plewis00_uk

Hi there, everyone. As some people know I bought my GS300 a few weeks ago and it's a great car, love the interior and the design, as well as the attention while driving it, but already it's becoming a bit of a nuisance (my IS200 was pretty much trouble-free, though fingers crossed, the IS is in for it's MOT tomorrow before being sold!). Basically, if I hop in and press the 'Start' button with my foot on the brake (as normal), it tends to try to start, sometimes struggles a bit, but normally will start and then idles rough for a minute or two around 1500-1600rpm, before settling down to around 900-1000rpm after 2 minutes or so. Last Saturday I tried to start it after it had been sitting for a few days and it stalled doing that procedure. I waited a few seconds, then tried again and it started fine but again, a slightly rough (and what I consider high-revving) idle. It's at 56,000 miles now so the big 60,000 mile service is due soon and I figured bringing that forward would help (especially done at a main dealer). Any other ideas or what this could be? The car's on-board startup check reports no faults and once warm and moving, the car drives great. I was thinking injector/fuel cleaner perhaps? Also I seem to have a minor niggle with reversing, sometimes the mirrors don't tip downwards and on the reversing camera, the guidelines have disappeared, reporting 'guidance not available'. Any help - as always, is appreciated!

folding mirrors?how long you've been driving cars? 7 years, but i have only had 3dr hatchbacks and there not the sort of thing that had 'electric' folding wing mirrors (which is what i meant, not just bog standard folding mirrors...) Since my wife and i had our first child 5 months ago i decided to get something with 4 doors last week and upgrade to saloon. And i enjoy everything about my car inside and out Don't humour him, all 17 of his stupid posts have been trolling. We knew you meant electric folding mirrors & if I'm being honest I like mine too. No more of that get out, grab mirror, apply force til it locks inward. And you should enjoy and cherish your IS200 it's a great car!

Everyone who comments on my MKIII remarks as to how quiet the engine sounds and, when I tell them its done 188k, they are gobsmacked. Camping at silverstone over the weekend, i had started the engine on my LS400 to charge my phone and make sure i didn't discharge the battery doing it, i then moved the car to in front of the tent about 20 mins later my wife asked from in the tent if i wanted the jump leads to start the car, I replied "what the one thats runnign 6 feet from you?" she was very surpised she couldn't hear it, it's done 229k now as well, again a mk3 1995. I'd still have a mk4 though :) hows your phone will discharge car battery? u barkin mate... It discharges the battery through the basic laws of physics. Just because a car has a relatively massive battery does not mean running small electrical items off of it does not discharge it. He is not the one that is 'barkin', however seeing the majority of your stupid posts you are most definitely trolling.

for £5-6k you'll get catD insurance writeoff even if you promise to give car a good home[what a load of nonsence] Actually an LS430 for that kind of money is entirely reasonable and does not have to be Cat D, finding an LPG model would be harder but not impossible. Older, large cars do not hold value well. I would advise he checks Autotrader and eBay. Also I've reported you because since joining all of an hour ago, all of your 15 irrelevant posts have added nothing to conversation, your forum conduct is appalling (who didn't read the rules?) and you've just been trolling for no reason other than being bored I bet. One would have to wonder if you even own a Lexus...

I know you were talking to the other poster but I was going to say I use SNOW mode on my IS200 Auto and my GS300 because it makes the throttle response less peaky when pulling away and accelerating. On the motorway I use cruise control anyway so SNOW or ECT PWR modes make no real difference to my driving. When I did use injector cleaner, it was Redex from Halfords. in SNOW MODE your car will start from 3rd gear.never heared of it? Actually it starts in first gear on an IS200 Auto - I know this because it's a 4-speed gearbox and I can feel all 3 gear changes until top gear. It does dull the throttle response, making it more graded - so when you touch it rather than revving straight to 2000rpm, it will slowly creep up to it as you press harder. In SNOW mode you need to apply more pressure to open the throttle a given amount, the idea being you don't spin the wheels up as fast in snow. I also totally didn't see the point of your mildly aggressive, three consecutive posts and found the Prius concept a bit lost on someone with an LX430 (and as far as I know, no such LX430 exists)...

