daveb1

Mine made such a difference you'd think it's a different car. One of the best 100 quid I've ever spent... just wish I'd done it sooner.

Well, I went down on Friday to see Tony, and then spent the weekend driving around with a silly grin on my face. Talk about a different car! 2 new rear tyres, sparkplugs, front brakes and the geometry sorted means the car goes around roundabouts like its on rails. I've twice nearly hit the roundabout itself near the apex of the turn... usually I have to compensate for the car drifting to the left at the middle of the manouver but now the car is point and shoot. Brilliant! The only dampener is the OSF wheel bearing was found to be failing (not the caliper squeaking at I thought originally), and it seems I was royally stitched up by the mechanic who did the last service... sub-standard spark plugs, brake pads and front discs. Not happy with that, but getting the discs and bearing sorted at the 2000 mile checkup. Thanks Tony for sorting the geometry out, and thanks too to the guys at Kiplings for everything else. Can't wait for the next service... Cheers

Booked in next Friday for new tyres, brakes, possible rear caliper, ECU check and of course the geometry setup. Looking forward to breathing a bit of life into the car for a change!

Thanks Tony... I'll wait for your quote, and then arrange a time to visit you.

I'll give him a call now, thanks BTW, very jealous of all your nice shiny cars... mine was like that once, but 2 kids and no money later, it's got dings and scratches all over the place... very sad but if you ain't got the money...

Hi Please could you tell me the "right" time to come and visit you? My bog-standard '00 IS200SE has brake problems (probably needs new pads all round, maybe rear discs, and OSR caliper), wears the inside of both front tyres (although there newish and OK at the moment), and is nearly due for new rear tyres. I want a geometry check, but also the brakes sorted. Is it best to come in and see you now, wait and get new rear tyres, or get the brakes done, or some other combination? Also would you be able to give me a quote for all the work please? Cheers Dave

Aah...Good idea. Didn't think of that one!

I always assumed the other sensor was for the built in satnav. If that's not the case, where is the satnav one?

I have a W/2000 IS200 and if I press the lock button once, I only get 1 flash... maybe mine's faulty? I had to laugh at the cheesecake incident too, as I've done exactly the same thing but my wife was holding a very heavy and fancy wedding cake with loads of spindly decorations and flowers coming out the top of it... she wasn't best pleased...

thanks for the warning. Who knew that standard sizes would be so different...

Thanks for the thought, but I live near Brighton on the south coast. Found this link http://www.tayna.co.uk/item/1832/0/prod.htm 60 AH battery for £67.24 delivered... can't be too bad. Dave

Sounds exactly the same as Tango's problem. Voltmeter shows around 13.5 and if I put all the electrics on I can find, then rev the engine, i see the voltmeter going up. New battery it is then! Anyone know what sort of cost they are?

I use tesco all the time, the car seems to run better on it than BP Esso et al. and I alwways get 400+ miles to a tank... why do you ask? Dave http://uk.news.yahoo.com/01032007/325/cont...vestigated.html Ah thanks, just looked it up... no, I don't think this is the problem, it's not a problem once the car is running, it's getting it started in the first place. Electrical rather than fuel problem. I'm wondering if after 80k miles, there's anything in the electrical system that starts to routinely wear out... alternator, battery etc, or whether this is a specific electrical fault on my car. Dave

I use tesco all the time, the car seems to run better on it than BP Esso et al. and I alwways get 400+ miles to a tank... why do you ask? Dave

Hi My 2000/W reg is200 has suddenly developed a problem when starting. Sometimes it's fine, other times it's like the battery is dead and it won't even turn over. Last week I drove 160 miles of motorway, stopped at the local petrol station on the way home, filled up and when I tried to start the car it wouldn't. I bumped it and drove 1 mile home, left it overnight and tried starting it in the morning and it worked fine. I've also tried charging the battery overnight and it turns over and starts really quickly, drive a couple of miles (no electrical stuff on, not even the radio), park and stop the engine, try again 5 mins later and it's dead. Is it likely to be just the battery, or is there something else wrong? Cheers Dave

