Pagnobito

I lowered mine by 30mm, springs only and to be honest I wouldn't recommend it as in my opinion it spoiled the ride quality. I only did it because I think it sits too high oem and when I put 18" wheels on it needed it. The springs cost less than £100 and I did the work myself. Before; After;

I have just traded 220 SE-L in for something a little more exciting. I had the car for almost two years and just over 30K miles and had no other reason to go to the dealers other than servicing and a minor rattle fixed first time after I had it a week. I had the alloys replaced at 20K service and had a recall for 5th injector in the same week I traded it so it didn't get that done. Fuel economy was down to 27 mpg on average which is a bit low, however being more gentle I was seeing 38 so it was just my right foot. I would buy another, although probably a 250 auto over a diesel. I liked the comfort and toys and stereo and overall I think it represents fantastic VFM over all the extras you would have to pay for on certain German makes.

Hi, I was over at Castle Combe last Friday with my 928 on a trackday and after getting sound tested I was returning to the carpark/pits and saw a ISF parked up on the grass nearside on to me, looked lovely. I carried on and had some fun, and later noticed it was being loaded onto a recovery truck. I then noticed that the offside was wrecked, from front corner, front wheel and all along the side, so I asked the driver about it. He said that Mr Lexus UK was showing some people the car on the track and then decided to switch off the traction control... I didn't have my camera which is a shame, and a shame about the car.

I think it may be the case with any car forum that people with problems migrate to it, or at least say more about them than someone that hasn't had any problems with the car at all. There must be many happy owners out there that perhaps do not even think about looking for a forum at all! Apart from a minor dash rattle on the car when I bought it with 6K on the clock (which was fixed promptly) there has not been any other problems at all. It has just been in for 30K service and has been fine between, and not need any oil added either. I looked at other marques when I was looking to replace my last car and was unimpressed by the level of kit as standard, and found that getting near to the same on the Lexus added massive amounts to the list price. Admittedely some of the stuff on the SE-L I do not use much, but it still represents superb value for money in my opinion, particularliy with the MM option. When it is time to replace again, I think I will be hard pressed to find something else and will probably go Lexus again, unless my business goes as well as I think it will, and then I will be looking at something completely different. I really fancy a AM V8 Vantage, and the IS-F is a tempting choice too! That will be another V8 to add to the stable (already have a Porsche 928S4).

My computer says 35.4mpg average overall... Had 30K service yesterday, and they updated the ECU again (it was done at 20K too). I didn't ask for it, nor do I have any reason to believe that the car needed it, but they did it anyway. Didn't need to add any oil between services. It feels slightly smoother after the service, can't say there is any power difference. I can get the MPG higher on the tank setting - 40+ but I like acceleration and that is not good for mpg!

Dont click the link, it tries to install a Trojan. As for chipping the IS220D, it already has a pretty healthy torque and I for one would be concerned for my clutch.

Before; After; They are ASA W21 18x8 and 18x9, 225/40 and 255/35 Falken FR452 tyres. Lowered 30mm on Eibach springs. I just had all 4 original alloys replaced under warranty befor I fitted these, so they are all brand spankers with worn tyres of course, everage 5mm tread left, do you think there is a market to sell the original 17" 10 spokes and any idea what I should ask?

Yes, I just had all 4 alloys replaced on mine. As commented, common problem (with lots of japanese cars, not just Lexus)

I am going to buy some new 18" ASA W21 Rims. The sizes available in staggered are 8J +et35 and 9J +et38. The problem is the seller is telling me I need 255/35/18 on the rear, as it wont fit a 255/40/18. (fitting a 225/40/18 on the front). With a tyre calculator comparing to my current OEM 17" I have worked out that the front will be 0.46% larger circumference which is nominal really, but with the tyre they recommend for the rear will be -2.54% smaller circumference, whereas the 40 profile is 1.36% bigger. They said I can have the 40 at my own risk as the 40 is 8.5J oem fit only, but why? what is the problem, with the offset and tyre size is there a chance that it will hit the arch? The offset increases the distance from the hub by 18mm on the rear and moves the wheel outwards by 10mm on the front. I am also lowering the car onto Eibach euro spec (25-30mm drop) springs. Do you think are they right, those of you that may have changed your wheels...?

