bigmick777

I always use shell, sometimes the shell V-power diesel, basically to increase the life of the EGR valve, and I reckon it does help with fuel consumption a bit. I dont notice any difference in power mind. Well not between normal shell and v-power and I aint going to go back to supermarket fuel to test it :-)

Thanks for that, I will try a couple of dealers. The SR kit is super cheap in the states from Lexus but cant get it shipped! Pics look quality. Nice to see the SR spoilers on a sport, looks v.nice with the sport 18's definately gonna get the spoilers for mine.

Hi, I was pretty sure from the advert that they were. They were referred to as : Brand NEW Genuine OEM Germany Philips XenEco 42402 D4S Xenon Headlight HID bulbs Plus: It stated to fit Lexus Toyota Part Number 90981-20020 90981-20024 90981-20031 2006 and up Lexus IS250 IS350 IS350F My bulb direct from Toyota/Lexus was L90981-20024 and is clearly a different colour from the two I got from the states via ebay plus when looking closely both flicker, one significantly and intermittently went out. The guy clearly sold lots of different bulbs but something doesnt quite add up. He did offer to swap one because of the flickering but then I found out the ballasts were faulty so didnt return within the 7 day exchange.

Hi, my experience was that a new Lexus bulb did not match a new "so-called, OEM Lexus Philips D4S bulb" from the states. In fact it was way off on colour. I assume the Lexus one was the genuine OEM. It came in a toyota box. The ones from the states were a fraction of the price and I installed them as a pair, right one flickered, swapped and no issue whatsoever with the replacement Lexus bulb. As I pulled into the drive this evening I spotted a slight flicker in the left one too (new from USA) Maybe its just a bad experience from me, but I went with a reputable seller, plenty of feedback. I guess you pay your money you take your choice. I would have been happy with the ones from the states colour wise but not with flickering - I did have to look closely to spot the flickering on the near side.

I swapped them both at the same time but unfortunately I had the ballast issues, now its all done, I found one of the OEM bulbs to still be flickering, which is why I decided to go with the one from Lexus. My concern is, if the bulbs are the same as the Lexus ones (as advertised), why are they a different colour. TBH I wouldnt have minded if I hadnt have had the flickering.

There is a bit of lag but I wouldnt say it was major, flick the revs a touch first to get them to around 1500 and you should get straight on the power, although with the sport your changing to 2nd almost straight away! It will happily pull off in second - If your moving, it takes a bit of getting used to making sure your in the right gear. Revs on my sport need to be at ~1800 and then no lag and straight on the power. Couple of things you can check - EGR valve, if clogged then it can affect performance, plus you will get the dreaded Check VSC and limp mode soon. Also, when next in Lexus get them to check the ECU version. The latest is 500 for 2006, and I think there is a 600 for 2007 and later iirc.

Well done on the price! The part was 190 from Lexus Stoke and only managed 10% discount. I will be calling around next time and asking for a price match! On a plus point, they spotted a slight leak from the water pump, water pump to be replaced with Lexus extended warranty, no quibbles. Not comfortable with getting the bulbs from the states, like I say I have two now in the boot of my car, one a different colour and one that flickers both supposedly brand new and identical to Lexus OEM.

Hi Fella, I have been on the look-out for the rear spoiler and the front lip spoiler. Lexus wanted £712 unpainted. It is the same as what was on the IS SR (which is the GFX kit) - is this what you managed to get hold off - If so, can you please PM me or something with the details and I will pursue. Like you I can get it painted and fitted relatively cheap but I want the genuine kit. Surely some Lexus garages must put offers on now with the replacement of the f-sport kit!

Update: Yesterday Lexus did the drivers side bulb, I asked them to save the old one just in case. Anyway, no flickering whatsoever but the colour of the genuine lexus is different to the supposedly genuine lexus (Philips D4S bulb) that I got from America (e-bay). The proper lexus is a yellow ish white, the ebay Philips Xeneco blue white. I am now guessing that despite the description on ebay, these are not the genuine philips bulbs used by Lexus / Toyota. Means I am gonna have to shell out for another bulb from Lexus! £230 quid fitted (thats with 10% disc!).

