Sterling

Is there a software upgrade for the MM unit? I have the 2012 sat-nav DVD, but I would like the software updated. Just the graphical presentation of the menus are better in the newer cars.

The car drives perfectly straight without any pulls or wobbles. It also does not drift to one side when I take my hands off the wheel. I therefore cant see why it could be the tracking or alignment, but with my very limited knowledge in this area, I'm happy for advice.

Did you not get any indication that the battery was on its way out? Poor starting? Dim lights? Slow wipers? I cant believe it was working perfectly and then dead?

I have a 220d with 17" wheels. The tyres on the car were put on by Lexus Cardiff and are very cheap non-branded crap. They do not grip at all in the wet. The whole car wants to slide away on roundabouts. In the wet I can spin the rears in 3rd gear. I had to go so slow at a roundabout today that a Nissan Nivara pick-up overtook me on the inside. I therefore really need to change my tyres. On my previous cars, I have used Michelin Primacy and was happy with the dry / wet grip and also how long they lasted. I will probably do 25,000 miles per year with about 70% of this on motorways. I do not drive like Lewis Hamilton, but neither do I drive like Miss Daisy. Anyone got any recommendations?

Cardiff CF11 8AQ Reason for visit: Used vehicle purchase IS220d SE-L MM Pre- Sales Attentiveness: 9/10 Post Sales Attentiveness: 1/10 Accuracy of information: 1/10 Value for money: 6/10 Standard of work: 1/10 Overall Rating: 3/10 General Notes: Avoid this dealer if honesty and customer service are important to you. Good Points: When they eventually admitted they screwed up, the gave me a loan of a brand new car for 2 weeks till they sorted the problems and then delivered my car to me in Glasgow. Bad Points: :megaangry: Missed some key points when describing the car to me over the phone. Paid large deposit and afterwards became very difficult to get hold of anyone. Dealership principal refused to take my calls or reply to emails. Complained to Lexus UK and then the Sales manager was sacked. The worst car buying experience I had in 25 years. Avoid this dealer at all costs. They are owned by Sytner group who are famous for really bad customer service. When they "sorted the problems", they did it as cheaply as possible and tried to put the other issues through Lexus 5+ warranty. Example : I complained that the 4 tyres had not enough tread to legally get me back to Glasgow. They replaced the 4 tyres with a non-branded tyre that is dangerous in the wet. The brakes felt spongy, they said the refurbished all 4 callipers. When I took it to Lexus Glasgow a week later, they said the brakes were life threatening and refused to give me the car back until Cardiff paid for all discs and pads to be replaced.

Thats a good point. I had assumed that this covered all service parts. They are including MOT's at half price. Yes I am enjoying the car. Not had a 220d before, I've had a couple of IS200's and an LS400 before.

I have a 2006 IS220d SE-L MM. It currently has 42,000 with FLSH. I will do about 25,000 miles per year and my local Lexus dealer has offered me a service package to cover the next 5 services up to 90,000. This is basically 3 interim and 2 major services. Total cost £1400. Never having used the main dealer for servicing in the past, can anyone tell me if this is good value or a rip off?

I read a post on here about converting thr rear end of the IS220. Someone answered back saying that it was an easy straight fit. I decided to have a go and this is the result. I also, as you can see, took the chance to have the lip spoiler fitted. Lexus wanted to charge over £450 for supply and fit of the spoiler, but a hunt round ebay and I got this one painted and delivered for £100. There are a few different ones available. I chose this one as it had bolts to attach it to the boot lid. There are some that are just stuck on with double sided tape. Hmmmm. To do the job, I bought an IS250 bumper from eBay with the reversing sensor holes and the twin exit exhaust back section. Problems encountered : 1. I wanted the "Lexus" and "IS220d" badges removed. This left 6 locating holes that had to be filled and the boot painted. 2. The replacement bumper had square holes for the parking sensors. My sensors needed round holes. New sensors form Lexus are £104 each, plus £12 for the small brackets to hold them. We therefore filled the holes, painted the bumper and drilled perfect size round holes. 3. There is no exhaust hanger on the passenger side. The holes to mount the hanger are present and the bolts to attach the hanger are there. Part from Lexus is : 1750931061 Costs (purchase and delivery) : Spoiler - £100 Bumper - £65 Exhaust - £70 Exhaust hanger - £25 Bodyshop - £325

Very simple. If you do in excess of 10,000 miles a year and fuel costs are important, buy the IS220 manual. If fuel cost is not an issue, buy the IS250 auto. Whatever you buy, make sure it has a full Lexus Dealer service history. The car is in a different league to the others you mention. Dealer support is generally very good and Lexus as a manufacturer are miles better than others at acknowledging and dealing with issues. As Jason says, cars with 18” wheels can give a firm and slightly noisy ride but it is still miles quieter than the Celica. All in all a reliable, refined and class leading car to drive.

