bigmick777

Let us know what they say.... I know the sport helps with the gearing ratio but not sure how much! For info, on the way back today I can comfortable drive (and accelerate steadily without dropping down a gear) at: 4th - 30mph 5th - 40mph 6th - 50mph All tends to be ~1500 rpm I am contemplating the reflash of the ECU to the new one from Lexus, very happy with performance on car at the mo but curious to see how the upgrade affects it (maybe a little worried)!

Tango, what % are your rear tints? Any issue with the anti dazzle rear mirror or any other toys? Finally, did you have them done yourself - if so, how much did you pay. The rears on mine are tinted more than the front as standard but I do think a darker tint looks better, especially on the grey cars.

Got a quote yesterday for the SR (GFX) boot lip and front lip spoiler from Lexus Dealer. Unpainted: front 176.23 plus vat. rear 240.88 plus vat.

Didnt do the test under any sort of controlled circumstances, no stop watch etc. Tried it again today and its 4 to 5 seconds. I was on the motorway after and can drive in 6th at 50mph. Dont need to change down to overtake under normal conditions, at around 52 + mph the turbo / torque just starts to kick in(this is at just over 1500 rpm).

Car was in Lexus friday for two new HIDs (got them myself and Lexus fitted for free - excellent service yet again!). Anyway, why I was there I was talking to the mechanic and asked about the new ECU flash. He confirmed and said he was downloading the update over the weekend and they would flash mine next week. He checked my version and said it was running 400, the one he currently had was 500 and the new one he is downloading is 600. No idea what the "fixes / updates" are!

When I asked for a quote from Warranty Direct the top level of cover was luxury plus which seemed to be inline with the Lexus Warranty. There were mileage limitations with this i.e you had to be under 60K iirc but when they called me back they said they would allow my car at 62K but it was still nearly 500 quid. This was the 2nd time they had contacted me so suspect it was close to the cheapest they were prepared to go. Basically this was just shy of the Lexus quote but you get the full AA cover for you and partner with Lexus which was worth the difference.

Check your number plate with lexus to see if all recalls are done. Ask if the EGR valve and 5th injector have been done. How is the performance / MPG above 2000 RPM? The gearing on the standard diesel isnt great TBH and you have to adjust your driving style to keep the power.

If I do the same it takes ~4 secs before the turbo is fully in and I have to ease off. I do have the sport tho so the gearing ratio does seem to make a big difference.

Three weeks ago took on a 2 year Lexus extended warranty at ~1200. £60 odd quid a month interest free. I got a credit note for about 60 quid as I was given last years price which my local dealer honoured (not Lexus UK BTW!). To be honest, thats not what swung it. A similar quote (luxury plus) from warrant direct wasnt much cheaper and I got full AA cover for myself and partner with Lexus. The fact I only have to deal with my local Lexus garage is the biggest plus. I am sure I could probably save a quid here and there but the hassle of trying to resolve awkward issues doesnt appeal to me.

Going to get the roof, bonnet and front bumper resprayed (bonnet fully stripped and re-done) in the next month or so due to stone chips (one on the roof going rusty!) - for anyone interested on price I will be paying £250 ish by a friend who has done a few of my other cars and he's first class! Anyway, back to the point - seems like a good time to look at getting and fitting a rear spoiler and front lip so i can get it painted at the same time. I like the styling of the SR (think i prefer the SR to f-sport). Checked the usual places, ebay, internet, dealer etc. Dealer @ stoke v. expensive but struggling to source. Any ideas? I have seen similar boot spoilers to the SR on ebay (taiwan replicas) which could tempt me if anyone can vouch for them... not seen replicas of the front bib / lip. I believe the SR kit is also known as the GFX? I would still consider f-sport styling if anyone can also help with that kit. Thanks in advance.....

Hi, I have read a few times to avoid the wheel cleaners on the forecourts as they can be quite a strong acid, hence not help the corrosion! I dont have a problem cleaning with normal car shampoo and wheel brush and a bit of elbow grease, hence dont need a cleaner. For protection, like I say I use normal car wax but am interested in what other products people use.

This wasnt the case at the day in cheshire. The driver was hired in so independent. He sell's himself to various shows and functions, silverstone track days etc so didnt get any sales pitch. He had done his homework on the car too. He drive it for about 5 miles explaing the car, gearbox, power, etc. He also did a 0-60 test on a quite road before handing it over to me.

Be interested to see peoples views as I would like to maintain mine! Got my 18's refurbished when I bought the car (by an independant garage). Came up really nice but want to maintain it. So far just cleaning with a wheel cleaning brush and standard car wash mix, then when applying wax apply it to wheels. Dont let car washers put that wheel cleaner on.

I use millers eco max diesel treatment. First time I have tried it and about 3 or 4 tanks worth used (although sometimes I forget). Cannot say for definite about MPG but have noticed not as much smoke, although I tend not to use any other diesel other than Shell (preferred as low sulphur) or BP. Car used to blow a puff of smoke with supermarket diesel. Never had a problem with power have been very happy so far :-) Not sure if this will therefore help to keep the EGR valve / engine in check.

I have a 220D and the rear doors / windows have a slight tint. Any ideas what % they are as I am also considering tinting them. Dont want to go too dark though as worried about rear visibility and the function of the anti dazzle mirror etc.

