koshime

The lovely motorway weather was like that from 7am to 8pm....

Righty Diary update Mileage: 600 miles MPG Avg: 26.9 Tank MPG Avg 29.8 MPG at 60 autocruise - 45 MPG MPG at 70 autocruise - 45-47 MPG MPG at 73 autocruise - 45-49MPG Limiter set at 73 Miles Autocruise - was very useful around leicester where roadworks on the South junction M1 had SPECS at 40mph. Made me lose any urge to speed if there is a gap! What a license saver! Had to wash the damn car at 8pm in the night though as the severe slush, had blacked out the rear parking mirror (reverse assist rendered useless) and side mirrors (absolutely caked!) thank *** for a decent rearview mirror! Otherwise, passenger ride for that 300 mile journey from a 6 footer colleague, although seems cramped, the lush leather seats, individual climate control and firm ride was so comforting he was asleep for most of the journey Some engine details. RIght firstly - openign the bonnet, ther eis a small latch/depression which you release and the bonnet pops up automatically on hydraulics However, to close...took me abtou 30 mins of fumbling, pressing, banging. called Paul Butt at leicester and he said, they had the same problem. Just slam the front down with considerable Force ++++ I did. and it worked! bizzare! Slushed!

I hate slush - from waxed/cleaned and polished to errrr..slush And yes, the bonnet is open for me to add images in the 250 diary section! :)

Alright - 3 to 6 washes later....Its a pain trying to keep the car clean I can - opt for a total Zymol protection system adn send it to these guys to detail http://www.sportscarprotection.com/prices.htm or I can grab a few complete kit sets and work at it myself. What do you guys reckon? Some engine details to follow

errr- sorry to sound like a dunce, but what do you guys do during a powertuning/run? Wreck our cars or more like a race track meet *grin*

no snow yesterday or today. Just slush and orrible rain. had to wash the car twice!!!!!!! Woke up this morning....car looks like 2 week old unwash! arggggh! Dust everywhere!

Here is an Excerpt from Autospies! Use at own risk *grin* Lexus IS Has Secret Cheat Code This makes sense when you think about it. Cars have computers and computers have always had hidden Easter eggs and cheat codes, so it was inevitable that someone would find a cheat code hidden inside a car. Case in point: here’s way to disable the traction/skid control systems called VDIM on the Lexus IS: ***“start the car with the parking brake on ….then foot brake twice….(keep the foot brake down)….then parking brake twice (keep it down )and repeat till skid light is on the dash…..it will reset when you restart the car” Source: Realtechnews.com via VW Vortex forum post Here's an update from one of the forum members over at IS350forums.com I just got back from an attempt to confirm it and I think I was successful. Here is what I did: 1. (VDIM ON) As stated above, I set the parking brake and started the car. Pumped the brakes twice, set and reset the parking brake twice. I pumped the brakes twice more and the TRAC-OFF light came on the dash. 2. (VDIM OFF) From a stop, I turned right. I started slow but went to full throttle before I was fully into the turn. The RPMs went way up when it shifted to second and I felt I could hear the rear wheels losing traction, but it was not a "squeel". 3. (VDIM OFF) I found an emtpy parking lot. Stopped the car and turned the wheel all the way left. Went right to full throttle. The back end slid out and I did doughnuts. The wheels didnt "squeel", but the RPMs where up and the rear-end had 0 traction. 4. (VDIM ON/TRAC-OFF) Shut down the car to reset. Set TRAC-OFF. Did the same as #3. The back end never lost traction but there was a LOT of "squeel". 5. (VDIM OFF) From a red light, I made a left turn. I immediately went to full throttle and completely lost the rear end and had to counter steer. Some "squeeling". 6. (VDIM ON/TRAC-OFF) I did the same as #5 at the same light. The rear end started to slip. I Heard 4 beeps in quick succession and the rear end got traction and was back on track. I didnt bother doing VDIM-ON/TRAC-ON as I think #5 and #6 prove it. The key here are the 4 beeps. Using this method to disable VDIM will let you completely lose the rear-end and smoke the tires. You'll NEVER hear the beeps.

spot on. There is a calender/memo system. It was so basic, I forgot to mention it. :)

what is Mrs Dales Diary?

damn - and I thought the AI was magic!!!! They coudl have added the option of importing various sexy Tom tom voices and maybe some actors voices for different drivers?

