nidgemo

I started this topic years ago, and the car was genuinely a curse for the last two years I owned it. I swore at that point to never get another car with a DPF. The next car I got was a 2008 Merc EClass, purely based on the fact they were the last model with no dpf. Then, when I changed that, got a lexus IS300H (petrol hybrid) But what I can't understand, in the years that have passed since, is why the hell ANYONE is buing diesel cars. They don't work for 90% of people, they pollute, they don't cost any less to run. But the whole country STILL seems to be in love with diesel. Why???

and also, further to the above, if I do install the latest version (VD12104B), will it be compatible with my car (currently on VC03101B) - I have a IS 300h SE PS COMP P-NAVI with LEXUS PREMIUM NAVIGATION GENERATION 1, and what improvements will it give over the version I have? Thanks!

Hi Colin - yeah, it's the thud noise - definately worth getting checked out!

Cheers Colin I tried to get a video to catch the noise - there is a bit of gear changing noise in the car, but it's the noise on braking when reversing (remember, this is the noise from in car, with all wondows closed, so isn't insignificant!) You'll need to turn your speakers up to hear it - would appreciate any comments if anyone thinks this isn't a normal noise, and I should get it looked into (car came like this from the Lexus dealer when I bought it 11 days ago! - I just assumed it was normal!) IMG_6227.MOV

Hi All - just got a new (to me) 2014 IS300h - I assume, from the attached screenshots, that I'm very out of date here? For those who know their stuff on this, what versions should I be using?

Thanks all - I'd call it more of a click or quiet knock, so definately something worth looking into.

Thanks Nemisis - anyone else ever had this with their 300h?

Hi all - recently changed from an ECLass to an IS300H - am really really impressed with the car, and really happy with it - however, I do have one niggle which may (due to the braking system also harvesting energy) be perfectly normal - but thought it best to check! This never happens when driving forwards, but when reversing (even at very low speeds) and applying the brakes, there is a distinct and quite loud noise from the rear (i think) brakes - is this a normal thing for a 300h? Thanks!

Hi Dave Cheers for that. However, I'm completely certain, having had the car for 5 years, that until about a month ago, the drivers handle DID open all doors... it only changed when one day I give the wife the keys to get something out of the car, and she must have pressed buttons on the fob in a certain order and re-programmed it... So I am hoping someone knows how to reprogramme it back! RE the bleep - yeah, I knew the dealer could do it, but, again, was hoping it was just a matter of press this, then press and hold this, then press both of these together type thing, and it was just a matter of knowing the secret combination that the dealers use.

Hi Everyone - quick question that probably has a quick answer - hopefully someone can help. Previously, (as long as I had the key in my pocket) I could just walk up to the car (a 2006 IS220D) put my hand on the door handle and all doors would open. In my case very handy, as often I'll have a child in my arms, and the mrs will be wanting to get into the passenger seat etc. Recently, though, the car has decided to only open the driver door when I do this - very inconvenient, as I then have to start digging in pockets for the keys while holding a baby, while the wife is shouting "open the door" at me if it's raining :D Does anyone know how to fix this easily, so that putting my hand on the driver handle will automatically open all doors? Also, while I'm here, I would much prefer it if the car produced some kind of audio indicator (a beep, for example) when I lock it - is there any way to turn this functionality on? Thanks all!!!

no - he mentioned with some cars he can hook up a laptop and do a force clean while the car is driving, but not with a lexus - still, hopefully the dpf cleaner and the now 2 drives at consistant high revs will have given it a good clean out! power enhancer also have some interesting looking products I may give them a call to have a chat about, as they seem very knowledgable and helpful.

So, an update... cleaned the egr and got a friend with a scanner to check things out - it was a p2002 - Particulate Trap Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 1) - I had put in the diesel additive in a couple of days ago, and since that, the period before limp mode was kicking in was getting longer and longer, and after cleaning out the egr valve it went away totally and has not came back since (with approx 50 miles covered) - I gave it a good run toinght - 10 miles in lowish revs, then 20 doing 60 in second at 4500 revs, so that should have given the dpf a good clean out. Have also bought Forte DPF cleaner and regenerator so will put the bottle of it through as well on my next refuel - but hopefully that's it for me and "below threshold" just meant it was a bit clogged up, not that it was screwed! Lesson to learn, though - some diesels are dirty - make sure to use additive cleaners semi regularly, and take the car for a good dpf regenerating burn up at least once a month, and hopefully that'll keep me right from now on!

on another note, on re-reading the result of all my searches last night, one interesting thing that came up is that not one single person who got the "check VSC" fault actually had anything wrong with their VSC! Seems a strange fault to come up!

Hi Flavio! Interestingly, I got the wheels aligned on Friday, and this issue came up on Sunday - I wonder could it be they're badly aligned? Seems unlikely! I did check all levels tonight - oil is slightly high, but only a few mm over the top dot. Coolant is fine (but was low recently and needed topped up - all other levels fine. Someone who I thought had replied here earlier (???) mentioned to check for droplets in the coolant resevoir, and there does appear to be a little condensation in it - they also mentioned to check for white sludge inside the oil cap, but it's as clean as a whistle. Booked in for a egr clean tomorrow, and have thrown a bottle of this in a tank of fuel, so hopefully that will help clear things out a bit and the error will disappear (fingers crossed!) - I have been doing a lot of town driving recently - probably haven't done any more than 3 miles in a single journey for about a month and a half, so hoiping it's just a clearable build up!

hi paul yeah, same for me! bought a lexus because of the famed reliability! i will say though, that some (though only those with a full lexus service history) do appear to get the extra warranty! if you did get a fix, would be nice to hear about it here in the interest of keeping a resource of solutions all in one place.

for the record, most people who appear to get this problem, it does go away by itself, or with a fuel additive. the next group are people who need an egr clean (you can do this yourself - great video here the next up in terms of cost seems to be the people who fall into the cat converter category (rejuvination or replacement) - unfortunately this is when it starts getting expensive! and then the full engine strip down and rebuilds! most other issues do seem to be one off causes.

