SpokesT

I wrapped mine in self amalgamating tape rather than plain old insulation tape, then trimmed it using a scalpel so the rubber didn't impinge on the ignition keyhole. Works a treat, once it's all melded together. I have to re-do it every 6 to 8 months or so, but the cost is peanuts and a few minutes of my time now I am getting good at reshaping it.

Don't want to sound smug or arrogant, but it just seems to be a case of technique. I experienced the judder when I first got the car, cos I drove it like my previous car (or any other),but all it needs is blip of the throttle before the full release and matched application of more throttle at the point of pulling away. In a nutshell, more revs = smooth. Well it dfoes in mine anyway!

I thought the massive hikes had been shelved for a couple of years, are you saying everything I've read which confirms that is now wrong and it goes up to double? In which case I will SORN mine in March for a fortnight and then tax it again on march 31st, it will cost me a months tax ie £20 odd but save me £200!!!!

Mine's just turned 40k a fortnight ago, on a 52 plate, so I suppose I should get my belt changed. Anyone suggest the best place to buy one, which I will then take to my mechanic to have him fit it? I saw some no-name ones on ebay for around £20 a pop... I suppose OE stuff is better for summat like this though eh

I was going to SORN mine for a fortnight in March and then retax it on 31st March to get the £210 for a year, but now they have had a rethink I won't have to be so devious... yet :-)

What happened to make all this necessary mate, did you get T boned or something?

Why can't any old key cutter cut the key? Does it need some sort of specialist machine rather than one which cuts Yale keys etc? I am planning on buying one of these but if I can't then find anywhere to get it cut it's a bit of a redundant purchase...

Snow mode will decrease the amount of throttle applied for a given pedal position. If you're going along on the flat or a slight incline and you engage snow mode, you will probably slow down. There should be a noticeable decrease in power. Does your "Snow" light come on in the dash ? We have a mile long straight dual carriageway which I used to test this. At a steady 40mph I hit 'snow' and there was no loss of speed but the mpg went from just below 40 to just over 40, about 10mpg extra, and there was the slight negative jolt I mentioned before, which I took to be a decrease in power output. And yes the 'snow' light shows on the dash. I'm going to try leaving it on on th decent run I do to see what happens mpg-wise. Cheers for all the info, my knowledge base is broadening, as is my grin whenever I use this forum!

How much are they? And what are they? :winky:

You got it in one :) But (I'm enjoying this, it's like my kids when they just kept saying 'why' when they were little!) if I lifted my right foot, the speed of the car would decrease commensurate with the decrease in fuel being delivered. Yet when I hit the snow button, and the mpg apparently increases, the speed remains the same....

I can understand what you are saying, as I believe the throttle is a fly by wire effort, ie not a straight thru cable from pedal to engine? But how would the mpg shoot up by the 10mpg or so that it does? Is that just an indicator that by depressing the snow button I am effectively lifting my foot off the throttle?

You'll be fine mate - basically the IS uses an electronic throttle control system - so essentially when you're putting snow mode on it's just making the pedal less responsive - no damage at all will be done, it's nothing to do with snow really :) Ta for that. I notice a slight negative jolt when I press the snow buton so I figured it was simply decreasing the power output to the diff. A lad at work is an ex REME mechanic and he suggested that reducing power to the diff which is designed to receive a certain bhp at speed may cause damage long term. But if everyone is doing it without a hitch I'll give it a go on my next long run.

I stick 2 or 3 pairs of Tesco ones on mine per year (not all at the same time obviously), basic but do the job of clearing the screen. And at something like £2 or less each side I don't care if they only last 2 months a pair, which they don't, they last longer. I just keep a spare pair at all times and as soon as they start to lag in performance I replace them. Sorted. And before anyone queries it, they just look like basic wipers, not poundland specials. Works for me.

Can we take it then that snow mode is fine at motorway speeds and won't cause any damage to anything? Incidentally I fitted a K&N air filter and now get about 10% plus more mpg round town, although I also switch to 'snow' when on urban roads at 30mph limits.

Cool, this is the kind of info I was after. Once again, I bow to your wealth of knowledge! I love driving my Lexus but when it comes to tech stuff I need your support! Petrol. Does it go into that hole thingy on the side?

Cheers boys. I love this club...

Cool, ta for that. Just need an answer on my battery issues thread now...

See? Gurus, the lot of ya!

Is it likely that my stereo is coded? If so is there any way of disabling the code? Or finding what it is FOC? I want to grease up the battery terminals but if disconnecting the battery means losing the stereo then that will cause me grief as I do not have any indication that it is coded AFAIK. I did this with the wife's Nissan last month and found a blank bit in the handbook where the stereo code is suposed to be. Robbing b******s charged me £15 for the code after a hard fought argument (they wanted over £40 initially) even though it was bought from a Nissan dealer (a different one now defunct). You are the gurus, so over to you lot....

As it's getting a bit nippy and there was a slight drag when I started this morning, I was planning to stick my battery on my Optimate charger overnight. Do I need to disconnect it before I do this (the Optimate is designed to stay on a battery for as long as is necessary and does my motorbike in the winter a treat) for any bizarre or obscure reason?

Genius! Just nipped outside to check, and yes, that is exactly it. My mrs borrowed the car the other day and must have used the key to open it then locked it again with the key. God knows why. Anyway, job done! Thanks! I love this forum!

I suddenly and without warning can't open the boot from within the car. Presumably the cable has snapped. I thought I remembered seeing a thread on how to replace it but now I can't find it, any ideas? Also - paranoia I suppose, but I am worried that if cables are snapping after 6 yrs (it's a 52 plate), what happens if the filler flap one goes, as there is no other way of opening it that I can see Help por favor...

Cheers for that. When I got my IS200 I had such an oil and filter change so as to ensure fresh stuff was in the sump, and a year on it is still the colour of honey, so I am fairly pleased. However I will buy my own oil next time and get my top under the arches man on the case for me

Elbow grease is something I always make sure I have a pot of ready to hand for jobs like this. Plus, I keep a small tub of Glee to rub my hands with afterwards if the results are what I was after

What's wrong with going to a tyre depot and getting one of their oil and filter changes for under £30? Fully synthetic at that. Genuine question, so genuine answers only please B)