Kiefels

Thanks Paul I noticed the road tax went up in March 2017 so I'm looking for ealier than that. Also, I have been a member in here for some years but usually lurking ;-)

Ladies and Lexus Men I am a proud owner of Lexus Vehicles since 2012 2012-2014 IS200 Sport 2014-Current IS220D SE/L I have recently changed jobs and now work in the same town that I live in. This is killing my 220D due to the short runs. (DPF warnings, far too regular) Now the Lexus 220D has never been, super, frugal on the fuel but 27 mpg at best on my work jaunts plus the lack of running time to keep the DPF cycling fully. I have decided to jump ship and venture into the darkside (Hybrids) I am in no position to be purchasing a new Lexus nor the newer March 2017 versions (For road tax reasons, as it appears the earlier models are priced almost the same as the newer) I have done a lot of searching and info seeking into the different Specs of the Different models and TBH, I'm finding them way too confusing. As you see, above, I own an SE/L with all options other than sun roof. So I would like my next car, to be similarly kitted out So, i've summed it up as... For Standard Equipment The Premier is Premier, with optional extras on offer too F-Sport Is fairly well kitted out as standard, with some nice options to bring it up to Premier Specs. I really like the white but think the Red interior is too much and the black makes the interior too dark. I like the white interior but I believe it was not an option on white cars? I digress. My question is simple, after all the bumpf Premier or F-Sport and why? If I can get the F-Sport to Premier Specs for the money I'm willing to pay Really, all I'm after is, a reason WHY, I need to pay 1000's more for the Premier if the F-Sport is just as good/better Oh, while I'm here... Mark Levinson Sound System Upgrade. My SE/L Has a 13 Speaker Mark Levinson sound system and it sounds great but I keep seeing the IS300H only has 6 speakers. (More confusion) is this so, or is the Levinson upgrade better speakered out? I have been on this ruddy interweb on and off for 2 weeks looking up info and seeking out cars and It's driving me (No Pun Intended) NUTS! So, where else could I go to find out all the REAL info? HERE, Obvioulsy!!! Thanks guys n gals

Yes, I appologise, that I don't get on here very often but what can I say, Lexus have been good to me and a very reliable

Dragging up an old, old, old old post but it was relevant to me and I found a fix (for me) so thought I would resurrect it. Had the same, cutting it off sound at anything over 40 volume (Mark Levinson) I had been having speaker distortion for some time and decided to investigate. At first I thought it was the subwoofer, so I bought a repair kit. Took everything out to access the subwoofer, turned on some music to test it whilst I had it all uncovered, nothing, dead, not moving at all. OK, so removed it, took it apart, inspected it, found it the foam had just come adrift from the housing, a little adhesive from the kit site that out. I then ran a soldering iron over the connections and a quick test on my surround sound confirmed all is well. Put it back in the motor, fired up the system and there it was, crackle then silence at anything over 39 on the volume. Could only be the subwoofer as everything was fine until I got that working. Dismantled it again, re soldered the copper braided wire across the rear of cone and made sure that when I put it back together, it was done correctly, and seated nicely. Back in the motor again, connected up and all is well again. Subwoofer working, can crank it up to 59 and I now know that my rear left speaker is shot, probably because it had been taking more bass than it should have been. One on order, so hopefully back up to speed on the sound quality again. Happy days

I made up some blue LEDs with a resistor and retrofitted them into the original lamp fittings. If you search the forum it should come up. Somewhere there is also a tut to make up and fit LEDs into heater, air con switches (I personally found too many bright spots using that method though) Good hunting. :)

HI I bought a cap not long ago from Lexus Leicester. It was kicking around the £18 mark and it comes already colour coded. :-)

Was another idea but I have been given a standard rear light from a bloke down the road. I will have a look at the lens replacement, if it's a big hassle, next time I'm in Leicester I will drop in and order a new one. My lens is only cracked so I'm not in a big rush. Thanks for replies anyway. EDIT... Have been to Lexus Leicester and they quoted £70.4 plus VAT so 80 summat quid. Just have to get it picked up now. lol

Hi fellow LOC members... Ok so my question is a simple one but explanation a little longer. I have a 2003 IS200 sport and I have the newer dark chrome rear lights. My nearside rear lens has cracked and I am getting moisture into the lamp housing. I really am struggling to find the darker rear lights so I am wondering... Is the lens of the standard "Chrome" type rear light the same colour/shade as the darker chromed light? If you see where I am going here, my idea is just to change lens rather than hunt out the elusive dark chrome rear lights.

