BillNick

Doesn't the auto leveling refer to the headlights and not the suspension? I am surprised to hear that the IS200/300 has auto leveling suspension....?

I reconditioned my calipers couple of weeks ago. Kit was £35 +£5 for some specialist red grease and it took about a day including fitting new brakes and bleeding the system. That said, if you cant do car work yourself that is a pretty good price you have! Good luck hope it cures

My MOT passed flying colours about 3 weeks ago with HID kit in the headlights. Though I have sprayed my headlights dark grey inside which I must dramatically reduced the glare you get from an aftermarket HID kit. That said, I sprayed my fog lights to match and that has reduced the fogs down to. So I may follow suit and throw an HID kit in the fogs. As you say they are now pretty cheap.

@Gregers: You still got those wheels 'in your garden'. I have cash waiting lets do a deal??

Cool... Does anyone know the sequence for bleeding? I just used my initiative and went for furthest from the master cylinder first and worked by way back....But I know some cars you are supposed to do the fronts first?

Hello gang. After rebuilding my calipers and fitting new front brakes, my pedal feels very spongey. I have to press/pump it twice to feel a proper response from the brakes. On the 2nd press it applies the brakes higher up the pedal if that makes sense. I have of course bled the system but, well, I don't know my mums Focus brake pedal is rock solid with new brakes. I even have braided hoses which should firm the pedal up a bit more than standard. Any suggestions? Bleed some more? Are our pedals notoriously spongey?

Oke doke. All taken on board thanks very much guys. This weekend I shall just remove inspect clean and grease as I have MOT on Tues and the brakes will fail in their current state. If the problem persists then I will of course replace the pins and look after my new ones ;-) Thanks again

Cool. I am replacing discs pads and cleaning up and re-greasing the slide pins this weekend. Can someone answer me this - why is it not just as effective to clean up the original slide pins and re-grease them? What benefit do you get with brand new pins?

Ah ok, this definitely sounds like the scraping sound I have had for a few weeks. It disappears when I apply the brake pedal to! New discs and pads asap me thinks!

Where is the wear indicator and what causes it to make a scraping noise as I think I may have this issue also? My scraping noise disappears when I brake if that helps someone's diagnosis?

The theory is genius....I am keen to follow this thread for finite results and recommendations. Thanks to you Dave for playing guinea pig ;-) Only wish I was a bit handier around the engine compartment. I can service, brakes, standard shizzle like that but taking my inlet apart is not something I shall be attempting. I will pass your results to a trusted Mechanic however. Intriguing....these cars are over 10 years old now, its about time someone cracked them!

I had a misfire problem when I first got my 200. The management light came on and i had a sever misfire and of course loss of power. Fault code was "Misfire Cyl 3". Gave it to a Toyota Independant Garage who replaced a faulty injector of all things! But cured it and has been fine since. Something to check thats all.

Hi all, I shall be replacing my Air Con Condenser soon which looks pretty straight forward. I was wondering if I should apply any sealant or lube to the pipes when I connect them up to the new condenser? If so please post recommended products. Many thanks Bill

Hi all, sorry to hijack the post - I am looking at Brembo discs (standard no drills or grooves) with Mintex pads. What would you all say to this setup over genuine lexus? Just that its around £30 cheaper on the rear axle than kitting out with OEM parts.

I think the US forum was referring to the clip shown in your picture. The bend in the clip acts as a spring I guess. He mentions in another thread to bend the tabs back to give them the tension back that they should have when new. Many thanks again for your response and help. I have read all I need in order to overhaul my brakes and also cure the clicking and dust guard fouling. I shall let you know how I get on and no doubt thank you once more after I have done it all. Prob a couple of weeks time.

Great thanks for the comprehensive guide - this is why I love this forum! Saving me hundreds at the garage! I read on the US forum that the clunking could be the return springs on the rear pads. Apparently they bend out of shape when the pads get low thus changing their shape and offering less resistance against the pads. Do you know much about that? What should I look for on the return pins? I am reluctant to replace them as they are only available as part of the "rear brake fitting kit" from Toyota priced at £30 - more than a set of Mintex pads! This is the thread I found: (diagnosis #3) http://my.is/forums/f89/solutions-rear-brake-noise-342886/ What you think?

