kenfoxy

Sorry, not my experience of Potenzas on 2 cars. My favourite at the moment are Ultrac Sessantas, but not always easy to get.

Check out TYREREVIEWS on the Net. That will give you an idea on "comfort". HOWEVER don't forget the other categories, especially "wet grip". You don't want to end up with a blissfully smooth ride and a twitchy back end.

Brake Discs and Pads - When I need new pads I go to a local tyre place who will fit customer supplied items for £25 (fronts), probly the same for rears. My advice is get a labour quote from a tyre place you know for whatever you want and check out the costs from the Net. Can't see it costing more than £400 all round, discs and pads. You might even get upgade items after taking advice from this Forum for not a lot more. Defintely worth checking out.

Glad everything is sorted. Interesting what you say about the courtesy car. Pure spite that. Do Lexus have an accident aftercare service? My other car is a Mazda and if they are contacted at the time they take over the whole process of getting your car back on the road. They "deal" with your insurer and recover your car to a Mazda repair specialist and provide a courtesy car, all free of charge. I would be very surprised if Lexus don't do the same or better.

Never had to top up anything since new in 2001. Oil reads full when I get it back from service, Reads full when it goes in 6000 miles later.

My daughter drove us (4 adults) from Liverpool to Stratford upon Avon last year. She cruises along between 60-70ish and never accelerates hard and brakes gently. She got 37 mpg. Stark contrast to my urban driving of 24mpg.

You make a valid point about the list price and actual price on Mercs, BMW, Audi. The options on them can be difficult to resist and be very expensive indeed. £5K can be easily rung up to equal a Lexus spec.

Could be because dealers expect a surge of trade ins for September registrations. Too much stock. Word of warning to IS220/250 owners. 12 months after the IS200/300 went, Lexus dealers simply didn't want any IS200's unless they were trade ins. In other words unless your next car is going to be another Lexus, I would sell it before the model comes along.

In theory you could change the oil/filter at the right mileage interval and trust the rest to the MOT check and how the car feels to identify faults. Trouble is that it would be difficult to sell on and you would lose more in depreciation than servicing costs. Makes sense once a car reaches its plateau value.

Found a quick method of obtaining your car's current value just by keying in your reg. WARNING, do not visit this site if you are prone to depression. https://www.moneysupermarket.com/car-in ... 98c681f035

Changing the P7000 on the back to a Falken 452 has tamed the back end even with a Wanli on the other side. This makes the Falken way better than the old P7000 and the Wanli at least acceptable.

Just put some water on it and check for bubbles.

I sometimes wonder about whether there is scientific basis for car insurance premiums at all with such wide variations. Could it be that those people you speak to have a lot of leeway on price and providing that they get the right average premium over all their customers in each category, they don't mind giving a low cost deal to get the business. In other words, it is just like selling anything else.

Always a good idea to try your existing insurer on line when you get a renewal.

I have a slow puncture from my front tyre which does not show up at the local tyre place. I was told that as alloys corrode the seal between the tyre and the rim is compromised. The fitter sanded the rim and put the tyre back. The slow puncture continues (3-4psi per week). Has anyone had this problem before on an IS200 or any car with alloys? Just wondering whether a new tyre might help (ie fresh/softer rubber).

If it only squeels turning left/right whilst parking, it could be your power steering belt slipping. That squeel is tied to engine revs not road speed.

If you see other normal cars making it through, then I give it a go. Select a lower than normal gear, but don't overrev and never overtake the bow wave. If possible use the pavement with one side or the other. Raises the height above the water. Don't forget to dry your brakes after. Strange how the Government wants us to drive small eco cars (preferably electric?) when the roads become impassable with snow or flooding. There are times when lives have been saved with 4x4's.

Main dealers charge labour at about £80 + vat per hour, independents at £50 +vat per hour. This figure varies across the country. So £200 might only buy you 2 hours labour.

I presume so. I just specified "Mazda" and the match is perfect. Might be an idea to check with them first.

Yes, I did the same to my Mazda. Used this kit and I must say I am very impressed with the result. I am certainly no artist yet I have to look very closely at the wheel to find where I touched it up. The kit is colour matched to the manufacturer. Plenty left for other "incidents". http://www.thescratchdoctor.co.uk/wheel-repair-kits/alloy-wheel-rim-repair-kit-p-431.html?osCsid=f358kdv93g62ut5kmpf5471ke3 Best of luck!

I had no idea it was such a complicated business.

Yes it still looks stunning today dispite the fact that it is 5 years out of production and there are plenty of them about. That's usually a recipe for ignoring a car. The Japanese have produced some great shapes over the years. Can anyone remember the Mazda 323 with the slopey front and the spoiler on the hatch: Or the similarly shaped Celica. Couldn't believe it when they stopped it. If you really like the Is200/300 and want to upgrade, I would seek out a IS300. The mpg is slightly worse but the VED is the same.

There are 2 cars in my family, an IS200 (Y) and a 6MPS (06). I love driving them both even though the Mazda feels twice as fast. I can drive either and don't mind if it's the IS200, so why? For me it's because it is such a refined and luxurious car which is so easy to drive. I have driven the IS250 and was bored out of my skull in about 5 minutes. I feel far more part of the car in the IS200. Then there is the quality of the car. The only replacement part, apart from consumables, was a shock absorber. Never failed an MOT. Finally, there is the look. It is still one of the best looking medium sized cars on the road - and it's 5 years out of production.

Brilliant result. Other manufacturers are using the "kerbed" cop out on the grounds that they are not just making good the corrosion but making good accidental damage. They call it "betterment".

It is interesting that there are numerous complementary posts here about the Lexus Extended Warranty. Not one about 3rd part warranties. In fact I have never read a good one on ANY forum. Bit of a no brainer really. If I couldn't afford the Lexus warranty I would build up a reserve fund to cater for disasters and hope for the best. If you go the cheaper route you could end up paying more (premium + uncovered cost of repair).