dazed

This happened to me last year. There was a construction going on near my home. The keyfob uses 433 mhz frequency which is used by many other transmitters as well and this frequency band is not very well regulated. the bigger problem is that the lexus receiver in the car is very sensitive, so your keyfob works from a very long distance without having a proper antenna on it at all. however this sensitivity means that any other transmission can through it off completely . I had to drive using the keyfob next to the start button and opening and locking car using metal key for some days. When the construction was completed and the builders went away, so did the culprit noise signal. My theory is that they were using some cheap remote security system or something like that that was continuously transmitting in the 433 mhz band

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=68205&st=0&p=727753&fromsearch=1entry727753

I had a similar problem with my car in the hotel carpark where I was staying on holiday last year.

I put it down to a nearby mobile phone mast, although that might not have been the cause of the problem. I also discovered that if I stood at a very specific spot in the car park (about 20 yards away from the car!) then I could reliably unlock it with the fob.

Totally bizarre.

My IS250 auto box delays the gear shifts when cold and refuses to select 6th until I've driven several miles.

As I understand it, this behaviour is quite normal and nothing to worry about.

exactly!!!you get what i am trying to say

I'd assumed the thread had been started by some dodgy AI bot and I had therefore resisted the urge to reply.

Clearly you are human after all. :D

You should get the car checked. It might be something as simple as the tickover being set too low or the car being on an incline. On the other hand it could be something more serious, like a problem with the torque converter.

I'm in the process of getting 60K service quotes for my IS250 auto, and to be honest I think the dealers are trying it on at the moment.

The quotes I've received (East Anglian dealers) range from £550 to £640. After haggling with each of them, the best price I got one of them down to was £487.

Considering I paid £330 for an identical 40K service about 18 months ago that equates to an increase of about 50%!

Bearing in mind the car is out of warranty I'll probably just take it to a trusted local garage who'll charge about £180 for exactly the same service.

Just to add that my IS250 is capable of a tank average of 40 MPG (with no hybrid option) and in line with Tangos comment on his good MPG too:

Thanks.

I am impressed! what sort of driving is that?

It's quite easy to achieve that sort of MPG on certain types of journey, but I doubt it's typical of anyone's overall driving.

A couple of years ago I drove from Exeter to Cambridge and managed 44mpg in my 250 auto. That was achieved by driving at a fairly steady 70-75mph with a couple of stops and a bit of a crawl around the Birmingham area. It was all the more impressive because I had a passenger, full fuel tank, two full suitcases and associated holiday stuff in the back of the car.

My typical monthly average varies between about 32mpg (winter) and 36mpg (summer).

I can cover about 700+ km in full tank in my 220, with 250 you will be able to cover only half of that. In one year you can save a lot of money.

That statement is complete and utter nonsense. I can only assume you're trolling this thread.

I originally went along to my local Lexus dealer with a view to buying a 220d. When I arrived the dealer suggested taking both a 220d and 250 auto out for a drive. Since I had enough time to do so I did.

I would strongly advise you to at least do the same before you spend your money. Also do some independent research of your own - the owners themselves are the best source of information.

It may be that the 220d is right for you. For me it was the 250 auto.

Keep an open mind. Buying the wrong car can be a very expensive and frustrating mistake.

Have a look at this link, done by a Pro in portugal... hope it helps ..

Lexus IS250 Detailed

Good heavens. That really does look impressive - almost mirror like. :o

I've clearly got a lot to learn. :D

Thanks Tango and Ironrose for taking the time to pass on such useful information. I'll seriously consider acting on some of the suggestions.

Just for the record, my car is Brechin Slate (a sort of light icy blue, so quite light in colour) which might partly explain how I'm getting away with such a shabby regime.

Thanks again.

Exactly. I'm sure they'll take reasonable care but I'm not prepared to risk it as it would take me longer to polish out any swirls than I would to wash the car properly.

