dazed

The heated washer nozzles are handly but it's a shame the wipers themselves keep dreezing into position - likewise with the folding mirrors a few times.

Have you not got the heated windscreen feature? Button behind and down below the right hand side of the steering wheel. This heats a narrow strip along the bottom of the windscreen to free up the wipers.

Could be a dodgy HT lead. It happened to me once - the car (not my Lexus) idled roughly and lacked power.

Tyres are over-inflated, drop the pressure to 35 psi unless you are running with four-up and a boot full of luggage.

Tyre wear in the centre is definately due to over inflation. As the last post suggests - drop the pressure slightly and you should notice a difference.

Thanks for the responses. I suspected that I should drop the pressure.

Just for the record, I spend most of my time cruising at 70mph with no luggage or passengers.

I'll drop the pressure to 35psi and keep an eye on things. Hopefully I'll get a little more life out of them by doing so.

I've noticed that the rear tyres (Pirelli) on my IS250 are wearing unevenly. They're only about a year old and have covered about 15K miles, but are down to only 3mm in the centre whilst towards the edge I've got about 5mm+.

Have I got my pressure wrong (38psi) or is this just a sign that I shouldn't buy Pirellis again?

38psi is at the lower end of the recommended range (and supposedly suitable for driving below 100mph). I'm worried that if I increase the pressure the tyre will become more 'rounded' and cause the centre to wear even faster than it currently is.

The Toyos that I had previously wore very evenly and lasted 30K miles and were inflated to 38psi too.

Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks.

Wondering whether KwikFit is able to do a good job for my IS250 wheel alignment...

Well, they sorted my 250 out just fine when it went in for a couple of new front tyres.

I think I'd knocked my alignment out last winter when I hit a hidden kerb (buried by snow). I noticed that the steering wheel was slightly off dead centre. After Kwikfit had done their work the steering wheel was dead centre and the car tends to tramline less noticably, although I wasn't sure if that was due to the new tyres or the alignment.

Perhaps I just got lucky.

I have a very strange problem on my IS220d. I cannot unlock the doors by pressing the button on the handle. I can unlock the doors by grabbing the handle and by pressing the unlock button on the remote. I don't know since when I have this problem because I unlock all the doors by grabbing the handle (last time I used the button to unlock was few days ago).

However I can lock the doors by pressing the button but when I try to unlock I hear the rear doors trying to unlock but then nothing happens and they stay locked. I washed the car yesterday, my windows were down and I remember that I unlocked the rear door manually by reaching out from the outside and unlocking it.

Relax. There's nothing wrong with your car, it's working exactly as it should.

The button on the door handle is for locking the doors only. The first press locks the doors, the second press (if done within a couple of seconds) throws the deadlocks.

To unlock the car, grab the handle.

Alternatively you can use the lock and unlock buttons on the remote.

Normal:-) I am coming to a stop on a hill the IS will creep and I brake and I come to a stop it will then hold without braking. Thats what I consider normal on an auto box (Is that right?)

Unusual :-( Lately I've been finding that I come to a stop and then when I release the brakes the car rolls back and it won't hold - or if I try again. Time to engage the creaky footbrake.

This was on quite a steep hill if that makes any difference??

The 'unusual' case you describe is perfectly normal for automatic transmissions, with the degree of rollback being determined by the gradient of the hill and the tickover speed of the engine.

However, I do have some recollection of reading about an 'auto hold' feature that would hold the car in the manner you describe in your 'normal' case. Having said that, my IS250 SE auto has never done it, so I assumed it was either an SE-L feature or was only added to later cars.

I'd be interested to hear any other peoples' comments.

:tsktsk: Stop trying to change my mind you lot! :D :P

Hey, we're not trying to make you change your mind. We're just giving you our 'expert opinions'!

I'm sure you'll love whatever you buy. Just go for it. You're right though, after the Clio you'll be in heaven whatever you settle for.

Thanks for the advice dazed. I wasn't aware of the improved economy of the 250 auto. Having said that, and looked at the figures, after sleeping on it I think that the diesel is my best bet. Now all I need to find is a Sport variant with multimedia...that's in my price range! :eerrrmm:

Fair enough. All I would say is do your own research, which you clearly are, and make sure you drive both types of engine (preferably back to back) so you can be totally sure that you've made the right choice for yourself.