Ah, that's not so bad then! I will gather up all the pieces for it, if anyone wants to buy mine please PM me - I have two control units (one apparently has an updated chip - that I couldn't see...) and a full set of the other bits, like the harnesses. Whoever took them off me could have the whole lot including both units (in case that wasn't clear, there aren't two full sets on offer). Thanks!

I know you were talking to the other poster but I was going to say I use SNOW mode on my IS200 Auto and my GS300 because it makes the throttle response less peaky when pulling away and accelerating. On the motorway I use cruise control anyway so SNOW or ECT PWR modes make no real difference to my driving. When I did use injector cleaner, it was Redex from Halfords.

I'm pretty sure I do, yes. But before you say anything I did tell them this numerous time before and after I paid money for the item and they never once said it was incompatible. I told them my car was an IS200 SE Navigator they said it was guaranteed to work, I was told it was the wrong chip and I needed an updated unit, never once did they admit it was just not compatible - they did offer a refund but it was going to cost me about half the price of the unit to return it and I didn't trust they would say they received it back so I'd lose even more money. I can't remember if I filed with Mastercard against them in the end or not. Reading this thread it appears there was some compatibility issue but then, they shouldn't launch something and claim it's compatible or sell things under false pretences.

I purchased one of these Grom Audio units and it was absolutely awful. Customer support was totally lacking and after promise after promise it would work, it never did. My IS200 never recognised anything was attached and all I got was a very expensive iPod car charger out of it. They gave me two boxes which both did nothing, and they are sitting in my bedroom gathering dust - I will probably eBay them or sell them with my IS200 in case someone else wants to try banging their head against a wall to try and get it working. Promises of refunds, product fixes/updates, email after email - they blamed my Satnav (which I told them about), my CD headunit, my car internal wiring; nothing was achieved apart from sinking a lot of time I'd rather have back. At the other end of the scale, a Harman/Kardon Drive and Play worked perfectly first time (over direct-FM line-in).

I looked at an IS300 and the performance is great (I'd have to have one with the Aero kit though), like you say, driven carefully the MPG on an IS300 is about the same as an IS200 Auto - I think this is the 5-speed box it has vs. the 4-speed in the 200. I don't believe the IS300 is rated at 8.2 seconds 0-62 though, people have been recording times of 6.9s in it. Like you say the Japanese do build good-looking cars sometimes (I'd like to throw in: Mazda MX-5, Skyline R34, 350Z) but they can also build a lot of truly forgettable cars. Still I'd rather it that way than the Italians who build almost all good-looking cars but without any care for reliability or residual value. EDIT: I'd also like to add the OP has a really nice IS200, that was the colour I'd have wanted if I had the choice - that or flat black. I think his image tags aren't working but the URL works.

I agree with the OP, there are faster and then what people would call 'better' cars out there, and the Alan Partridge thing didn't help but I'm really fond of my IS200. I went from a Smart car (which got lots of 'gay' and relentless eco-jibes) to an IS200 which used twice as much petrol but then I would get places in style, not thinking there was a chance my car would unbolt from the chassis (which is what a Smart car feels like if you ever drive it faster than 70mph) and the image was about a thousand times better, not to mention a lot rarer sight than all your A4s, C-classes and 3-series. I don't want to sell my IS200 but I can't keep both it and the GS300. Whoever buys it from me will enjoy it as much as I did I'm sure. I put 19000 miles on the car, had it serviced once during that time and got told how nice a car it was, and the most expensive thing I replaced was the wipers due to wear and tear (also front tyres but that's my own fault for knocking the tracking out, not the car's). There is a reason these cars get 5/5 for reliability and build quality, it's one of the highest-rated cars on Reliability Index (38 or something where the average is 110 I think and higher is worse). And then like others have said, the IS seems to have a timeless shape and design, you wouldn't think a car from what must be 11-12 years ago would still look modern. The IS will be missed by me, but I already decided that if I ever have to sell the GS, the car I replace it with will be a first-gen IS (probably 2003-2005) in black with the Aero kit...

