Boothby Coggles

When I get a quote or renew my insurance what give as the precise security features fitted to the IS200? Anything else which could reduce my premium which is IS200 specific?

Also if one is involved in an accident but pays the person you hit (direct in cash) without going via a claim/insurance company is it still required to inform the insurance company you have had an accident? They aren't going to know anyway?

I think you should report any accident to your insurer even if you make no claim. If you don't & later on you have another accident and make a claim it's quite possible that the insurer could refuse to pay out on the basis that you withheld relevant information from them if they happen to find out or know about the first.

They are always very quick to get out of paying out if they can.

Read your insurance policy very carefully to see if there's any reference to what you should report. There probably is

Gold, Beige, champagne metallic. whatever you wanna call it, I dont want one :)

Our transatlantic friends seems strangely drawn to beige. weird

Not surprising - A very high percentage of them are weird ;) :o - I bet most of the beige ones are

being driven around California

Hi there,

After much research I'm going to replace my much loved Alfa GTV V6 with an IS200SE ( was looking at Saab 9-3 Aero to keep some level of performance...but IS200 is so much car/money at the moment ) as need a 4 door practical reliable family car that handles well.

I've seen two at the same local dealers but the price value is £400 for what is essentially a change in colour :-

2002 51plate 71K miles - Silver dark interior - £3990

2001 Y plate 68K miles - Dark Blue beige interior - £4390

book values for the two are just about identical due to miles balancing age out.

Can't figure out large price diff.....is dark blue highly sought after over silver or is it the beige interior ??

cheers

Neil

Yes it does. The sales manager at my local BMW dealer always used to try & persuade (usually successfully)

prospective buyers to have black, dark blue, silver or similar colours because of their better resale value. Think about it, how many other BMWs in other colours do you see?

Also I remember reading, some fair time ago, an article on this subject which quoted various makes, their favoured colours and the relative resale values.

Locally, petrol was 103.9p, premium diesel 112.9p and ordinary diesel 111.9p. the price differences were

petrol > premium diesel 8.7% and petrol > ordinary diesel 7.7%.

Now the prices are 89.9p petrol, 111.9p premium & 104.9p ordinary.

The differences are now 16.7% and 24.5%.

Is somebody getting ripped off :eerrrmm: ?

Who's doing it?

Those incompetent crooks in Westminster or the greedy crooks with oil wells?

Or both lots?

EDIT Should have put the date for the 1st set of prices - this was early April

Locally, petrol was 103.9p, premium diesel 112.9p and ordinary diesel 111.9p. the price differences were

petrol > premium diesel 8.7% and petrol > ordinary diesel 7.7%.

Now the prices are 89.9p petrol, 111.9p premium & 104.9p ordinary.

The differences are now 16.7% and 24.5%.

Is somebody getting ripped off :eerrrmm: ?

Who's doing it?

Those incompetent crooks in Westminster or the greedy crooks with oil wells?

Or both lots?

this has been added.

you may see error at top of page, dont worry about this. Just because there are zero posts.

Also i need to fix this review system as it will not accept apostrophes so if you have any errors then it is because of this, or you could send them to me and i will do it for you.

apart from that it works a treat

Thanks - very quick :D

An afterthought - does/would Lexus GB Customer Services qualify for inclusion on the review list?

All I have managed to find on the forums is negative criticism of them, which I imagine gives an unbalanced view. I would have thought that there must be someone somewhere who is pleased with them.

i will take a look and add it for you soon

Thanks for that :)

Still no sign of Lexus Lincoln being added to the list for reviews, despite it having been in existance for over a year.

Any likelihood of it being added?

Highly likely, sooner or later, that you'll get hauled over by someone wanting to reach his target for tickets

FWIW - Lister's website now says this vehicle was sold on November 10 :

http://listersgroup.co.uk/Used/Vehicle/Lex....0_SE-L/1018554

Now's a great time to buy, the dealers are struggling to sell anything and there are so many cars available at rock bottom prices. Push the dealer as hard as you possibly can, and then when you think he's hit bottom, make his throw a few years free servicing in as well.

