Robertb

That's a great sum-up of the IS vs BMW... "The Gentleman's choice"

Thanks for the tip- good to see someone else favouring Blue Peter style repairs- I'm frequently found in our cars driving up and down rough roads with scissors and sellotape, placing strategic bits of cardboard between bits of trim... You might find that Duck-tape is harder wearing, and it's available in silver. Might your rear rattle be coming from the electric rear blind?

Build quality niggles are an issue. Not much to add to what's already been put to watch out for, except to say- - wheels did corrode BUT so did the ones on my BMW, Audi and Porsche. The difference was, Lexus replaced them after 4 years, no quibble, where the others told me to get lost. - there have been the recalls, but that's Lexus being cautious. Plenty of other manufacturers would wing it. The difference with the Lexus is the service- all cars have problems, but I've been delighted with the way that my local dealer, Lexus Reading, have put up with my pickiness in getting things sorted. In conclusion, yes they do have issues, but they are well-known and fixable. They are basically excellent cars wich dealers that do care that you are happy.

Interesting debate this... I really fancy a Jag XK, which are about £30-33k for a nice one. XFs are similar sort of money, and are the only car that offer a similar spec to the IS250SE-L MM ironically. I've been quoted £10k-ish for my Lexus- the question is, would a new car really give 200% more pleasure than the Lexus? There are two issues with the Maserati QP- firstly, the 'F1' gearbox is very old school... dunno why they didn't go with either a manual or a proper auto. Secondly, the servicing and maintenance costs will make your hair stand on end- it is basically a Ferrari engine, with similar costs...

You can tell there's a credit crunch- on the recall last year, I had a full tank and a bottle of Champagne! Didn't even get the sweeties this time...

I might do that... only trouble is that its a rare option on the IS's. As luck would have it it's standard on the ISF, may ask for a loan of one of those for a week or so for a proper diagnosis! Its the intermittent nature of the problem that makes me certain its a fault. Anyway, I've got the dealer on the case now who are being supportive, who now fully understand the problem. I have intimated they may want to get Lexus GB involved as there is a potential road safety issue. I wouldn't mind so much if I hadn't specially sought a car with ACC out as I do so many m-way miles.

I agree it is a worry... oddly enough, I read a long term test update in Evo this morning about a RR Sport TDV8 with adaptive cruise, and he said it kept braking for trucks in the nearside lane. To be fair, I generally drive any car with cruise on with my foot resting gently on the throttle ready for action- esp with the adaptive cruise as even if its working normally I sometimes force it to drive closer or maintain speed approaching a car while I wait for a faster car to overtake and then pull out without losing momentum. I thus tend to 'drive' it past trucks just in case, which rather defeats the object!

I've soldiered on, but am still not convinced mine is working right, mainly because it seems to start playing up intermittently. I had a scare the other day with another driver who got a bit (and understandably) upset when the car slowed in the outside lane reacting to a truck in the middle lane, but on a straight this time. I've got it back at the dealer to look at it again, and I've asked that they raise it with the powers that be at Lexus to get a definitive answer. Any other thoughts gratefully received.

Maybe the recalls are only for the early cars- I actually can't remember what the first one was, but the current one is for the steering rack, and the rear brake calipers. Prob worth a call to your dealer to see if you need to get yours booked in. Interesting to hear that your ACC cruise works well- have you never had any issues with it picking up vehicles in the nearside lanes? Its in the dealer at the moment for that and a few other things looked at and I've spat my dummy out about it; they've so far said its OK as far as they are concerned, so any extra evidence I can gather that its not working right would be really helpful. I just can't imagine that Lexus'd have let it go out like that- I had a near miss and some less than friendly gestures the other day from an understandably confused driver who'd had to react to my car suddenly braking hard from 80 despite having a clear lane in front of it, but a truck to the left...

As far as I can tell, snow mode re-profiles the throttle map and the traction control. Works well...

A review for anyone who's interested about my IS250, bought used with 21k miles on the clock in late Feb 08. Now done 45k miles, and here's some thoughts. I like: -Its a great car to drive, very comfortable on long m-way runs, and is a very tidy handler on the twisties. -All the gadgets! Seeing as mine is a total spec SE-L auto there is never a dull moment. -The looks- still looks fresh compared to the latest BMWs, Audis. -The interior style- love the cool hi-tech feel. -The gearbox, which gets on with the job in an almost psychic way -The economy- 33mpg on the whole. -The multimedia pack. Great sound from the ML, and the reversing camera always raises a smile. -Keyless entry/go -The adaptive cruise (when it works) -The fact that Lexus replaced the wheels 4 yrs on due to corrosion. - The champagne and full tank of fuel after the recall! -And a special mention must go to the dealership, Lexus Reading, who have put up with my pickiness without quibble, and efficiently. I don't like -The sound of the engine- always sounds a bit thin and uninspiring. I miss the rumble of a BMW six, but I note the newer loan cars I've had do sound better. -The build quality; Some of this is me being fussy admittedly, but I've had the rattly dash (twice), a rattly rear view mirror, the indicator stalk broke, the CD changer broke, the seat squeaked, the wiper arm needed replacing, the aircon smells. Had intermittent airbag warning and VSC failure lights. Everything has been attended to without quibble by Lexus Reading but I think Lexus could do better. I'm all for the "pursuit of perfection", but I'd rather they did it at the design and build stage rather than via me. -Not a good cold climate car; the heated windscreen elements only heat the bottom and side inch of the screen. The washer jets freeze- should have heaters. The car takes an age to warm up and the heated seats warm up quite slowly compared to others. -An intermittent fault on the adaptive cruise, which sometimes picks up cars in the inside lane for no reason and brakes hard. -The lack of room in the back, and the lack of split-fold rear seats.

