hodaz

Hello chaps, How much do they cost brand new from Lexus? And how much does a decent set tend to go for second hand?

you need to flat them back using a really fine grade wet and dry paper, probably put another coat on, then flat again, then lazquer, flat, more lacquer, then flat. i made some all red rear lights for my old golf and it took about 5 coats of lacquer to make them look OE style, not badly DIY tinted

I disagree that it is not as nice to drive as a 3 series. The steering is livlier and just feels better IMO. But how can you say it is not as stylish as the BMW, and then say in terms of looks its aged a lot better! So is more stylish? Not as bling and good looking as an Audi? Late 90s Audis were not bling or good looking! My mate has an e46 325 with BBS CH replica's and coilovers, and it looks a lot more stylish, it does however look older if you know what i mean? I quite look early naughties Audi A4's and A6's looks wise, its just a shame the spec list is crap compared to the IS, and the interiors look pretty cheap unless you get a top end version with leather - they also hold their value much better so prices are higher, which in no way swayed me towards Lexus

depends what you class as an old man too. as a 21 year old to me anyone over about 35 is old i'm sure many will disagree!

Sorry but the IS200 is an old mans car. Its nowhere near as nice to drive or stylish as a BMW 3 series, not as comfy or refined as a C Class, and not as "bling" or as good looking as an Audi A4. However its much better car, better standard options list, good engine, excellent reliability, very good build quality and in terms of looks its aged a lot better than any of it rivals. I have taken all this abuse too, as I'm 21. Most of my mates have Golf Gti's, Clio Sports and other simialar euro hot hatches, but there really not for me. My IS200 makes me feel a million dollars, its nearly 10 years old and still drives and feels like a 25k car.

you need to flat them back and get a few coats of lacquer on to make them look a bit more shiny. do the fogs aswell and i think it'll look pretty cool

Yeah the sat nav still functions perfectly and the drivers side speaker still goes quiet when the voice commands come on :) One of the advantages of keeping the stock HU i would imagine. I suppose being able to tune the system off a PDA/Mobile is a gimmick, but it works well and its pretty handy. Its a much better way of adjusting the sound of the system than off the HU.

the wiring in the boot has been loft extra long so i can remove the box without having to unplug it if i need to get to the spare wheel. i never really noticed the wiring behind the box, why would i, its hidden lol. im guessing they just put stuff through behind the back seat since i didnt want them to drill any holes or anything.

Well first things first, I cant take any credit for the work, was all done by Bass Mechanix in Newcastle. Very happy with the end result. Sounds unreal. I bought a second hand Audio Sysems ICE install off a mate (was rated at 146dB in his car) and took it to Bass Mechanix to get it all installed, I said I wanted to keep everything as stock looking as possible and maintain the factory sat nav. Their solution was to use a Rockford Fosgate 360 box- a proccessor unit which allows tuning of the sytem using bluetooth, and allows the factory headunit to be kept and no need to even touch the factory Sat Nav. So system comprises of upgraded AS front components, 2x12" AS subs, and an AS amp. Didnt bother with anything in the rear other than the subs (you'd never hear anything over them anyway! Plus its all about my enojoyment as the driver :winky: ) Anyway some pics (all of camera phone so quality not too good) Factory HU kept, only visible controls is the active control for the sub level Relocated TRC button The boot (think I'm going to get an old skool look home audio style grill for the subs) The carpet not such a good match but on the look out for another boot carpet to trim the bottom up with. The amp and proccessor unit And the best part (some example shots of the RF360) The only problem i still need to sort is connecting my Ipod through the factory headunit, as the Grom adaptor doesnt work :( at the moment its plugged in through the aux input in the proccessor box, but loose a bit of adjustment this way unfortunately.

Anybody used anything? Got any idea's? As other forum members have reported the Grom Audio one doesnt work. At the moment its plugged into my Aux port on my audi proccessor box, but it doesnt allow enough adjustability. I just want something that will operate through the standard HU, would something like this work - http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/13-PIN-TOYO...emZ290257022581 obviosuly will have no control through the HU other than volume but i'm not particualy bothered about that.

The other adaptor that appears to be available will disable the factory CD changer since mine is the bottom loader style, its working OK running off the proccessor box for the moment, just a shame it doesnt charge the Ipod and i cant control off thr headunit :( Also Grom still havnt given me refund

I definately think I like the LE grill best, I think it would look great on a black car with a gloss black badge, just depends what look your going for :)

yeah infinite baffle was going to use entire boot as enclosure, but when we stripped the boot down there was too much metal in the way to get a good sound, without resorting to panelling the boot out (thus defeating the point as a space saving idea) it would have sounded a little echoey. instead just went for a simple box setup, sounds great though, i'll have to get some pics up once its all trimmed up

not my cup of tea. doesnt really fit the lines of the car well at all.

how much extra clearance can you gain by getting the arches rolled? say if i wanted to fit a 8" wide wheel to front with an offset of et30? and 9" to the rear with a similar offset?

Depends on the width, have a look on the "basic is200 wheel and tyre guide" in the wheel section

i think this may now be sorted :) i found the guide that is stickied inaccurate. however this one is correct for my car (1999 IS200 SE Navy) http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...hl=program++key the part that is missed out from the stickied guide is the bit about if you havent done the correct sequence car will lock and ucnlock TWICE, and also the part about hold down the lock AND unlock keys for 1.5 seconds, then press lock, then open and close the doors. Hopefully this should be it sorted, sorry for the spam as i could ahve sorted it allm yself using the search function

after a search i'm guesssing its the alarm sensor? :(

Yesterday the key lost its programme, so i reporgrammed as per the guide in the sticky section. However today it has lost its setting again, so reporgrammed again, and then after i left gym (so within couple of hours) it had lost its programme again, and when i opened the door off the key the alarm went off. All I can think that has changed recently is I replaced the battery in the key, but this was over 2 weeks ago and the problem only started yesterday. Any have any idea's what could be wrong? Oh and btw this is all using the master key, the spare key is loosing its settings too.

I'd go for an SE Auto, for the extra comfort. If you want a drivers car buy something else tbh.

yep i agree, have a look for a compnay called Image Wheels, custom split rim company (one of the few based in UK) Prices are very reasonable compared to some of the Jap/US brands

you can steam clean the engine bay no problem, get the engine hot, wrap all the exposed wiring and electrics in cling film, then spray degreaser and pressure wash off. jobs a goiod en imo

Wheel Wax is really good stuff, i used it when I had polished wheels on my old Golf and works a treat http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/product_info...;products_id=64

what widths and offsets are you running? and what size tyres? i like those smoked LED rear lights too

Have asked Grom for a return, hopefully the wont be awkward about since they told me it would work. Well luckily I can sort it by plugging a lead into the AUX input in my audio proccessor unit, so its not a big problem, just means i cant control it off the headunit and will have to mount the Ipod somewhere