+ 1

I would not want the dealer or any one else clean wash and clean the car... I am a part time detailer myself...and as all Lexus models have soft paint as opposed to other german rivals which comes with hard paint..... its very easy that the car's paint might end up with swirls with one bad wash

This is all interesting stuff, but I have to confess to being somewhat ignorant in such matters.

My "who I will let wash my car" threshold is somewhat lower than yours as I tend to draw the line at bob-a-job cub scouts who I'm worried will scrach the car (out of ignorance rather than carelessness).

I also agree that the Lexus paintwork is quite soft, although I'd always put that down to modern water based paints (but I'm not claiming any expertise or knowledge in this area so I'm probably wrong).

However (and this is where some of you are probably going to cringe ant tut-tut), this is the external cleaning regime that I use on my four year old IS250.

About once a month:

• A tiny dash of fairy liquid on the windscreen with a little water to remove the grease/oil film.
  
• Two buckets of warm water and a clean-ish (and stone free) sponge. Wash the car down from top to bottom with fairly random sponge movements.
  
• Rinse the car with a couple of buckets of clean water and dry off with a chamois leather.
  

After every third wash or so I also:

• Check for stone chips and treat accordingly.
  

About twice a year (typically spring and autumn) I'll polish the car with turtle wax.

And that's it, apart from the free dealer wash twice a year when the car is being serviced.

Now, to my untrained eye and 70K miles later, the car is in immaculate condition, even when I inspect it in good strong daylight from all angles. No sign of any swirls, or marks of any kind. Maybe the car lacks some of it's original showroom shine, but it looks pretty damn good to me after a wash and I'm probably fussier than the average guy.

To be honest, the one thing that really lets my car down and is noticable after a wash and polish are the shabby alloys, but that's another story as we all know.

What I guess I'm asking for are any tips that other users could pass on that might benefit me (and I'm guessing there are plenty). For example, is there a proper way to use a sponge, or should I even be using one? Is a car shampoo really important? Is fairy liquid a bad idea (I don't get it on the paintwork)?

Thanks

I'm just disappointed with the Brand. I had high expectations and they have been completely dashed. It'll do for now but I expected more from Lexus.

Yeah, it must be a real bugger having to put up with driving around in a Lexus.

To be honest, it is not what I expected. After going from a 2.4 Litre Honda Accord to the IS250, I was expecting something different. Granted the Lexus is more comfortable,but the Honda was more exciting to drive. The steering on the Lexus feels kind of wooly and vague.

Probably worth getting your tracking checked. Mine got knocked out a little a couple of winters ago and it affected the overall handling/steering/feel of the car quite noticably.

Having said that the 2.4 Accord is a very nice car, so the overall driving experience isn't going to be significantly different. Most of the differences are small and how they are perceived will probably come down to personal preferences and what you've been used to in the past.

When I picked up my IS my initial impression of the car after a few weeks was that it was much more refined/smooth/quiet than the Honda, but that I felt a little more detached from the wheels. On balance I was happy with the tradeoff.

I had a look at the new 3 series in some auto magazine and it just looked like the current one to me. hardly any difference to the body. dont know if there is any improvement to the interior.

what do others think?

It has a slightly longer, racier looking bonnet - but you're right, visually it's very similar to the current one.

Changed the battery today and all is now okay.

Phew. I thought from the thread title you might be wishing you'd kept the Honda. :P

Having driven Hondas for the last 8 years, I am hoping my expectations of the IS250 are fulfilled because it is such a beautiful machine.

I too had driven a Honda Accord for 8 years before switching to an IS250 four years ago. Although the Honda was a fine car, the IS250 is waaaaay better.

You won't be disappointed.

Using the official mpg figures below which may not be entirely realistic, but should compare like for like reasonably.