Actually - i'm just going to leave it there, till my first 10 000 mile service but over the next few weeks, I will try to make sure I do my darn best to make sure the detailing on this car is spot on. Since the route to Hospital and home is filled with soot, pollution and pigeon poo - I literally will have to wash with water this car endlessly without getting those scraps of bone, stone and gravel and microscopic cobwebs. First thing i'll do is try the Swissol experiment. Have tried the zymol experiment but tend to polish often too much with previous car.... Righty, the next quest is to take the car past its 600 mile. So - if it snows, we'll know how it handles on the motorway tommorow And if it blizzards, we'll knwo what the ride is like down to Torquay, Devon & Cornwall on Frid/saturday Got to say - love the autocruise..the engine/gearbox is so so smooth. They should have renamed the IS250 - the IS/GS 300 +

these alloy and is250 specific tyres seem to be built such, the alloy have a small gap (enough to dig yrou fingers into) the central rim of the tyres...maybe a protective factor....

you can dial any number on your speed dial list (17 speed dial no/ tp insert) on the move. Whilst semi stationnary - full acess to the phone book! Voice control works!

Ah - RON95 huh. Would these engines take to optimax well or go ballistic? Anyone have any figures/idea?

Oh - well err whats normal cheapo petrol then. RON97? With regards to this pic. It was really misty/foggy last night. It still is. What is happening to UK. Global fogging?

Righty, Day 3 Mileage 301. Yellow warning fuel light comes on Decisions : go normal cheapo unleaded or super unleaded. Called the dealer - was recommended regular RON98.Guess optimax wont work too well on the IS250 then Here is the entertainment/DVD/nav screen selection DVD tested: Incredibles Massive compatability: MP3/DVD region2/WMA/VCD/Dolby Digital/DTS surround Something to keep me company whilst working.... ML DTS Surround Sound control Nav- destination set to A41, with choice of road perefences - eg. Motorway, ferry, boat, rail travel,etc Maintenance - this little baby has AI that will tell you when something needs replacing...how mad is that. Just like the management screen in Gran Turismo! Heh heh! Bluetooth phone - clarity (microphone is placed above the driver on the central lights) saves a log of recent calls, etc. Note, you can upload files from your MP3 player onto the IS250. Not sure how many MB/GB is on the ML system DVD quality from the back seat. Pretty clear and the sound is AWESOME! Unfortunately, the sad news is my lil baby had first blood today. Having to dodge a speeding london bus around a narrow corner in Acton, I had to climb the nearby embankment.. sob! On the plus side, body of car intact, no scratches, still pristine and not too noticable dmg to alloy, tires intact...

Well - the way I understand it. There are 4-5 ships containing various car colours from japan Ship 1 carries - Black, Silver and some other common colours Ship 2-5 - Blue, Red mica, and all teh other mettalic paint and rare white/green cars So, for example, leicester had a customer that ordered on the 14-16th Nov, got their car in this week (probably because it was in teh same container) Most deliveries from other dealerships - as I have heard had a 2-3 week delay for common colours, and a Dec date for the mettalic and rare paint colours. And, errr I guess i was lucky, because the car was delivered on Nov 9th in Leicester (but i was not able to camp outside and beg for it yet, due to Lexus GB only allowing cars to be taxed and released on Nov 19th launch day) Hope that helps some. I'm sure Mr. Mole has more insider information. whereas, i've just literraly talked to various delaerships around the midlands and London

black or dark granite

well Moley - I'm pretty much blown away by all teh tiniest deisgn details and jsut general overal build and looks. Car growing on both myself and the missus, and likewise anaesthetict department in Hammersmith hosp! Great thumbs up to lexus for the ideal car lounge to travel and live within in style on a day to day basis! You guys have my endorsement!

heh..will be driving down on auto cruise this Frid (so i dont bump into le Officer SFace) but driving up again to leicester on Thursday. I reckon I'll easily rack up 600 mile sby the end of the week! :)

errr- how do i prevent those hail and chips enroute to Torquay this weekend.......

Day 2 - figured out how to get the DVD to play my mp3 cds...it soudns absolutely stonking good for either orchestral/live music/jazz...you feel like you're in the recording studio - Had fun, getting all teh other fellwo anaesthetist to pile into the car to have a spot of exam revision/ watch scrubs in the DVD screen. The really loved the new IS as well. Wonder how long one can play dvds priro to suckign the battery dry without an engine on. Heated seats was the loveliest feeling Right, decided to take a few night shots. The mist outside seems to permeate everything Took me many retakes without a tripod to show the natural lumiscene as you approach your car at night. And the glowing footwell The reading lights Car still semi shiny (but in the day time, dust already has started to take hold)

the sytner group have also opened a nearer branch in Milton Keynes1 But i prefer leicester! Just loyalty and years fo good service!

the wing mirros look big/ are big (although built aerodynamically, i like then to elephant ears!) - you can see everything behind and around you and they fold beautifully. I dont think the garage is a problem (in regards to the mirrors). But i do wonder if getting in and out might. it is slightly wider overall but not as wide as a E class Merc!

if you have the multimedia option, you DONT need rear parkign sensors becasue it come swith a rear parking camera assist! I foudn i didnt need sensors!