giorgoXXI

Not an expert on these things, but I think cheap aftermarket HIDs can affect the steering ECU due to electronic interference. Maybe this is causing your warning light to come on? Look at what some aftermarket HIDs did to this IS! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn0B2lpzSlc

According to Glass: Part-exchange Price: Excellent condition: £7940 Average condition: £7290 Below average condition: £6550

Sorry the information above was wrong! If you put the 2010 disc and then put your copied disc it won't read it because the firmware won't recognize copied DVDs. It is either unlocking the Sat Nav or keeping the ability to read copied discs, you can't have both! ;)

I have never seen the arrival time being displayed, all I see is the mileage countdown and time left to arrive.

A quick update on options for iPhone users to transfer contacts to pre-2010 IS bluetooth systems. There are two other ways to transfer the contacts: 1) If you have all your contacts in your PC, you can export them to a VCF file (vCard), then using a laptop or netbook with bluetooth, you can transfer the VCF file to the car's bluetooth system and all your contacts will be loaded. This is the method I used and it worked perfectly. 2) There is a new app in Cydia called "Celeste" that allows iPhone contacts to be transferred through bluetooth. Again this requires your iPhone to be jailbroken.

I believe this is correct as well. I am just waiting to see if I can get a 2010 disc for cheap on eBay.

Sat Nav discs contain two items mainly, firmware updates and latest map data. Since 2009, all firmware updates contain a fix that stops the Sat Nav reader from reading recorded discs. To workaround this issue, new non-original discs like the one you bought contains the 2008 firmware but the latest map data. This allows your unit to still read copied discs, but it won't unlock the sat nav while in motion, as this requires a firmware update which will only be available on original discs.

Nice! I would love to have one of those in this weather.

This is normal for diesel engines with a single turbo. The turbo does kick in a bit late on the IS, but you need to change your driving style to adapt to it (i.e. try to keep the car around the 2000 rpm to avoid the lag). It is not so appreciable on the Sport model due to the shorter gear ratios.

So the Manheim inspector came and collected my car. He noted 4 items that needed repair: one alloy wheel, two panels and a dent on the roof. Total cost of repairs: £288. I wrote to Lexus stating the reasons why I disagreed with the charges, and they replied telling me the invoice would be cancelled and I had nothing to pay B) . Quite happy with Lexus Financial Services, as I have heard some horror stories from other finance companies, especially Mercedes Benz FS charging their customers thousands for ridiculous things! For others returning their cars, just make sure there is no obvious damage or big dents and that the tyres are UK legal, and you should be ok.

I had a 220d Sport and it was great to drive. Not the smoothest gearbox around, but with the shorter Sport ratios it felt more lively than an IS 250. To be honest, if you are looking for smoothness, get the IS 250, but if you are looking for a bit more fun with a bit less refinement, the IS 220d Sport wont disappoint you. I've always found the IS 250 too boring to drive, there is hardly any torque available at low revs. In terms of economy, don't expect more than 30 mpg in town driving, 34 mpg combined and 38-40 on the motorway. By the way, the ratios on the Sport model are different on all gears, not just on 6th gear. From your list, the only other car I would consider is the A4 3.0 tdi (considerably faster). I don't like the BMW styling at all (great engines though), the C class is too expensive in Sport trim (the only trim I would have) and Alfas are too unreliable.

Apparently Lexus dealerships can fix this under warranty. Read this thread for more info: 12v Power Socket In The Armrest But first check if this is really your problem. Simply disconnect the charger from the power port and check if you still have the interference (assuming the device may still run on battery).

There is a problem when using the Aux port and the charging point next to it at the same time, it can sound cause interference. Are you using the charger next to the AUX port? I think dealers can fix this problem.

There is no way known to initiate the transfer of contacts from the iPhone to another device, however I think bluetooth systems that "pull" contacts from other devices (e.g. BMW iDrive) can actually read the iPhone contacts through bluetooth. You can either: 1 - Jailbreak the iPhone, and use SIMPort to transfer all the contacts to the SIM card, put the SIM on a different phone that allows transferring contacts through bluetooth and use it to transfer to the car 2 - Transfer all contacts to the PC, and then load it to a different phone and then transfer to the car Either way you need a different phone. I have a really old Sony Ericsson that does the job. But yeah, it sucks.

I have an IS220d Sport and need to clean the interior. The seats are "Cellensia Beige", which feels like some sort of suede, but not entirely sure exactly what type it is (alcantara? nubuck? normal suede?). My question is what is the most effective way to clean this type of interior? Do I need to buy any special products?

Thanks for the letting me know your experience. I will be returning mine in a week's time, so I'll let everyone know how it goes. Mine is being collected by Manheim as well.

Hi, I would like to know I anyone has had any experience when returning cars to Lexus finance. Do they normally charge for even the smallest imperfections or are they quite lenient on the condition of the car? Do they charge dealership rates for repairs?

They all do it, its normal. Once it is warm, it will drop to normal idle speed.

I think there are two main reasons, the Lexus is a significantly heavier car (around 200 Kg heavier) and it is considerably more powerful than the A4 1.9. But I do agree the Germans make the best diesels (although Honda's diesel is supposed to be quite good as well). As for mpg, in my Sport version I have never managed to hit 40 mpg, always around 35 combined and 30 or less around town. Lower 40s is the maximum people should expect from the 220d. This is for the pre 2009 facelift engine (I don't know about the new one).

Depends on how much motorway and town driving you do... and your style of driving. If you do mostly motorway mileage at sensible speeds it should be close to 40 MPG.

Search on this forum for "Sat Nav hack" and you will find a detailed guide on how to do it. You actually don't need to hack the sat nav anymore as buying a new map disc will allow entry while on the move. But the hack can be used to enable mp3 browsing, phone dialing and DVD playback while in motion.

Won't the mm system need a software update to handle the DAB module? I was wondering how much would it cost (if at all possible) to install the new MM system (with HDD navigation and jukebox, USB, DAB, unlocked etc)?

The F Sport has all that (including all the little IS-F goodies), it's only the gearing that I don't know whether it's the same or not. I don't think the F Sport includes the sport suspension, and from what I have been reading, it does not change the gearing either. It's more of a body kit package with some interior IS-F styling. EDIT: It does actually come with an "F Sport suspension"

Since the facelift version came out last year, they got rid of the Sport version. All 220Ds now have the same gearbox. I think the 220D F-Sport coming out is just cosmetical changes to the car, but haven't confirmed this. The Sport is better to drive than the standard version, because the gearing ratios are more sensible. Agree that the first gear is a bit short, but sixth gear can be used at 60 MPH which is a big plus. The reason they got rid of it is because it did not make economical sense. The IS 220d is geared towards the company car market, and the Sport version has 195 of CO2 emissions, which is very very high for today standards. For me as a private owner, the extra tax its not that big deal. The Sport also comes with a different suspension, so it rides firmer than the standard model, but gives you a bit more grip.

I agree with you on the IS250 performance. Even though its got considerably more power than the 220, it just feels slower, and while overtaking in a 220 is really easy, the 250 does not give you a lot of confidence! The 220 Sport version is even better as it does not suffers from the "lag". I was well dissapointed in terms of performance when I tried the 250, expected much more power... however I did love the quietness and refinement of the engine, it is incredibly smooth.