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Irish IS 200

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  1. If the heater matrix is leaking the windows will mist up and only the air-con or open windows will clear them. As regards the leather situation, I have full leather but no misting problems; if the air flow control is on "Auto", it will be more concerned with cabin temperature than clear windows. Try setting it to "Windscreen/Feet" beacuase the small amount of airflow to the screen will flow all over the car and keep the other windows mist free. Mike
  2. Over the years, Oil companies with £millons of resources have never managed to produce additives that have any overall advantages except under laboratory conditions or at a cost much greater than justified by any improvement in economy, performance or longevity; it is not likely any small outfit will pull a magic rabbit out of the hat. However, some additives have proved useful under conditions specific to individuals or have provided imaginary benefits. All you can do is suck it and see - at least harmful additives are rare now. The Vauxhall owners network did a substantial thread on this a few years ago and came to the conclusion that Acetone (nail-polish remover) in the correct quantity could show improvements in the order of 10% but you need to get beauty salon quality Acetone, which is almost pure, and this can be difficult. Google "Acetone as a fuel additive" The other point is that oil companies aren't going to freely endorse products that cause you to use less of their own products. Oil additives that promise reduced friction are another grey area and are more like snake oil. The shards of teflon in them can clog filters and do more harm than good. As an experiment, Briggs and Stratton ran an engine that had the oil "slick S0" treatment, without oil, along side an untreated B&S engine also without oil. The treated engine didn't last any longer than the untreated one! Mike
  3. So far 18,000 on a set of Unitrac Focus 6000. They cam new on the car last August and at the service on 9th August they had 4mm on th front and 5mm on the back. Mike
  4. Aye, I had this problem on a Cortina about a thousand years ago and I eventually discovered, by accident, that the master cylinder was leaking into the servo and the vacuum from the inlet manifold was drawing it into the engine hence no visible leak. Rebuilt master cylinder cured the problem.
  5. Asking questions broadens the mind; sitting in front of a computer and bitching about posts just broadens the arse! Mike The Bigger the Problem, The Bigger the Hammer
  6. Folks, I posted on this last August shortly after getting the IS 200. In my case an NCT (MOT) vehicle tester found wear in the caliper locating bolts. The (Toyota) dealer who supplied the car checked, tightened them as much as he could without stopping them from working and packed them with grease. The rattle stopped for all of 15 miles! My car definitely has a rattle as opposed to a thud and it's reminiscent of the time I forgot to replace the anti-rattle clips on the front of my absolutely reliable, sorry I ever sold it, Citroen Xantia. When the Lexus was serviced in February, the brakes were "cleaned and serviced". Silence was restored for a good 4000 miles but the rattling has since returned. I have now decided to examine the brakes myself and look for weakening shims and springs. This may not be until next weekend but I will report back and photograph anything interesting such as gaps and the lack, or otherwise of Coppaslip. I do wonder at the success reported by the replacement of shock absorbers because the brakes need to be dismantled, I think, in order to replace the shocks and this may make the problem go away for a while at least. I say again, I'm hearing a rattle over rough surfaces not a thud as described by others. Mike The Bigger the Problem, The Bigger the Hammer
  7. cheers do i have to wait for the light to come back on, before i take it to a diagnostic, i thought by disconnectin the ecu it wipes it off or will the problem code still be on it .....is there a coomon problem on these that causes this to happen is there anyone had the same problem and cured it by doin eg coil pack or something else , thanks for the quick reply dont think my garage would charge me a fiver thou lol, but i will see if i get any tips or guidelines first, but thank you for your help.... :winky: The EML light shows a fault in the emissions system. Try you filler cap first; if it's not properly tightened i.e. at least 3 clicks past tight, then fuel could be evaporating and the ECU thinks there's a leak. Might not be the cause but it's cheaper then going to a dealer.
