Ian D

Get really undersize socket. Use club hammer to bash it on (expect to take a few minutes doing this, but it's great fun particularly if you call the nut/bolt by various impolite names). Put bar in socket and turn in normal way. If socket goes on easily then it's not small enough. This works. I've tried most other things. The sockets you talk about are meant to be used with windy drills. Oh, I used a sledge hammer as well, but you don't need to. Felt great, just like basil Fawlty lashing his car (Austin 1300?) with a branch, as car (Wife's BMW) had given me all sorts of grief.

Does anyone know what proportion of the IS200/IS300 series are the IS300? My car is feeling a bit lonely as he hasn't seen another IS300 on the road in 10 months of motoring. I show him pics from Autotrader, but he says it's not the same thing at all............ Ian

Because you have to eat muesli for breakfast to own one................ .................people don't like green cars so they sell for less and take longer to sell............... ....................................people sit on them as they think they're grass banks............ .......................................................but on the other hand they have lower accident and theft rates than most other colours on cars (true: red worst, black next, with green and beige the best (perhaps because people are too embarassed to drive them much!)) and are cheaper to buy. Each to their own.......... Ian

Sorry, everyone. I have an IS300 Sport in black. I'm almost 50 and work in a profession that makes accountants seem interesting (I'm an actuary). My IS reflects me - semi-automatic, top 5% performer (woof, woof), behaves like a 20-yr-old, never lets anyone down, don't find many around, classy, plenty of black leather (woof, woof) and shows how I treat women (climb inside her, strap her on and take her to heaven & back 3 times a day).

I have a bike too. Shell V-Power preferred, BP Ultimate next best, I'd rather push than use anything else (Well, almost). All my biking mates say the same. Now, why don't Lexus make bikes?

I have an is300. It works much better on the super fuels and gives me both more power and more mpg. having ran cars on the continent a long time before we got the super fuels here, I know I get 5-8% more mpg on super unleaded. A car mag did a test fairly recently. They got about +5% on mpg and +3-5% on power. BP Ultimate was better than Vmax when fresh, but lost out after 24 hrs in the tank. Shell & BP price on cost and supply/demand balance. You pays your money and you takes your choice.............. That said, I don't look at prices at the moment as it depresses me too much. Ian

Good luck with getting the key. If you can't get it, there are many ways of getting the bolts out - i know, i've tried them when I sheared the key (previous owner/garage must have put them in with massive air gun) on a BMW and the nuts were no longer sold...............special tools, welding, sockets, every tyre and car part dealer in SE England......... In the end, i got a massively undersize socket and wellied it on with a club hammer then a sledgehammer; after all the aggro i'd had, hitting the car was immensely satisfying and when I got the socket on the bolt unwound with jaw-dropping ease (all those vibrations frightened it to death).

Renault? Factor in the time it's broke or in a garage and a Lexus wins 9 times out of 10 (I should know, I've had 3 Renaults and used to work on a rate of 3,000 miles per breakdown!). The subject was automatics - my Renault automatic expired in a £3,000 puff of smoke one month after the warranty ran out (and no, Renault wouldn't contribute). That said, the best car I ever owned before my is300 was a Renault 5 GT Turbo - a real man's car, no electronics, no air-con, no ABS, set of tyres and brake pads every 10,000 miles - Clios are for wimps. Ha ha.

Going from 30 to 50? Happens so quickly on an is300 that hard to notice any difference between the methods............on those occasions when I'm not stuck behind someone. I suppose it all depends how lazy you're feeling - I tend to just kick-down and only use the semi-auto for going round corners when feeling macho (so balance up the car on throttle), and leave the pwr switch off until I get some clear road (a rare sight where I live). If I had an is200 I'd leave the pwr switch on and just use the kick-down. On a separate subject, have you tried left-foot braking? It allows you to get on the throttle quicker after braking, amongst other things.

Should add I'm no fool when it comes to parting with money and I'm pretty handy when it comes to understanding and working on cars. I always make sure that the people I'm using know full well that I know what I'm talking about, as I did today - it's been a long time since someone tried to take the mick. Did once save a friend from a couple of grand's unnecessary work....on a car worth 2 grand. B*****ds. I'd already had a look at the discs (I tried to change the pads at the weekend but the dealer had given me the wrong set) and I know they need doing soon. Their price wasn't all that bad for a garage, but is £200 more expensive than what I'll pay if I get cheap discs and do the work myself. In Kwik-Fit's praise, they didn't push new pads and I know they have only a few 000 miles left on them. I've started a new thread on upmarket discs (I believe that in general you get what you pay for) as any threads recently have been looking at the cheapest. The price on the tyres was a good 25% less than anyone else I could find, and I looked wide, so I thought I'd go for it. Love my car and don't want to put cheap rubbish on. Cheers, Ian

I need front discs for my IS300 as well as change the pads. I've not checked the rear discs. From the threads on the site I've gone for Lexus pads. I'm a firm believer that, on the whole, you get what you pay for. I'm therefore looking a bit more upmarket than other threads on discs. I can go for Lexus discs (not priced them up yet) or for some upmarket after-market discs. A general Google doesn't show up any recommendations and eBay has a few drilled and vented discs, but at getting on for £200 I think I need to do some research. Anyone got any advice? Cheers, Ian ps. Why do you pay more for drilled & vented discs when you get less material? Ha ha.

