Hello there, and my compliments on the site.
The information in these forums was a big factor in my defecting from Sweden’s finest aircraft builder to the Lexus family.
Enjoying the car more by the mile, but have had a few issues during the first 4000, like a number of other posters here; so by way of information:
LEXUS RESCUE/ASSISTANCE
I hit a pothole in a relatively remote part of the country on the Saturday night of a bank holiday weekend. Tyre wall burst immediately and the rim was gouged. Could not loosen the nuts even slightly using the brace provided in the toolkit, as the handle is far too short to get enough torque.
Had no option but to call Lexus roadside assistance and to their huge credit they had a truck with me within 15mins. Got the space-saver on and trundled home at 80km/h. As it was a bank holiday weekend, could not get a new tyre anywhere – even the 24hr mobile operators were unavailable or didn’t have the right size tyre (was not bothered with manufacturer at this stage). As I was due to drive across the country on the Sunday, I was now rightly stuck. Despite calls back to Lexus, they could not locate a tyre supplier. As a result, I had to use the missus’ car for two days as mine was effectively off the road.
More an indictment of the puncture repair industry here (windscreen replacement yards were open!), but I was left cursing the lack of a fullsize spare.
BTW: €190 (stg£120) for the replacement Dunlop Sportmax 225/45 R17
DEALER EXPERIENCE
The creaking seats, pillar rattles, and soft handbrake issues have been dealt with on the site, but suffice to say returning to the dealer was not a good experience. They feigned ignorance of any issues re noise (are they that uninterested that they don’t even visit websites like this?), but did refit the driver’s seat. No problem since.
Rattles in the pillars remain – they said they couldn’t hear anything when they drove the car (in pounding rain, btw) – but I’ve learned to live with it by now.
Handbrake was tightened – but starting to feel soft again, another 1000 miles on. The mechanic did let slip that a number of owners have been back for this, and there was talk of a full recall… no word since. As a colleague suggested – you’ve paid for a Lexus, but you’re getting Toyota service.
SOME GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
Mileage relatively constant at 22mpg around town, with ACC on.
Stereo excellent, though random track function is slightly quirky, and radio reception quality is variable (compared to previous car anyway).
Boot and filler cap release buttons should be illuminated
Cream leather holds up remarkably well, though rubber mats are a must for the wetter days – bought the Lexus set of 4 for €55 (stg£35) and keep them in the boot.
Leather on gearknob is cracking on side nearest driver (under ball of the palm). Does not seem to be worsening though.
Airbag warning light and clock are aesthetically poor and let the overall look down slightly
Rear view mirror would have been better mounted from the roof
Have learned to love the door mirrors. Salesman gave me the spiel at the time that the designer wanted to emulate the supercar look (of the Enzo etc) with its feature mirrors, so sized them up accordingly. To achieve the low drag coefficient, they had to be pushed out from the car, so the usual fixing point at the junction of window and door was not strong enough, hence their positioning in the door body proper…
Seat ventilation is a real talking point, but of limited effectiveness so far (may need to be hotter than your average Irish summer to feel the benefit…). Why is the control panel with the dials set in on a slope though? It looks as though it has sunk on one side?!
Disappointed that the window and door control panel is exactly the same as the Corolla vans we have in our company. Took a slagging for that, I tell you.
Steel dust caps seem to be magnetic for kids. Have gone through three sets at €15 a time. No more. Black plastic fantastic from now on.
The plastic cowl above the pedals is flimsy and could do with additional fixing clips. I’ve caught my feet on it several times, and would love to be able to fix it slightly higher.
There are surprisingly few new IS250/220 on the roads and streets of Dublin, which is a plus. Possible flood when the 07 plate kicks-in in January though…
Overall, hugely happy with the car, and glad to have made the jump.
Great work on the site as well. Keep up the good work.
P