Hi guys, does anyone know how to remove the central console properly on a mk3 GS300 SE-L? I would like to sort out an iPod/iPhone line-in to the car so I can take advantage of that awesome soundsystem without burning CDs everytime I hear something new I like. I don't think my car has an aux-in (or if it is it's really well hidden), I do have a Harman/Kardon Drive & Play iPod kit which has a direct-FM modulator (good but not ideal or perfectly clean across all frequencies, particularly mid-range and treble) but also a 3.5mm line-out which is what I'd rather use. Any ideas as to even if I do get the centre console out if I'll find something as simple as two RCA connectors I can plug straight into? I don't want to go removing things unless I know I can do something with it - I took my IS200 centre console out and that was fine other than the sharp metal at the back scratching the sidepanels a bit.

I can't actually offer you much advice about this specific point, but I have a GS300 SE-L and an IS200 SE. The IS200 SE has a stock premium Lexus soundsystem (I imagine this will be similar to whatever the RX SE has) and the GS300 has a Mark Levinson fitted. The IS200 still sounds seriously good when from a clean-source (i.e. the CD player, as opposed to the direct FM line-in Harman/Kardon iPod kit I have which still sounds ok), the GS300 SE-L Levinson system seems to have better reproduction across the entire range but unless you have both cars next to each other I wouldn't miss the other is the best way I can put it. I don't think Lexus would fit a crap soundsystem in an SE car is what I'm saying, and unless you have a direct comparison with the better one you won't miss it but you might appreciate the money you saved! It's like people who say stupid things like 'a Sony BRAVIA TV is so much better than a generic/Korean-brand one', unless there are strange people who have a Sony TV (or any other premium brand) next to an unbranded one just so they can compare it, I don't think they actually could tell in the majority of cases. On the other hand, using the same logic, my Mercedes SLK had the most god-awful soundsystem ever installed in a premium car...

Are you sure the clock isn't always on - I swear it is in my IS200, I mean it's not backlit but it still displays, or is that what you meant?

I openly told my insurers (and they'd know when I gave them the car registration anyway I think) and they didn't seem bothered in the slightest, if anything they went a bit down because the car's market value is a bit lower. Obviously I am paying more overall for the GS300 because it's group 17 vs. my IS200's group 12 rating. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. At the end of the day, this is the way I see it - I am paying to insure the car for what it's worth so being a Cat D shouldn't affect it. I could be wrong?

Actually I think my particular Cat D wasn't repaired totally in the sense of the bodywork, all that the previous owner replaced was the cracked bumper, but I am nearly 100% certain there is no mechanical damage, the subframe wasn't shifted or bent and the car drives a dream (apart from a bit of road noise but I blame the tyres there). The bump at the front end was so light the radiator didn't even get touched or need replacing, and the car was serviced just 2000 miles before I bought it. Anyway like I said, because I got a good price I booked it into a bodyshop to have the cosmetics cleaned up and despite having to pay decent money to have it fixed, I think this is a small price to pay! You can see the crease on the bonnet, looks like the car got pushed under whatever was nudged. From what I've pieced together the car ran under a high lorry at low-speed, got pushed down and the driver got into a road-rage incident because there is also a small 1-2 inch dent on the B-pillar above the driver's door (I reckon that was a bat or something). The B-pillar is the other bit I paid to have fixed. I know the insurance settlement took about 8 months to resolve which is why I think it got the Cat D listing when it took too long and everyone was fed up. Just putting myself at peace of mind really, but from the general response of everyone here it seems many of you aren't too bothered by minor shunts aside from the resell value which is how I though of this car when I bought it. End of the day, I'm young and couldn't afford to outright buy a third-gen GS300, let alone the SE-L model, the Cat D is the enabler somewhat - and the car looks awesome in black!