I have a 56plate 66k, I was having the worst flat spot you can imagine, to the point of being dangerous when pulling out at junctions! Nothing until the turbo kicked in at about 2200rpm. I took it to my Lexus dealer in Coventry, the mechanic came out with me, told me straight away it was the EGR valve, & showed me the readings on his screen, instead of getting 97-98% it was reading 68%! a lost of 1/3 power output!!! I have had ALL the recalls done before, but he said there was a new ECU reflash 14/06/2010. I had the reflash done free of charge, but had the EGR valve REPLACED not cleaned!!! I picked the car up, drove it out the dealership, & wheel spun off! Couldnt belive it! It was like a new/different car, I gave it some stick all the way home & am still smiling! Was not cheap at £400+ but GOD ITS WORTH EVERY PENNY! The service & help from Lexus Coventry was second to none! 14/06 - that was lucky, the day you go in. Will ask when I next go in to see what the fixes were and if I can get mine done - maybe someone else on here can find out?

They put a professional driver in with us. He drove so far (giving it a bit too) then passed it over to me :-).

Went to the one in Cheshire yesterday. Drove the IS-F first, wow! That engine sounds and drives mint! Got the chance to give it the beans a couple of times on the country roads. IS250C next - felt very sluggish, first time I have drove a 250. I am guessing its sluggish because of the extra weight. Finally the RX 450H - this was superb! I was really really surprised and instantly wanted one! My friend who came along with me also agreed. Couldnt stretch to the price tag mind but the engine / hybrid combo is fantastic.

Good luck with the decision on your job fella!

Welcome to LOC and welcome to the IS220D. I'm afraid it's a "feature" with the 220D. Lexus did release a sport (which I have) which cures it. Its basically down to gear ratio and I'm afraid there aint much you can do (apart from adjust your driving style). When I first test drove a new one (2 years ago) I spotted this issue straight away when approaching a round about slow in 2nd, I nearly got smacked in the side by the time the turbo had kicked in. I then did some research before going to a BMW, but as of 3 months ago got a Lexus. I knew it would either have to be a sport or a 250 auto and the sport came along at the right time, price, colour etc.

What level of cover did you choose? When I looked at it I asked for the same as what Lexus said they covered. Which was pretty much as new car warranty but not serviceable items, i.e. filters, discs, pads, bulbs. Warrantydirect said for the full cover its Luxury care plus and it would be £580 iirc. This was after speaking to rep and discount applied so I hung fire as the Lexus cover was just over 600 with full RAC, interest free etc. I am still trying to decide but need to soon as I read a lot of 220D issues on here! Fantastic car tho IMO and I have loved it since I had it 4 months ago.

Hi, just picking your note up on the Warranty Direct cover. I looked into this as my IS is just out of manufacturers warranty. The things out of scope are the usual - bulbs (expensive if HID too), pads / disks (serviceable items) etc. They offer several level of cover with the luxury care plus being the top one. For higher mileage cars / older cars they appear to only offer lower levels of cover (Extra care for cars <70K; secure care and major care for cars > 70K). They also only offer to pay a % of the parts cost for specific mileage bands. For instance, >100K they pay 50% towards the cost of parts. I got warranty direct to give me a quote on the maximum cover (luxury care plus) which on the face of it is comparable to Lexus warranty. They confirmed they would normally only offer this on cars <60K and under 4 years old. They quoted me about £580 iirc which is just shy of what Lexus charge (plus full RAC cover included by Lexus) so I am thinking of going with the latter it may give me a bit more negotiation with repairs etc, although feedback on this site on warranty direct appears to be positive (although not sure what policies level people took out).

Correct, the D4S bulbs are used on the IS's which have HID Xenon headlights, of which I think it's the SE-L and the Sport. Not sure about the later facelift models. I believe Lexus/Toyota use the Philips 4300 D4S bulbs. Most people recommend you dont go for a cheap alternatives. You an get replacement Philips D4S bulbs from the web much cheaper(ebay is about 55 quid delivered). Some people have suggested replacing in pairs as the light changes slightly as the bulbs get older. Lexus informed me that labour for a bulb change was about 30 quid.

Well after a few weeks with it being back at lexus and then Denso I now have a working unit. They replaced the ECU and also said there was a broken cable. Cost for denso to repair was £640, then had postage out to them to pay plus the VAT from Lexus, best part of a grand to fix. Luckily done under warranty from the independent garage so they will be refunding me for the amount. All appears to be working well, map disk, GPS, voice activation (none of which I could test before). I will now be on the look out to upgrade the map disk as on 2006 / 2007. Lexus said they update in November so will wait unless I get a cheaper one from flea bay. Po, will pop your DVD disk back in the post! Thanks very much for your help!

It's definately worth trying another disc. just make sure the part numbers are the same. Lexus should be able to do this with a disc from their stock cars. Alternatively keep an eye out on ebay, a working unit from another car will set you back ~£500+ but you should be able to sell yours as spares. Sure someone has one with a faulty screen etc. Lexus charged me labour of £40 to take out / refit the unit. Alternatively lodge a request on 247spares.com you may be able to get one cheaper. Its worth getting it done at some point as it will affect resale and its probably very frustrating! It does appear that this is not a very common problem - at least I couldnt find much out about the issue when it first happened.