issued the ticket and threw it away. There was never a ticket on my windscreen as I was with the car all the time... After a quick search on the internet I found www.appealnow.com. You basically pay around £10 for a yearly membership and let them do the "appeal" for you. All I did was fill in a few details plus add some comments... I never wrote directly to the council. A week later, Camden wrote back and asked for a few more details regarding the ticket and I replied. Ticket was cancelled after another week. I managed to get out of two other tickets (different councils) using the same website.

Hi, I managed to kerb one of the front wheels (badly) last night whilst trying to avoid an ambulance in the pouring rain... Could anyone recommend an alloy wheel repair shop in or around London? I have heard about mobile units which can do it "while you wait". I know the 18-inch Baransu wheels have a different, darker finish to standard alloys - is that going to make repairs more difficult? Many thanks for any suggestions.

When I ordered the car, I asked the dealer whether it was possible to specify the Sport alloys on my SE-L and the answer was no. I was told: "It's not possible" I am not sure whether that means it's physically not possible... or that it's not offered as an option. Went for the 18" Baransu alloys instead.

Got the new rear bumper fitted today by Lexus/Currie Motors in Twickenham. Service from the body shop there is excellent. I was kept updated on the progress over the phone - the bumper arrived, painted etc... and they made arrangements with the engineer from the insurance company for an inspection of the damaged bumper. Booked the car in on Weds. afternoon for 8:30 am Thursday and was told it would take around 90 minutes to fit. I decided to wait while they do the job. In the end it took just 30 minutes!! Car looking like brand new again... and I didn't have to pay a single penny for the repair. Fantastic service - especially after the nightmares in dealing with BMW's aftersales/servicing. Cheers, LHR

Hi, A quick update on my car... It is booked in to have a new rear bumper fitted on Thursday. Have been visiting the Farnborough Air Show for work on a daily basis last week, which means more than 120 miles a day in the IS and it was trouble-free and the car drives superbly. It was certainly the most popular car with my colleagues looking for a lift to the show and back - the climate control cools almost instantly even with the car baking in the hot sun all day. The alarm survived the noise and vibration of the fighter jet flying displays - many cars had flat batteries after alarms have been set off regularly during the day. The sat-nav did its job in navigating round the jams of the M25 and saved almost an hour on one journey compared to a colleague's non-sat-nav car! The boot doesn't seem too big but manage to swallow our gear comfortably. Even with a full load of people and a full boot, the IS handled it perfectly. One colleague loved the car so much said he would buy one rightaway... but only if Lexus offered an auto version of the diesel IS220d... Any IS220d drivers would rather have an auto? Any plans for one? Cheers, LHR

I did 23,500 miles in my IS 300 between November '02 and April '05 and did not encounter any major problems. The auto gearbox has been trouble free and I did use the semi-auto function and steering wheel buttons quite a lot, although not abusing it. Fuel economy was pretty similar to an IS 200 auto. The only unscheduled visit to the dealer was for a front wheel alignment. Car was pulling to one side quite seriously and it turned out to be a slow puncture. Both front tyres changed and the problem became worse... Lexus dealer did a check and re-alinged the front wheels and things didn't improve at all (costing £100+). A visit to Kwik-Fit and they re-aligned it for £10... problem solved!!

Ordered my IS 250SE-L (Automatic, Cadoxton Slate, MM and Baransu wheels) on February 18 from Lexus Twickenham. Estimated delivery was for end of May / early June. Got an update in mid-May saying it will be the second week of July (!!) but managed to get it on June 24. So four months and six days...

Here is a close up of the Baransu wheel on my IS 250 and a side-on shot of the car Cheers, LHR

Hi. Just want to share a few photos here as promised. I don't have any digital shots of my first IS (a black IS 200). But here is my second IS (November 2002 - April 2005). Sorry about the bad quality - it was a very basic digital camera. And my third and latest one... I must say this is a great site for getting very useful information. I just popped out to Halfords today to get the correct (shorter) power adaptor for the AUX socket which I found in one of the previous posts... I have been driving round for a few weeks with the arm rest open when using the ipod!! Cheers, LHR

Hi all. Joined this board just after getting my new IS 250 SE-L (Cadoxton Slate + Baransu alloys) three weeks ago. Done just over 800 miles and the car has been superb so far - no rattles at all I 'm happy to report. This is in fact my third IS. I owned a black IS 200SE between October 2000 and November 2002 before switching to a red IS 300 (with styling kit and 18 inch alloys). Both have been trouble free and great to drive. But I couldn't resist a great deal on a BMW 330Ci in April last year which proved to be the wrong choice... In mid-February this year I test drove an IS 250 and was very impressed - ordered one a few days later. It was time for the BMW to go and the Lexus dealer offered me a good trade-in deal. After a four month wait I finally took delivery of it and have enjoyed every minute in the car (well, almost. See later!). The parking camera is very handy especially for narrow London street parking. The navigation is very easy to use and fuel economy has been much better than I expected (26 mpg to date, mostly stuck in London traffic...). I have also filled the car up with 97/98 RON petrol and do notice a difference in acceleration and a little better economy. I am still trying to decide whether to stick to 95 or use 97/98 from now on. Sadly, the first few weeks with the IS 250 hasn't been trouble free - although it is not the car's fault. Parked at a services on the M4 for a break, only to find a coach in the "car" park on my return and it had run into the back of my car!! Ouch!! The coach had "got lost" and ended up in the car park instead of the coach park. Hit the back of my car whilst it was trying to turn around... To cut a long story short, the insurance company is sorting everything out and the car should be booked in for a new rear bumper next week. Luckily the parking sensors were not damaged. I will try and post some pictures over the weekend. Cheers, LHR