brick

Just a couple of things I would change, break dust problem, its a pain having to watch this to prevent thye wheels getting marked and on uneven roads would like just a bit smoother ride, but saying that 46,000 miles still love it

I noted a comment above about using more oil than a 250 - mine uses none.

I think the poster was saying that the oil capacity is greater, not that it "used" it between changes ;)

Hi I HAVE DONE 43,000 MLS NOW, SERVICING NOT MUCH DEARER THAN THE IS250 IN THOSE MILES i HAVE TOPPED THE OIL UP 3 TIMES BETWEEN SERVICING, MY TYRES ARE BRIDGESTONE, LAST ABOUT 21,000 MLS COST £200, DIDNT BOTHER WITH ANY EXTRA SERVICING INSURANCE, HAD TRACKER FITTED, INSURANCE £300 THATS BECAUSE i MUST BE AN OLD GEZZER,

JUST KEEP THE WHEELS WASHED WELL THATS THE ONLY THING, GO FOR IT

Hello all, first post on here.

Just picked up my IS-F and loving it. I transferred my previous insurance over to the IS-F but this runs out next month. Does anyone know of specialist insurers or companies who tend to be more reasonable than others?

Cheers!

It is well worth looking absolutely everywhere for the best quote which is unlikely to come from comparison sites. For me it turned out to be from Direct Line where I had been insured for several years - and although it has risen each year, still is. My renewal at the end of February was £499 to include unlimited mileage, business use and £625 excess. Protected no claims discount, legal protection & guaranteed hire car brings the total to £640. In my case, none of the specialist insurers could get anywhere near this, and most were at least double this figure and demanded huge excesses.

If you intend to keep the ISF for a while, it is worth looking into Lexus Prepaid Service Plans and separate, but quite cheap insurance for tyre damage.

Another small point: The ISF ride loses a lot of its initial harshness after a bit of use. Enjoy!

Hi just a point did you have to have a tracker fitted in order to get cover for thieft with direct line thanks

I owned a 450H SEL, and have just purchased an ISF.

My honest opinion is that the 450H is a far superior car. I really regret buying the ISF. The ride and handling isn't a patch on the 450H. It just doesn't feel safe at all. It may well be fast, but in my book the vehicle is vastly overrated.

Don't waste your money.

I am seriously considering selling the vehicle.

Chris

you say that you are seriously considering selling the vehicle, if it was that bad you would definetly sell, especially if it doesnt feel safe.

Ok, I've finally got enough cash to buy a used ISF. I've previously bought a used Is250 sel and now have a Gs 450h, it's got almost at 50k miles on 07 plate.

I've not driven the ISF and would like to hear comparisons on ride and comfort of the ISF compared to the IS250 and/or GS.

The problem I have is, I have to move an 80 year old lady on a regular basis, she had no probem with the IS250, and has no problem with the GS, although slightly higher seats would have been better in both cases.

I'd love to get the ISF on a test drive to try it out on her, but the option doesn't seem available.

I'd greately appreciate any comments from anyone that's driven the ISF and either IS250 or Gs.

Hi IVE HAD BOTH AND OF COARSE THE ISF IS A SLIGHTLY HARDER RIDE BUT i USE IT AS A FAMILY CAR AND YOU SOON GET USED TO IT AS FOR THE SEATS MY FATHER- IN -,LAW IS DISABLED AND WE HAVE NO TROUBLE IN GETTING HIM IN OR OUT THE DOORS ARE SO WIDE AND THE SEAT IS PUT BACK TO GIVE HIM MORE ROOM, THE GOOD THING IS WHEN YOU TAKE THE OLD LADY OUT SHE WILL GET THERE QUICKER, ALSO THE LIP ON THE EDGE OF THE SEAT DOESNT POSE ANY PROBLEMS WITH ACCESS, SIGN THE CHEQUE.

Just wondered what tyre pressures you boys have in the rears thanks

I run 39 front and 36 rear - for comfort I drop both ends to 36 but it tends to wash out at the front so if I'm off on a decent trip on my own I prefer to sacrifice a bit to get better turn-in.

Thanks For that, I had new rears fitted and wasnt quite sure what was best, Thanks again

Just wondered what tyre pressures you boys have in the rears thanks

The bolster on my drivers seat is wearing really badly. I think I may have to have a word with Lexus, because after 11K miles, it shouldn't be so badly worn. I don't even wear a jacket when driving so can't imagine it's caused by rough clothing.

However, on the plus side, no baggy seat!!