Hi... I have also fit angel eyes too and have to admit. They look good on the is. Trouble is now...I have stock halogen low beams and the angel eyes are brighter than them. lol Also... First headlight I split, i used a hair drier and a fantastic juggling act that any circus would have been proud of (Went solo on lens removal) took bloody ages and was very fiddly. Also managed to bend the backing of the light pretty badly. Luckily plastic has a great trick. Heat it up and it really wants to revert back to it's original shape. A little gentle pursuasion and I got it back to something like normal. However...Light no.2. I removed the bulbs and tried it for size in my oven. IT FIT. Around 15 minutes in my fan oven heated to 170C and I had the lens off in less than 2 minutes. :) Just my tuppence. Who knows, it may assist someone in the future? :)

Hi Ian Welcome to the wonderful world of the IS200. :-) Fog light bulb replacement is through the rear so... Angle your front wheels so you have easier access to the plastic, inner arch liner. You need to "Unclip" the plastic holding clips that are on the liner. (They are the round clips on the outer edge of the liner) You should only need to pop out the lower couple to be able to access the rear of the fog-light. Once you have popped a couple of clips out (use a thin flat bladed screwdriver and lever out the centre of the clip first) Pull the liner in towards the engine compartment. This SHOULD allow you to now see and access the rear of the fog-light. Just twist the electrical connectors on the rear of the lamp anti-clockwise and pull. You should now have the holder with the bulb in it, in your fingers. :-) Just replace your bulb and reverse the removal procedure to put things back. Hope this helps and have fun with your new toy. :-)

I have had a similar problem after I changed my discs and pads. The calipers seldom cause problems until the dust seals go and prevent the pistons from functioning correctly. You had the caliper replaced but did you also have the slide pins replaced/checked/greased? The slide pins are NOT on the caliper, they are on the torque plate (Mounting bracket) That is the bracket that bolts onto the rear of the front hub. The caliper bolts onto that. It is the torque plate/mounting bracket that allows the front facing pads to brake also. The caliper is bolted onto the plate which in-turn is bolted via two long slide pins to the part of the bracket that bolts to the rear of the hub. It is these two pins that seized on my vehicle. It meant that although the pistons on my calipers were functioning correctly, the slide pins were not so...only the rear pads (With the pistons operating them) would release. But the FRONT pads (Slide pin functioning) would not. If you find a source for the torque plate/mounting bracket. Let me know because although I have freed my brakes enough to use them. I am STILL unable to remove the slide pins for complete clean up and grease. (My fear is I'm goin to snap them and then I have NO front brakes :/)

Hi I had an electric window issue where the window was replaced by a windscreen fitter and he managed to adhere those plastic clips that you refer to, to the outer door seal. Making window opening impossible as the mechanism was trying to pull the outdoor seal through and down instead. I rectified it by removing clips via unbolting from the rollers that are in the aluminium guide bar that goes up and down. All I did to remove the window was tilt it slightly and pull it out of the door upwards. (remove (clips)the outer door strip that sits against the bottom of the window) There is plenty of space to facilitate removal. Putting glass back in is the opposite procedure obviously but.. Connect your door panel back to the electrical connectors and move the mechanism so that you can acces at least one of the plastic clips that adhere to the glass. I used araldite to adhere the clips to the glass as 3 different attempts with 3 other adhesives very soon failed. I filled the clips with adhesive. Moved the mechanism to allow me to bolt on oneclip moved mechanism and bolted on the other. (Araldite, depending on amount of hardener you use should allow plenty of time to do this) The I lowered the window through the top "Carefully" into the full clips and mopped up the excess adhesive. I then closed the window. (Making sure the window follows the rubber guides on the side of the window and the glass is still seated in the clips) Replace outside seal and door trim + handles etc. I left the window 24 hours before attempting to operate. Having pulled the clips off the glass on 3 previous occasions, I was taking no more risks. lol Window has been operating for 6 months now with no further problem. The job is fiddly and tricky and you will graze your hands trying to get them in the small holes in the rear of the door but it's preferable to Lexus prices and removing door skins. I hope this is even just a little help for you.

