dazed

Well, they are not as good as i thought they would be, both fans are working, but i can feel no benefit whatsoever from the back one, and only a little from the bottom one, is that the norm?

They're pretty rubbish really. But I suppose it's not too surprising.

Quite how they thought they could force cool air through some small holes when there's 12 stone of me sitting on top of them is beyond me.

The heated seats are another matter altogether - much better.

Hi,

I had my Alloys replaced last year under warranty due to corrosion without me making any suggestions about it.

This year I asked Lexus to look at the Alloys as their is definitely corrosion on them again.

Strangely this time they have refused to replace them under warranty as one of the Alloys has been kerbed slightly and according to Lexus they cannot replace the Alloys due to this.

Am I being fobbed off or this the experience others have had?

I suspect each owner only gets one new set of alloys per car otherwise they'd make no money. I've had the same treatment too.

What annoys me is that they clearly haven't addressed the source of the manufacturing problem.

1. The driver side controls for windows couldnt open or close the windows on the left (front and back). Dealer said there may be some option to enable this. However this was not the deal breaker for me. But is it true that you can enable/disable the ability of the drive to control what windows he/she can control, sounds silly.

I'm not aware of any option to do this. It is possible though to let the driver take sole control of the windows. Make sure that they fix this before taking delivery.

2. The record showed that all alloys were replaced under waranty. I live and work next to the sea so I am a bit worried about the alloys getting corrosion. Is there some guide line on how to keep them corrosion free

Just about everyone gets their alloys replaced under warranty. Mine were done at 18 months and a just a year on the new ones are merrily corroding away. I doubt there's anything you can do about it short of buying a set of non-Lexus alloys. All my previous cars have not shown any corrosion for at least 5 years, so it's got nothing to do with my driving style or cleaning regime.

MPG on a 250 Auto - I've done 23k miles over 2.5 yrs of all types of driving and the trip now says nearly 33mpg. On a good steady motorway run at 70mph, I can achieve up to 45mpg.

You've managed to resist resetting the MPG display for 2.5 years? That's impressive.

Regarding your 45mpg on a good steady motorway run, I too can vouch for that - although it helps if it's a nice hot day.

So maybe the 250 auto is an option. What sort of mpg can I expect from it realistically? Would be a mix of city and open road driving.

A 250 is always going to be less economical than a 220d, so if economy is an issue, it's probably a deal breaker.

A mix of driving with sensible throttle/braking will probably get you around 32-34mpg, but it all depends on how much of your mix is city driving - that could easily push it down to 30mpg. My average economy is around 36mpg, but I do quite a lot of crusing at 70mph.

To get a rough idea of how different cars might compare, look at the combined cycle CO2 emmission figures. They're not perfect, but it'll allow you to place potential cars on a rough scale against each other.

I could go down the road of a Mondeo/Avensis etc diesel but I have done that for years and want something that little bit special this time!

I appreciate your dilemma.

What is the problem with the IS220d? I had always thought they were a perfectly good car? I really can't go for the IS250 due to fuel economy and I want Lexus reliability - surely the IS220d is a good compromise?

The fuel economy of the 220d isn't particularly good as far as diesels go. If fuel economy is that important to you, you might be disappointed.

A work colleague of mine drives a 220d and always cites poor fuel economy as his biggest gripe about the car, whereas I drive a 250 auto and am quite content with the economy.

It's all about expectations, so make sure you do your research and know what to expect.

Been surfing the web for a nice IS220d - came across one and phoned the garage selling it. He said that he couldn't let me go for a drive until next week as a previous test driver had locked both sets of keys into the car by accident - they are waiting for a replacement key from Lexus. Apparently both sets of keys were in the car at the time. He got out and pushed the button on the car door to lock it.

I'm just a little suspicious - is it possible to do this? I had though that is wasn't possible with modern cars - please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm just not that trusting of car dealers!! Car appears to check out otherwise.

I have a 57 plate 250 and here's my story (which kind of implies that you can't lock your keys in the car).

