04AAA

I have not seen that thing you've posted before but I like the way it looks! Planning to get a pair of snow socks myself just in case I get caught out.

More details please.

I know this is dumb but I've never heard of snow socks or seen anything like those clamp on devices.

This year will be first winter in my Lex and I just know it will be bad she has been slipping on frosty roundabouts already.

My last car was a front wheel drive Rover and it drove like a tank in and out of snow.

where would water be getting into the car?

Your breath and wet shoes/clothes.

Its a crazy loophole that the insurance companies havent cottened on to yet.

What loophole?

You have a smash in the Ferrari and the insurance company doesn't pay up for the damage to the Ferrari only to the person/object you crash into. You loose the insurance and any NCB on the Fiat.

Sounds like a dodgy dealer for a garage to me. I expect hes' going to return the disk to the DVLA and claim a refund.

Unless the law has changed in September - I bought mine in August and asked the dealer to tax it. If he is genuine trader/garage he can take the paperwork in to the local post office and get a new 12 month disc. Mine did. That means there is no having to wait until you get the log book(V50) back from the DVLA - which also depends on the "dodgy dealer" sending in the paper work. (assuming he has it to send in)

BTW It is a legal requirement to display a current tax disc for the car while it is on the road.

Take her out for a spin to show her your appreciation.

Didn't think the "latest" was out yet - I was told it wasn't out until November

ive just brought the lastest map update disc for my 2001 is 200 sport at the cost of £120 and its not working.

You are well on the way to paying that much for Lexus to install it for you.

i believe its the cd unit itselfs, i have tried cleaning it to no joy!

thought it was dvd - anyway you are fitting in the unit in the boot - not just putting in the dashboard cd unit ... aren't you?

EDIT: I have just phoned Lexus who confirm my IS200 first registered in Sept 2003 is not affected so the VIN checker was correct in my case :P

... and they used the same site to check ;)

Perhaps it would be better to hear if anyone actually IS affected and has used the site to check - then perhaps we would have some fith in the site checker actually working ... though perhaps not :D

Hey!

I'm new to the community but I've read more than 70 pages of this forum after the purchase of a Lexus IS200, so I won't bother you with the usual questions.Instead, I got something possibly more general(or not):

1.Should I put the gear in Neutral when waiting at the traffic light on an AUTO box?I discussed this with my mates, but we couldn't come to an agreement.I wouldn't trust myself too much because I'm really fond of Manual boxes...I've heard that the hydrobearings run dry when the car is in gear at the light for too long.

I've never heard that one before and have been driving autos for some 40 years.

The best reason for taking the car out of gear when stopped for long periods eg at a level crossing applies just as well to manual cars (though there you obviously wear the clutch mechanism)

Is that should someone run into you from behind your foot will responsively be removed from the brake pedal and the car will lurch forward possibly into the path of a train or a pedestrian crossing in front of you. Obviously if hit hard enough this could still happen ;) Or, simply your foot could slip off.

Anyway, whatever the theories, welcome to LOC.

....

The first recall concerns the brake master cylinder fitted to IS, GS and RX models built between February 2003 and November 2005.

....

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1322427/Lexus-recall-selling-models-brake-fears.html#ixzz12ycoa8kk

So who is correct?

All IS models - or - just the IS 250 and 220d ?

I've never had much faith in recalls getting through to the s/h owners - if this does affect the IS300 I'd like to be forewarned, thanks.

Today when i turn the steering wheel it makes a whining/scraping noise it sounds as if its either coming from the front left or rear left side of the car, i was driving for 3 hours last night temperatures were fine no dash lights on but there was a strong smell of burning from the front end of the car as if overheating.

I don't think I would have continued driving for 3 hrs with "a strong smell of burning" - It would have been identified and remedial action taken.

Perhaps the burning was what was left of the pads burning into the discs or brake fluid from a damaged seal?

Or perhaps the burning was even more serious. I've seen the results of car fires and it isn't a pretty sight, especially when the occupant hasn't got out in time.

What gets me is that most people tend to forget that the price paid for your service is not a reflection of the cost of parts or the hourly rate paid to a mechanic specialising in the make/model or the actual cost of the facilities and equipment used by the mechanic.

With a Dealership you get so much more ... the flashy premises, sales and administrative staff, large overheads and equivalent salaries of the managers and directors, the support when something goes wrong.....

With your back-street mechanic - you only have the cost of his wife, the spare hammer and the general attitude that if he can fix a ford escort he certainly has the skills and knowledge to do anything on your Lexus.... maybe.

