Steviewevie

I just had quite a lengthy conversation with a very helpful guy at Lexus Guildford on the cambelt. He confirmed that the original interval was 100,000 miles/10 years, but Lexus saw that some belts weren't lasting that long so they changed it to 60,000 miles/6 years. I discussed my car with him (48,000 miles, 9 years old). He suggested that I bring it in and they check it. He agreed that the belt could conceivably perish with age, but they would report what they saw on inspecting it. If they saw any signs of damage and/or perishing then they would recommend replacing it. However, if it looked ok then they would say so (e.g. ok to leave it until at least the next service), and then if it failed in between times then they would be liable for any damage caused. So I think I'll get it inspected and get their recommendation in writing. They quoted me a special price they're doing at the moment for older cars or £347.15 including VAT (parts and labour for cambelt change, not including service etc).

This morning I took my newly-acquired IS 200 to Wheels in Motion to get the geometry set properly and the wheels balanced. I'd noticed a lot of vibration at motorway speeds which wasn't there when I test drove it. The wheels had been refurbished in between my original test drive and purchase, so I suspected the wheels hadn't been balanced (especially because I couldn't see any weights on 3 out of the 4 wheels !). Anyway, it was great. Tony and his guys seemed highly professional and the service was excellent. Tony kindly answered all my stupid questions about the whole thing and obviously has very in-depth knowledge about this sort of thing. Turns out that all my wheels were badly unbalanced. I was impressed by WIM's balancing machine, which tells the operator exactly where to put the weights as well as how much it should be. It even gives you a printout afterwards. I'd say that if you are popping to WIM for a geometry set-up, then if you've got any doubts about the balance of your wheels it might be worthwhile getting them checked there too. There was a huge transformation just from the wheel balancing. A much smoother ride at high speed and a pleasure to drive. The fact that the balancing made such an improvement made it difficult to judge any improvement from the geometry. The geometry settings were some way out from WIM's proper settings, as expected. It did seem to track better on the motorway, and a slight pull to the left had disappeared. Haven't taken it down any twisties yet to see how it handles down there. Overall, a great experience and money well spent. I highly recommend Tony's service to any other IS 200 owners out there. Even if it's quite a trip that you have to make, I am sure you'll be glad you did.

Welcome :) I've had my IS 200 just a few days now, and I get a bit of a shudder too sometimes. But I think it's a matter of getting the revs right, too little or too much can seem to do it, but if I get it just right it's nice and smooth.

Hi Tommy, There's a "New Topic" button at the top right of the forum. Also, when you're reading a thread (like this one), there's also a "New Topic" button at bottom right, next to the "Fast Reply" and "Add Reply" buttons.

That's the thing though, does it ? I can imagine the stresses and strains of 60,000 miles, but 6 years sounds like a relatively short interval for that sort of component, hence my question. I'll probably get it done pretty soon anyway though, just to be on the safe side.

Well that was weird :duh: Just went out for a drive and found that the original key wouldn't lock/unlock the doors any more after programming the other keys previously ! So I had to re-programme that too, and now all is well again :)

Thanks for the replies guys. I phoned the garage who did the last few services (a Toyota dealer) and they were extremely helpful. I now know that the cam belt change hasn't been done yet, and also a few other things, e.g. spark plugs haven't been changed for a while, air filter changed a year ago, etc.

On the same subject, I've done some investigation and my (newly acquired) 1999 IS 200 with 48K miles hasn't had a cam belt change. I understand that the recommended threshold is 60,000 miles or 6 years. Given that my car hasn't done the mileage yet, is the belt really likely to have become degraded through age (nearly 9 years old now) ? Is this something that a dealer can inspect or not really without virtually changing it anyway ?

Woo-hoo, it worked ! :D Worked first time on one of the keys, second attempt on the other key. Just did the "first bit" of the guide to reprogramme them to do the remote locking. What a fantastic resource this forum is ! I've learned so much in a short space of time, and this is just one invaluable example. Thanks very much to 84Stoney for the guide :D

ok, I checked with my dealer. I found out that the part number in the pinned thread is wrong, it should be GBNGA-5S016, not GBNGA-55016. However, they did a search across all UK dealers and couldn't find anyone who had one :( Anyone got any suggestions for an alternative, e.g. a third-party alternative that looks very similar and is decent quality (e.g. won't go a funny colour after being used for 5 mins) ?

