Donk

I've also found the IS seems happy to slip away on pulling off at junctions when there is the faintest blip of dew or ice. TC cuts in way too slow, mind you, I have been spoilt by driving an Impreza Turbo for the last year or so when TC isn't supplied and isn't needed!

Blimey, didn't expect all of those. If I read this right, you are saying to rev the engine over 4500rpm in order to get the MPG higher? I always thought the lower the revs the better the performance? After a couple of tanks I am averagin 28-29mpg which is ok but when the Mrs drives a 2.5TDI A4 and gets 40+ it makes my wallet hurt!

I have a 1999 Se manual. Its done 48K. I do motorway mile age mostly and having just got the car I was wondering what MPG people got out of their's. From what I can tell its not much better than my Subaru Impreza was.

Mine is also a 99 V reg , which coincidentally I have had for a matter of weeks. Most of those weeks it was in a crash repair centre having spun on some diesel spillage and made good friends with an Armco barrier on the motorway (The police had a job wrenching it out with the Isuzu) My climate works great, mind you I did have the whole lot re-gassed as part of the repairs, I haven't even had to use the air con yet. I don;t mind about the seats cos by the time it gets really hot I want to switch it off anyway. Pity its not a graduated switch, I spend alot of time in an M3(my boss) and those have a 3 position switch and stays hot!

is it possible to buy the sprts springs and have fitted to an SE (1999) or is there lots of other bits that would need swapping in order to get the sports driving characteristics (I have test driven a numbers of different models and I agree the SE is more floaty than the sport) Would a lexus dealer do this if asked or does it invalidate my warranty?

Just a small item, when you read thr owners manual there is not much detail surrounding the seat heaters, just an 'on or off' type statement. They get nice and toasty but then seem to wane away even though they are still on, so do they lower their temperature, am I getting used to the heat or do they have some sort of thermostatic switch which triggers?

Yes, thats what I was doing, it was too cold outside to lower the window! Should I not do that?

I noticed last night when driving along that when I touch any of the window buttons the headlamps dim slightly, and it was not just the 4 switches on the drivers door that made it happen, but any of them. Has anyone else had this, is it deemed to be normal or is this something I should get checked out?

I've recently noticed a creaking noise which sounds exactly like a rubber seal against metalwork, I only seem to hear it when I go over speed humps on the upside, not the downside....I thought this might have been shocks or suspension bushes creaking...anyone had this before?

In my late 99 V reg Se the passenger seats have no up or down adjustment at all, not even manual wheels, unlike the drivers side which is fully electric - has this always been the case as I don't recall it in the ones I have test driven in the past.

Just to share with the group I got my gorgeous IS2 back last night from the crash repair centre, resplendent with new front end panels all round, so it looks like a new car. Just getting used to driving it again but what a gorgeous car it is, I'd forgotten how excellent the standard stereo is.

I saw one of these on the M40 on my way back to Leicester last week, I could not beleive it....someone has made an error of judgement...

Just thought I would share my ebuliance with the forum as I have found out today that I finally get my IS200 SE back from the crash repairers following 4 weeks repairs to a front on smash. I was surprised that a '99 V reg was not written off economically but I will get the car back with a complete new front end, no stone chips, no marks, dents, scratches...immaculate, they even re-gassed the air con for me! I went to 'demand' to see the car last friday as I was gettiong rightly upset about the length of time taken to do the repairs, when I saw it with all the new shiny parts fitted I wanted to drive it away there and then. When I manage to start driving it again I shall look forward to being able to participate in more posts from other members. Anyone know the best places to get windows tinted as cheap as possible?

I bought my 99 V reg SE with 47K on the clock last month, when i get it back from the slowest repair centre ever (Diesel spill = car made friends with an armco barrier) I shall be racking up high miles, my last car was a company one, had a Scooby Turbo and took that to 64K in a year. Is THAT a record?!

Bloody typical, we drive round in the nice Lexus cars and Alan Partridge goes and gets himself a "Lexii"... Mind you, when his airbag went off in Lynne's face it was hilarious that she "crashed like a mouse!" I had a bigger bump than that and my airbags wouldn't inflate!

Michelin pilot Sports worked very well on my Impreza Turbo, very pleased with them, very sticky.

What are your recomendations for Tyre replacements for an SE model 200?

No Idea what cost of repairs is as they have not told me, insurance will cover it but have asked for engineers report to be delivered with car.

as a relative newcomer to this forum thingy, I am amazed by the amount of posts, good to hear other's stories though. I spoke to the crash repair centre today and I'm more and more convinced the car should have been made a total loss as they've had to order new wings, bumper, lights, bonnet , tyre, plus sundries. A V reg 1999 with 47K on the clock? Think I would have prefered a cheque than a 3 week wait.

I forgot to mention, the car got a bang under a central reservation barrier on the motorway as a result of the rear end spin...... Now waiting for grease monkeys to fix it, expect to see car after Christmas the way things are going.

Thanks for the replies. I don't intend to modify the car as I want to keep it standard and flog it on once I've covered a huge amount of miles in it, so aftermarket add ons are not in my game plan. The tyres are Kumho's, and have about 5mm all round, looked in very good nick. I've not read any reports of the IS2 being iffy in the wet and wonder if I got diesel spillage on the rears that threw me out. Having spent the last year in an Impreza I'm used to speed and throwing a car sideways, this was really different! when it comes to tyre replacement time what would you recommend as standard size and good in the wet?

I recently bought a second hand IS200 SE as a replacement for my Scooby company car, fancied more of a mile muncher and was a toss up between that and a 5 series. Not long after I bought it I completely lost control of the back end, it was sliding all over the place in mildly damp conditions and wondered if anyone else has had this problem, I've not read about any problems with traction in the IS, but this was scary, nothing I could do. Anyone had a similar experience?