This is interesting Geoff. I too have bought the B10 additive, but as yet, I have not had the chance to take the EGR Valve apart for inspection. Saying that, I am currently getting an average of 42mpg, doing about 500-600 miles a week. The car was in at Lexus Glasgow last week getting a replacement passenger mirror motor through warranty. They gave me a '12' plate IS250 Auto for the day. I have now got experience with the IS200d, IS220d, IS250 and the new GS250. The IS200d is too under powered and really shows up how bad 6th gear is. The IS250 is whisper quiet and the engine and gearbox are really smooth. The GS250 is fantastic. The IS250 is very good but with it being so smooth and quiet, I personally would like a much smoother ride in an automatic car. I felt that the suspension was too firm. I would expect this on an IS250 sport manual. Economy wise, even though I only had the IS250 and the GS250 for a day, I did manage about 80 miles which was 70% motorway and 30% A-roads. The GS250 returned slightly better mpg. When I got the GS250, the tank average figure was at 38.2mpg. Due to the mileage I do on a weekly basis, I need the diesel for the fuel economy. If I had an IS250 and drove my normal style, it would not get to 30mpg, whereas my IS220 gets 42mpg. Apart from the agricultural sound from the engine, I’m really pleased with my car.

Thanks Jason. It will be going in the post tomorrow.

Newbieoldie, How long have you had this fitted for? How many miles had the car done before fitting and also since fitting? Also, do you have a weblink to buy one?

Yes you have, now just pay for it and I'll send it to you

Ace8800 - I had a loan of a '12' plate IS200d Advance and that is exactly how the steering wheel was. I like the silver. Does it match the silver on the Sat-Nav surround?

I am doing a couple of modifications to the rear of my car. Thought I would just let you all know that the words "Lexus" and "IS 220 d" have 6 locator pins. Therefore if you remove them, you will have to fill the holes and paint the boot lid.

Lexus have always has this problem with their alloy wheels. On my old 2000 'X' IS200 SE, I got a company to come to the house to repair. It was a rubbish result. Basically all they did was rub down the corrosion on the faces and respray. They charged £65 per wheel. About 18 months later they looked really bad, so I took them to a company near Prestick Airport http://www.carrickalloys.co.uk . They removed the tyres, fine sandblasted the whole wheel and then powder coated them. The results were brillant and I never had any further issues. Sold the car in late 2009 and the wheels still looked brilliant. Cost £55 per wheel for the powder coating.

They replaced it with the IS200d. Less power than the 220d. All cars have problems. The measure should surely be how the manufacturer / dealer deals with it. Lexus are much better than others. Just go on any decent BMW forum and see how many people are screaming about the turbo's going on the 320d at around 70k. BMW completely ignore there is an issue. Same issue with Merc C-Class, £1200 for a turbo. Vectra 3.0V6 diesel. Injectors go from 80k. They are £500 each and there are 6. Vauxhall say there is not a problem even though it is the same engine in the SAAB 9-5 which has the same problem. At least with Lexus, they acknowledge issues and fix them and extend the warranty.

Dealers will easily have £1500+ profit sitting in any car. Do not believe them if they tell you otherwise. In the motor trade, this is a very quite time of year with so many people either away on holiday or just back from holiday with no money to spend. Deals are therefore to be negotiated hard. P.S. Dont touch Lexus Cardiff with a barge pole

What you see as the "BMW Command dial" is not that. It is the gearbox selector for eco, normal and sport. The black square button to the left of the gear shift is the command dial, with a home and menu button in front. It drives way better than the IS, but mine is a 220, I've not driven the IS250, which is widely regarded as one of the most refined cars you can buy. The GS interior actually looks sparce compared to the IS SE-L MM. But it is all there, just very discrete. Even had the DAB option which made FM sound like AM. everything just had a real quality feel. Kenny

Search ebay for Lexus E15. I bought mine from the seller in Germany. One for sale currently at £74. I offered and won at £65. Arrived quickly and works perfectly.

My car went into Lexus Glasgow on Friday to get all the bits that the awful Lexus Cardiff had failed on. They gave me the brand new GS250 as a courtesy car for the day. Stunning. Looks great, drives great. The 2.5 V6 is so silky smooth.

I have a 2006 car and have the latest May 2012 DVD running the sat nav

I have now done a "How-To" guide. http://www.lexusowne...als&article=194 Hope this helps. Kenny

I have not fitted it yet. I will take some pictures and do a simple "How To" when I get the time.

Had a very similar problem a couple of years ago with the decals for my IS200 SE. They sent one short and no matter how many emails I sent, they never replied or sent the missing decal.