M0nty

I know what you mean; it's difficult to make a decision when there are so many sources of compatibility information and when that info differs between them. Happily I can tell you that I have a Tocco (the previous model) and it works well with my IS 250's MM console.

Happened to me last week on the 2nd time I started it after coming back from a week's holiday. It had been in the garage all week and I'd only driven a mile down the road before stopping again. It reluctantly started on the second attempt and has been OK since, so I'm assuming it was a slightly deflated battery.

Interesting! I wonder what happens to them after they leave the factory to introduce those rattles. Perhaps a team of Ninja Honda engineers sneak aboard the ships :-)

Yes... its quite alarming the first time it happens, isn't it! I put a bit too much power on coming off a small roundabout last week and the back end moved out ever so slightly... and boy does it let you know.

My other car is an Avensis Well, it's actually "The Car Formerly Known as Mine"; an '06 model that my wife drives since I got the IS. The Avensis is good, solid, reliable, roomy, comfortable and inexpensive to insure but very uninspiring to drive.

Yuk

My June 2008 IS 250 had the dashboard rattle when I took it for a test drive; the dealership fixed it before I came back for another try. I've had no recurrence so far.

Thanks for your helpful suggestions. It's snowing outside as I type so it looks like I'm about to get an opportunity to try them (although buying a Porche is perhaps a step too far).

Interesting .... thanks (...........old chap :) ).

I'm intruiged to know your reasoning there, old chap. Hmmm .. reversing into your garage; bet that doesn't happen very often. Not sure I like the idea of reversing down a slippery incline into a narrow gap.

OK tried that; suggested it to my wife last night. Anyone know how to extract a Lexus key fob from the place where the sun don't shine? :tsktsk:

It's a long time since I've driven a rear-wheel drive car in snow so I was being very careful this morning trying to reverse out of my drive on about 2cm of snow. It didn't go well, so I'd welcome any hints, please, from anyone who is a seasoned veteran manual IS 250 owner. The drive is on a slight incline. On the first attempt I released the handbrake and slipped the clutch and my nice shiny new IS 250 moved disconcertingly towards the garage door. I then disengaged the traction control and stability control and tried again; backwards movement resulted but with an alarming sideways component and much rear wheel skidding (more sideways that backwards actually). A third try with just the traction control didn't make much difference to this. In the end I played safe; opened the garage door, drove into the garage and cleared the drive.

The car needs to be able to tell if you've left the key fob in the boot, or if it really is outside of the car. It also needs to know if you are approaching from behind the car to allow you to open the boot before unlocking the car. The sensor you mention does all that, I think. I seem to recall the manual has a nice picture that shows 4 of them; one behind the ignition and two in the doors if I remember correctly.

I've had mine just over a month and I think its the dog's b's. I'm still learning new things about the MM system and the electronic systems; I even bought a new bluetooth phone so I could set up the autodialling stuff. It feels great to drive, looks fantastic and its just so well made and finished. I wasn't prepared for the fact that driving it is like driving a 2-seater; I had an MR2 mk I many years ago it takes me back to those days every time I sit in it - but with knobs on. :D :D

I bought an IS250 with MM last month for 19K - six months old, 7700 on the clock. I thought I did fairly well and if like me you want MM and don't have more than 20K to spend its a good time if they really are taking the MM option off the basic model.