I don't think there's a particular amount you can get off, depends on how desperate the dealer is, but worth trying a few different ones and play them off each other.

out

I would dearly love to swap my '06 220d SE MM with 32k for a 250 Auto SE (no MM) of similar age & mileage, but don't feel inclined to fork out too much cash in addition. Does anyone know what the likelihood of a dealer doing it on a cost to change in the region of £1-2k ?

I wouldn't hold out too much hope. I found out last week that the Lexus dealer offered £9k for my 56 plate 220d. I got £12k dead on my deal using an independant to offload the car when I bought the S80 and was offered £12,500 against a new Rav 4 by Toyota. If Lexus are offering that kind of money on the 220s they're either struggling to shift them or trying to shaft the customer big time. Your local dealer might be different though. Mine are not to be trusted in my experience.

Thanks. I wouldn't trust my local dealer with a light bulb :o

I've had a couple of occasions where it's taken a few seconds of turning over for the engine to fire up but mainly cold mornings - it hasn't happened frequently enough to cause me any great worry. I just push in the clutch & push the button. If it's very cold then there's a few seconds delay after pushing start before the starter turns the engine; I assume that's when the glow plugs are heating up.

Same with mine on cold mornings - seems to me to be normal - Perfectly ok with no delay when re-starting after it's had chance to warm up

Now's a great time to buy, the dealers are struggling to sell anything and there are so many cars available at rock bottom prices. Push the dealer as hard as you possibly can, and then when you think he's hit bottom, make his throw a few years free servicing in as well.

I don't think there's a particular amount you can get off, depends on how desperate the dealer is, but worth trying a few different ones and play them off each other.

out

I would dearly love to swap my '06 220d SE MM with 32k for a 250 Auto SE (no MM) of similar age & mileage, but don't feel inclined to fork out too much cash in addition. Does anyone know what the likelihood of a dealer doing it on a cost to change in the region of £1-2k ?

Hi all, first post and looking for a guiding hand...

Just a brief background, this happened http://www.focusstoc.com/forums/St-dead-t36868.html so hopefully i will be getting some money fairly soon to buy myself a new motor. TBH the IS250 has always previously slipped unnoticed under my radar until recently.

I took a pair out(auto & man) for some test drives at the weekend and was suitably impressed, so, a few questions, iv driven the manual and the automatic and basically i have never even considered getting an auto until now.

Is this the way to go? From reading this forum it seems to me like the auto is the the one to get and the manual was a bit of an after thought, is this the case?

Do you ever get bored driving the auto? basically im just a bit concerned that im thinking about it as iv only ever thought of autos on mercs and mobility cars and i think im just looking for some reassurance on the matter.

my shopping list was: another ST, civic Type R, saab 9-3, IsS250 and after the weekends test drives its now between the IS and the ST, yes i know they are different types of cars but i like them both.

My previous cars include: S60 D5, BMW 120i, Focus ST and im currently driving around in a Jag X-type(no no no)

Any advice and pointers on what are the best value specs and options to look out for from you guys more than welcome.

Rob.

You might find the IS a bit small/cramped after a Volvo S60 - not as much room in the back & the boot is smaller. I found my S60 to be a more comfortable vehicle - the seats are better, both for comfort & driver's position. I notice it in my IS - the pedals are very slightly offset - not a huge problem, but I notice it every time I get in the car.

As for spec - if you have an IS go for the SE at least. I've got multimedia in mine & the rear camera is helpful & the sound system pretty good, but not quite to my taste as much as the Volvo was. The rest of the multi media is, for me, pretty superfluous - no real need of the Bluetooth etc - they're business tools.