**Update to Update** OK so here are a couple of pics so far. Remember From my update that I said i may step up the brightness on the heated seats and wash wipe buttons. These are 5000mcd NOT the brighter ones which I am still waiting for. Also I have found out that the rear fog light switch does not light up at all even with standard lamps in it so I have to get a new one of those too. I am sorry about the quality of the pics. They were taken on a camera phone. This is the light controls. Wash wipe needs brighter LED and Rear fog switch needs replacing as it doesn't light up. Above is the Electric window switches. These are surface mounted LED's and fiddly as hell to solder on. This one is obvious but still not sure on wether to change orange LED's to blue. Also stepping up the brightness on the TRC, Snow and heated seat buttons. The 3mm led and resistor crammed into standard lamp holder. The long bit out of the bottom is a leg from the LED. This just wraps around the original lamp holder like the original bulbs. And the above is the Cigarette lighter lamp holder doctored with a 3mm LED and resistor. Something I feel I should mention... LED's only light up one way, so if it doesn't..Try it in the other way around. Also...Although this is NOT industry standard. An LED if you look at it will have a large metal part inside the LED and also a small part. These are Anode and Cathodes. Cathode is K on a wiring diagram. The Large part in the LED is "USUALLY" not "ALWAYS" the cathode. +side. This is the side I attached the resistors to. *EDIT* Changed the standard bulbs to LEDs in the TRC, Heated seat etc buttons (The 1 that lights up when switched on) and because the bit that illuminates is made of orange plastic, it lights up green. Only solution I see to that is to remove offending lump of plastic and replace it with a piece of clear plastic. eg the textured part from a plastic container/pot.

Update!!! Bought a replacement air-con control panel for £5 :) just in case i made a mess of fitting the LEDS in said item. I spent 5 hours drilling and soldering the LEDS in place and when I tested the results it was not pretty. Where an LED was fitted it caused bright spots and just looked really awful. Whilst doing the air con controls I had an idea of removing the original bulbs and replacing them with the same 5000mcd 3mm leds that I was using for the controls anyway but just to use them as direct replacements for the originals. Soldering in a resistor and 3mm led and getting them to fit into the original bulb holder took a little getting used to but it worked out real well. (Pictures will follow when I have time and the sun goes down) The result is definitely blue and has no bright or dark spots which suits me. Some people might think they are not very bright but I had a Sony head unit with blue graphics constantly scrolling that couldn't be turned off. It was REALLY distracting when you are driving so a slightly less IN YOUR FACE blue for the centre controls was just what I was looking for. :) I also used the same LEDs and resistor idea to replace the bulbs in the Heated seats, Snow and TRC buttons. They are a little dim so may try 10000mcd's and see if they work better? Also replaces Cigarette lighter with same Leds and its fine Ashtray is a direct T5 replacement and its good Also changed the Light level, Headlamp Wash and Fog light switches. Will have to step up the brightness on the Headlamp wash and Fog light. They are barely visible but the Headlight level switch is great. NOT DONE Clock and Orange ON lights the ones that come on when you press the buttons. Not sure I want to do them yet as I like the idea of them being orange to remind me they are on. Lightmeup...Will be ordering a dash (Clock) kit shortly when I get paid :) keep your eyes open for toooldforgames. Really liking the blue. Goes nice with the paint and a refreshing change to the standard orange. I have carried out the work in such a way that I can easily put things back to standard if required. As I say I will upload pics when I get a chance.

Ahaaaaa.... Water pump!!! Yep, I have pink crusty stuff around the connection to the head. Have been keeping a close eye onit as I originally thought it was the source of my water leak but tbh if it does leak I have never seen it. Guessing cam belt may have been done then and left the old water pump on. When I have recovered from all the shock I may get one and replace that too. lol I am hoping I have sorted most of the troublesome problems and can sort out the not so important things now. :) I have already changed front and rear discs and pads so I can strike that off the list too.

