giorgoXXI

I know the IS-F is quite poor in icy and snowy conditions. My old IS220d could barely cope, and that was a manual. Would winter tyres make a difference? How much would they cost? It seems impossible to find 19" winter tyres with the required width. I am guessing would need to buy a set of 18" wheels, since 18" winter tyres are more popular.

The 220d is by no means a class leader, but it is nowhere near as bad as what this forum makes it look. Only the IS-F post-2010 has a mechanical LSD.

SE-L trim is the one you want, plus the Multimedia Package (MM) and sunroof. The only other option left is the adaptive cruise control. You could also get the Sport version, which comes with bigger wheels, but suede instead of leather. If you are getting a 220d, then the Sport also drives better than the other trims.

You can use a program called "Audio DVD Creator" to create DVDs that will store 700/800 mp3s. You will need to have the Sat Nav hack enabled to view menus and select songs. You can read more about it here: http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=63307

Not sure if this has been posted here earlier, but this is some car! http://www.drivearabia.com/news/2011/06/27/lexus-ls600h-l-landaulet-to-serve-royal-wedding/

The product has a 14 return policy. So you can buy it, try it and see for yourself if it makes any difference. That's probably the best option, I doubt you will find any member in this forum that has bought that chip. But I know there was another forum member that bought a different chip and left his experience in this forum, use the search function to find the topic.

DVD Audio will play whilst driving, its only the screen that blanks out when vehicle moving so visuals can't be viewed. I know, but the problem is not being able to access the DVD menu to select/change songs. You can sometimes change songs by changing chapters, but it doesn't work with some DVD menu structures.

Check this link for the chip: http://www.chipexpress.com/products/1095/

The only reason I would want to enable DVDs while driving is so I can play DVD Audio (sound quality is amazing).

Are these brake pads any good? http://www.ebcbrakesdirect.com/car/parts_pad.asp?part=pad&make=LEXUS&model=IS-F&year=5%2E0+%282007-%29# My brake pads are 50% worn. Any idea how many miles I could do before I need to replace them?

Never mind, just fitted it. It was easy, just stick the gel pad onto the windscreen, then re-attach the sensor and make sure it is pressed hard against the windscreen so there are no bubbles visible from outside. Rain sensor working again ;) Well happy since Lexus wanted £180 for parts & labour to fix it :o ! I only spent £18 plus delivery for the gel pad. I can only imagine to justify such price they couldn't order the gel pad alone and they had to order a whole brand new rain sensor.

Hi, I need to install the rain sensor gel pad that goes between the sensor and the windscreen. The previous owner replaced the windscreen and did not put the gel pad in place, so the rain sensors are not working. I know how to remove the sensor from behind the rear view mirror, but how do you exactly apply it? Do I just place the gel pad on top of the sensor and then re-attach the sensor, or do I place the gel pad against the windscreen first and then re-attach the sensor? I would appreciate if anyone who has done it before could help me with instructions.

I blew my subwoofer twice in my previous IS220d. Luckily it was under warranty. They seem to be quite delicate to be honest. Regarding the specs of the sub, just search on this forum as I think this has been asked previously (by another user who blew theirs). You don't need to replace the amp by the way, just the sub.

I looked at the competition like you before buying (M3, RS4 and C63 AMG), but in terms of value for money nothing came close to the IS-F. The RS4 is a bit dated now, the C63 AMG would cost an arm and a leg to maintain, and I never quite liked the look of the M3 Saloon (coupe version looks great on the other hand). Reliability was also a big concern. The only downsides of the IS-F are the lack of manual box (even though the auto is excellent) and the pointless separator at the back to make it a four seater instead of five. The 370z was not in the list as it is not a saloon.

It is definitely not suitable for the UK, with the amount of speed cameras on the road and the power of the car, we need a big speedometer!

Well that's the direct opposite of what it's supposed to do! I haven't found an option to turn off the radar system but I recollect another owner on the forum saying it was possible, so perhaps yours is turned off and running on standard cruise? It was definitely running using the radar system and adaptive cruise control, the only difference is that when it detected the car that just pulled in front me it just switched off and left it up to me to apply the brakes!

Thats correct. The 2011 has some exterior and interior styling changes as well, such as Daylight running lights, and revised dashboard with the big rev counter and the SPORT button on the steering wheel rather than where your knee is! Apparently the 2011 model is supposed to be much more comfortable. The 2010 model also adds ventilated seats, plus the blue metallic paint and white leather for the interior.