There have been comments about this here and in the USA. The big enemies of the bolsters are jeans where the fabric is coarse and abrasive - wearing away at the surface treatment of the leather while getting in & out . Unfortunately, the more supportive the seats; the worse it is because you have to slither over tall side bolsters. A really good example of this was the Peugot 306 where there was a big problem of wearing completely through the covering on the bolsters of fabric seats within a only couple of years. It was and is a problem with other cars too. You would think though, that Lexus should have been aware and reinforced the bolster surfaces taking into account that 2/3 of the world wear jeans or other abrasive garments - even if it meant the bolsters weren't quite as pretty.

Hi I had wear problems on my drivers seat right on the edge as you get in, the black wore away showing the blue underneath, this was after 6000mls, lexus changed the cover no trouble

I am getting about 24, which is using what is close to a combined cycle route to work (e.g. Heavy Traffic, Motorway and B-Roads). I think 24 is very good, given the V8''s I've owned before. The 8 speed box seems to help, as it means you can stay in a gear that matches your speed; the auto also likes running at 1500-2000rpm.

Hi chaps, Average 32 34 on motorway, but then again wouldnt have bought car if I wanted to save money, had it 20 months now 33000 miles worth every pennny, had front seats changed at Lexus due to wear after 6000 mls and rear wheels changed at Lexus due to paint blebbing and flaking off, worth every penny.

I found the ISF no better or worse than any RWD car. The snow button helped to keep the revs down, but any ice patches just caused plenty of spin and sliding!

Keep it in the garage mate I live in the countryside roads dont get any salt, any car struggles on the ice, snow isnt so bad just packed ice, and also it doesnt have to be your fault.

Ive been using the works van safer, saves miles, prevents salt damage, not that there is any salt.

I bough a set of bridgestone replacements for the rear of my ISF and paid £450 fitted e.t.c which was the absoulte cheapest I could find. I now need all four tyres replacing and Lexus quoted £900+

I was walking past Quik-Fit yesterday and casually asked how much - the answer was £1089. Ouch!

I said I wanted bridgestones and he then told me if i had them before the end of the month he could do a deal...

£810 fitted but then was was a further discount as buying a complete set and the price ended up at £629 fitted and yes these are the orignal fit tyre.

Just thought I'd let you know if any other ISF driver needs tyres (i replace my rear tyres every 6500 miles it seems)

Hi got mine from Quik fit all 4 bridgestones £800-00 was fitted well, carefull with wheels oldn ones managed 21,000 mls

Just noticed your mileage on rears do you go drag racing ?

I bough a set of bridgestone replacements for the rear of my ISF and paid £450 fitted e.t.c which was the absoulte cheapest I could find. I now need all four tyres replacing and Lexus quoted £900+

I was walking past Quik-Fit yesterday and casually asked how much - the answer was £1089. Ouch!

I said I wanted bridgestones and he then told me if i had them before the end of the month he could do a deal...

£810 fitted but then was was a further discount as buying a complete set and the price ended up at £629 fitted and yes these are the orignal fit tyre.

Just thought I'd let you know if any other ISF driver needs tyres (i replace my rear tyres every 6500 miles it seems)

Hi got mine from Quik fit all 4 bridgestones £800-00 was fitted well, carefull with wheels oldn ones managed 21,000 mls

congrats on the new toy. I just PM'ed you about a number plate you might be interested in for it.

As for the scratched wheels I suspect that this is the same issue all ISF owners i have spoken with have. The brake dust is shocking and if like me you were not aware that not only is it dust but red-hot shards of metal flying off the brake pads onto the wheels and bodywork, you would feel happy to wash the beast once a week. However the brake dust builds up and i didn't really notice until it was too late and the wheels were damaged beyon cleaning. Lexus tried to clean them 3 times and although the dust is all gone now, i am left with scratched inbetween ever spoke and small paint damage too along the door sills. The other white ISF owner I know really had obvious damage to his paint and wheels.

both of us have been given brand new wheels despite it not being covered under warranty - good will guesture by Lexus GB (thanks)

Advise is to clean the wheels after every trip - as advised to me by Lexus.

Here is the post link to see what I mean

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/show...amp;postcount=1

I went and picked mine up from Lexus today after they'd had it for two days to sort the wheels out. They have refurb'd all four to what appears to be a very high standard. I was hoping they'd replace with new, but having seen the standard of the refurb, I'm not unhappy.

I will ensure they are now kept clean. This isn't too difficult for me as I don't go far anyway and as I don't work, I have plenty of time to do these things. I'll keep my eye out for paintwork damage on the door seals. I don't have any as yet.