Sounds like a plausible diagnosis, I certainly wouldn't have thought of that! Thanks. And you are right. I bought the car March 2009 with 74k on the clock and now in Oct 2012 it has done 93k and I haven't even looked at the brakes to see what condition they are in! I will def get all the wheels off and give each corner a good inspection, clean and general overhaul. I have seen a guide for replacing front brakes, but is there one for the rears? I'll do a search but a link would be handy. There seem to be a few more pins/springs and stuff involved with the rear brakes, it doesn't look as straight forward as the front. Apart from replacement pads, what else would you suggest I replace or overhaul at the rear seen as I have the wheels off and probably won't want to now for another couple of years? Thanks again for the response above

Hi all, I have of course read through the many posts about wheel noise, and the rear brake dust guard issue and although I think I may have a prob with the dust guard I do also have additional symptoms which I cannot find posted by anyone else here yet. 1) For a while I have had a loud clicking or clunking sound from my rear brakes when I apply the pedal at low speed, or more commonly when I am in traffic. So I would coast along slowing in traffic then when I apply the pedal at like 5-10mph I get a "click" from either side, sometimes both sides. Only way I can describe it is as if the pads are stuck and then give way under pressure causing the sudden 'click'. It's only when repeatedly coming on a and off the brakes at low speeds. Could I have sticky caliper? Perhaps the pads are indeed getting stuck inside the caliper and suddenly moving against the disc under pressure? They could be low as I have had the car for 4 years without going near the brakes, if they are low could there be a lot of play inside the caliper? 2) Now the more recent symptom of noise has only just started. It is a constant rotational grinding noise which I can hear even with the window closed which disappears when I apply the brakes. Come off the brakes again and it comes back. The pitch of the grind does sound like thin sheet metal so it could well be the dust guard as so many of us have found. But my question to that diagnosis is why does it disappear when I brake? Anyone have any ideas? I appreciate there are a lot of threads on this topic, but like I said I haven't seen anyone post symptoms of my kind as yet and thought maybe the combination would suggest a different diagnosis? Help appreciated as always :-)

I think I may have this problem as all the sounds and symptoms are the same. One thing though, that I haven't seen mentioned is that when I brake the noise disappears, and then release the pedal again it comes back. I am not for one minute challenging your diagnosis IS200 Newbie, but anyone have any suggestions why braking would cause this noise to stop if it is the disc guard fouling? I also get a loud clicking sound when I apply the brakes in traffic or from a slow speed - could this related?

Great thanks for the reply. I have removed the console myself to fit GROM in the past.....I guess taking the climate unit apart is self explanatory once I get it out the dash? I have some "grain of wheat" bulbs which I used in dash switches, hopefully they are the same....other wise a trip to Maplin with no dash is on the cards haha

Anyone?

Hi all, I noticed last night that in the dark with my lights on the dials on my climate control were black in the center and not illuminated. Now correct me if I am wrong, but I am pretty sure the symbols in the center of dials (rear screen & mirror heater, A/C flow type and A/C on off) should illuminate orange with the rest of the dash when you have your lights on? I don't mean the Orange LEDs that come on when you press them, I mean the backlit LEDs for night driving. If the bulbs have gone, how come all three have gone together? How do I change them? Or am I going mad and they never lit up in the first place? I don't know any other owners to go and compare. Please advise Thanks Bill

Hi, Update incase anyone is following this thread... I had a mobile independent AC guy come and diagnose my leak and have to say was very impressed with the service. I need a new condenser. Looks a stone has hit it at some point down in the bottom right hand corner. That collapsed a few of the fins which have now corroded through the matrix. £24inc VAT for the diagnosis which took about 15mins with 'Aircon Direct' which are a family business (father and son) in the Kent area. I explained I know my way around a car, and he proceeded to show me how to remove and replace the condenser! "Bloody nice chap indeed". Anyone have any idea how much a genuine condenser is? I have seen a Nissen branded one for £96 delivered. Any other reputable brands?

Where about's is the matrix located? I can inspect the compressor I guess. May be worth calling a few specialists for a price to diagnose a system leak.

Yeh I wouldn't normally touch Kwik-Fit with a barge pole but as it is a simply job and the location was convenient I just went to them. Course, I shall be seeking a specialist for diagnosis and repair. Was just hoping to DIY diagnose mysefl save a few pennies.