  8. hey klexus - i told someone today about the cost of tax in ireland and they said "yeah but they get about 170 euro,s a week on the dole over there" !!! is that correct ? kenfoxy - you wouldnt like to have a small wager would you on the fairness of whoever comes to power being "fair" in regards to their newfound and as yet not utilised "banding system" ?? i for one would wager five pence or more that by next budget-not this one for electioneering purposes-post 2001 cars are gonna get hit hard to ease the deficit and pay some expenses bills Actually it's closer to €190! Notwithstanding that, a full year's tax on ANY 2 litre car registered before July 2008, when Richard Turpin made the assessment-change from engine size to CO2 emissions, costs €614 per year, 2.5 litre €935, 3 litre €1293 and over that, €1566. The exceptions are classic, vintage and veteran which are taxed at €48 per annum once they reach 30 years old. We also have the dreaded Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) which is added to the VAT-inclusive price of the car and can be as high as 35% on top of what you pay for a newie. The other sting is that even to import a used car the VRT has to be paid before the Revenue Commissioners will issue a registration number. Vehicle Registration Tax is a new phrase for excise duty that the EU outlawed in 1993. Oh, and our VAT rate is 21% not 17.5%.
  9. Well Folks, I had my NCT (MoT) done last night and I mentioned this very noise to the tester because the supplying Lexus dealer guaranteed a "Pass" or any work needed would be done free of charge. In the event the car passed but he diagnosed the noise as being worn or missing bushes in the front left brake caliper. I'm open to correction on this but it seems that part of the caliper has to be removed to change the brake pads and the holes that the bolts pass through in the removeable part are bushed and these bushes are worn or missing. No amount of tightening will take up the slack. I'm making an appointment with the dealer this afternoon and I'll update when the problem is solved. I hope this makes sense; I've not had a wheel off yet to see the exact set-up of the brakes!
  10. Good morrow good people! Mine is a July 2003 Auto and in its first full week of ususl use it averaged 31.3 mpg; that's fill to auto shut-off and round up to the next Euro and then the same the following week. My driving is a 60-mile round-trip commute which is 25 miles A road each way and 5 miles town each way. I haven't changed my driving style since I parted with the SAAB9-5. The SAAB was a manual 2 litre lpt and the best it would manage was 34 on the commute so I'm well chuffed with the Lexus. Petrol cost in Ireland vary between €1.16 and €1.20 per litre (£0.98 to £1.02) and my commute cost me less than €60 per week. I'm certainly enjoying driving the car but I think it needs to be driven "smartly" at least because to get maximum efficiency you need to get to the point in the rev range where the car produces maximum power; after that your only lining the pockets of the oil companies and Richard Turpin (Government). Mike
  11. Hello Chris! In the opposite direction altogether; I'm about 30 miles North-East of Dublin and Carlow is 50 or so miles South East! Mike
  12. Ned, Back when cars were simple; Cortinas and Morris Minors, I think your "noise" would have been described as rushing or roaring, which sounds like a final-drive bearing heading for failure, particularly because it can be heard in all gears and gets louder as you gather speed. This assumes that wheel bearings have been ruled out, of course! A chipped gear-tooth would be a whine and only apparent in a particular gear unleass it was differential gear. If the performance of the car doesn't seem to be impaired, I would have the differential investigated; was the oil ever changed in it? If you can lift the back wheels and rotate them by hand, you may be able to feel a harshness if a bearing is suspect. Due to the speed at which the noise starts, you may have to wait until it gets worse to diagnose it; as you say the cabin is so quiet, problems may be evident in the Lexus before they would be in other cars. Mike
  13. Hi all! Iam about to take delivery of Lexus IS 200 today. A black Executive Auto, July 2003 with two owners and a full history. It has 5 refurbished alloys, 5 new tyres, 4 brake discs and all pads replaced, cam-belt and water pump replaced and a 12-month, unlimited-mileage Toyota Delaercover warranty. I'm looking forward to driving it; I have a SAAB 9-5 currently. There seems to be a wealth of knpwledge in this community and I look forward to being able to "give-as-good-as-I-get" Unfortunately, with so much work having been done to the car already, I will probably only be adding petrol for the first few months or so. I do intend to do all my own mechanical work but for the first year, for the warranty, I'm bound to the Toyota Dealer Network Mike
  14. Good man Hogan! There's at least one more; Mike from Navan in Co. Meath!
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