Here's my experience with the HID lights / bulbs. Left one was flickering and intermittently went off. Got two Philips D4S bulbs at a fraction of the cost from a guy on ebay in America. Lexus fitted them free of charge but still flickering, and now the right one too! Lexus took it in and said ballasts were faulty, apparently they corrode as behind the bumper. Problem is that you cannot just purchase the ballasts you have to replace the whole headlight unit with each one costing £600 each! Luckily I had taken out the lexus extended warranty and they did it for free saving a whopping 1200 quid exc. labour. Anyway, left one is ok but right one flickers and sometimes goes off, they say its the bulb. They put the old one back but the colour was significantly different. So now I am going to bite the bullet and cough up for lexus to supply the bulb for piece of mind. They come with a 12 mth warranty but do cost £190! I know the garage well so I reckon I will get some money off.

I made exactly the same decision back in Feb. Did my research and went for the 220D Sport with MM which I got at the right price. I have been very happy with it after getting used to how you need to drive it. I would suggest a Lexus Extended Warranty. I have had an EGR failure and issues with the headlight ballasts, the latter would have cost £1200 for parts alone! For me, the sport ticked all the boxes, nearly all of the useful gadgets from the SE-L but with the bonus of 18" Rims, and the upgraded Lexus traction control... Dont have any complaints on the ride quality.

I have been very happy with mine, I have had the dreaded EGR valve go which is a common (known) fault but lexus sorted it within a day. I would advise an extended warranty from Lexus to be on the safe side. I did my research on here first and although I would have preferred the 250, I got the spec I wanted (MM + Sport) at the right price. The gearing on the non-sport wasnt to my liking.

Not sure you can. I just called my local lexus up and they told me about the recalls etc.

They mean the gear ratio, its a known "bug" that people report with the 220D. You cant really get the car into 6th until ~80mph and the ratios is also noticeable round town where you need to get used to the gearing and how to drive it. I read all the reports on this and subsequently chose to go with the 220D sport. Nearly all of the extras of the SE-L but with much improved gearing and a few other nice sport extras (improved traction control, 18's, much improved gear ratios). It is a 2006, with multimedia, cadaxton slate and 58500 on clock. I paid 10,995 plus got the 18's refurbed as corroded. I have to admit I am very happy. Got mine from a private dealer so did the usual checks (service history from lexus, called lexus to check recalls etc), after 6 months paid the extra for Lexus Extended Warranty - worth every penny IMO and saved me some money!

Agreed - I tried to haggle but the warranty was something my local dealer couldnt move on. Flickering light bulbs - £1200 for new ballasts under warranty! Would have been gutted without the Lexus cover!

I too have an 06 sport. The gearing means its less economical on the motorway at 70+ but it does make it more driveable IMO. My last tank showed an average of 37mpg which was mixed for motorway, A roads and road town (more the 1st two TBH mind) - I was in a rush on the motorway too :-). I got 450 miles from the tank. If I reset at 70mph then it will do ~42MPG but noting the above point on the sport at 60 on A roads I can get 45-48mpg. Couple of my tips: Use a decent fuel not supermarket. i.e. Shell or BP Make sure you get used to driving it correctly - for me its one gear higher than you would expect (so 4th instead of 3rd) - the torque on the car can cope. For instance, in my car its 4th at 30mph, 5th at 40mph and 6th at just over 50 and it doesnt struggle for normal driving. Have a chat to Lexus - EGR valve will affect MPG, also check the version of the ECU. For you car its 500. The 220D is a good way off competitors for fuel consumption but its a heavy car and remember loaded with extras so what you saved on the options you put towards the fuel. For me the sport is the best option - I was waiting for the 250 sport but got my diesel at the right price and I am happy. On a seperate point, consider the Lexus Extended Warranty - not cheap but then neither are the repairs!

Welcome to the club.... I took out an extended warranty based on previous posts. Went with the Lexus Warranty and have since had nearly 2 Grand of repairs (headlight ballasts, EGR valve) so worth it IMO. The AA cover included is also a plus. There are plenty of posts on this topic and you will find more info on my experiences!

My '06 220D was always serviced at Lexus Edinburgh where they used fully sythentic. When I had the car I had it serviced at Lexus Stoke for the 60K Major. I asked about oil and they said they used Semi. I told them about the car's history at another Lexus dealer but they still said semi was the oil to use. I decided to pay extra for Mobil 1 Full but it was expensive. Suggest you negotiate with the dealer to use Full if you can or maybe take your own oil. You want to use the best oil possible in your engine.