Hi all. Seems I am spending more and more time repairing and maintaining my car than any other I have owned. I don't mind as I love the way the car drives, looks and feels but It makes me angry knowing how much I paid for it and knowing I paid for full service and cam belt change before picking it up. Ok so I have had the car for about 15 months now but a month or 2 after purchase I noticed things were not quite as they should be. 1. Air-con doesn't work. (still work in progress on this as I have had other issues more important) 2. Spotted various fluid leaks. 3. Speakers not working correctly on ice system. 4. Passenger window wouldn't open. Going to no.2. I had noticed fluid leaks under my car at work but never at home. (Was raining a lot at the time)Checked around engine, rad, pumps etc and found nothing. Then it stopped. Air con didn't work so I concluded it was the oil leaking out of the air-con radiator. Which I have subsequently found is full of holes. A few weeks later came another fluid leak. Same Malarky check here n there. Found nothing. Leak got worse. Coolant dropping from radiator. More in-depth searching revealed nothing. Then I gained an oil leak on top of this. Kept topping up coolant in radiator and it kept losing it quicker and quicker. Decided to replace radiator. Replaced radiator (Found Air con condensor full of holes)found that a spring clip that holds the top hose onto engine block wasn't clipped on.(was just clipped onto pipe BELOW the fitting on the engine) Also found a hole in the rear of the radiator so was happy my money wasn't wasted. :) Now this happened in the colder months and since then my oil leak has gotten worse. Grrrrrrr! So I buy an new oil filter, sump bolt washer and new oil. Castrol EDGE (£30 for 4 litres at Asda right now :)) Now to find where this oil is leaking from. Up on ramps, remove under-pans. Oil leak found... Only the bloody oil filter. Went to undo it with chain wrench only to find when i got the chain on, the filter turned with the weight of just the wrench handle. More Grrrrrrrr! So now I have sorted the leaks other than air con. Speakers. When I viewed my car at the forecourt it was stereo less. They told me they removed it for security reasons and they would fit one for when I pick up the car. Picked the car up and as told. Stereo was fitted. Now being the driver and my g/friend not so techy minded. It took me sometime to find out the passenger front speakers weren't working. Turned out that the wire supposed to be feeding them had been cut behind the glove box and I had to drag a new line through to get it working. Minor Grrrr but still a Grrrr! Passenger window not opening... This was a good one. It seems I have in the past had the passenger window put through. (Looking at the damage around the trim around the stereo I would say it was to steal that) Well whoever replaced it was great. Inside the door you have 3 plastic clips that hold the glass and some adhesive is used to bond them onto the glass. Unfortunately for me they had done 2 of them but the third they had managed to bond the clip to the outside window seal.(The tapered one that is in contact with the window and stops water getting inside the door)So when I tried to open the window, all it did was try to pull the door seal out and down with it. I have since sorted that too. Now I know I should have checked everything and had a check done etc etc. But it was a proper carsales place, they gave me 12 month warranty blah blah but I really want to make this point. ALWAYS make sure if you have work done via a mechanic that they are trustworthy, reliable and reasonably priced. (Very expensive does NOT guarantee excellent service) Look around and ask around. If you have work done. Ask to see the old parts they took off. Ask to see the work they did and have them explain why? if required. And if you buy a car from a garage. HAVE IT PROPERLEY CHECKED!!! I am pretty handy on most things which saves me a lot of money but it really got me riled when I find out that all my problems have been caused by the mechanic who supposedly carried out my work only did half a job. My biggest worry now is... What sort of a job did they do on my cam-belt change? YIKES!!! For reference I live in the Midlands and the car was purchased from London. No short hop. When I rang the garage all I ever got was leave it with me and I'll get it sorted. This included the lack of a REAL MOT instead of the photo-copy they gave me. Also the distinct lack of my V5 after 3 months. (Cost me £25 to get it myself) The garage in question were evasive, unhelpful and un-coperative with all issues. So my lessons have been learned... I will go back to buying from private traders using AA/RAC for vehicle check. Not going to name n shame the garage in question but willing to pass it on if you PM me. It's in Hammersmith btw Oh while I'm here. I had to replace my fan switch too. Warmer weather has made car run warmer and let me notice the fans weren't cutting in. Any way peeps. Thought I would have a good old grizzle on here to make myself feel better. lol Seriously... MAke sure you get the service you deserve and pay for. NOT the service SOME places may give you.

Just recently replaced my Radiator. I got one from flea bay for £80 it's for an automatic but fittings come with it to plug the in/outlets on the radiator. No other seals are required. :)

Hello,silly question but have you tried the lock window button on your master window control - that is the drivers switch? On it is a switch that locks all your other windows apart from the drivers.Hope this helps? +1 on Scudneys answer. As far as I can remember 1 fuse does all the electric windows.

