flyeris

Hi there, It is a pretty short question - what are your recommendations or what kind of spark plugs have you got in your car. Also, what is the best place to look for them? eBay? I found that I can find 6 spark plugs way cheaper in the UK with shipping to Lithuania than here locally (like 50 compared to 75quid). Thanks, Jonas

Thank you very much. I live outside of the UK, so this could save me more than a set of tyres - will probably have to do the geometrics after the winter. Thanks once again for sharing.. Sharing is caring :)

According to owner's manual: Orange - Low engine oil level warning light Red - Low oil pressure warning light The one I see once driving sometimes with lower engine oil level is the organge one...

114.3 x 5 35-45 offset 60.5 centre bore I didn't want to create a seperate thead, but it is kinda related to this one - what are the width of tyres (narrowest or widest) it is possible to safely put on a 7" width rim. I am also planning to move from 225/45R17 to ~205/55R16 for winter. Thanks :)

I have ordered this one from eBay. Arrived promptly: http://cgi.ebay.com/Toyota-Lexus-iPod-iPho...=item2a0262c99d It is no the Grom kit, but a XCarLink. Gave it a try - seems to work fine. One of the reasons, why I took this one, because it has also got an AUX link (3.5 mm). P.S. Does your headunits show the titles of the songs, when plugged with iPod? Mine seems only to show the track and CD number (model no: 13901).

First of all, Merry Christmas to everybody! :) This Christmas my car also gave me a "present". Once driving, the lamp started to turn on occasionally for short periods. Checked the oil level after a few hours - it seems that there was still approximately 1/3 above the MIN mark on the oil dip stick. Running fully synthetic 5/40W oil. Has anybody had the same "problem" before with oil levels higher than MIN? I was first afraid of low oil pressure (possible oil pump failure?), but it seems that there is a seperate warning light in the dashboard indicating the oil pressure.

Well, there is a lot of snow here in Lithuania today. I will probably be able to test a TRC with A/T and see, if it kills the engine or not. Of course, driving M/T, lots of responsibility falls on the shoulders of the driver, but, I suppose, A/T should not stall in any circumstances.

It is best to look for a car, what is available for spares locally. I was able to find the transpoder (the buttons) for the master key for less than ~$14. Any buttons from a used key should work. As far as I know, keys from dealers cost a lot :)

Great guide! I hope I will be able to fit XCarLink into my car (ordered it from eBay - was a bit cheaper than Grom kit). Question for these, who have still got the bottom loading CD player - what models does it have written on the headunit? Did you manage to get the Grom unit to work with it? P.S. Wouldn't it be enough space to try to plug the unit to the back of the stereo without moving it a bit forward (maybe that would save time on dismantling the top tray)? :) - it's impossible Update: XCarLink works just as fine as Gromaudio adaptor. It also works with older bottom loading (model no. 13901) head unit. I have seen 13902 model for spares at my local electric worker and I didn't remember seeing an appropriate plug for external CD changer on it - that's probably the reason, why the adapters may not work on these units.

Traction Control (TRC) - System designed to maximise safety when accelerating on slippery road surfaces or when the available grip differs from one side of the vehicle to the other (such as when two wheels are on a gravel or grass verge). Operated by controlling the throttle and/or applying the brakes to any wheel that is slipping. http://www.toyota.com.au/glossary/p-t I believe that in IS it also uses brakes, because sometimes, when I have to take off on slippery surface (driving A/T - less control of the throttle), I am not yet 100% confident, but I believe that the system tries to lock the slipping wheel (strange noises are coming from the back) :) Update: Ok, and this comes from IS manual:

Nope, it doesn't cut the spark completely, but definitely affects the ignition timing (retards it to lower the power output) http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/h40.pdf (Page 10/12)

You won't keep the wheels turning when the TRC cuts in, you got no engine mate it cuts the sparks and is total crap. Well - depends on the situation. In general it should. RWD will understeer only if the front wheels lose traction in the corner - if back still has grip, it could work in the fashion that fil4362 has described. IMHO? :)

Put the fuel filler cap once unscrewed onto its holding place on the flap - it won't allow it to close then :) That's, what I do. Mine fails to stay open also :)

Hi there, First of all, I believe you should not abuse using uppercase characters once posting. As for image uploads - you should use any free service available online, which allows you to upload images and then use a tool in the toolbar in the message posting page called "Insert Image" (it is an icon showing an image), looks like this: Once you click it, you simply have to enter the link to the image, which will be provided by the page, where you uploaded the image. Simple as this :) For image uploads, you can use any of these or any other :) http://tinypic.com/ http://imageshack.us/

Currently I have 225/45 R17 on mine (bought it with such tyres). Not much experience yet on the snow (it was only 2-3 snowy days till now)

That sounds as a very reasonable explanation :) As for comaring Lexus and Corsa - Corsa benefits from FWD and relatively heavier front axle because of the engine.

or get a A/T

why wide tyres are worse than narrow? I believe I have seen somewhere that the contact surface area is the same in both occasions. "Imagine driving on to a glass road and looking up underneath your tyres. This is the example contact patch (in red) for the situation I explained above. The narrower tyre has a longer, thinner contact patch. The fatter tyre has a shorter, wider contact patch, but the area is the same on both." Sourced from http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible_pg2.html

I realize that WIM settings for propriate geometry are not avalable publicly, are they? Unfortunately, I am not able to visit them myself as I live reasonably away from their workshop :S Don't know, if it is worth doing the geometry back to OEM settings, if it still will be wrong after that...

Sorry for diggning older thread - it seems i have the same problem. My steering wheel doesn't center itself. Never considered that as a problem as I thought it could be normal like this on a RWD (all my previous cars were FWD). With what should I start? Geometry or will it more likely caused by failing lower ball joints?

when you don't know, what to choose, mix them both :D I have recently somewhere found this photo - I pretty much liked the idea. should look good on almost any color Lexus - gunmetal/silver or gunmetal/polished metal :) what do you think?

Thanks for a quick reply. I forgot to mention - it has a rating of 55Ah rated as normal. The second line says 450 A (EN). No sign of CCA, RC or any other common rating.

Hi there, I have complained about my battery before, as it is getting worse as the temperature outside is getting lower and lower :) I have taken off my batter and I am planning to charge it today - I wonder, if you are familiar with what a rating of 450 A (EN) mean? I have been googling, but haven't find an explanation yet - newer batteries all list CCA, RC etc, but no information on EN rating. Anybody knows? Thanks. Probably in the near future I will have to look for a new battery. BTW, what kind of battery is recommended for Lexus IS200?

short question - how do they clean the spark plugs? :)

Is that a good idea? I always thought it's best to start the car and drive it as soon as possible after - at least that's what used to be recommended, maybe it's no longer necessary... Intresting thought. I found this one online: http://www.jsonline.com/weather/headlines/79023122.html However, it does not conclude anything, I believe. I suppose the car should be warmed up at least a bit (like 2-3 minutes) in extreme cold conditions before take off. Just enought to remove snow and frost off the car ;)