Roger Bill

A lot of car accessory shops sell Autoglym products for DIY use. Have you checked out the discussions in the "Lexus Car Care and Detailing" forum where there's lots of info on various polish and claying products and on valeting and detailing companies?

According to this web site: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/caradv...ony-column.html Autoglym Super Resin Polish and Extra Gloss Protection are Supaguard equivalents which only cost about £20-£25.

The reverse camera warning only appears when the parallel parking mode is selected. When the reverse camera image is displayed, touch the icon in the bottom right of the screen to select the manual mode. In this mode, the camera image is displayed whenever reverse is selected without any warning. In this mode the yellow lines appear showing the direction the car will take with the current steering wheel lock. From memory I think there are 2 or 3 other modes, but I think this is the best.

Hi again I've just fallen over this on the USA official Lexus web site: https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrive...sources/home.do This contains links to a much broader range of Owner's Manuals and an instruction video for using the sat nav system in the IS.

Manuals for the pre-2009 facelift IS are available as free to download .pdf files on the USA Lexus Owners Club web site: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=25999 These obviously relate to the USA version of the IS but I think the differences are minor and are mostly simply because some options differ between the UK and USA markets, eg tyre pressure sensors are available in the USA but not here. Also printed copies occasionally appear for sale on eBay but these are also mainly from the USA and when P&P is included the cost can be rather high.

Hi Matt Many thanks for the info, really glad it's working for you with no problems.

Hi Matt For the past couple of months I've been wondering about getting a SmartPhone. However, having searched the UK and USA Lexus Owners Club forums and various other sources I found a lot of people reporting a worrying number of problems. For what it's worth I ended up with the impression that the HTC Touch Diamond 2 seemed to be about the best of the current crop. However, it obviously depends on your particular priorities. For me the absolute must have is a phone that works reliably in terms of signal strength and bluetooth functionality whereas PDA features, etc are more nice to have rather than essential. Also I have a preference for phones running Windows Mobile because of the programs available for that platform. At present I've decided to keep my old Sony phone and Dell Pocket PC while they're both working and performing their particular functions without any problems. If you do get a SmartPhone please let us know how you get on as I'm sure I'll have to get a SmartPhone soon.

The Lexus UK list of phones that have been tested with the bluetooth system can be found at: http://www.lexus.co.uk/Images/Bluetooth%20...m585-901378.pdf The USA Lexus site: http://lexusbluetooth.letstalk.com/product...=1&model=IS provides some useful info, although the phones sold into the USA market often don't have direct equivalents here in the UK. Although Motorola phones don't seem to be the best in terms of their bluetooth systems, I think I have seen a post on one of these LOC forums where someone did get a RAZ working with a Lexus bluetooth after some fiddling with settings. I understand Sony Ericsson phones generally have a good reputation for use with the Lexus and with other bluetooth systems. I have a 5 year old Sony phone and it works fine in my IS250. I've also tried a new Nokia (sorry I can't remember the model number, just that it was a simple and cheap phone) and it also worked fine. The only problem I have on the Lexus phone system is that pauses programmed in phonebook entries don’t work and so I have to hit 3 buttons to retrieve voicemail, whereas my previous Bluetooth system would dial and send the access code with a single button press. However, this is just a very minor irritation.

Dear all I promised to report back after my first month of IS250SEI ownership. So far I have no cause to regret my choice. It's a really great car which is fully living up to expectations and I am someone who is rather particular about cars. Also I dithered over this choice longer than ever I have previously and during this period of dithering I compared the IS with a good cross-section of both new and used cars from other manufacturers. As yet I’ve had none of the squeaks or rattles of which there have been so many complaints on this forum. Maybe the 2009 cars are better or maybe it takes time for these problems to surface or maybe it’s just luck of the draw. I’ve been driving carefully because being rather old fashion, I believe it helps to treat a car gently for the first 1,000 miles. As a result I’ve been averaging around 40 mpg, although now that I’ve started to drive more normally I expect this will drop to around 35mpg on the mix of long and short runs I generally drive. However, the engine seems to take longer to warm up than my previous cars, so I guess short journeys would result in a lot lower average. The only niggle I can think of is that pauses programmed in phonebook entries don’t work and so I have to hit 3 buttons to retrieve voicemail, whereas my previous Bluetooth system would dial and send the access code with a single button press. As this very minor irritation is my only gripe, is a clear indication of how highly I rate the car! Most importantly it’s quiet, easy and fun to drive, the automatic is smooth and the seats are comfortable, even after two 3 hour drives in one day. It’s a shame the nav system doesn’t include DRG and the ML sound system, but a 2009 SEL was beyond my budget and I didn’t particularly want any of the other extras included in the SEL specification.

