new666uk

SOLVED. Took it back into my local garage and after some umming and ahhing they replaced the lower ball joint. Problem now solved. thanks new666uk

Sounds like the brakes are binding on which from what I hear is fairly common, happened to my Dads is200 last year but not on mine yet (touch wood). The heating and cooling (expansion / contraction) of the alloy can allow it to leak air. cheers new666uk

I have a similar issue but more when the steering is being turned. A squeal sound from the f/o/side. This am I took the wheel off and greased / WD40'd the ball joints and any movable connectors I could get to (track rod ends etc). The squeal is still just as bad as before. My local garage had a quick look last week and reckons it's just that the bushes etc have dried out having had moisture in back when we had the snow, says he's seen quite a few suspension issues from that recently. Any other ideas on where / what to try? thanks

What are the shocks like? If they are goosed you could be losing contact with the ground enough to trigger the ABS. If you watch, you can sometimes see it on the rear wheels on hatchbacks if they are driving along in front of you. The suspension is working 10 to the dozen keeping the wheel on the ground. cheers new666uk

Thanks Mr Rudus, They aren't too bad I think. Usually the garage comment when they are getting thin but nothing this time. It doesn't sound like metal on metal. In the last few months I've removed both brake disc guards (one rotted apart and got stuck against the alloy one night on the way home from work, the other at half past silly in the morning i nthe middle of nowhere. Perhaps thats connected somehow but I don't see why only one side. thanks new666uk

Hi all, This week, (after it only having had a full service last week) I noticed what I can only describe as a squeak whenever I turn right or back from right to neutral. It seems to be from the off side front suspension somewhere although it's been difficult to stand on the passenger side and turn the wheel whilst I listen. I've got the usual grumbles from the from suspension as you'd expect on a 110k+ car but this is a new noise. It never does it when turning to the left of neutral and seems more obvious at slow speeds (although that could just be as its drowned out by engine and wind noise at higher speed). I'm planning to part ex the iS in the next 3-6 months and am wondering if people can suggest what the sound could be and can I risk continuing for a few months. Obviously if something is going to let go on me and result in me parking into the scenery I'll get it sorted. If it's more just an annoyance I'll live with it a little longer. Cheers new666uk

Thanks Bobba. Just been out and blasted it and worked it back and forth a few times. Seems to have improved things somewhat so I've done the other one too. It's still quicker on the passenger side - is that normal? cheers new666uk

Hi Bobba. I've got the same issue. Drivers side has always been slower than the passenger but now is struggling and stops 3/4 open. Where did you spray the lube? Behind the mirror itself or into the hinge mechanism? I'll have a go tomorrow sometime. cheers new666uk

Right chaps. It's been 10 months and a good deal of rain, snow and -12 temperatures and my light issue still hasn't re-appeared. In my case the windscreen being removed and refitted again has solved this. The original relay which was buzzing enough to make the girlfriend want a Lexus is behaving as it should. In summary, if you've had a new screen and have this problem it's worth getting them to remove, clean and refit as a small misalignment could be the cause here. Hope it helps, new666uk

Really?!? I've just failed the MOT due to a leak on the OSF shock and been quoted £240 for ONE to be fitted by our local Fiat/Lotus/Volvo dealer! Just waiting for my usual garage to call back with a quote.

its the bushes they will be dry mate,get some silicone spray and spray all your bushes the noise will vanish i sprayed mine over a year ago and its still away. Easy as that? Thanks Ormi I'll give it a try. Any particular spray recommended?

Hi all, I've started to notice that I get bit of a creak from the front suspension usually when braking or show speed maneouvering (for example in car parks). Is this that the shocks or springs are getting on a bit? I'm not overly worried as when I had a BMW 325 coupe the rear springs were prone to cracking at the top or bottom of the spring but it only really affected ride height (look at and E36 and you'll often see the back end seems low on one or both sides). My question is - should I be more worried on a Lexus that creaks? Its a 2001 SE model with just under 100k on it. thanks Paul

After the fun and games I've had with mine I rang National Windscreens who fitted the new windscreen earlier in thr year and told them the problem. Straight away they booked in into the workshop for that Friday afternoon. Turned up, watched as they removed the screen and between us we checked for evidence of the seal quality on both the body and glass. To be fair it was pretty good all the way round. They cleaned up the glass and body and refitted the screen. I wandered into town for a couple of hours to leave it to cure. That night it snowed and the windscreen spend the next day and a half covered in snow. I've since been through rain and taken the car to the car wash and its not played up at all. That was 2 weeks ago now so fingers crossed just refitting the glass has solved the problem, might just have been slightly out of alignment. Overall impressed with Nationals follow up customer service and that so far the lights are back under my control.

Hi all, Actually after the same thing myself, mine has a 2inch crack which fortunately isn't leaking water in. Don't want to spend full £ as seen on ebay etc so any offers appreciated. thanks new666uk

Starting to get annoying now. I pulled IH3 and the one above out and inspected them on Sunday. Nothing wrong there. Plugged it all back in and its been fine Sunday, Monday and today. The relay buzzing has stopped and its been left in since then too. Thought I might put some silicone under the rubber pieces in the bottom corners to try and prevent water ingress. I'll wait till it warms up a bit first so I can work with silicone (bet is cures badly in this cold weather). One thing that came up when discussing this with my Dad (he's also got the exact same car) and he reckons that as Autoglass refitted the replacement window to solve a whistling noise they can't have completely cleaned the adhesive from it before refitting so that could be preventing a solid seal being formed. I'd forgotten about that but it makes sense. Might chase Autoglass for a brand new replacement screen and ensure its well sealed. eigenvalue - thanks for the advise on the scuttle plate. I've left it in place if you don't thing I'll see anything.