Hi Everyone I'm starting this topic for the benefit of all, as this does seem a common problem, so if anyone has ever had this fault, could you please contribute, and let us know how you got it fixed, what it cost, what you done to get it away, what fault codes you got (if you know) etc - generally, to combine all the info about this issue in one place, and then any other poor soul falling foul of this all too common fault can maybe get an answer in one place! I've had a good search through the forum, read all the topics about this fault and am still none the wiser - it appears this fault can be caused by anything from a lose diesel cap to requiring a full engine rebuild at a cost of over £4000! Understandably, a lot of topics about this peter off as people either got the problem sorted, and never came back to report how, or because people did get it sorted through a variety of ways. So please, if you have your own check vsc story to tell, please tell it here - how you got it sorted in particular, and it may even be useful as a surver to find out the most common cause of the fault! My own problem is all too familiar! I've just had the dreaded "Check VSC" message, combined with the warning triangle, the engine light and the car going into limp mode. This actually has happened to me before, about 2 years ago - at that point, I tightened my petrol cap, and it went away of it's own accord a few days later. However, recently, the car has been sluggish at low revs (fine once above 2000) and then this today. For the record, my car is a late 2006 220D SE-L with 60,000 miles - however, I had a egr valve and cat mod fitted under warranty in december 2009 - does my 3 year warranty period start again from this point for that part i wonder?? in any case, any info and suggestion is welcome! A few questions which might also be relevant to this topic, and would be great to know if anyone has any definitive answers… 1. In a few places there is mentioned an extended warranty on certain parts relating to this - I've read 7 years, 6 years and 100,000 miles and 110,000 miles - does anyone have any confirmation that this is the case, and do Lexus cover everyone for this? 2. Does there seem to be one definitive answer which is the fix for this in most cases, or at least the eheapest place to start? On this forum, I've read stories from people who've all had this fault, but fixes for it have been any of... Cleaning fuel tank cap Particulate Trap Efficiency Cat Converter new injector low oil pressure rejuvination of catalytic convertor air flow meter centre pipe just behind A/F b2 corroded and leaking causing eml lamp speed sensor on the D/s front wheel (code c0200) EGR valve Particulate Filter just before the Cat lambda sensor throttle body some people appear to have got it sorted just through the use of a diesel additive... and one poor guy who was out over 4k for a full engine strip down and new cat! 3. if people need to buy parts for repair, any info on good places to source parts might be useful 4. if people found fuel additives worked, what ones were best (ive been looking at Forté Diesel Particulate Filter Cleaner and Regenerator and Forté Advanced Formula Diesel Treatment) This forum is a great and invaulable help source for many people, and hopefully this thread will develop into a great resource for all members of the CHECK VSC club - ideally saving money for all with expensive repairs saved!

colbecoz - oh - bad luck - I bought the one with the two diameters of tubes, and the thinner one fitted fine.

sucked 350ml out this morning anyway, just to be safe - have left it slightly below the top dot on the dipstick, and only drove about 5 miles with it overfilled, so there seem to be no bad effects! thanks for everyones help!

another one - comes with thinner and longer tubes, and gloves! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brake-Bleeding-Syringe-Tube-Also-Gearbox-Oil-Filling-/150653861974?pt=UK_Hand_Tools_Equipment&hash=item2313ab8056

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Giant-Big-Large-100ml-Syringe-PVC-Suction-Feed-Tube-/250850800056?pt=UK_HomeGarden_Garden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN&hash=item3a67df71b8 looks like a possible answer! Anyone know if 70cm tube is long enough, and if 8mm diameter is too wide? (it says 5mm internal diameter, which would mean an 8mm outer diameter tube)

good thinking! I was looking at this this morning as a possible solution http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110704200195?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649 but a big syringe and a bit of hose would do just as well!

Hi Everyone Yesterday, I got an oil maintenance required warning, checked the oil level and it was VERY low (a good 2cm below the bottom mark!) I got myself straight to a car factors sales place, got the correct oil (5w30 fully synth) and topped it up a little at a time, checking with the dipstick regularly between each topup, until the level was close to the top dot on the dipstick. However, I re-checked it again this morning, and the oil level is showing at around 1cm above the top mark on the dipstick. Is this anything I should be worried about? At the level the car seems to be using oil (from it's last service), I'd guess this amount would be used up in about two months At the level it was, and how much I needed to put in (2 liters) I would guess it's perhaps about 500ml over where it should be Is the car safe to drive at this level? Do I need to get some oil drained out? If so, how easy is it to do this myself? Thanks for any help!

no one any ideas?

Hi Everyone - little problem hopefully someone will be able to give me a hint towards a soloution before I have to take a 140 mile round trip to the stealership! My fans seem to have lost most of their power - seems to make little difference whether I'm trying to heat or cool the car, in air con or not, or even de-misting the window - I'd say the fans are blowing, at best, at about 30% what they were before. I did change a battery fairly recently, but other than that, I can think of no reason this has happened. They ARE blowing, but more like an asthmatic pensioner than the once proud chilly gale force it could muster with the temp on lo and the A/C on! Anyone got any suggestions? Blocked filters? Do all fans run on the same fuse circuit? Cheers in anticipation of some help!