Hi bought mine new 15months ago now 26ooo miles, clean wheels 3 or 4 times a week so not to bad but back wheels have started to bleb paint, lexus are going to sort on the next service and i have kept a photographic record, only other problem I had was wearing on the front seats, this showed the blue through the black on the back of the seat, this started after 5,500 miles but lexus changed these, well pleased with car

You should have been at the Doncaster meeting last year not only did we have an ISF turn up but we all sat in it ( with the engine running so even better we could rev it up) had the bonnet up and looked at the engine cover which was then removed to reveal an engine, took loads of pictures and then went home without one!

im jealous...

Have a look here

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...50806&st=80

Then you will be!!!!!!

yep what a car 20,000 miles now, just taxed it for another year. well 6 mths

You should have been at the Doncaster meeting last year not only did we have an ISF turn up but we all sat in it ( with the engine running so even better we could rev it up) had the bonnet up and looked at the engine cover which was then removed to reveal an engine, took loads of pictures and then went home without one!

im jealous...

Have a look here

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...50806&st=80

Then you will be!!!!!!

Not a mistake, not at all.

The current climate hasn't helped any of the mfr's just look at F1 and the WRC.

I will definately be buying an IS F but it has to be in Ultra Blue.

Just out of interest brick, when you are driving your IS F or stationary at the lights etc, do you get mamy people looking and checking out the car, I suppose what I'm asking is how many heads does it turn?

Well people are always looking as there arent many about, just sit there and bleep the throttle, another thing its suprising when your driving along and someone comes up behind you driving fairly fast in a BMW or some other motor they then just hang behind and look. no I love the car done nearly 20,000 miles now, just about to change the tyres, not bad that amount of miles, going with bridgestone again.

If you do get one, dont start from cold and then turn off straight away or you will have to churn the engine over to get it started, let it warm for a couple of minutes.

Ive read a few things about the ISF on here but from my side, great car as all my Lexus cars have been, another thing DVD player brilliant, put the Day after Tommorow in and turn the Sound Up and hold on.

As a result of an enquiry to Lexus UK, they tell me that a total of 150 ISFs were brought into the UK in 2008 and all were sold.

For 2009 NONE will be brought in & any 2009 registrations are part of the 2008 batch.

Of the ISFs available 2nd hand, over half are as a result of repossession/cancellation of finance agreements.

So, is the ISF:

(i) Wonderful and exclusive?

(ii) A victim of the world financial situation?

(iii) A big mistake by Lexus?

For me, partly (i), partly (ii). Your comments please.....

I would have liked the blue really but pleased I got one anyway, the climate has changed everything but I am sure it will pick up, as for the is-f yep worth every penny

oh dear

So ive been looking for mats and just ordered a set from this site

Customized floor mats

I just ordered a set with the lexus owners club logo on them ill post some photos when i get them hope they turn out ok.

How do these mats compare to the mats from Lexus? Do they have the fixing holes?

I was going to order a set of mats from the dealership, but all they could say about them was they didn't have any in stock, but could order them.

The car currently has rubber mats, so I've no idea about carpet mats at all.

Can anyone recommend any other mats? Or is it best to go with the Lexus ones?

Thx

Please be carefull which ever you buy and make sure they have fixing holes as I have had the experiance of them holding the throttle open, just last week on the is-f after a chap put the mats back in a few days before and didnt use the fixing down holes I must say I had to think very quickly, luck it wasnt the wife.

So ive been looking for mats and just ordered a set from this site

Customized floor mats

I just ordered a set with the lexus owners club logo on them ill post some photos when i get them hope they turn out ok.

How do these mats compare to the mats from Lexus? Do they have the fixing holes?

I was going to order a set of mats from the dealership, but all they could say about them was they didn't have any in stock, but could order them.

The car currently has rubber mats, so I've no idea about carpet mats at all.

Can anyone recommend any other mats? Or is it best to go with the Lexus ones?

Thx

Ride in one

Yep it's on my list :winky:

Perhaps someone will try better shocks e.g Konis or whatever. Could be £500 well spent if it gets the ISF closer to an M3.

True, it's possible it won't take a lot of modifying to turn it into an M3 beater.....

The suspension of the ISF progressively stiffens and alters in Manual, Sport and Traction-control off modes compared with the default auto mode - which is quite firm but still relaxing on reasonable roads. The M3 may cope with tight tracks better; but is so much worse on the highway because it is permanently Mr Angry, and in any case, not many people are going to buy the ISF for a few hours a year track use. Simplifying things, the M3 is maybe better in show-off mode but definitely worse in the real world and relatively slower up to speeds you are allowed to do. The maximum speed is academic, and 168 mph on the ISF is probably aimed via the gearing to realise a better fuel consumption. As far as JC's criticism of 8 gears, I don't think he has learnt to use them correctly yet, and they certainly don't keep changing maniacally as he suggests. Mainly though, the M3 & ISF are just different and there is room for both.