Hi inflames - how did you solve this? I've had a look at the rubber in the bottom corner on both sides (a piece about 2-3 inches) and it can be lifted up. Underneath is just black gunk. Is this where you are suggesting the water is entering? Would a bead of clear silicone under the rubber help I wonder? I checked under the drivers footwell panel again yesterday and pulled IH3 and the one above it. Both completely clean and dry. The rubber grommet where the wiring passes through the bulkhead and under the carpet is all dry so I'm wondering if the short is occuring elsewhere. Any suggestions? Does anyone know how to remove the scuttle plate? Do I need to remover wipers etc to get it out to inspect where the glass meets the bodywork? thanks

Hi Inflames - where did you find gaps in the window seal? Do you mean under the scuttle panel? I've not removed that yet, will have a look over the weekend weather permitting. Is it easy to remove or do I need special tools? thanks

Hi Plant - the window is the thing everyone keeps mentioning but the wiring and carpet in the drivers footwell were bone dry on Sunday when I checked. I finish early tomorrow so can look again before it goes dark. To be honest if its not a problem with a definite solution I'm more inclined to swop the car for something else rather than spend months and £ trying every idea that comes up. :(

No one is saying they haven't. doing 40 in a 30, or 50 in a 40, is not the same as doing 60 in a 30, or 80 in a 40. Not a difficult concept to grasp surely. Well whether you are doing 40 in 30 or 58 in a 30 zone if you hit somone there is only a 10% difference in whether you kill them or not. Police statistics state(whether you believe them or not) a pedestrian hit at 40 mph has a 90% chance of surviving so obviously at 58 mph that would be a 100%.For me its just not fair to say that 40 mph is not as bad 58 when the damage it could cause would be virtually the same. Whether you are doing 40 or 58 you are still in the wrong and if you hit someone you will kill them. Not disputing that for a moment. My question is, what is the pedestrian doing in the road in the first place? The logical extension of the plan would be to reduce all traffic to talking pace thereby giving 99% chance of survival should an accident occur. There needs to be a balance between the need for mass transport and the need for people to take responsibility for themselves on the road. Who here had road safety training as a child? I didn't because the green cross code campaign had ended by the time I was in school. I did manage to take a cycling proficiency test before they also ended which gave me some road sense. We shouldn't cater to the lowest common denominator and 'dumb down' to those who think they are immune.

I thought that 40 in a 40 zone was ok lol. I guess you really mean 40 in a 30 zone... Yes - thats what I meant. oops

Bad luck - to all the those on their hight horses about speed being bad, take a break - you've all done it. I was caught at about 40 in a 40 and requested the following under Freedom of Information: photographic evidense of the (alleged) offense Calibration records for the equipment used (check they match the equipment in use on the day) Training records for the officer(s) in question (which had the names redacted obviously) Make sure all this ties up as anythiong that doesn't is a potential procedural loop hole. The whole process took about 6 months during which time the fixed penalty was placed on hold. I was hoping that in the end with so many departments involved it would just get lost and never be made live again but it was and I swallowed the £60 and 3 points. As they park in the same place regularly I know to 'salute' them as I pass now ;) Good luck. Remember - speed doesn't kill, its the lack of education that puts people in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bring back green cross codes and cycling proficiency training for the next generation to give them awareness of the dangers on roads so they grow up safer.

any the plot thickens on mine now. The lights are coming on and flickering now instead of just being on. The relay under the bonnet buzzes once the engine is off untill I yank it out. Its been too cold and dark to get back into the drivers footwell panel and check for damp but on Sunday it was snuff dry. Any ideas or is it time to move on to another car?

I know what you all mean - I've had more slips in the is200 manual (with traction / snow buttons etc) than in the BMW325i coupe auto I had previously. Do the others here feel more like they sit 'on' the Lexus rather than being a real part of the car?

The fact it doesn't have a blue and white roundel on the front ;) Seriously though: more power and torque better sense of connection and involvement in driving - feels too clinical and detached split folding rear seats (ski chute? How many people here actually ski?) VVT that actually makes a difference (even mid 90's BMW's had more oomph from the primitive VANOS unit) Service indicator (thought the Japs would have this given their love of tech) Chain instead of a timing belt - far less likely to fail Steering wheel reach adjustment, still can't get comfortable Cupholders that aren't in the way of a gearshift when in use Plus points are: fantastic heating system Good build quality Image - you get let out of juntions a lot more in a Lexus.

Hi all, From what I'm seeing there is no definitive solution here - the problem seems to be too non-specific. I noticed last night that the headlights had come on whilst the keys were safely in the house with me. Tried so far: Removing the headlight relay from the box by the battery - works but annoying to have to pop the bonnet at the start and end of every journey. Checked the fuses in the drivers footwell. Removed the cover and surrounding panel and checked for evidence of moisture. None around visible or felt. Checked under carpet in drivers footwell. No moisture / damp. Blew the footwell panel with a warm (not hot) hair drier to remove any missed damp. Visually checked window seal at scuttle plate. Can't be sure of the quality of the seal and yes its a replacement window (second actually, the first one whistled and was replaced but that was before the summer. Might be worth arguing with Autoglass but unless I can demonstrate there is a fault with the seal they are unlikely to foot the bill. What confuses me is that there is no sign of moisture (past or present) in the drivers well area. Is this a red herring? Any other ideas welcome. thanks new666uk Car details: 2001 Y reg is200 SE in Aztec Fire. Currently for sale...