It would seem simpler for them to fit a new engine- that's what Audi did to my astonishment with our '03 A8, which was well out of warranty. Fitted it without charge, and lent us a v nice new A8 for about 3 months whilst they fiddled with ours. So far, touch wood, the engine rattle is about the only problem mine has not had, but its probably a matter of time...

Looks great! Was it a big trauma drilling it in, or did you glue it on in the end?

The IS250SR has with it nes skirting front, side and rear with chrome scuffplates racing pedels. I have had the benefit of drining one in Germany 2 weeks agao and have decided to slup for it and trade my IS220D Sport in .. It feels great to drive and spoilers give that real stunning look that we all know and love from the IS series (albeit better with mirrors in) I am so looking forward to getting my one just a couple of weeks to wait. By the way i am unsure if they have changed any of the baffeling in the exhaust but it does have a deep growl to the 2.5 V6 even though it is "the same engine as is250" thank you for Generic motoring programme. Style100s Glad someone else has noticed that- I drove one and I thought it sounded much better than my 55 reg 250.

I hear BMW have cancelled the M version of the new Z4. Both are victims of the economic climate sadly. The ISF was always going to be a niche seller- the Lexus image has been quite middle-aged until recently- so it needed to gradually catch on and persuade people that M power/AMG/audi S are not the only ways to go. But that is the japanese way; Lexus's original introduction into the UK in the 90s was very low key. I think they could help by making the IS available as a more obvious sport version, like the SR, and perhaps start offering F Sport accessories through the UK network, much as BMW do with M Tech/Sport versionsl, and Audi do with S Line. Or just possibly the ISF cuts across the eco image of the hybrids- perhaps they want to change tack completely with the new gen ISF (e.g. power and economy)

I saw my first one the other week M40 southbound nr Oxford- a black one- looked yummy. I must confess it had me on Lexus used cars when I got home, but sadly not cheap enough for me yet :-(

My used car warranty has covered all manner of rattles- they've replaced the auto dim mirror, fixed the squeaky seat, and done the dash. And they're about to replace the wheels. The original manufacturers wty expired in Oct 08, so now I'm under the extended one. You should be OK in my opinion.

Sorry to see you go- your posts about your experience have been useful, and its good to hear other views. Good luck with the Beemer!

I'd be cautious. Admittedly they will put anything right, but I'd still want to give it the once-over before committing, if nothing else to have a good listen over some bumpy road for any rattles from the dash etc. All used lexus come with a 1 month 'no quibble' return policy, but you have to exchange for another car so you may want agreement from them that they will refund cash.

It spent two days at a dealer last week getting the dash rattle sorted with removal and refit but its started rattling again in a different place :tsktsk: You know what they say, if you want a job done properly... ...then use some double sided sticky tape etc! I will get it sorted properly, but at least now it can wait til the next service, or I would end up attacking the car with a stick, Basil Fawlty-style, after a long journey.

Claying is a crucial first step to cleanse the paint before you polish; you will get a much better finish, and its worth learning how to do it- its not difficult, you just need to be patient. I have the Meguiars DA polisher- its great because you are very unlikely to burn the paint with it as you may with a professional style rotary polisher, which would mean a respray... you need to be very wary of swirls and polisher trails with anything that doesn't have a random motion. What the polisher does is do what you would do by hand, except many times over and over per second and more consistently- thus you won't save time using a DA polisher, but it will give a much better finish in the same amount of time. Time spent preparing the finish i.e. wash, clay, polish is what gives the mirror finish- the top layer of wax seals it in and won't, in itself, provide a mirror finish for long. If your finish is already good, then I'd invest in some high quality glaze, e.g. Zaino; its not hard to apply, and there would be no particular benefit in using a DA polisher to apply.

Is that just 'one of those things'? After a few days sitting the oil settles in the sump, a bit of extra noise is inevitable. Mine sounds a little diesel-ish for the first 30 secs after the weekend, then it quietens down. The sound of the V6 engine in mine leaves a great deal to be desired. I've not owned a car which I feel less inclined to rev as it sounds strained, thin and uninspiring. The later cars sound better... wonder if they'd do a new engine under wty!

The rope only worked to a certain extent, so I have removed it. I've now incorporated a piece of folded black cardboard this morning, which following some extensive pre repair diagnosis last night on the M40 I am confident will work! I will issue a TSB for anyone who's interested!! Who says you need an old british classic car to have fun with a bit of gimcrack DIY!

You got further than me- after 2 days being fixed, my car came back with a nice quiet dash, which started rattling in a different area about 180 miles later! I've taken matters into my own hands and fixed it with a strategically placed bit of folded black cardboard... for the time being.

Noticed an odd noise has started today (moments after I sorted a dash rattle- hopefully coincidental! But I wasn't working anywhere near the blower). There is a deep rumble coming from the heater fan, sort of like the rumble you might get from a 'sporty' exhaust at tickover, but quieter. Definitely wasn't there before, and the noise rises in pitch as the fan speed increases. Any ideas? Is the heater blower easy to access? Thanks Robert.