I think that says it all

I'm not sure what the fuss is about, underneath all the usual theatrics that is a Top Gear test, there was an actual road test going on which highlighted the good and the bad points of the IS-F.

While I still like the car, one of the common points from every review is that it has a rock hard ride. The lap of the track with the stig at the wheel also showed that it rolls like crazy and pitches so hard under braking that I have no idea what the suspension is doing. Therefore it doesn't seem to be comfortable, nor does it have the handling to justify the ride.

I have to try one for myself, but from what I've seen it doesn't look like Lexus have done the best job they could have with the IS-F, and it appears that possibly their decision to use fundamentally the same suspension as the IS250 may not have been the best idea.

JC actually says at one point that the car could do with a proper limited slip diff and not an electronic one - so why hasn't Lexus put one in when even the lowly IS200 Sport with barely enough power to need one had an LSD?

The car is simply not as good as an M3, there's nothing more to say about it - as far as I'm concerned I couldn't care less as I'd still prefer the Lexus, the fact that I still haven't actually seen one on the road makes it the perfect choice. However, if the ride really is as bad as all the reviews seem to suggest, then I won't be interested either. If it's not comfortable, then it isn't luxury over sport, it just means they haven't been able to do anything right.

Ride in one

came off better than the sc 430 which they had a go at just after

Don't forget the rest of the range that Clarkson slagged off too, like driving in warm wallpaper paste!!!

I think it was somehow meant as a compliment though, he said it again later and said something about reading a novel, so I think he means they're calming and relaxing to drive

Not because I have an ISF but I think top gear has gone off slightly, there isnt much detail given about each car any car come to that, and all that cameras do is go in flashes,if you watch next week everything is in 3 second flashes and not on one shot seeing the cars go round the track, maybe Iam getting old and this is the new way of filming, oh by the way I love mine, 14,000 to date.

Do you agree with his negative comments about the car ? (i.e. the ride is way too hard, constantly changing gears...)

The ride is firm, Alot different to my IS250 but it has to be, on the motorway is when it really goes smoothly 70mph seems so slow and you have to watch for the law, when you press the sport button straight away you feel the change even before you touch the pedel, I dont regret one minute of it,but saying that All my lexus cars have been great.

JCs reviews are mostly great but sometimes he just hates the new kid on the block. for example the Nissan GTR which has been hailed as a giant killer and he says it himself but somehow he manages to bad mouth it. he is very inconsistant in his views, while he say that the IS-F is too much hard work, in his other reviews he describes the same flaw as a feature that complements the driver by allowing him to do the work. its like he hates japanese cars or even the japanese. also he says that the IS-F is a dorks car because its full of technology, im sorry, isnt the M3 the same? i mean he has mocked the fact that there are seven settings for the gear ferocity on a M3. the IS-F has all the technology but you dont have to fiddle around with the settings a day before your journey to get it just right. like he said the car companies are the experts so they should set it up. when he says that the car has too many gear and they keep changing, it sounds to me like he cant keep right foot still. all i have to say about JC is if its not british or made somewhere near britain than hes not gonna like it.

I treat JC as an entertainer first and a car reviewer second. His prejudices complement the first and inhibit objective assessment in the second. What is a pity is that, according to a car salesman I spoke to, is that his opinions carry a lot of weight so a lot of people take his opinions so seriously they affect the second biggest purchase most of us make. What gets very little mention on Top Gear is car reliability. I was shocked to read that a famous car warranty company has rated Porsche to be the most unreliable cars on the road. The Hamster never stops raving about them perhaps because he only plays with them, not live with them.

Ok the isf does go up and down the box so what, I think that top gear should spend more time looking at the cars instead of entertainment as mentioned before, Ie races from one country to another, hundreds of miles, but they always get there nearly at the same time, well thats television, anyway back to the isf I hadnt seen one only on the net but Paid the deposit and enjoy every minute of it and can assure you when you want to you can, But its a car that I think you are always learning to drive to its potential, as regards the gears ( PUT IT IN MANUAL IF YOU LIKE) overall I would like to see more of the cars than all the other crap sorry for going on.

came off better than the sc 430 which they had a go at just after

Don't forget the rest of the range that Clarkson slagged off too, like driving in warm wallpaper paste!!!

I think it was somehow meant as a compliment though, he said it again later and said something about reading a novel, so I think he means they're calming and relaxing to drive

Not because I have an ISF but I think top gear has gone off slightly, there isnt much detail given about each car any car come to that, and all that cameras do is go in flashes,if you watch next week everything is in 3 second flashes and not on one shot seeing the cars go round the track, maybe Iam getting old and this is the new way of filming, oh by the way I love mine, 14,000 to date.