I know my GS300 is a Cat D, the seller was very open about it and I did an HPI check which confirmed it. Given the massive discount from the book value, I know when I need to sell it, I won't be able to get the the full value at that time and wouldn't expect to. People say subtract 20% off a non-cat D vehicle for a good estimate and that for a car older than 8 years it tends to matter very little. I'm sure with good servicing and care I'll be ok in a few years when it's time for a change but for now I get to drive a great car for a lot less than I really should! Also I should add, legally you must inform the potential buyer of it's listing as a Cat D on VCAR whether you are private or a trader. Anyways me personally, I always do an HPI check unless the seller has already done one with proof of it's date.

Ok thanks for the replies everyone! I just wanted to see how you all perceived it. Like I said, I saw a Mercedes SLK which wasn't cat D in a poorer state than this GS300. The car I bought it was clearly a minor shunt, I pulled off all the plastic under the bonnet and the subframe looked fine, the radiator wasn't even replaced in the bump. It did look like roadrage - like the driver of the GS went up the back of someone (damaging the bonnet and bumper) who then got out and hit a couple of spots on the driver's wing and once on the B-pillar with a bat or something. The bumper was replaced before I got the car and I'm having the B-pillar and bonnet completely redone now. I will show you all photos soon because we all like photos! I always liked the GS300 mk3 anyway and at current prices couldn't afford one but to pick up an SE-L at what must be £3-5k off list price I think I done well here. And this was a flat black coloured one (I don't think it's metallic) with vanity glass in the back, driving it around was a nice experience and I got the 'jaw-drop' from my friend's friends when I arrived in it. Worst case if this all goes to pot, I didn't spend a hideous amount of money and I'd never pay more than I could afford, if it did all go bad, I would buy a first-gen IS again without a shadow out of doubt, I'm keeping my IS200 for a week or two just before I commit to selling that because I really don't want to!

Just a quick one. I did something I've never done before and bought a Cat D vehicle (on VCAR = Vehicle Condition Alert Register), it was a mk3 GS300 SE-L and the only damage was very low-speed front-end (maybe 5-10mph). Cat D is the lowest bracket but god knows why the insurance would effectively write it off. It needed and has had a new bumper on the front (this was done before I got it) and the bonnet has some dings/dents on the front which given what I paid for the car, I booked it into bodyshop to fix or touch up. Anyone else had a similar experience or done a similar thing? I get the impression luxury cars get a Cat D listing a lot because of the parts and labour cost at the main dealers, I've sure seen a lot of BMWs like this. The silly thing is I saw a Mercedes SLK once which wasn't Cat D listed but had suffered much worse damage than my GS300 (I guess it was unrecorded and fixed off the books). Other than knowing I'll lose about 20% off market value when I sell it, I couldn't see any problems - passed MOT first time, drives fine, FSH from the main dealer, HPI clear (bar the Cat D).

Well, I was looking at an SC430 before but the GS offers what I want. It was a bit impulsive of me really, there was absolutely nothing wrong my IS, I love driving it and still get attention for having something other than the norm (Audi A4, BMW 3-series or a C-class Merc). The low consumption on a cruise was just an extra convincer that I'd done the right thing. My only concern is the car is so crammed with electronics, even with Lexus's build quality, I fear something will go wrong and be a nightmare to diagnose and fix - fingers crossed!

That's what I mean, for a 3 litre, 45MPG on a run with some city driving and slow moving roadworks (sub-10mph) this is impressive. I always thought the extra-urban figure was the best you could ever achieve that's what was shocking! My IS200 SE Auto gets 34-37MPG if I'm lucky! I'd have been happy with 35MPG+ but 44-45MPG I will not say no to - and it's not like I'm in a rush to get anywhere, might as well enjoy the drive! P.S. I should note, the figures for MPG are UK gallons not US gallons, so you may well be doing more! It's a shame they don't tax big cars over here on how you drive rather than what you drive - someone at work with a Prius uses more fuel than me!