Hi Bosnia I've now had my 250SEI auto with nav for a month and I find it excellent. I had dithered for some months over the choice between the SEI and a pre-facelift 250 SE or SEL with full multi-media. I'd suggest you take a test drive, because I felt the 2009 cars drive better especially on 17 rather than 18" wheels, but this will be subject to personal preference and whether your priority is for comfort or road holding. I would have liked DRG and the ML sound system, but the standard system is very good. Again I think you should check it for yourself as it's down to personal preference and, as you've been used to the ML system, you might find the standard system a step down. Among the changes introduced in the 2009 facelift are styling changes to the front and rear bumpers, indicators in the external mirrors which are also larger, restyled alloy wheels, slightly darker aluminium trim, contrast stitching on the leather seats and centre arm rest, revised centre console and air vents and the rear headrests can now be folder to improve rear visibility. The SEI includes parking sensors, previously only fitted on the SEL, and all models now have VDIM which was previously only fitted on the 220. The navigation system now allows programming and dialling on the move and the automatic allows the use of the paddle shifts when in "D". Apparently the stabiliser bar and electric power steering have been tweaked to improve "driveability". I think £13.2k depreciation over 3 years and 45k miles sounds reasonable. Hope this helps Best regards Roger

I've now got my SE-I and, although I haven't yet made much use of the sat nav, I have seen it recalculate a different route after I'd deviated from the original route. However, I get the feeling that, like the sat nav in my previous car, when you initially deviate from a route the system does tend to try and get you back on that route before eventually giving up and recalculating a new route. In my previous car I found it was sometimes better to force it to recalculate a route.

The choice of tyre depends partly upon personal preference. For example, do you value low noise and ride comfort more than handling? A couple of web sites which might help are: http://www.blackcircles.com/tyres and http://www.tirerack.com/ Although I guess if playing safe were more important, you might simply want to stick with tyres which Lexus fit as standard. I've got Dunlop on my IS250SEI although, because I found Michelin Pilot Primacy were much quieter than Dunlops on my previous car, when the time comes I will be tempted to opt for these again assuming they're available in the appropriate sizes.

Thanks for that Shoggy, it's good to know I'm not alone in this. I think I'll just use the "W" wait between the number and password in my phonebook entry. This just means I have to hit the 0-9 key to send the passcode once the dialled number has been picked up which isn't too bad.

Hi all I posted a similar question in the general "Audio/Video/Electronics" forum a couple of weeks ago and, although I don't like posting the same question twice, I thought I'd try here as this forum seems more active. I've also tried getting this question through to Lexus technical support, without success. I'd like to save an entry in the phonebook on my new IS250 which will dial my work phone number, pause and then dial the passcode needed to retrieve voicemails. I've tried the "pause" button on the screen used to enter numbers into the Lexus phonebook and I've tried transferring phonebook entries from my phone that include a "p". In all cases this simply dials the phone number and then stops at the pause and doesn't send the passcode. Including the "wait" button in a phonebook entry works as expected; after the system dials the phone number, you can then hit the 0-9 key to send the passcode. Alternatively I know I can save the passcode separately as speedtone, but both these alternatives involve a number of key presses whereas on my previous bluetooth handsfree I was able to dial, pause and send passcodes in a single step. I've tried various experiments using both Sony Ericisson and Nokia phones with the same results. I'm wondering whether a new phone might solve the problem or if there's a special technique required to use the "p" pause feature. If anyone has a solution and/or are able to recommend a particular make and model of phone I'd be very grateful.

Hi both Many thanks for the very useful input and as a result I've decided not to take out a service plan. Also my local Lexus dealer in Cambridge apparently doesn't offer discounts to LOC members but the next two nearest Lexus dealers do discount servicing costs. Therefore, it seems preferable to retain flexibility to shop around for prices on each service rather than getting locked into a contract with one particular dealer. A difficult decision without the benefit of a crystal ball, but I'll just have to hope inflation doesn’t push up servicing costs too much during the next few years!