As far as the sat nav goes - very good, but no speed cameras. Are you likely to want to pay heavily for updates every year? Probably a better/more flexible option is a TomTom or Garmin etc. - does more or less the same for a lot less money.

As you might be aware with my "buying advice" thread i have had massive problems with an RX i bought from Lexus Lincoln. I have now after 200 phone calls and numerous visits to a different dealer got a full, if not protracted refund.

But there is one final problem that should worry you all. When i bought the car it had 52,588 miles on it and just over 58,000 when it was returned. Just look at this advert for my car now it's back on their forecourt and look at the mileage.

http://listersgroup.co.uk/Used/Vehicle/Lex....0_SE-L/1018554

Police on the way

Interesting too see that I'm not the only one to have had problems with Lexus Lincoln. Isn't it about time that they were listed in the Dealer Review list?

Is it just me who hates bommy night, i've been called a miserable B :tsktsk: ard alot of times over the past week or so by the missus and that's after I agreed to go to an organised display, I just don't get it, it stinks for starters the smell gets in your house your car on your clothes and takes days to get rid of, people set off fireworks at all hours for weeks before and weeks after and people are basically allowed to commit arson even tho the authorities say only go to organised events, it puts extra strain on our already overstretched and underpaid emergency services, and all boils down to an annual celebration of a foiled terrorist plot. If I didn't have kids I'd be locking the house up shutting the curtains and sticking a dvd on until it's all over.

No, it's not just you. It's me, my wife & our 2 dogs - the last 3 go crazy . I don't mind too much the 5th itself, but these days people stretch it out over 2 weeks which is ridiculous. Also I don't know why people waste a lot of money on a few crappy bangs and flashes when they can get a better display at an organised event at a far cheaper price.

Was a he a terrorist or a freedom fighter ? If he'd succeeded we might have ended up with a better political system - Democracy in this country - my 4r5e :megaangry:

The boiler you require is obviously tied to the size/demand of your property, for example a regular sized 3 bedroomed semi - a Vaillant condensing combi boiler with timeclock etc should cost you in the region of £800 to £1000 pounds (cheaper if you have friends in the trade) and it shouldn't be no more than a days work hence the £300- £400 pounds Fargo is referring to.

Thanks - We've a 4 bed detached and it will be a new boiler & cylinder. With it being a different make of boiler & the cylinder I imagine that there will be more work than a straightforward "drop in" for the new boiler, e.g. flue in a different position etc. However, from what you guys are saying it does seem that the price we've been quoted is on the heavy side. But my wife's paying for it & she's of a very impatient nature so she's happy to throw money at it .

Thanks for all your help & comments :D

yep, im farrrr away from you.

i work for the dreaded BG, most manufactures give average lifetime of 8 years so i hear, but with regular servicing and water treatment they last longer.

You say the heat exchanger has gone again, you have to ask why, do you have sludge or scale issues as these are the main reasons, was it your main h/e or hot water one.

Also i would go with a worcester or valiant boiler next time as unfortuantly with boilers you get what you pay for

Cost wise i would expect someoen to charge you approx 3-400 quid for a straight boiler swop (combi for combi).

It was the main h/e both times. The plumber has said that it could be down to the hot water cylinder - It is apparently the original one installed in the house when it was built in about 1980. The coil in the cylinder could be letting air in to the system causing holes in the h/e.

As regards the boiler the last 2 we've had were Malvern non-combi condensingn& the new one will be a Worcester.

The plumber did say that the faults we've had since 2001 shouldn't have occurred:

2004 New burner "heat shield"

New 3 way valve

2005 New control board

2007 New ceramic board kit & thermistor (Is this ceramic board kit the same as the heat

shield in 2004?)

Also the usual servicing & system pump.

Fargo, did I read it right as £300-£400 for a straight boiler swap? Seems rather low to my (very) inexperienced eye. Surely the boiler alone would be anything up to £1000, or more for some boilers.

