kev dood

Mine does under read but by about 10%. Mat - surely wheel size does matter, in the same way tyre size does - unless you compensate for a larger wheel by going lower profile - is that what you were implying?

where did you get that shock from then? (£37). Is that an original Lexus (KYB) shock?

thinking about it, the timing belt kit does come with new tensioner and idler, so maybe lexus will change all that for the £299. You would be best to check I guess. Some people advise changign the water pump while you are down there.

Umm it does look fairly comprehensive. I had asked Lexus when I called them a week or so ago but they were a bit vague and didn't seem to know too much!!

Can someone tell me (if they have recently bought one or know) what the contents of the caliper rebuild kits are? I know it contains new set rings, piston boots and seals for the front calipers, but the image for the kit on toyodiy.com seems to show it also comes with the sliding pins dust boots and bushes etc. I am trying to get together all the info etc to order it all for my IS200 (and my dads GS300 - though he only needs pins etc) so don't want to order a load of duplicat parts!!

I have the same problem on my 01 X-reg car. Its now done around 58k but for the last 2 years I have had this dilema due to Lexus bringing forward the timing belt change. Personally I have decided (as I no longer use Lexus to service the car due to the age) to just have the belt inspected at the service and if its OK then leave it. I have heard that from 2003 they changed the design a tad and the problem of the idler bearing loosening and creating a wobble (or something to that effect) which in tern causes the belt to wander/be pushed towards the cover and therefore wear it....should have been fixed. I don't know how true that is though! Either way, i know its a serious problem if it does go, and as its a rubber belt, it can perish over time, but generally these things wear due to use more than time expired. If you have it inspected then I would say thats fine. Though Lexus themselves charge £299 to change the timing belt - though that won't include the tensioner etc which you should change also (I am guessing). Normal garages probably charge around £240?

also try www.lexuspartsdirect.co.uk. Run by Lexus Swindon I think. Price from them is.....£52.86 each inc VAT and free postage. Double check the part number etc though as it is different to the one I had!!

sorry, my bad. Just check manual and saw that!! :-) It was copper ease that you weren't supposed to use.

there is/was a pic guide on here, I am sure of it, just cannot find it. Thanks Ormi for the info though. BTW - I didn't think you were supposed to use grease for the seals etc - but clean brake fluid only?

prices for LS and above is actually £349.

thats what I have/had. Same problem too as I am 6ft3. If have another one then will probably have to get rid of car!! :-(

interesting as I have a Pilkington screen from Autoglass on mine - and it leaked. Though seems ok now though - tough wood. Anyone have any links to the issues with pilkington screens then?

Mine doesn't have isofix fittings - missed out by several months. So I got a Maxi-Cosi EasyBase (similar to the Easyfix but without the protruding isofix legs at the rear). That seemed fine to fit. However, I had a real nightmare trying to get a decent car seat for the second stage (cannot remember weight but its the one up from baby seat - forward facing). EVERY single seat I tried suffered buckle crunch risks. The only seat I could find that anyone was happy with (universally) was the Maxi-Cosi Tobi which is specially designed to fit cars which would suffer buckle crunch issues. The problem with the IS200 is that it has a fairly deep rear seat and has too long a bottom seatbelt bit for the buckle. This raises the buckle up too high so it would either rest against or be above the line of the seat base. In a side on crash that would slam the seat into the buckle and release it which is a massive no no. I also wanted a decent seat rather than some rubbish you can get - have seen the test videos on Which? website and they are not good! Its a shame the Lex etc aren't a bit more proactive about supporting carrying children eh! Though I did notice on www.lexuspartsdirect.co.uk that they did a range of special seats for the IS - so maybe they would be ok, if you can still get hold of them.

Nope, thats the pins threah (very good too!). But I thought there was one showing about taking the caliper pistons out to do the seals etc? Red would be nice, otherwise I guess its black, silver or you could go yellow - or how about green, just to be different? :-)

Can someone point me to the How to guide someone did on replacing the front brake pistons/refurbing the seals? I cannot locate it anywhere!! Ta

heres another tip. Once you have finished using the iron, "tin" the tip with a blob of solder before letting it cool. This stops the tips from oxidising and then corroding or having to use tip cleaner to get it to hold new solder etc.

Lexus will do a timing belt for an IS200 all the way to LS400 for £299 I think. Certainly no more than £320 for LS anyway, remember got a leaflet with fixed price servicing on it a few weeks ago - and free oil/filter change!! :-)

could be time to change the air filter? Its only every 2 years or something in service manual so could be clogged up?

To do the sliding pins is easy. Really, I did mine the other weekend! There is a guide on here somewhere, do a search, which shows pics and everything. You may as well buy new pins, dust boots and the bushing (only needed for bottom pins) and try that first. I also found that my bottom piston was sticking, so temporarily I freed it by clamping it in then pushing it out (with brake pedal with bit of wood to stop other piston moving) and just did that loads. Fixed it temp. but will renew seals and pins etc soon when get the time/parts. But seriously, the pins are eaaassssy. If they are really stuck (like one of mine) then you may have to tap them out with a smaller spanner over body of pin against the head of pin end. I had to hit hard as one of mine was mega rusty!! Mat has kindly posted the Part Nos of the bits in the part number sticky but prices are:- Dust boot = £3.94 pair Top slide pin = £5.42 Bottom Slide pin = £7.21 Sliding bushing = £3.07 pair I don't know why both pins are not made from the same material - think the top is some bronze coated jobby or similar, but the bottom is simple steel and rusts like mad! For info, the caliper rebuild kit (piston selas, rubber boots and set rings for all of front calipers) is £63.46. A new caliper is £260. Al prices are ex. VAT and from Lexus. Oh, and if a piston is really seized and you suspect it may be excessively pitted, then they are £19.29 each. :-)

To do the sliding pins is easy. Really, I did mine the other weekend! There is a guide on here somewhere, do a search, which shows pics and everything. You may as well buy new pins, dust boots and the bushing (only needed for bottom pins) and try that first. I also found that my bottom piston was sticking, so temporarily I freed it by clamping it in then pushing it out (with brake pedal with bit of wood to stop other piston moving) and just did that loads. Fixed it temp. but will renew seals and pins etc soon when get the time/parts. But seriously, the pins are eaaassssy. If they are really stuck (like one of mine) then you may have to tap them out with a smaller spanner over body of pin against the head of pin end. I had to hit hard as one of mine was mega rusty!! Mat has kindly posted the Part Nos of the bits in the part number sticky but prices are:- Dust boot = £3.94 pair Top slide pin = £5.42 Bottom Slide pin = £7.21 Sliding bushing = £3.07 pair I don't know why both pins a

They all produce dust though! Aren't the Mintex ones supposed to be better at producing less dust though?

nice one, cheers. Will look into that. Could get the whole lot then delivered and save me some time and money.

these are for proper lexus parts??

Toyota supply Lexus parts then too - or are they common with one of their models? I guess the price is exactly the same though. Still, saves me driving all the way to Reading Lexus if I can go to local Toyota.

Wow, now thats quick. In your learnered opinion, would I be best to get the rebuild kit from Lexus or from some OEM spec company? Also, same question for discs/pads - i.e. should I just go to Lexus, or can I get Lexus ones direct from the maker/supplier elsewhere (i.e. like Merc parts etc from Eurocar parts)? I know the Mintex ones are common now, but hit and miss to get original ones and not knock offs from ebay. Plus the originals seems to last well and brake well enough.