Sagitar

No similar problem (or indeed any problem) with mine. Is it always the same CD? If so it could be a faulty disc. If not, then more likely a system fault and a reason to go back to the supplier.

The complimentary Roadside Assistance through the RAC that came with my new IS250 is about to expire. Lexus is offering renewal for an annual fee of £89.00 discounted to £79.00 if I pay by direct debit. This cost seems much higher than the RAC is charging if I deal with them directly. Is there any advantage in doing it through Lexus? Does anyone have experience of roadside assistance through organisations other than the RAC?

I would advise reading the Highway Code. Rule 94 says - "You MUST NOT - use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves to avoid dazzling other road users". Rule 201 says - "You MUST use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced, generally when you cannot see for more than 100 metres (328 feet). You may also use front or rear fog lights but you MUST switch them off when visibility improves (see Rule 211)". Rule 211 says - "You MUST NOT use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 201) as they dazzle other road users and can obscure your brake lights. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves". There are separate rules covering the use of headlights at night and the proper adjustment of lights.

Does it not have a manual release device? What happens if there is a power failure? On mine - take the weight off the mechanism; click out the mechanical lock; lift the door by hand. It's balanced on springs, so little effort required.

My rack was changed today and the rear calipers inspected, not a 'recall' but a 'Customer Satisfaction Campaign' :winky: . Lexus Cheltenham changed the rear calipers under warranty in November because they had seized due to premature corrosion, but they were still obliged to carry out the inspection and replace the rubber gaiters. The original rack hadn't given any problems at all, but looks like I'll be heading to WIM to ensure the geometry is OK now Lexus have replaced it. The car went in this morning. It was inspected first to determine whether the rack needed changing and it did. They also did the rear calipers at the same time. The whole job was done in less than two hours - very efficient. The drive home (about 10 miles) was fine. It's a relief to know that the potential steering problem has been dealt with.

I have always seen this as a sensible approach since the time that I would normally go into manual mode is when I am running downhill and want to increase the amount of engine braking. My normal action after going into manual mode is a further change down, so it all makes sense.

Sounds like you blocked off all the ventilation. When I am using mine on my lap, I always place it on a hard board (a chopping board or a tea tray is good) so that the space under the laptop is kept clear. Even with the fan vents open there are parts of the underside that get quite warm and I would never put it down on a soft surface such as a bed. Have you read the safety warnings in the handbook? Mine says:- "The (ventilation) openings should never be blocked by placing the product on a bed, sofa, rug or other similar surface".

Nor this one "a 15 percent weight increase will see economy fall by the same amount." There is some loss of efficiency related to weight, of course, but they are not directly related. Marginal weight is a significant issue only during periods of acceleration. When a vehicle is moving at constant velocity, internal friction and air resistance contribute far more to the demand for energy.

A great set - thanks for sharing them with us.

I have a feeling that this topic has come up before but I can't find it. Today I received a letter from Lexus vehicle recalls relating to my 2006 Lexus IS250 Auto. The key phrases are:- "we will check the vehicle and, if necessary, replace the electric power steering unit. At the same time we will inspect the condition of the rear brake calipers and perform a modification to prevent premature corrosion". I have had no indication of any problem with the power steering. It seems to me to work perfectly. I have however noticed recently that when I first start the car from cold and engage a gear I get a "clonk" from the rear of the car. Could that be a caliper problem? I was about to report it to Lexus anyway so the letter was well timed. The car is booked in at Milton Keynes on June 3rd - I will report progress.

I have heart-rate controlled gym equipment at home and spend an hour on it doing cardio-vascular virtually every morning before breakfast.

It seems fairly well deserved from what I have experienced on the road TBH, & it doesn't seem to matter how old the car is either, but obviously there is a fair bit of generalisation with that opinion. My daughter drives a BMW and she's pretty well balanced. She has owned a range of vehicles in the past including two MR2s and a Celica and the change to BMW was based entirely on practical considerations.

For professional use, I doubt if anything beats Adobe Photoshop, but it is expensive. For an excellent low-cost program I gather that Gimp (free) is the way to go.