Why not ask Fargo ( on here ) for a quote, he's good ;)

Thanks for that but already committed to the plumber due to pressure from the wife, she always suffers from the cold. Also I think Fargo is Middlesex based which is too far away.

I've now got an answer to my original question. Had a plumber in today & he says that a condensing boiler should last 10 to 15 years.

He's never heard :o of Malvern boilers & I shouldn't have had to fork out in the 7 years I've had this one for the repairs it's needed, (about £700).

The heat exchanger has gone (again) and can be replaced but we've decided it's not worth it as we would always be waiting for the next problem. So it's £2.5k for a new boiler & cylinder. Oh Joy

My old Glowworm is over 35 years old now and each year I look at replacing it with a more modern one as I know that it is costing me extra in gas but I then look at the replacement cost and expected life of the new boiler and put it off for another year. I just wish that the government was more upfront about total costs and not just running costs - and its the same with cars and the retrospective tax isn't it?

You might as well hang on to the Glowworm while you can if my experience of condensing boilers is anything to go by - they must have cost me well over £2k in the last 14 or so years. I can't imagine that the extra gas you might have had to pay for would come any where near that

Surely it should last at least 10years?

Seem to remember reading or hearing somewhere that condensing boilers don't last as long as the older type, which could be well over 10 years.

My previous condensing boiler had a corroded heat exchanger which of course caused the water to get in to other parts. The unfortunate thing was that we were away on holiday at the time so the water leakage had plenty of time to cause damage to other parts making the whole thing useless.

They are supposed to be a lot more efficient than the older ones, so cheaper to run. What they don't tell you is that they cost more to buy and probably more to maintain. I've spent over £400 for repairs on this one in the 7 years I've had it.

Why is it that as soon as we get a really cold snap the central heating goes kaputt .

My condensing boiler gas boiler has sprung a leak today & we've got a frost forming outside .

The boiler is "only" 7 years old, having been a replacement for the previous condensing boiler which also sprang a leak when it was about 5 or 6 years old.

Does any one have any idea how long such a boiler should last?

Hi guys, sorry if someone has already covered this but my 06 plate is 220d went in for the fifth injector recall and had the egr valve done and a new cat fitted as well,also a ecu upgrade,now granted my fuel economy is better, but the car has now got terrible flat spots in 1st,2nd,3rd gear up to when the turbo kicks in,up until i had the work done the car was like a rocket. to be honest there's more pull in me wife' focus 1.6 now

any help would be great cos i am seriously losing my patience now.

I don't now get a flat spot on my '06 220d SE in 1st but it can be a bit tricky with 2nd if I am trying to emerge at a junction in 2nd when the car has a bit of momentum on the approach to the junction. I had the 5th injector & ecu done a few weeks ago but not the egr valve. Can't say that I've particularly noticed a great problem with 3rd.

Now that the weather has turned cold I do find that, until it's warmed up pretty, well that I do have a problem engaging 1st gear from neutral & 2nd can be difficult as well - needs a fair bit of effort to select the gear.

Did your egr get changed without any question or did you have to "push them" to do it? When I had the injector done I asked about the valve but was told that it didn't need doing as part of the recall.

So - now the "considering an IS" questions are over - I might as well use here for the "own an IS" questions...

First off -

what do people recommend for cleaning / waxing etc?

do people find fuel additives help with performance, smoothness or economy?

how can I keep the cellensia in tip top condition, prevent staining etc?

any other tips to keep the car looking great?

Additives:

I've just finished my first 500ml bottle of Miller's Diesel Power Sport 4 which lasted 4,000 miles for £10.

I think that it has helped with fuel economy but I can't be sure by how much as I've had the 5th injector mod during that time which should have made some difference to economy. I don't find that there is any turbo lag on 1st gear now. Once again the additive may have helped, or it might just be that I have adapted my driving style.

DPS4 is certainly worth £10 or so to see how it goes for you.