I started looking at the Lexus web site for a 57 to 58 plate IS250 SEL or SE automatic with MM last August. Prices were generally lower last Oct-Dec but there were also a lot more cars for sale. I think Lexus dealers were then cutting prices to help reduce their stock levels due to the state of the market and that now the more restricted supply of nearly new cars has pushed prices back up. If stocking levels have actually had more of an impact on prices than "normal" seasonal effects, the same price trend may not be repeated later this year.

Hi all I've just bought a new IS250SEI automatic from my local Lexus main agent and have been given quotes for two alternative plans which cover 3 and 7 services. The monthly payments seem reasonable. However, the Service Plan Provider is EMaC Ltd, who are based in Crewe and servicing must be carried out by this particular dealer. In general I don't like being tied to fixed monthly payments and, especially as I've no experience of the service department at this dealer, I'd prefer the flexibility of being able to shop around. On the other hand this is my first Lexus and I've seen some rather high servicing costs mentioned in these forums. Does anyone have any experience of service plans provided by EMaC or any other information that might help in my decision making? Many thanks Roger

I've just discovered that the door open chime doesn't sound with the ignition in the accessory position and the passenger door open. The owner's manual explains that it's only the driver's door which causes the chime to sound (page 12 or 42). Seems odd, but it works on my car.

I've now tried a new Nokia phone. I setup a phonebook entry in the Nokia which included the phone number, a "p" pause and my voicemail access code. I successfully transferred this into the Lexus bluetooth phonebook. But this phonebook entry simply dialled the phone number, stopped at the pause and didn't send the voicemail access code. In other words the Nokia worked exactly the same as my old Sony Ericisson. I think this confirms the problem is with the Lexus bluetooth system, unless anyone has a phone they use with their Lexus to dial numbers, pauses and voicemail access codes? Does anyone know of a means of contacting someone at Lexus technical support who might be able to help with this type of issue?

I already had all the speed dials set up on my phone and, although it's 5 years old, it seems to work well with the Lexus bluetooth system and I successfully bulk transferred all the phonebook entries including those containing "p". However, these phonebook entries suffer the same problem as those entered directly into the Lexus, i.e. the number is dialled but nothing after the "p" is sent. Using this phone with my previous bluetooth system to retrieve voice mails was a simple one button operation. I'm wondering whether a new phone might solve the problem so I'd be really interested to hear if anyone has got this "p" feature working.

I've tried a few more experiments and still haven't been able to solve this problem. Retrieving voice mails and dialling other systems that require passcodes must surely be a very common use for the Lexus bluetooth hands free phone system? As my phone is a 5 year old Sony Ericisson phone and, although it seems to work well with the Lexus bluetooth system, I'm wondering whether a new phone might solve the problem. Therefore, I'd be really interested to hear if anyone has got this "p" feature working and, if so, on which phone? Best regards Roger

Hi again Tango I just tried mine again. With ignition in the accessory on mode and with the autobox in park, the open door chime sounds unless the door closure switch is held in. Unfortunately I didn't try with the ignition in the on mode or with the engine running. This seems odd as it would be more understandable if the door open chime sounded when the ignition was on rather than when it was just in the accessory on mode.

Hi Tango I've just tried this but on mine it only works if you hold the closure switch. Is there some trick needed such as when to press the switch? Many thanks Roger

Hi all I'd like to save an entry in the phonebook on my new IS250 which will dial my work phone number, pause and then dial the passcode needed to retrieve voicemails. I've tried the "pause" button on the screen used to enter numbers into the phonebook. This simply dials the phone number and stops. Including the "wait" button in a phonebook entry is a little better because then after the system dials the phone number, you can hit the 0-9 key to send the passcode. Alternatively I know I could save the passcode separately as speedtone, but both these alternatives involve a number of key presses whereas on my previous bluetooth handsfree I was able to do this in a single step. I've found posts by a couple of people asking this same question on USA Lexus owners forums but no replies or solutions. Many thanks Roger

IS300: I'm not sure whether this Lexus Australia press kit dated Nov 2005 http://www.pressroom.com.au/press_kit_deta...p;kitID=76#1366 will help or hinder your decision making process. It contains some interesting technical descriptions of various aspects of the IS and highlights a number of the changes made between the IS200/300 and the IS250 models.