micker35

Hi Folks. Just thinking back to this, I actually had the eml + tc + vsc lights on. As I said above, this was the cars way of saying that the filler cap wasn't tight enough (and was leaking petrol fumes). When I gave the fuel cap a good tightening up, the errors all instantly went away. Hope this is of help (although maybe not for the op).

Hi Folks. A while back I had this problem with my 52 plate 300. Now you may find this hard to believe but it was down to my petrol cap not being tightened up properly. The rubber seal gets a bit stiff and doesn't seal so well. There's a sensor near the filler cap that can smell the fumes and the eml + tc lights are the cars way of telling you. My car drove perfectly with these lights on and next time I went to fill up I made sure I gave it a good few clicks on the ratchet on the filler cap.

Hi Folks, I ended up getting 4 Nankang SV2's for £260 or so. I got them from mytyres.co.uk and they arrived within 4 days or so of me ordering them. I then got them fitted at a local tyre fitting joint in Bury which cost £10 each. So, in total, it was £300 and although, where I live, we haven't had very much snow, it is pretty icey. The car hasn't slid around at all and at no time have I felt unsafe. So, for me, the winter tyres are a lot of money but well worth it. I'll get my all-weather's out back on in March or so and the winter tyres can go away until next year. I reckon that I should be able to get 5 years or so out of one set of winter tyres. If you look at it that way, they're even more well worth it. Cheers, Mick.

Hi Folks,

Hi Folks, I'd like to thank all that have contributed to this thread (both positively and negatively). What I was hoping for was some advice on what tyres people would recommend and how much they payed for them. Unfotunately the thread has become too much of a battleground for anyone to pick any useful information out of it and so, would it be possible for a moderator to close it. Once again, thank you to all contributors, Cheers, Mick.

Hi Folks, I haven't looked at this thread for a couple of days and I'm amazed at how lively it's got. Matt, on post #6 it looks like fil4362 has taken some of my previous post and used it as the beginning of a new one. That's not me in post #6. In my humble opinion I think that driving my car in proper snow with my current tyres would be unthinkable. I'll definately be putting snow tyres on although I'd really rather do it for less than the £472 I mention above. I've been googling and have come across winter tyres made by Nankang (Nankang Snow V2's) for around about £75 per corner. They seem to review well and one of the reviewers was a GS300 owner (who thought they were pretty good). Anyway, I'll let you all know how I get on. Cheers, Mick.

Hi Matt, Thanks for the reply mate. Although £472 is a lot of money, if this winter turns out to be like the ones we had a few years ago, I'm sure that I'll be glad I'd had them fitted. I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet. Cheers, Mick.

Hi Folks, Well, I've had my IS300 for around about 18 months and, except for visiting the petrol station a little too often, I'd say it's been a pretty cheap car to run. The only thing that's gone wrong with it is the CD player and we all know that this is one of the few regular faults on this car. Anyway, although last winter was not a bad one (at least not where I live), on the few days when the roads were icy / snowy my car was all but paralysed (and that was with 100Kg of grit in the back). If we had had a winter like the one before I would have been well and truly stuck. So this year I'm determined to get some winter tyres. I've had a quick ring round and my usual tyre fitter can do me 4 Hankook W310's for £472 all in. I'm planning on storing my current tyres away and putting them back on in the Springtime. Last year, the same place did me 4 Khumo all weather tyres for about £360 so I guess the £472 doesn't sound so bad. However, I've no experience with these tyres and would appreciate any opinions on these (or similar winter tyres). As always, any advice is greatly appreciated and, if you don't mind telling me, would you let me know what you payed for your winter tyres. Cheers, Mick.

Hi Jomo, How did you remove your stuck Cd's? Cheers, Mick.

Hi Guys, Thanks for the replies. I think I'll keep my eyes peeled for a replacement. I'm sure that the bodyshop would do as good a respray as anyone could do. However, he did say it would take a lot of work to get the shape back and I'd be disappointed if I had it done and could still see traces of work having been done. Again, thanks for the replies. Mick.

Hi Folks, Some numpty decided to sit on the front drivers-side wing of my IS the other night. I say sat but the dent left over is a whopper. It's a good couple of inches deep and about 12 inches long. Also, in places, the steel's kinked and cracked the paintwork. A local bodyshop's quoted £200 to knock the dent out and do a respray. A guy at work suggested replacing the wing and, as the wings are bolted on, this sounds like a good idea. At least, that way, there can be no sign of the damage left over. I know that, even if I find a wing that's come from another metallic silver IS, I'll still have to get it resprayed. So, my question is, are the wings on an IS really as easy to replace as they look. As always, any advice is appreciated. Cheers, Mick.

Hi Folks, I reckon I'll be needing new tyres all round some time soon. Can anyone recommend a tyre fitting / wheel alignment company in the Manchester (or even better Bury) area. Also, I've been reading through a few previous threads on the forum and it seems that the wisest thing to do is get tyres fitted and then have the alignment done sometime shortly afterwards. Is this correct or does it make no difference if the alignment is done at the same time as the tyre fitting. Finally, has anyone got any recommendations as to what tyres to put on (I'm more interested in quietness than super performance) and how much they paid. As always, any advice is appreciated. Cheers, Mick.

Hi David, I don't know whether, from 2005, all satnav discs are the same but, as Skudney says, be careful where you buy from. When I looked into getting an update for my satnav, I couldn't find anywhere except Lexus who sold the correct discs. I ended up getting a 2007 update disc off Ebay. I payed £35 and I'm well pleased with it. So, bearing in mind that the roads are being changed all the time and that update discs are never completely up-to-date, you might be as well off keeping an eye out for one on Ebay. Hope this helps, Mick.