Found Kwik-Fit doing great deal on replacement Pirelli PZeros, so have now got 4 new tyres. Only problem is that they tell me discs now need replacing........... And have booked into WIM for Sat - I'm all excited. Cheers all, Ian

Went to change my front pads today, but got shock - that well known problem of uneven tyre wear but looked fine from normal angles, it was only when taking tyre off I saw wear down to canvas on inner edge :tsktsk: . Gosh, and shocked. Dr Bones here I come. All 4 tyres have seen their best days and I'm tempted to change all 4. I've got Pirelli PZero Rosso (225/40/18) at the moment. They're fine, but before I get 4 new ones (£560 sob, sob) I thought I'd see if anyone has any advice on these or other tyres. Most of the advertised tyres for this size are XL, but I presume I should avoid these (my ride is hard enough for my aging bones as it is). I've seen Avon recommended on a site selling them (but they would, wouldn't they) Anyone any advice? Cheers, Ian

Welcome. I'm still thinking of doing mine. If you want to practice on mine first, just give me a call........ Ian

Been trying for ages to get satnav update discs for my 2003 IS300 (disc currently Ver 1, 86271 24120). Seen on eBay: Western DVD 1 Number:- 86271-0W060, 82671 60W360B Full European Coverage, 4 DVD’s DVD 1 – Europe West DVD 2 – Europe Central DVD 3 – Europe North DVD 4 – Europe East I've tried several dealers, all with no success, to find out if these discs are compatible with my satnav. Can anyone help. Cheers, Ian

Shall we have a sweepstake on the time taken before the speeding and parking tickets start to come through your letter box.......... ...........................but they could just have seen the previous reg from the V5c and decided that they liked it and are trying it on....

Thanks, guys. To clarify, wife bought Jag all on her own, nothing to do with me. Out of interests for kids, have 'sold' wife 7-seater Zafira for the Jag + cash difference, so I've ended up with the Jag to sell instead of the Zafira I got under divorce settlement. As for mileage, service log book and HPI stack up in early years. Only interpretation is that somewhere before 12 mths old the odometer stuck at 8,660 miles, this was reset to zero at 18 mths and mileage was 1900 at 20 mths. There is something strange later on where the National Mileage Register shows 19,000 miles 2 years ago but the service log book shows less than this (14,400 miles). Number of entries from manufacturer suggests lots of repairs under warranty. Still waiting for paperwork from wife to see what exactly says, but if dealer knows mileage is not accurate he has to say so quite clearly on paperwork - can't use general exclusions. Should have gone to Lexus......

Bit of a story. [just about] divorced, I bought IS300 when kicked out, wife used my Zafira, I took Zafira back so wife went to nearest dealer and got screwed. Now she's getting Zafira and I have this Jag to sell . I thought the drivers seat showed too much wear for 19,000 miles. So, I get the logbook on this 'verified mileage', 'HPI checked' 'service due soon' 19,000 mile 6-yr-old car. Services due each 12 mths/20k. Turns out mileage at first service at 12 mths: 9,000. Mileage at second service (early at 20 mths): 1,900! Last service April 2006..... So 'verified mileage' is crap. 'Service due soon' is crap, unless code for 12 mths overdue. Paid for HPI check, mileage flagged up as big warning - 3 instances of obvious mileage irregularities. I suspect the car has done double the mileage. Am preparing letter for wife to sign, but don't expect response. Has anyone had experience of taking on a dealer? Does anyone know a good internet or SE London solicitor (she lives in Lee, SE London)? Thanks all. I told her she should have bought a Lexus. :winky:

Welcome. I got my manual (on CD for IS300) from eBay for a few quid - try there. Ian

Thought of another solution from reading above. Put vanity mirror in place of central mirror - I don't have any friends so no-one will want to use it for its proper purpose.... Even better idea. Go to LOC meet and let some kind stranger fix it for me........ :winky:

I is rearview mirror as you put it (do you have any car mirrors that do anything other than give a rear view?). Tried again, no joy. Will get manual on CD off eBay. Failing that, have got some Bluetak. Funnier thing about leathers was that I was putting them on just to take photo for biking internet site (it goes on my internet dating site profile too as it's the only photo that I've got (divorcing wife ripped them up/deleted from PC/camera)).

My youngest son has just pulled the driver's mirror off the windscreen of my 2003 IS300. It's the spring-loaded clip type (4 prongs). I've hurt my shoulder (don't laugh - I was putting on my bike leathers) and I just cannot get the thing back on to the mounting plate. I've got no instructions. Do I push it on straight, do I push and turn, do I just give up & pay my local Lexus garage to put it back on? You at the back - stop laughing! Any advice? Ian

Welcome. 99(T), 43k & bought with battery disconnected- a bit unusual. A statement of the obvious, but have you checked the CD in the unit? If the previous owner had updated the disc, someone could have swapped it for one that doesn't fit. Take it out and check the number on the disc. There are loads of posts her on sat nav - try a search, if you've not done so already. Good luck, Ian

Hello & welcome. Saloon, dated? Come here and say that! Each to their own, and I much prefer the looks of my 2003 IS300 Sport to those of the Sportcross. You pays your money...... Ian

Welcome. If kiddies drive IS200s, who drives IS300s? Ian