On the one hand, the IS220 has strange gear ratios and suffers from turbo lag, unless you go for the Sport, but the fuel economy is good.

Better than the 250 yes, but still poor by comparison with other diesels.

On the other, the IS250 is more refined (particularly the auto) but has poorer fuel economy.

Bear in mind that the auto is actually more efficient than the manual (unusual, but true) and sneaks into a lower road tax group.

Hi all. new member here! Been doing alot of research and going to buy a new car in about 9 months, well actually a second hand car but all the cars I have owned have cost 3k, and im going to spend just under 12k I hope.

For my driving needs the perfect car for me would be an IS 350 SE-L Auto however the 350 is unavailable and I have not found an importer selling any of them. Any ideas how similair the car is (250 vs 350) as in would I just need the engine to do a conversion with ?

Anyway, I am looking for an auto with the override flappy panels, and the model to be as comfortable as possible, with all options.

I take it all i need for this is an SE-L with Multimedia ? Can anyone who has lived with one for a while tell me what they think of it, are there any modern conveniences that you dont have that you would like ? I am drawn to S350's of the same price as they come with full massage seats, however they dont suit me as well as an IS250 will. I am 24, i like a sporty drive occasionally but I do 30k miles per year and most of this is traffic. My commute is 30 miles each way and tends to be in rush hour :( But occasionally I like to go for a spirited drive on the moors.

Thanks!

Are you sure you're looking at the right car. Your budget is quite limited (for a Lexus, if you get my drift) yet you'd be looking at an annual fuel bill of around £6K, and that's before all the other ownership costs are considered.

Wouldn't you really be better off looking at a Golf/Focus diesel type car?

I appreciate your enthusiasm for an IS, but I'd hate you to buy it and then realise after 6 months that it's crippling you financially.

It's 2 years since I have had a service----does £380 for a 24mnth. Service seem right for a IS Auto?

Tel

That's a little on the high side, but a fairly typical opening gambit from most dealers.

I've just paid £327 (inclusive of VAT) for a major service (40K) on my IS250 SE auto.

Phone around to get some lower quotes and then go back to your local dealer and persuade them to lower their price.

Hi,

My new purchase (IS250 SE-L) needs its 80k service, which Lexus Hatfield want £400+ for, anyone know of any good indie garages in the area, lexus specialist or otherwise?

Thanks

Tom Reay

Don't be afraid to haggle with your local Lexus dealer. I've just had my IS250 SE serviced at Lexus Cambridge for £327 (inc. of VAT). That was a 40K service which I believe is the same as an 80K service.

Their initial quote was nearer the £400 mark, but it didn't take much effort on my part to talk them down.

Right, he has come back with the trim to fit at the top of the screen, im watching him all the time, and even helping him with the trim removal, both sides have broken so the new side trim is being ordered too, i dont think he has done a lexus before though by the look of it. Im probably getting on the bloke's nerves, but i hate anyone other than main dealer working on my car's.

The side trims are a right royal pain. I've yet to work out how to get them off without breaking the clips. It's a stupid design that means shelling out an extra £40 x 2 each time the windscreen's replaced.

Unless anyone knows 'the trick' and cares to share it?

Constant rattle - sounds like it's coming from drivers footwell - maybe a foot off the floor - maybe possibly the door. I'm taking it back in to be looked at, but anyone got any ideas or had this before, make it easier to explain to the dealer

I had an elusive rattle coming from somewhere in the front passenger door of my IS250. In order to track it down in a systematic (and safe) manner, I burned an audio CD containing a selection of sine waves at different frequencies (one frequency per track). I then just played the CD in the car and found which track made the door rattle and used that track to allow me to poke around until I found the offending section of the door panel.

For my problem, 60Hz made the door rattle like mad. You can generate sine waves with free software like Audacity and then use the resulting WAV files to create an Audio CD using MediaPlayer. I'd suggest a range of frequencies from say 30 to 120Hz in 10Hz steps.

I had tyre noise problems on my Honda Accord which was much improved by a change from Dunlop SP Sport to Michelin Pilot Primacy. The Michelins were significantly more expensive but they seem to last longer. However, at the time I received a lot of conflicting advice and opinion about the amount of noise generated by different tyres.