IS220D Urban 35.8 Extra-Urban 52.3 Combined 44.8

IS250 Auto Urban 23.9 Extra-Urban 43.5 Combined 33.6

(IS200D Urban 44.8 Extra-Urban 64.2 Combined 55.4 - rework of IS220D from late 2010)

Your cousin achieved 49 mpg which is close to the average of Combined & Extra Urban equalling 48.55 mpg. The similar average for an IS250 Auto is 38.55 mpg. Also using the AA figures for average fuel prices October 2011 of Diesel £1.396/gal & Petrol £1.345/gal; over a 3000 mile holiday, fuel costs work out as follows:

IS220D 61.79 gal, 280.78 litres @ £1.396/litre = £391.98

IS250 Auto 77.82 gal, 353.62 litres @ £1.345/litre = £475.62

This works out for fuel for the IS250 Auto to be £28 more per 1000 miles. I believe in general, this figure would be less - probably nearer £20.

Now, it is my belief that the superb, smooth, silent and relaxing drive of the IS250Auto with much better performance when you want it is worth every penny of an extra 2 - 3 pence per mile. However, if the extra cost tips the balance; could you maybe think about a High-end Toyota Avensis Diesel, which although not quite a Lexus is a well-equipped car which drives really well plus is a lot cheaper to buy and run. And of course these days "Other cars are available"

An excellent and fair post. Summarises pretty much what I would have written if I could have spared the time.

Having had a look at the MPG stats I have had to have a complete re-think. Musch as i would have loved to own a 250IS (I have always wanted to own a 6 cylinder car)I just couldn't afford to run one and so have reverted to the 220d. My cousin has had two of these and I have been really impressed with them, and so has he. Thanks to all for your comments. I will post again when I have my new car.

If economy is a big factor in your choice then the 220d is unlikely to be right car for you. I would recommend that you investigate other 'prestige' cars before making your final decision.

Just my two cents.

it is perfect feature I use it everyday in hot summer to cool down before I enter the car...

Maybe, but it's not such a great feature when you leave your IS in the long stay car park at Heathrow for a month's holiday down under in the deepest, darkest, coldest, wettest part of winter and the junk in your wife's handbag presses against the key fob button for 5 seconds as she rumages around for her passport at the nearby bus stop....

Its happened to my wife once as well , being a woman she presses buttons hard and long ( all women seem to ? ) when I went out to get the car all the windows were open and I had the same feeling as you . :shutit:

This happened to me once. I was crawling around in the loft doing some jobs and when I went outside I noticed all the windows on my IS were wide open!

Needless to say I was not impressed.

Fortunately the car was going in for a service that week, so I got the dealer to disable this 'feature'.

To the OP.

I was made a similar 'offer' after my last service. They basically wanted £920 (IIRC) for my next three services, which I figured out would cost in the region of £850 if I just haggled a little each time I booked the car in. The scheme also effectively forced me to pay in advance (in monthly installments) for the services.

Personally, I'd expect a discount in return for agreeing to tie myself into a deal with one particular dealer.

As you can probably guess, I didn't take them up on the offer.

£325!?

what have you guys been paying?

I recently paid £192 for a 50K service at Cambridge Lexus. As far as I'm aware 50K and 70K services are the same.

that is the reason, why I come to this forum rarely - people just whinge all the time.

But that's just the way it is. People (myself included) often only turn to internet forums when they have a problem. Therefore, such forums tend to revolve only around the negatives.

C'est la vie.

hi all,

i have an 2006 is250 SE-L petrol

i would like to get a service from lexus dealer.

i would like to know the following:

recent (12 months or so) servicing costs interim and full also experience received

many thanks

finest1

I've recently booked my IS250 in for an interim service (50K) with Cambridge Lexus for £192 (inc. of VAT).

Never had any problems with either the dealer or the car, so I'm a happy bunny.

Average 33 MPG combined......i'd be happy with that. I getting 27.3 on my 06 220D with 40k on the clock!!!!

That's insane - there's got to be something wrong with your engine.

I'm averaging 33mpg and that's with the petrol engine.

On balance I'd opt for the parking brake. Putting the transmission into 'Park' will be equally effective until there's some major failure in the gearbox caused by the stress being put on it. Or maybe the gearbox could happily withstand such a load. Don't think I'd want to find out though!