Commiserations. You don't live near any M.P.s do you? The IS 250 that I test drove had had its caps stolen, so I changed mine on delivery to a set of the chrome plated free-spinning ones. They look good and after two and a half years of ownership I have yet to lose one. It's a sad, sad world.

Brilliant - I must let my friends know . . . . . .

Thats a bit rubbish though isn't it? Typing just one digit from the second half can turn up lots of roads. Are even the latest Lexus Sat Navs so restricted? These days I beleive all Sat Navs can zoom in right to the full post code location. At the risk of repeating myself, many postal addresses do not include a street name. Try using a Lexus satnav to find the location of a farm on an un-named and un-numbered minor country road. I carry a TomTom in the glove box to find postal coded addresses that the Lexus cannot find.

Every time I open up the LOC site it attempts to load a tracking cookie callled "Doubleclick" - does anyone know why, or what it is trying to do?

How do you re-start? Left foot on the parking brake and right foot on the the accellerator? OK, but there is no way of applying the parking brake without locking it. It is difficult to ease it off and balance it as you would with a traditional handbrake. It's not a frequent problem for me, but I did have real difficulty on the Isle of Wight last year at a junction where the entry road that I was on involved a very steep uphill section and there was busy traffic coming around a sharp bend to the right with limited visibility. I promised myself afterwards that I would practice the technique required - but of course I haven't :eerrrmm:

There is no such thing as a victimless crime. Stealing from someone who is rich is still stealing, no matter how you dress it up.

And none of this impacts on your conscience? Didn't you borrow this money freely and willingly? Don't you feel that you have a responsibility to repay it - irrespective of the whether the agreement breaches some technical requirement? If a mate borrowed a few quid from you and then said "but I didn't sign a proper agreement so I don't have to repay it" how would you react?

As long as you recognise that you are buying expensive jewellery and that a cheap Casio will keep better time . . . . .

No-one has mentioned that an opening roof reduces headroom. I am tall and prefer the extra space. I also prefer the peace and quiet of a closed car. An open roof can turn the inside of a car into tuned cavity that "booms" at certain speeds. It can be like driving a large "ocarina" . . . . .

Surely replacing worn brakes has to be alot cheeper than replacing a worn engine and a worn gearbox! Why not swich to neutral for downhill sections? Unless its a long steep descent. That would certainly help with the fuel ecconomy. The Highway Code frowns on "coasting" - see the extract below. Engine braking should be no more wearing than driving the vehicle in a forward direction - especially in an "auto" vehicle where the engine and the road wheels are not directly connected. 122 Coasting. This term describes a vehicle travelling in neutral or with the clutch pressed down. It can reduce driver control because engine braking is eliminated vehicle speed downhill will increase quickly increased use of the footbrake can reduce its effectiveness steering response will be affected, particularly on bends and corners it may be more difficult to select the appropriate gear when needed

Some batteries are now gel filled to reduce evaporation and stop the need for topping up. They are described as "sealed" though they are still vented. They are not much different chemically from wet batteries but the antimony in the lead plates is replaced by calcium to reduce gassing. They are often referred to as a lead-calcium batteries.

i have checked the actual consumption against the obc on previous occasions and found it to be accurate to 0.5 of a mile.the point being made is that when driven with economy in mind the 220d is capable of giving some very good fuel economy figures and compares very well with the competition.audi's obc's are incorrect by as much as 15% according to audi forums. 0.5 of a mile in what? I suspect that very few people are sufficiently interested in statistical accuracy to maintain the kind of records that are necessary to give proper comparisons. I have had the car showing over 40 m.p.g tank average for the right kind of long journey. I have seen all kinds of wonderful numbers on the instantaneous readout. But over the whole life of the car, including every litre put into the tank and every mile done, the true average consumption is shown below. The overall average shown by the in-car computer currently is 32.2 m.p.g. That's an error of less than 6% and not at all untoward for the kind of device and circumstances that we are discussing, but it is significant. Chances are that there is always going to be an error and you would hardly expect the manufacturer to set things up in such a way that the error made the car look worse than it was - would you? . . . . . .