I had a couple of Michelin Pilot Primacy tyres fitted to my 250's front wheels at the weekend, replacing the original Toyo Proxes that had given good service for 40K miles. I paid £250 for the pair, fitted and with wheel alignment.

Initial impressions are good with no noticeable change in handling or road noise. Hopefully they'll last me for another 40K miles. They're not quite so good looking as the Toyos though.

Disclaimer: I'm a fairly conservative driver so I haven't a clue how they might compare to the Toyos if pushed to the absolute limit.

The IS card itself is £268.86 + vat and a cut emergency key is £23.88 + vat :o

So you can swap a slightly bulky fob on your key-ring for a slightly less bulky key on your key-ring PLUS an extra-thick bulky card to cram into your wallet for only £292.74 - what a bargain! This technology has been about for quite a while now, and I wonder why it hasn't caught on.

You took the words right out of mouth.

Different doesn't always mean better.

Hang on. There's conflicting information on this thread.

Two questions:

1. Does it have the butttons?

2. Does it have the emergency key?

Unless the answer to both of the above are "Yes" (which I personally doubt) then it has to be a backward step.

I saw that lexus are now producing a new type of key, card type key. This is the size of a normal visa card but 3 time or 4 thicker. That is great ax the current FOB is big and bulky!

But surely you'd sacrifice the buttons and emergency key with such a card.

It sounds like a backward step to me. Or maybe I'm missing something.

While inspecting my tyres, I noticed something in between the grooves like a stone and when I tried taking it out, it seemed to have gone into the rubber sideways from the groove, so I pulled it out and it was a small pointy wood. It wasn't that deep. About 2mm. I'm monitoring the tyre and there seems to be no air loss.

Should I get it puncture repaired anyway or wait and see if it leaks?

If it went in sideways within the tread I'd be surprised if it could result in any air loss.

Just check the tyre regularly for a few days. If there's a problem you'll soon find out.

spoke with seller today and he told me the car had a prang. he claims it was low speed and it was at the front crumple zone. anyway, the front end was replaced by an insurance approved garage using lexus parts and full respray. i'm actually not sure whether i will buy it now, sort of put me off, although the photos look great....any thoughts?

If in doubt just walk away. There will numerous other cars to choose from.

The repair might be perfectly sound and look fine today. However, evidence of the work might start to appear a few years down the line.

If you do go ahead, factor the vehicle's history into the price you pay and remember that one day you'll be the one trying to sell it,.

the consumption increase because of cold engine run is much lower than the air condition running on full power.

I'm sorry, but I simply cannot agree with that statement. If running the aircon made a significant difference to the economy of my car I wouldn't even dare switch it on.

according to my observations, the best consumption can be reached between 10 and 15 degrees celsius.

That isn't the case with my IS250. Perhaps diesels like it cooler.

Last week I covered 421 miles and averaged 38.2MPG (according to the dash board). That is the best figure so far this year for me. It also coincided with the hotest week of the year where I live (average daily high of 27deg c).

why do you think that hot weather improves the mpg?

I don't think - I just know from my experience of doing the same kind of driving all year round.

My average winter monthly MPG is around 33MPG, but this rises to 36MPG in the summer months.

Obviously the car reaches optimum operating temperature more quickly in the summer, but this alone cannot explain what I experience as I do a lot of very long runs. I suspect that even once optimum temperature is reached, it's maintained more efficiently in the summer.

Obviously things like lights, heated seats etc. will reduce the winter efficiency slightly, but I would have thought the extra aircon in the summer would cancel this out.

Drove it 400 miles or so down to Kent and am very pleased with it. Averaged 40 MPG at pretty much 75-80 MPH all the way. Mostly on cruise.

That economy doesn't sound right and probably warrants some investigation.

On my most recent long run (Devon to Cambridge - 290 miles) with a full boot and one passenger, averaging a steady 70 MPH, I managed 42 MPG (computer said 45 MPG, but I prefer the more accurate fill it to the brim and measure technique). And that was using my IS250.

Surely a 220 should be capable of 50 MPG on such a long steady run, especially in the current hot weather?

Im just over 11 stone, thats strange, i'll try the passenger seat, and see if its any better, i was realy looking forward to them as well.

All that happens is the cold air gets forced out through the parts of the seat that you're not actually pressing down on.

In my case, this tends to be the bit between my legs (I'm actually quite slim really!).

The result? Frozen meat and two veg.