Well, the car is group 19A (I think?), but that was a reason I didn't get an SC430, as that was what I wanted to go up to from my IS200. If I use Confused I was coming in at about £1200 but then, I'm 25 with no points or accidents. And what el_gencer said about the floods and snow, I got hammered this year on my IS200 insurance, it went up by about £100 so I switched insurer, got it cheaper than last year in the end (but then I should do, I have an extra year no claims!) but had to ditch the breakdown cover - this I wasn't too fussed about, as touch wood, the most expensive thing I had to replace on the IS was the wiper blades!

Hi there, I frequently come back and read forum posts but haven't actually posted since a couple of years ago when I got my IS200. Anyway I just purchased a 2005 GS300 SE-L (3rd gen) at what I think was a silly price considering what was on offer - it's black with tinted windows and pulling up in this at my friend's 25th caused a bit of a stir. Ok, I got a good deal on it cos it was a cat D listed car (but the subframe and everything else was alright, has FSH, recent service, HPI clear and I even got a private plate in the deal - it needed a new bumper and there are a couple of dings on the driver's wing and bonnet - but considering the price, I booked it into a bodyshop to get it all done and I think I'll still come out a winner). Anyway back on topic :) I drove it from up North to back to London, which was 110 miles so included city driving for about 10 miles and a few miles of gridlocked traffic at roadworks with the aircon on about half the time and cooled seats on all of it, plus music blaring out of the Mark Levinson system. I flicked through the trip computer and it said I achieved 44.4MPG since last fill (which is ironic considering the real reason it was sold was because the last owner only did short runs in the city and was doing 17MPG), I was using the cruise control at about 65mph and the engine was barely ticking over at about 1600rpm most of the way, apart from the odd overtake and a mouthy Audi driver who insisting on racing me to prove who had 'the better car'. I had the ECT set to SNOW which is what I always do in a Lexus cos I find the default throttle-control too peaky in heavy traffic. So I wondered if this is normal as most of my driving is motorway and everyone told me buying a GS300 (everyone just went - 3 litre V6 engine, must be worse... I was thinking more modern all-aluminium engine plus 6-speed gearbox) was a silly idea coming from an IS200 Auto (where I used to get 34MPG) but instead I'm saving money on fuel! I intend to get photos and stuff up when I get the car back. Also, I posted a new topic as the last consumption/MPG discussion was over 2 years ago that I could find so hope that's ok!

Hey guys, after an eventful month and also weekend now, it looks like I'm keeping my IS200 SE a bit longer, at least til my insurance renewal in January 2009, in the last month I've had 2 Mercedes SLK230Ks, but the latest one Zurich wouldn't insure me on and today I got told I am not allowed to change car any more on this policy because it looks like I'm trading, which in fairness is neither here nor there whether I am or not. Anyway to cut a long story short, I keep coming back to the Lexus because there's a certain reliability, quality and confidence I can't quite finger about the Lexus which is lacking in the SLK. Anyway as I'm keeping it for a while now, I thought I could carry out minor modifications on it. I was thinking lower the car a little and my question is this- has anyone heard of Racedynamics (also known as Racedynamics2U) and is a 40mm lowering effective? I don't want crappy springs on my car nor do I want to lower it so much the wheel arches look disproportionate- i.e. I'd like to keep the shape of the wheels and wheel arches, I don't quite know how to explain it other than lowering cars too much ruins the look in my eyes. Can I just get a bit of feedback on the brand of spring, which I found here: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LEXUS-IS200-99-40mm-...86.c0.m14.l1318 And what you guys think a sensible and 'classy' (I use this word loosely, I want the car to retain its image) amount of lowering for a Lexus IS200 SE? Cheers!

Not meaning to bump this thread, but I have the same setup with the 13902 headunit and GromAudio iPod adapter. My CD changer doesn't recognise anything attached, will charge the iPod though. I did ask Grom before I ordered it via e-mail and even sent photos across (showing the front including model number and connectors on the back) saying I wouldn't order it unless they could tell me in writing it definitely would work. After £15 of import tax and racing to the post office before it closed, it doesn't work. Huge disappointment and no answer from them as yet. I imagine I have the upper hand as I paid over Paypal with a credit card.