Hi Craig, I'm in pretty much the same position as you. My Cd player popped up the error 3 code a week or so ago and refused to do anthing. I read though a number of posts (on the forum and others) and one of the suggestions was to disconnect the battery, leave it for a while, and then reconnect. The claim was that the Cd player would sometimes spit the offending Cd out (my CD player was, and still is, holding 5 legit Cd's hostage). I disconnected the battery for an hour or so last weeekend (while I was washing the car) and when I reconnected the battery, Hey Presto, nothing. The CD player no longer displays the error message but neither does it know it's already got 5 Cd's in it. One popular solution is to fit the Grom MP3 adaptor (http://www.carputer-shop.co.uk/usb-car-kits-c-7/usb-aux-ipod-mp3-adapter-toyota-lexus-p-47).It plugs into an empty socket that's on the back of your existing CD player and lets you access music that's stored on a USB stick (via the normal CD buttons on the player). The USB stick can be hidden away in your glove-box for example. This is what I'll do (when I get around to it). Cheers, Mick.

Hi Parthiban, Thanks for the info. It works exactly as you say. At least I know now that, when I get an update DVD, I won't lose any functionality. Cheers, Mick.

Hi Parthiban, Thanks for the reply. To be honest, having read a few more articles on t'internet about Lexus Satnav, I'm not completely sure I really can use it while driving (or at least not fully). I know this sounds odd but what I mean is that, because I can switch it on and press the "take me home icon", I'm assuming that means I can use it while on the move. I haven't tried typing in an address while driving (I choose life :) ). Next time I have a passenger in with me, I'll get them to try and type in an address to see if I really can use it fully (while driving). If it turns out that what I actually have is partial functionality then what I've got already is Ok with me. In that case, I'll keep my eyes peeled for an update DVD. Cheers, Mick.

Hi Folks, Just thinking back to the DVD update. At the moment, the DVD that's in my 300 is 2001 ver 1. Also, it can be used while the car's moving. When I've looked on the Lexus map updates website, it looks like I'm not supposed to be able to use it while driving. If I update to a newer DVD, would that mean that I would lose the ability to use the satnav while the car is moving. Cheers, Mick.

Hi Guys, Thanks for the reply's. Like you say, Parthiban, the IS300 is DVD all the way. So, I had the DVD out of the boot at lunch time and it's got the part No (86271-24120) on it. I pumped this into the Lexus Navigation Map Updates and it recognizes the part No. The update it recommends is part No PZ485-X01EU-10 at the princely (or should that be pricey) sum of 159 euro's. So I reckon I'll keep my eyes peeled for a DVD that's a year or two old of Ebay. If there's anyone who's looking to sell something like that I'd be interested. Cheers, Mick.

Hi Folks, Well I finally got around to getting myself an IS300 (it's the one that Bob King spotted on Pistonheads, thanks Bob). I'm as pleased as punch with it and it's everything I hoped it would be. However, having said that, there are a couple of things that need putting right. One of them is that the Satnav DVD is the 2001 edition and so ,naturally, things have changed a bit since then. I've seen a few Satnav DVD's advertised on Ebay and I'm wondering, are Lexus DVD's the same as Toyota ones. Also if a DVD is being sold as "for Lexus" does that mean that it's suitable for any Lexus or are there different DVD's for the different models. Cheers, Mick.

Me again, As it turns out, although the ad that was on Pistonheads has lapsed, the same car is on the Autotrader. I've arranged to view it on Saturday and I'll let you know how I get on. Cheers, Mick.

Hi Guys, Once again, many thanks to all who've contributed to this thread. It's much appreciated. Bob King PM'd me about an Is300 on Pistonheads which looked like a good deal. Well, I guess it really must have been a good deal as it's sold already. Once again, Thanks for all the help. Cheers, mick.

Hi Kenfoxy & Bob, Thanks for your reply's. Like you say, Bob, I probably would be better off looking for a lower milage car. The good thing about that particular car, though, is that all the servicing has been done at a Lexus dealership. So, I guess, all the servicing will have been done as per Lexus's recommendations. Anyway, thanks once again for your input. I'll do what I do best and give it a thinking over (my problem is that I spend so long thinking about things that I alsways seem to talk myself of it :)). Cheers, Mick.

Hi Folks, I've been on the lookout for an IS300 for what seems like a very long time now. I've been watching an auction on Ebay for a while and the car looks like it could be ideal. However, as always, there's a bit of a hitch. The car's got 97500 on the clock and although it's got lots of service history, it hasn't been serviced for over a year. What with it's age (2004) and it's milage, that means that the next service is going to be a big'un. So, here's my question. Does anyone know what the recommended work to be done on a 100K service is (and how much does it run to).Of course that will include the usual cam belt and pulleys but, are there other things that should be done at that milage. Also, am I better off looking for a slightly older car but with less on the clock (assuming that they've both got decent history). As always, an help it greatly appreciated. Cheers, Mick.

Hi Kenfoxy, I think that's the same link that I posted. You'll have noticed that the link didn't work (because it had a full-stop at the end). Cheers, Mick.

Hi Folks, It seems to me that the main factor, above all others, which decides how much you pay on insurance is the one that you've got the least control over (i.e. your postcode). Take a look at this link http://www.motorcarinsuranceuk.co.uk/post-code-ratings.php. So, unfortunately, a clean driving record and losts of NCB aren't worth much if you live somewhere that's deems to be a bad bet. I live in Bury (Lancashire) and have just renewed the insurance on my (may the Lord forgive me) 02 plate Nissan Almera and that worked out at £389 (with Swiftcover) Even though Bury is normally regarded as a "sleepy town", the insurance companies have my postcode down as a "F*" postcode which basically means that whatever I want to insure will be very expensive (even though I'm 44, have 10 year+ NCB and a completely clean license). Cheers, Mick.