A brake caliper? ***********************************RANT ALERT!!!******************************************************* A caliper causing wheel wobble is hard to believe without some symptoms other than those you described. Your Caliper is fixed stationary to the rear of the wheel hubs. So how can something that is stationary cause your wheels to wobble? Stuck pistons in the calipers? This would mean your brakes would be stuck on even a little but you would notice that when driving. Slower pull offs, no rolling back on inclines, car pulling to one side when taking foot off gas. Quick clean up and copper grease could have cured that. <<<Most likely culprit if it was a brake issue. Maybe caliper was loose and they tightened it or maybe a bolt fell out and they replaced the bolt? No need for a caliper replacement there! Even your disc could have been warped/cracked and this catching on the brake pads could cause the wobble needing new discs and pads. Don't wish to call your choice of garage/mechanic dis-honest but there are a lot of disreputable people and places around. Maybe in the future do some homework on what the problem is and some possible causes before taking to a mechanic and even then try somewhere else for a second opinion. Also do your homework on the where you take your car to be repaired. Ask around to see if people have used them before and find out if they are reasonable and honest. (I am not going to bleat on about using only official dealerships as I have had catastrophic results from work supposedly carried out by the true experts) Also...When you replace any part of the suspension or braking setup you should be working at least in pairs. Ok so you can get away with replacing ONE caliper but you should also replace the pads on the problem side and opposite side. If they replaced the caliper and used the old pads then this is also bad practice. If the caliper had a fault it would have caused adverse wear on the pads meaning re-using them would cause uneven wearing and could possibly affect the balance of your braking. Rant over!!! But it makes me angry when even in these hard times people are out to rip people off from their hard earned money.

Wobbly wheels or steering wheel vibration especially at higher speeds! I would aim at a weight dropped off or you have clipped a wheel on the curb or something. Take the car to your local tyre fitters and ask them to check your wheel balance. It painless and should be pretty cheap as all they have to do is take your wheels of throw them on a machine and it will tell them where to put the weight and how much on the wheel.

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=67214 You can just see the sport decal on the bottom of the rear quarter on a couple of pics.

Ok so this is still a work in progress and to convert your aircon controls to LED download this pdf from HERE Big thanks to Fargo for this write up. However it is a little confusing and outdated so when I have my replacement aircon controls(just in case lol)I will get the job done then update the pdf. I have already done the electric window and central locking switch on the drivers door. Waiting for more parts to complete the job. For the window and central locking you will need 2 surface mount 0805 smt leds. They is small n fiddly. lol I used Ultra Bright Blue and they are pretty damn bright lol. Btw in the guide it says you need 100 0805's. That is only the case if you are doing your standard stereo and your sat nav. I only used 2 but got 10 for error reasons and I am going to use them for the TRC, Heated Seats and Snow buttons. I will update this thread when i have completed the work and pdf update.

Hi Jason. Been toying with the idea of running 225's on the rear myself. They are cheaper than 215's but I'm old skool and always used to run wider rubber on my old rear wheel drives. As far as runnin 40's instead of 45's? I wouldn't!!! What you are in effect doing is altering your rolling diameter of the wheel/tyre. Using 40's will make your rolling diameter smaller which will alter the gearing of the car. (Slightly quicker response, shorter gear changes)but will also have a detrimental affect on your speedo accuracy as the wheels will be turning faster but car will travelling slower. I think I have that the correct way around? Physics was never my forte. lol

Not read the manual or in fact own one but... Mine auto-locks if I unlock the car and don't open a door within 30 seconds. Not 100% on this but I am pretty sure also that if I get out the car and forget to lock it, it sets itself after around the same time. Can't confirm or deny the latter yet but I am fairly confident that on the odd occasion I have forgotten to lock the car and have gone to open the door only to find it locked. I am sure someone else will clarify that though. :) BTW I have a 2002/3 Sport. If that makes a difference?

Hi Ed. Having had a look aroundthe interweb and had a good inspection of my wheels. It seems and I am almost 100% of this that the wheels are just polished aluminium with a clear laquer over them. This means that repair should be fairly straight forward... However. If you search on here you will find that most people are having them repaired and painted or powder coated. There are loads of places up and down the British Isles that will do wheel refurbishment. Just make sure you can see some samples of the work they do, can guarantee it and isn't just some make good of the damaged areas only and hope you don't notice job. (So avoid the mobile refurbishers) Should be looking above and beyond £50 a wheel mark. Although Wicked Wheels will do them tyres off for around £70 so it will pay to look around. That will be diamond cut and polished though. Hence the expense.