When I went on holiday in the UK with my car I decided to take my spare 'key' with me (smart move). However, I packed it in my suitcase (bad move).

Everything was fine until we got to a service station for a toilet stop and I couldn't figure out why I couldn't lock the car.

Eventually the penny dropped and I had to unpack the boot, get the suitcase out, open it, empty half of it out as I tried to remember exactly where I'd packed the key. The only alternative would have been to take the case into the toilets with me.

I notice that they have a rather unfortunately named blog on that site called 'Wide open throttle'.

http://wot.motortrend.com/index.html

Am I allowed to laugh or would that be considered poor taste?

It's probably a special mode. Remember, modern cars are mostly 'drive by wire' as far as the throttle is concerned. Certainly not recommended on older cars.

Useful to know if that is the case.

It's an old remedy, and has been a fix for flooded engines since Adam was a lad. My original modified Cooper 'S' (I'm old) had twin 1.5" SU carburettors with chokes and would flood easily if it turned over too many times without firing up.

Full throttle gives maximum air, minimum fuel mixture (as without the engine firing the intake vacuum is minimal), so as it turns over the over rich mixture is weakened until it reaches an optimum mix to fire up.

Cheers. I didn't know that.

It's probably a special mode. Remember, modern cars are mostly 'drive by wire' as far as the throttle is concerned. Certainly not recommended on older cars.

Useful to know if that is the case.

It's interesting this. I want to know what to do 'if' the throttle sticks open. Are there any brave people out there who want to do some testing? For example, can the car be put into neutral at 70 mph? Can the car be switched off? Please don't try these things! However, there must have been testing of some sort that can answer these questions. I know someone within LOC has pressed the stop/start button while on the move 'to prove' that the engine will cut out.

This is very bad for Toyota.

From the Toyota website:

29 Jan 2010 by Scott Brownlee

We understand that, whilst the probability is rare, any chance that a pedal may mechanically stick in a partially depressed position is a concern for a driver.

Therefore we have detailed below some advice which you should follow if you do experience a problem whilst driving:

For vehicles with manual transmission, depress the clutch pedal and shift to Neutral and use the brakes to make a controlled stop at the side of the road and turn off the engine.

For vehicles with automatic transmission, Multi Mode Transmission or CVT: Shift the transmission gear select lever to the Neutral (N) position and use the brakes to make a controlled stop at the side of the road and turn off the engine.

If you need to stop immediately, the vehicle can be controlled by stepping firmly and steadily on the brake pedal. Do not pump the brake pedal as it will deplete the vacuum utilised for the power brake assist.

If unable to put the vehicle in Neutral, turn the engine OFF. This will not cause loss of steering or braking control, but the power assist to these systems will be lost.

If the vehicle is equipped with an Engine Start/Stop button, firmly and steadily push and hold the button to turn off the engine. Do NOT tap the Engine Start/Stop button.

If the vehicle is equipped with a conventional key-ignition, turn the ignition key to the ACC position to turn off the engine. Do NOT remove the key from the ignition as this will lock the steering wheel.

I would assume that the Lexus stop/start button system is the same one used in their Toyota branded vehicles.

Full link: http://blog.toyota.co.uk/advice-to-custome...or-pedal-issues

According to the manual, you can get the car to unlock when you select park - has anyone got this to work?

The potential danger with this option is that you are immediately vulnerable to physical attack if you happen to stop and park in a dodgy area. The option I have on my car is that all the doors unlock when the drivers door is unlocked. This gives opportunity to look around before opening the car.

Good grief. If I was that worried about the neighbourhood I wouldn't even dare take my car there.

Mine takes about 5-7 miles to fully warm up, depending on temperature and type of driving.

This is noticably longer than any of my previous cars, but I just put it down to the engine size.

Hello all,

Firstly, long time no see.

Third service is coming up at the end of October. Was wondering if any of you guys have an idea of how much I might be looking at paying?