Welcome to the Forum! Same for me, it was the comments etc on this site that helped me choose and has since helped me on a variety of subjects, queries and general chit chat!

You need to take a test drive to appreciate the gear ratios! I did some reading before I went for my 220d - 2006 (back in Feb). On your test drive you will notice that you have to drive the car very differently. You need the revs around 2000rpm before you get the power. Being in the wrong gear you wont go anywhere. You tend to have to be in a lower gear than you would normally expect. This is very noticeable on the motorway where as people say you have to be at 80 mph before realistically going into 6th gear. Driving at 70 is best in 5th. With the above in mind, I went for the 220d sport which has the "better" gear ratios. I can happily be in 6th from 60mph plus and be on the power. Check the other recent posts on 220d sport versus SE. As for realibility, I cannot comment on mileage, but again trawling through the forums will indicate that there are a few common problems. With this in mind I would suggest you budget for an extended warranty. I went with the lexus one based again on this forum :-) . I believe they provide an extended warranty on cars with very high mileage - prices are fixed. Give Lexus a call with the number plate. They will tell you if the recalls (5th injector etc) have been done. I have been very happy with mine, the warranty has come into play though! EGR valve last month (surprise surprise) and headlight ballasts. The latter would have cost £1200 without the warranty. The EGR valve was done a year ago too before I had the car so it really is a common fault. Double check any warranty for this item and CAT convertor etc (they can fail together) - my EGR was done under the 12 month warranty from previous year but Lexus mentioned that they were looking to extend the EGR warranty on existing cars to a 5 year warranty due to the nature and number of the failures.

Bulbs are not covered under Lexus warranty (or any other 3rd party warrant)... They are approximately 180 quid from lexus each, however, if you suffer from the flickering bulb get Lexus to check the ballasts - they are covered under warranty. I got two bulbs from the states (philips d4s bulbs OEM) when one of mine flickered for just under 100 quid a pair, changed to no avail - one even went off colour (amber). Lexus confirmed the ballasts at fault and changed under extended warranty :-) Bulbs went back to bright white and no flickering!

dgman, Interesting to see how much carbon etc the valve and manifold has picked up in 5,000 miles! I believe you run a good fuel (non-supermarket) and put through either a cleaner or the premium diesel evey few tanks? Mine has just been done under warranty (again!) - reluctant to clean it as under warranty but you never know when it could go wrong! It was on the M6 toll last time...

No probs, I was a veteran just 6 months ago.... As long as you have a warranty then I am sure you will be happy... There are a few flaws but on the whole I have been very happy with the car and I come from a line of German alternatives.

I come from a 3 series coupe, 2007 after having it from new for two years. It was only a 2 litre but I can say I am happy with the move. I went for the sport (with multimedia) as it was the spec I wanted at the right time, right price... I would have taken the 250 if I could have found the car at the time with similar price etc. I am so far very happy - the issues have been sorted out by Lexus impeccably. I did take the extended warranty as suggested on this site and I am very happy I did as the ballasts would have cost 1200! I have drove the SE and had to go for the sport as it made a big difference . It took me a while to get used to how to drive it, a gear higher every time (i.e. 3rd instead of second) and keeping the RPM between 1500 and 2500 but driven properly and with the VDIM stability (which is less intrusive) you can get the car to feel sporty for a diesel - you will not get the MPG but you are in a v. heavy Lexus. I have been in the Mercs and Audis diesels and still feel the overall package with Lexus is to my liking. Alhough only comparing to <2.5 TDi as I did like the 335 BMW diesel!

Mine went back in for headlight flicker (had already changed the bulbs with philips ones from the states). They identified faulty ballasts (both ballasts), the part is the whole headlight at 600 quid each!!! So parts exc. VAT and labour would have been £1200 - just a little over what it cost me for 2 years extended warranty a month ago. Headlights replaces, car cleaned and returned same day at no cost, plus I got a brand spanker 250 SE-L on loan for the day. Not saying that other 3rd parties wouldnt cover this but I am gad I didnt take the risk. The whole process deaing with Lexus aone was smooth and trouble free.