Jamie46

I have had problems with my 220d (55 plate) since new (e.g. going into limp home mode when trying to merge onto a busy motorway - scary!) and the service manager at my nearest Lexus dealer said last year that I had to accept that the engine is basically a very dirty engine and I therefore needed to take the rpm up to near the limit once or twice a week to clear 'things'. Driving on longish journeys at around 70ish in 5th gear would not achieve anything and I must "give it some welly". However in the current cold weather white smoke is pouring out of the exhaust nearly all the time (m.p.g. is steady at 27 mpg at a steady 60 to 70 mph). It has not gone into limp home mode recently but I am not holding my breath. The only good thing about the smoke is that following cars tend to give you a wide berth.

I have now done 75,000 miles in my 55 plate 220d with hardly any journeys of less than 18 miles and usually most of it on dual carriageways/motorways at a steady 70 but I have never got more than 31 mpg. The car is regularly serviced at the dealer I bought it from new and the technicans there have told me that these early cars never achieve better than 34 mpg. (I was told it was one of the first batch ever delivered to the UK). So for those of you that are envious of the comments above and, like me, that never get more than 31 mpg just put it down to experience. Where I have tried a 250 petrol IS I have always got around 45 mpg so it's not my driving! The dealer has assured me that all the engine parameters are within the maufacturer's tolerances so nothing can be done. Last time it was serviced the manager said the 220d has an inherently dirty engine that does drink diesel. Just for my information, does anyone know what year the engine was improved to give the much better mpg reported here so if I change it for a newer model I don't buy another one has this level of consumption. (I always use Shell V power otherwise the mpg drops below 30 mpg.)

Having complained on numerous occasions about the fuel consumption of my IS220d and the dealer having tried this and that I have now had the 5th injector replaced and the EMC re-mapped etc and fuel consumption has improved to 32mpg on a run (dual carriageway), providing I drive steadily. But when I was given an identical courtesy car, another IS220d, I got over 47mpg. The dealer said I could bring it back if I still wasn’t satisfied with my car but I got the distinct impression they did not know what else they could do. One of the Telegraph’s motoring correspondents recommended I take it to a fuel injection specialist as he said there was something serious wrong. Has anyone tried this and is there a firm anyone could recommend?

I have had the 5th injector replaced and fuel consumption has improved from 29 mpg to 33 mpg but this is achieved by driving slowly (accelerating slowly and always keeping below 70 and freewheeling downhill in places). Which? magazine says it got 46.3 mpg from my model 220D. The Ipswich Lexus dealership said 33 is not bad consumption. Honest John from the Telegraph says the consumption is far too high (he put it more bluntly than that) and I need to take it to an injection specialist. As I got nearly 40 mpg when I drove the IS250 I don't think it is my driving. Also the Cambridge Lexus dealership said my brakes were lasting twice as long as other 220D drivers. Any suggestions of where I go from here would be welcome. (Apologies if this is not in the right place as I am new to forums)