Firstly, let me correct myself... I've a heavy right foot not left... not that anyone noticed! :D When my IS200 manual comes back from its 40k service, I'll run the tank dry, and then fill up with top octane petrol, and see what happens. Anyone suggest the "best" fuel to use? Dave

I'd recommend the Maxi-Cosi Priori... lots of colours (even dalmation print :D ) and fits nicely with no damage to the back seats. Only minor problem is if it is reclined, my boy rests his feet on the back of the front seat, but I guess this would happen in most cars. Try http://www.kiddicare.com/ they have a nice stripy blue one for £60 and a smart grey striped one for £75 (look in Shopping|Car seats 9months-4 years) with free shipping. I've used them loads of times and have never had a problem with the company or the products they sell. Dave

I get an average of 27 mpg with a mixture of motorway and city driving. I usually do 400 on the tank before filling up, and have done 440 on one tank before panicing sufficiently and finding a petrol station. But even on that occassion, I still only filled up 69 litres, making nearly 29mph. This surprises me as I redline most of the time (what's the point in having the car otherwise :D ) and cruise on the m-ways at 95-110 depending on road conditions. I also use mostly supermarket fuel, rather than premium. I'd say I'm one of the heaviest-left-footed people I know, but I still seem to have better fuel consumption than most of the other posters here... weird! Dave

I am a Gold member. The CDW cost isn't important, it's the principle... anyone who buys a Lexus probably isn't short of a bob or two. My problem is that I'm being charged at all. It all comes down to customer service from a luxury marque. Surely they make enough overall profit to swallow the £10 CDW charge when someone asks for a courtesy car? Dave

And on a similar note, anyone know if the discs can be copied (purely for backup purposes of course) Dave

Lexus Tunbridge Wells tried to charge me for my 30k service in March this year. I think it's individual to each dealer because they're still an independent company even though they only sell Lexus... they aren't Lexus themselves, only a company who sells them. Perhaps if Lexus themselves found out about this charging, they might have something to say about it. Out of principle I'm not going to use them again, which is why I asked for info about Lexus Brighton... sadly no one has replied to that thread :( Dave

The £10 fee is for Collision Damage Waiver I think, a standard insurance thing for hire cars and the like. I've also been charged for courtesy cars, from Lexus Tunbridge Wells. They cited the number of claims that people have whilst using their courtesy cars, and the steep cost increase to their "Any Driver" trade policy as the reason. Whilst I can understand this from a business point of view, the flip side of the coin is customer dissatisfaction, and without customers there IS no business. I may be blinkered in my view, but my idea of a 'courtesy car' was precisely that... a service the business supplies as a thank you for using their facilities. I *expect* a replacement car if my Lexus is off the road and I need to continue with my days work or leisure. That is why I paid for a luxury marque. Most mainstream garages (Ford, Renault, Fiat etc) give out courtesy cars as a matter of course... it may only be a cinquecento but it's free and part of the service... Lexus shouldn't charge... if anything they should be giving us the car, AND a box of luxury chocs to munch on whilst we're inconvenienced by not being in our own car. :P Dave

Well nobody ever mentions Lexus Tunbridge Wells so I will... 10k service £101 20k service £239 30k service a little difficult to work out 'cos I had some other work done but I estimate around £170. Dave

superchargedIS200, Thanks, will try that tomorrow. djanderso, Happy to, but it was p*ssing down with rain earlier, and I'm just not that dedicated! Will try tomorrow. Dave

Chris, my original idea was to just change on side with the new dipped bulb and the new fog bulb they sent for free, and then take a picture and put it on the forum, but it's brilliant sunshine at the moment, and I was too impatient to leave just one bulb changed :D I might swap them over tonight and take a photo anyway... On a similar vein, how do you get to the fogs? It looks like you have to take the plastic splash guard thingy out of the wheel arch... anyone know if that's correct? Cheers Dave