N5girl

Hi

I have a leak in the power steering. I can’t get to my usual garage. They are saying (over the phone) one of three potential parts will be needed - ranging from £500 + VAT to discontinued with a wait of up to a month 😳

Please can anyone recommend a garage that won’t just default to buying a part from Lexus and can suggest an aftermarket solution? Location in East Anglia or Watford area. 

So I have removed the nuts from two screws. I can also see a white bolt. Online it seems to suggest that there is a third bolt. I think I can feel it towards the bottom of the light but how do you get it out and who designed to make it so hard to reach?’

is there something really obvious I am not doing?

thanks. 

So I have removed the nuts from two screws. I can also see a white bolt. Online it seems to suggest that there is a third bolt. I think I can feel it towards the bottom of the light but how do you get it out and who designed to make it so hard to reach?’

is there something really obvious I am not doing?

thanks. 

The mystery persists. Our garage will take a look at it when we take it for some new tyres. They said it is possibly due to it being different years but that seems unlikely to me. I think it is more likely to be wear and tear. 

59 minutes ago, Graham V said:

Hi Louise

Many thanks for replying and the advice. 

I have had a look at eBay in the past but struggled to find anything. I need the whole unit really as the area around the passenger airbag actually went slightly sticky. I believe it is all one piece - it extends across the whole dash and down the centre console, so that's what I'm after.

I am on FB but have never used the marketplace so that's a great tip. Thanks very much indeed.

Best wishes

Graham

I look for the cars (any IS) and then contact the breakers to get them to send me pics. It is a long-winded process because the just generally advertise the front of the car - not the interior. 
 

As well as marketplace there are quite a few owner groups on FB and many of the people on there are keeping very tidy examples and are collecting parts. It’s worth a post on the groups to see if anyone has a dash in stock. 
 

Your other option is removal and stripping the gunky stuff off and then respraying. There are a number of videos on YouTube of Americans who done this to an old IS. 
 

Good luck and I would be interested to know how you get on because I keep thinking about a dash replacement for my Sx. 

I have been looking for quite a few interior parts to tidy up my Sportcross. 

I have seen some very tidy examples of dashboards offered by breakers on eBay. It has been the area around the stock radio that seems to always be scratched. 
 

Quite a few IS being broken up for parts seem to turn up on FB Marketplace too. 

I want to replace the rear power outlet because it has been damaged by our dog. I have a replacement. 
 

Can I get it out without removing the cargo liner? 
 

i have had a Google but I can’t seen a guide for Ist Gen models. 
 

thanks 

Called the garage. Our springs have not been changed, so any change must have happened with the first owner. Will give the Lexus garage a call to see if they have anything on record. 

Both were IS300 Sportcross - his was 2002 and ours is a 2004.

I will give our garage a call to see if they know if it has been lowered. 

5 hours ago, scudney said:

Was his a IS200 or a IS300? I personally cannot think as to why the rear would be lowered, however if its sports model( I am assuming the 300 sportcross could possibly have the SE and Sport variant) in which case then the sport variant would be slightly lower than the SE(as is the case with the 200SE and Sport variant)

Today we got chatting to a fellow Sx owner in a local supermarket car park. The gentleman noticed that our Sx seemed noticeably lower at the back and asked if we had had it lowered. We measured it - it was at least a couple of inches different.

We were never told it was lowered when we bought it. However, I have only just realised after 12 years of ownership that it washes the headlights, so we didn’t exactly ask many questions at the time. 

I assume we can get this confirmed in a garage. Is there another reason why it might be lower? It was only serviced two months ago and nothing has changed, ie it has always looked this way and drives beautifully. 

If it has been lowered, do we need to tell our insurance company?

Thanks. 

I would like to fit some better looking roofrails to our Sx. Currently we have got aftermarket Thule ones (the type that hook around the doors. 
 

Can anyone recommend any that just fit down the tracks in the roof. Some owners in US seem to have fitted ones from other cars. Pics would be appreciated if possible.

Thanks all. 

3 hours ago, DF-300 Sport said:

Full powdercoat in gloss black and then diamond cut the outer profile and laquered.....i used a company called "The Wheel Specialist"....£500 (a lot) but it makes it look like a new car again. Well worth it😎👍

They do make the car look quite different. I had not thought about getting a different colour. I think they might even make me feel a little less middle-aged 🤣

Final question: how long did they take to do? 
 

thanks 

7 hours ago, DF-300 Sport said:

Recently got the alloys fully refurbished...not perfect or cheap, but it has transformed the look of the car...very happy with the result👍

Did you get these wheels painted so that they are black and silver. They do look really cool. 

It looks like there is a little damage to the rubber on a door seal - I think from a bike carrier being fitted. it doesn’t look like is it a problem at the moment but I think it is something that could get worse now there is a small tear in the seal. 
 