Oh, and not that I'm looking to rub anyones noses in it, but I'm currently achieving around 46MPG.....driving carefully! (Just thought I'd throw fuel on the fire)!

Anyways, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Matt

About the same price as your first service. I'm not aware of any difference between the 10K and 30K service.

Does that mean the selector on the central console has been redesigned? Currently you have to physically move the selector to the right to engage S mode.

No the console is still the same, if you want to put it permanently in S mode, you still need to push the gear lever over.

However if you just want a bit of acceleration you can use the paddles to come down the box, then when you pop it back up to 6th it just goes back into D (like it does in a Merc if you've ever used their auto boxes)

Thanks for the description. Sounds like it's just a software change.

Yep in 09 facelifted cars you can now just hit the paddle in D and it will shift into manual like Mercs (and possibly BMs)

Does that mean the selector on the central console has been redesigned? Currently you have to physically move the selector to the right to engage S mode.

I'd opt for the auto every time. The cheaper road tax is an added bonus too.

Hi All,

I'm sure I've seen something on this before but can't find it. Basically, when I start the car and the speedo & rev counter dials do their sweep, I hear what I can best describe as a "rattatchy" noice, which only lasts a second of so. I doubt it's anything to get over exicted about but I would welcome any other users experince, and whether in fact it is something I should be concerned about.

Many thanks in anticipation.

It's probably your steering lock being released. You can confirm this by turning the engine off and then back on again, without opening the door in between.

If the noise doesn't occur, it's almost certainly the steering lock.

Some are noisier than others. Mine's quite noticable, but not so loud as to make me think something's wrong. If in doubt take it to a dealer. I'm sure they'll score it on a scale of 1 to 10 for you.

But of course, it might be something completely different.

Buy a two year old car and keep it until the end of its useful life.

If you must buy new, again, keep it until the end of its useful life.

Regularly changing cars is expensive (IMHO). A bit like trading shares too often.

Has anyone bought their IS from one of the online dealers, dealdrivers.co.uk, drivethedeal.com or their ilk?

No, but I used the drivethedeal price as a negotiating tool with my local dealer.

I still paid a little more than the best price, but the dealer had spent time with me and arranged test drives etc. so I was happy.

I'm actually a bit weird and I think cars look better now with parking sensors on them anyway :shutit:

That's interesting. There used to be a guy in my office who had what I could only describe as a mild phobia about parking sensors. Bit of bummer for him really as the things are becoming more and more common these days.

He never gave a particularly convincing explanation for his fear, but he thought it might be because they looked a bit like small hidden cameras. Make of that what you will.

Needless to say, everyone thought he was weird.

I have an 08 IS250 sel auto and I need new tyres. I've only done 18k and the rear tyres are borderline. The front tyres are at 3mm. The current tyres are Toya 32R's. They have been very good in terms of grip an road noise, but I think 18k is very poor, especially as I use it mainly for travelling to and from work which is 90% dual carridge.

That's pretty poor. My Toyos all have about 4mm left after 25K miles. About 90% of my driving is dual carriageway too. The fact that your rear tyres are borderline suggests that you might be driving your car a little harder than I do. I guess that could explain the extra wear.

It has to be diesel because, petrol is getting more expensive, and tax for a 2.5 in irelans is €1000.

Is that an annual tax (or one off)?

How does it compare with the 2.2 diesel.

Cheers.

I think the problem is one caused by there being too much play there, ie the posts are fractionally smaller or thinner than they should be. Apparently it is also a known problem with the Lotus Elise.

Cheers. It's also good to know we're in such distinguished company. LOL.

The insulating tape fix post was mine. I am pleased to see that it has worked for others too. Duck tape can also work, and lasts longer, but requires more care if you want it to look neat.

Interesting. I occassionally get a rattle in the general area of the door pillar - not bad enough or persistent enough to really bother me, so I've never bothered to try and get to the bottom of it.

Are you saying that the cause of the rattle (in your case at least) was a slightly loose door latch?

Cheers.