I thought it had something to do with the pre-crash system. I must have been closer to the oncoming car than I thought, but I can certainly remember it wasn't a dangerous situation. I've also experienced the same situation in the motorway where a car just pulls into the gap, in my case the car beeped loudly like three times and the cruise control just switched off, but I didn't notice any automatic braking. It was kind of like the cruise control system panicked and gave up! I will have a read at the manual to see if it explains in more detail how the whole system works.

I was driving the other day through a normal town two-way road, when a car passed me on the opposite direction (on its own lane, there was no danger situation) and in the mini display above the rev counter it displayed "BRAKE!!!" in big bold letters, and the car started beeping loudly for like 2 seconds. Is this some sort of safety feature? It seems a bit over-sensitive, although I have only experienced it once.

Thanks. I saw that one, but in the end got a better deal with another dealer.

... Lexus IS-F B) Its been almost 2 months with the car (I wanted to write something earlier here but have had no time), and have to say the car is incredible (first performance car I have ever owned). Here are sort of the advantages and disadvantages compared to the IS220d: Advantages - Needless to say, Performance ! - The engine noise is incredibly addictive, IMO sounds better than an R8 V8 I've sat on. - Automatic gearbox is very comfortable, and a joy to use in manual mode. - Leather seats are very comfortable - Get adaptive cruise control as standard Disadvantages - Fuel obviously. I used to do 27 MPG pure town driving on my IS220d, now I get 18 MPG. On the motorway it has gone down from 37 MPG to 30 MPG. As I don't do a lot of mileage, its not that big issue for me. - Insurance cost doubled - Tax cost doubled - Servicing cost doubled - The IS-F ride is firmer, although its never harsh. Overall got a good deal (I have yet to see an IS-F being sold for cheaper by a Lexus dealer) and went for it. I would have otherwise kept the IS220d, as it was a very good car and very reliable over the 3 years I had it from new.

As fjcfarrar as mentioned, the front brake pads produce a lot of dust that can initiate corrosion of the alloys and bodywork. The excessive dusting isn't only a problem with the IS-F as all the second generation IS's suffer a similar problem, and Lexus have made pads available with ceramic based friction material for the IS250/350 following complaints, but not for the IS-F and only in the USA. I have Hawk ceramic pads in the front calipers of my IS-F, and although I haven't noticed they are any more effective in braking than the OEM pads the brake dust produced by the pads is greatly reduced. The Hawk pads are only available in the USA, but they may ship to the UK (I purchased mine in Texas and carried them back in the luggage). The Hawk website is http://www.hawkperformance.com/parts/ and as you can see there are now four types of pad to choose from for the IS-F. The pads I have on mine are part number HB616Z.607. The satnav can be made available for use on the move by swopping your earlier disc for a version E12. If you know someone with a E12 disc it's a simple matter to install and remove as the later disc will reprogramme the system which then allows changes on the move when you replace it with your older version. Alternatively purchase the update http://www.lexus-mapupdates.eu/ I think the E11 discs have the unlock included, so you can just buy or borrow an E11 disc to unlock the sat nav. It is true that the unlock will remain even if you swap the disc back to an older version, however if your battery gets disconnected, the Sat Nav I think reloads the firmware from the DVD and it will re-lock itself. You better off just buying E11 discs cheap of eBay (make sure you buy original ones and not "Remanufactured" ones!)

If I install the DICE iPod Silverline Pro kit to integrate and iPod/iPhone with my ML system, would I need to disconnect the built-in 6 CD changer? Also, what type of emulation is best, CD Changer or MP3 emulation?

I would not recommend you buying a manual IS250. They are unpopular because Lexus doesn't make the greatest manual gearboxes, and as a result they depreciate really badly. In addition, I think the CO2 of the manual puts it in the highest tax bracket. I think Lexus has realized the manual IS250 doesn't make sense and has stopped making them. The IS250 Auto is incredibly smooth and refined, but it is a very boring car to drive (very low torque). The paddle shifts in my opinion are not very effective, as the changes take a while and the box will still take over when it wants to (it is not as "manual" as the IS-F auto box). If you are looking for a good manual, maybe you should look at other car brands.

That is the dealers sale price. That price includes a bit of room for negotiation, plus 1 year warranty (around £795), plus any work they have to do to return the car to showroom condition, plus obviously their profit. They normally give you £3K or £4K less than their expected sale price to allow for all of the above. You should ring several dealers to confirm the prices but most likely it won't vary too much.