I can see that I can pick them up from a scrap year quite cheaply.

1. Are they a total pain to remove / fit? I watched a video for a Toyota and it looks ok. 

2. Should I just buy a new seal or will a second-hand one be ok? The rest of the seals seem perfectly fine.

any idea what a reasonable price is for a second hand one?

thanks 

1 hour ago, LeoLex said:

If you replace it yourself consider dropping some of your favourite essential oils before inserting it. 

My wife has done this and now the car smells like a Jo Malone counter at John Lewis. 🤣🤣

Thanks for all the help so far - the SC is looking a lot better already.

I took out the cabin filter today and it was disgusting.

1. Does this normally get replaced on a regular service or just at certain intervals? Is this something they replace if you get an air condition service  (not sure if that is the correct term)

2. Any recommendations which manufacturer to replace it with? We are living somewhere with high levels of pollution so would prefer one that kept as much out as possible. 

Thanks all. 

Ok so I contacted a local company about acid dripping and it is suspended because of Covid. I assume it will come back post 19 July. No rush in getting them done. Thanks for all the advice everyone. It is very much appreciated. 

Thanks all. One company has advised that there is too much corrosion to make a decent job of it and we will have problems further down the line. So I think a nice, conservative set of alloys may be in order. The alloy equivalent of a 17" pair of slippers. Given that we will not be reselling the car, I am not too concerned about whether they have a Lexus badge on or not. 

Thanks so far for all the help. Our IS is very grateful. I started by giving it a thorough clean and realised that I am even going to need professional help with cleaning. 

I could do with some help in getting the order right and make sure I ask the professionals to do the right thing. I have had a go at the order but would be grateful for a check that this is the best order of attack:

1. Audio technician: New audio system, reversing camera and usb charger - ask them to fit a new gear change knob (which has gone all cloudy) and swap out the cigarette lighter while they have parts of the dash out

2. Body shop: Get the dent fixed at rear and the paint on the front bumper (some small damage from someone hitting us in the school car park). Ask them to get rid of the condensation in the rear light while they have the back open and replace the side moulding strip

3. Alloy wheel specialist: Repair or replace alloy wheels

3. Car detailer. Super deep clean. Do they normally repair leather seats as well? The stitching on drivers side has started to come away.

Thanks everyone.

8 hours ago, steve2006 said:

From what you say you have spend little if nothing actually repairing the car, the cost has all been routine maintenance such as brakes, filters and fluids i.e. your service costs.

If it ever goes for an MOT and fails miserably for severe corrosion say on subframe or mounting areas then you reconsider your options, the engine alone will still be worth more than the scrap yard value of the complete car.

You have also owned the car for some time so will no doubt know it’s history, why replace it with another where you don’t.

Thank you - this is really helpful. We always get the advisories done, but we have a long-term relationship with our non-Lexus garage and trust them and so far (touch wood) we have not had any really big bills. Of course, I am excluding the time I drove through an overhead barrier with a bike in a roof rack. So, yes, it has all been mostly routine maintenance bar a stupidity tax.

Thank you everyone

We now have a drive so we are far less likely to encounter curbs now than before. I am also going to invest in a reversing camera too.

Stupid question no.1  - if I just buy the wheels, I assume if I pop down to my tyre man, they will take the old wheels off and put the new ones on?

Stupid question no.2 - A new set of 18inch, would require new tyres as well if the standard ones are 17'?

We want to show our 2004 IS SC some love. There is a dent in a rear panel. Paint is not cracked. I assume we will need to go to a bodywork shop to get this fixed? Or is it something we could do ourselves. It does not need to be showroom - it would just be good if it was not so obvious.

Thanks to the members on here suggesting that we are not crazy to keep going with our 2004 IS300 SC. We would like to show it some love so we stop getting our heads turned by shiny new cars...

So how easy is it to replace this strip? I have tried YouTube but I am not even sure what this part is called.

Thanks.

Thanks to the members on here suggesting that we are not crazy to keep going with our 2004 IS300 SC. We would like to show it some love so we stop getting our heads turned by shiny new cars...

Wheels - probably the worst bit on the car...

What type of repair do we need to get (from a professional - I think this might be beyond our skills) or should be just buy new ones? Given the age of the car we are not worried about replacing with original and we don't need really flashy ones because it is certainly not showroom condition.

If we are getting new ones, should be get the same size tyres? We are most interested in comfort of ride, safety We are not racing anyone at the lights.

Thanks everyone.

Thank you all. I feel reassured that spending some money on a little bit of love for the car is not absolutely nuts.

I don't think we would buy an estate again if there are relatively eco SUVs on offer. I think we would find the higher driving position hard to ignore especially now our council has decided to stop cutting the grass verges at our junctions. 🤦‍♀️