It took some time to read, but I have read all of this thread, so just thought I would add to it. My 220d SEL MM is a Dec05 so I guess one of the early ones, and previoulsy owned by Lexus, bought it with a low mileage 6mths or so old. I have never really been bothered with the fuel economy, but have found that it is not near the stated figures 37mpg on average (but then rarely is any car) I just put it down to being a heavy car and the euroV strangling it a bit, just look at the performance figures compared to other makes with 170bhp and it is slow in comparison, but then did any one of us buy it for sporty performance? I doubt it, and I leave that to weekend in the Porker. It is the quietest and smoothest car I have driven and that is also compared to the petrol ones I have owned. It has never had to go to the dealer except for the 10K service. It will be coming up to the 20K soon and the only thing I have is a slight occasional rattle to the right of the dash and the alloys are corroding, but I understand that may be a common thing with Lexus/Japanese cars. The 6th gear rumble has improved quite a bit over time and added mileage, it is much less evident than when I first bought it and now I can run 6th down to 70mph or even 65mph even up hills (motorway hills so nothing too serious) it will accelerate too. It is more comfortable however to use 6th at just about 2K revs. I do tend to try and keep it running around the 2K mark and change gears accordingly. After reading this thread I may have some other things to ask the dealer about when it goes in such as injectors and ecu software bearing in mind my MPG although I understand that either of these items may make no difference. Overall I am extremely happy with the car, with the comfort the technical and safety aspects, but mainly value. I compared the spec to other makers and they cannot get near to it without spending in the region of 7K on options and even then some that the Lexus has are not available, not that all of them are needed, but even now how do Audi for example get away with charging £495 for keyless entry and start? ( I cant see the point of starter buttons that you still have to put a key in somewhere). This makes the opposition much more expensive, and to a certain extent I know the resale values of the Lexus with an MM system won't be apprieciably different to one without, but I doubt you would recover anywhere near the 7K of options on the other makes. I think I made the sensible choice, but going by the MPG and manual gearbox only I think I should have gone for the IS250 auto (the only reason I didn't is due to having fuel paid for my work and limiting me to buying a car that betters 35mpg) It is on my mind to change to the 250, ditch the fuel card and claim my business miles back after, if I could find a nearly new SEL MM as they seem quite rare! Thanks for reading.

I have a Blueman Group DVD-A (on the flip side it is 5.1DD or DTS) The 5.1 tracks sound great and it has very very deep bass in places which really put the system to work. The manual says it will play DVD-A and the display comes up with the right name, however it really struggles to play and I get digital noise and break up as if the decoding is struggling. I cannot find the specs for the DVD-A like the sample rate, just wondered if anyone else has managed to successfully play any DVD-A disks? I know the disk is ok as it plays in my Arcam DVD player, and coupled to an REL sub sounds awsome.

Having had a 220d and now have a 250 Auto I can categorically say you DON'T get whiplash when trying to do a quick gettaway in the 220d. Something to do with the gearing and fuel, IMHO. Getting only 36.6mpg average out of my Dec05 220d, so I am also thinking about changing to a 250 auto, it can't be much worse and I wont have to change gear! The 220d can get a pretty good start if you get the launch right, I have not managed it too often, but when I have it surprised me. My passenger always complains of whiplash in my other car a V8 auto 5.0L Porsche 928, now that has a serious lauch speed off the line. I was next to an Audi yesterday, and that really went, I guess he had a DSG on his 3.0Tdi

I had my Porsche 928 insured through Flux, it was time to renew recently, and as it was more expensive than last year I shopped around and found a quote with better benefits and £30 cheaper, so I phoned flux and they said they would beat it and indeed quoted me £40 cheaper than the new quote I had in my hand. However when my certificate came through it was £50 more than they quoted me so also more expensive then my best quote! That happened to be a Friday evening, and the renewal came into force on Sunday. When I phoned on Monday they said there was a 25% fee for cancelling withing the first 30 days, and said they would reduce the price to match the other quote. I asked them why the price went up and they said it includes breakdown cover, so I asked them why they disn't quote me that in the first place. There wasn't a satisfactory answer, so I told them I wanted a complete refund. They said they would do it that day, but the next day I got a letter asking me to put in writing why I had cancelled. I just sent the certificate back the day before with cancel written right accross it. I got my refund two days later. I am now insured with Heritage, which is Norton, who use Chaucer, which also happens to be the same insurance company that Flux used, but with Heritage the figures are much better!

Should work, however you will be riding a little higher than the lowered sport.

I have some pics so I will post them when I get around to hosting them. Thanks for the welcomes, I just need to check out the rest of the site now. I did perhaps think that the new IS would have a seperate entry on the forum, but then maybe it would be too fussy.

Hello everyone! I am now the proud owner of my first Lexus, a lovely IS220d SE-L Multimedia, in Argento Ice and Black Pembroke leather. I took a long time deciding which car was going to replace my Seat Leon Cupra R, and I am glad I bought the Lexus because it is superb! I thought I might miss the performance of the Leon, but I don't, mainly because you can't really use it on these roads in the South East of England, but the Lexus pulls well enough mid range on the motorway where I spend most of my time. I have already done nearly 2000 miles in it over the last four weeks, including my holiday to Llanberis in Wales. Mike