Part numbers for these are in a pinned thread at the top of the forum ("Factory Part Numbers LGB/TTE). I was quoted £48.32 for one. Yes, there's a Lexus dealer in Leicester, phone 0116 268 8500.

I already have replaced the battery in the two-button key. Haven't tried replacing the battery in the other three-button key yet, but it doesn't work at very close range (tried several times) and the LED on the key does light up when you press it.

This seems to be a popular subject :) . I've of course read the pinned thread at the top of the forum on reprogramming keys. I received three keys with my car - two three-button keys and one two-button key. Only one key seemed to function remotely, which was one of the three-button keys, and this appears to be a master since the security light on the dash doesn't come on when I insert the key. The two-button key was dead, no LED on the key when I pressed the buttons, so I assumed it had a flat battery and replaced it. Now, this key will start the engine fine, and the security light comes on on the dash briefly when the key is inserted into the ignition (although not when the key is turned, contrary to what's in the pinned thread), so I'm thinking it's not a master. So it seems like my car has "forgotten" this key when it comes to the remote lock/unlocking and alarm, but is still remembered when it comes to the immobiliser. My conclusion is that I need to go through the first bit of the reprogramming guide in the pinned thread, i.e. to make it work the remote locking again, but I shouldn't need to do the immobiliser bit again. Is this right ? The other three button key is in the same state, i.e. it can start the engine but not lock/unlock the doors. Although it appears to be a master, since the security light doesn't come on when it's inserted into the ignition. So again it sounds like I need to do the first bit of reprogramming on this one too. Have I got this right ? I realise the only way to really tell for sure is to try it, but I want to make sure I've not misunderstood before getting into that.

ok, I have just become the proud owner of a 1999 IS200 with 48,000 miles on the clock. I have a stamped-up service book with Lexus and Toyota dealer stamps, but no receipts showing what work was carried out at each service. I see from other threads that it's recommended that the cam belt be changed at 60,000 or 6 years. I've seen one previous IS200 that had a sticker in the engine bay saying when the cam belt was changed. I have no such sticker in my engine bay. I'm trying to figure out if mine will have been changed or not. You would hope that a Lexus or Toyota service would have changed it when it was 6 years old. But then wouldn't they have put a sticker in the engine bay ? I could always try phoning up said dealers and seeing if they'll tell me what work was carried out. Has anyone tried this sort of thing, will dealers normally tell you stuff done for previous owners ? Any other ideas ?

I noticed that the chrome exhaust trim is missing from my IS200 Sport. Presumably it has been half-inched at some point. I see from other threads that it may be possible to get one from a Lexus dealer, depending if they still have them (since it's been discontinued). Might be a stupid question, but how easy are these to fit ? Do they just slip on and then are tightened with a screw or similar ?

Thanks for all the positive feedback. Just got back home with the car, woo-hoo, I'm so excited, I love it ! :D

Heh, funny you should mention that. My previous car had Xenons, and I did see some threads on the HIDs, so that was something else I had under consideration ! Having been used to Xenons I suspect the standard IS200 headlights are going to seem a tad on the dim side.

Just arranged to pick up my new (well, new to me) IS 200 Sport (Platinum Ice) on Saturday. Woo-hoo, can't wait ! :D Through browsing the forum I'm already considering painting my brake callipers, getting a sports grille, and arranging for it to be WIM'd. Methinks the start of a slippery slope has begun !

I've been having a look around at some other postings, and I'm already thinking about painting my brake callipers. Is this the start of a slippery slope I wonder ? Lol

Thanks. Platinum Ice. Only done 48K miles, not bad for the year I think. I will get some pics when I can :)

Greetings all, just wanted to say hi. Have put a deposit on a 1999 IS200 Sport, can't wait to pick it up ! Hopefully later this week. I have already found these forums very useful in terms of doing a bit of research before buying. For example, "my" car has the older-style bottom loading CD head unit. I loaded it up and it seemed to work ok, but now I know that in the case of the dreaded stuck CD error, there seems to be a neat solution courtesy of Wozza (detailed >>here<<). I also picked up some useful tips about getting hold of some number plates. So thanks in advance for helping me without me even asking !