As always insurance depends on many things - prior driving history, age, other drivers, post code, miles driven, modifications, convictions ....

then there is cheap and then there is cheap - that probably follows the view you have of value of your car and your view of risk.

DVD price sounds about right, think they're about €160 when you get them from www.lexus-mapupdates.eu

That is for the DVD and fitting. (time is money)

I seem to remember someone on here saying that the disk comes out annually about November - so make sure you get the latest one.

finally both rear tyres starting to wear on inner edges.

be suspicious of those originally being on the front and the garage swopping them on to the rear for sale. That is because they know that front tyre wear is the first thing a buyer looks at on the Is200/300 and the font ones are easy to check.

I'm pretty convinced the guy who sold me mine had done this.

Although I was told mine had a full 60K service I am also doubting it - it is a great pity there is no easy way of checking the timing belt.

Oh and one other thing, how much will it cost to Tax the thing? I heard they are in band M ? I'm looking at an 03 car btw.

That's the easy bit = £245

The oldest IS300 will be 2001 and I think I'm correct in saying that one of the main differences is that they are all auto boxes (at least when I was looking I didn't see a manual box) though you do have the manual "electronic" control buttons on the steering wheel.

£4500 should be OK for a high mileage 2001-3.

Heck, that's really sad, but I think she is beyond saving. Once these sort of things take hold the next step is the scrapheap for you. You might as well go out and get a new one. There is nothing quite like a nice new body.

they also informed me it will last upto 40,000 miles.

A gearbox (especially an auto box) should have a lifetime much like your engine 100k plus miles. I've had a number of high mileage cars 150k+ over the years and have never required either a new engine or gearbox. Both only wear out if not properly maintained (like trying to run them without lubricant). Manual gearboxes are not so reliable especially if someone crashes the gears a lot. The clutch and clutch springs on a manual is just as much a consumable as brake pads.

Of course a loss of gearbox fluid then continuing to drive without it is going to cause damage - spotting the catastrophic loss is going to be difficult but isn't checking levels a standard service check item?

I'm afraid if the fluid levels are OK I'm still pretty skeptical that the gearbox has failed and that it is not something electronic or in a mechanical link.

Who said it was the gearbox? Just the RAC man?

I know the RAC are quite good but I wouldn't trust their opinion on something as sophisticated .. in fact on my wife's Celica they diagnosed a new Battery 2 years ago - our local garage mechanic had a good laugh and it is still starting first time.

I'm sure such a fault could be any number of things other than a gearbox. Get a second opinion from someone who knows about Lexus gearboxes and what makes them tick - a Lexus trained mechanic perhaps?

Just bought a single wheel as a spare with a part worn (actually "just legal" would have been a better description) for £41

When I was looking there were quite a few going for less, though they did look in a poorer condition.

One thing you have to consider is - just how many people are looking for a set of old wheels and prepared to collect or pay high courier charges on unseen? Probably not that many.

Good luck

Thank you for putting me in my place gentlemen.I am still furious that I was ripped off but no doubt I will calm down.

I'm sorry if it seemed that way but I certainly had the impression from your post that your were upset about the £200 for fixing the "noise" much more than the repair to the gearbox.

I did support the fact that 30K miles for a gearbox as a "common" problem with a car of this stature IS unacceptable. I just wasn't familiar with the RX300 (here on LUC or elsewhere).

What I don't like to see is a generalism of tarring everything Lexus with the same brush, or complaining about them fixing a £200 "noise" without a little bit more clarity on what that "noise" actually was or if the work had been challenged as not required/approved.

Sounds a bit like cutting off your nose to spite your face. Just because one garage performs badly does not mean that this is common among all garages (Lexus or otherwise)

Similarly getting rid of a car that you know the full history of, that has a problem (2 problems) fixed with all that expense, just doesn't seem to make sense to me.

I know nothing of the RX300 or if like you say "like us all" all RX300 owners have encountered the same problem. If it is a common problem - and any gearbox problem in 300K miles (I assume from new) is something to be rightly upset about.

Personally, I would want to know what exactly the "noise" was that needed fixing. Especially as you imply that the fix was performed without your prior consent/approval. I that "noise" was a serious issue, something likely to fall off, break something else, a safety issue, personally I would be thanking Lexus and willingly paying Lexus. If it was something loose in the boot tray, I'd contest the charge as unnecessary and outside the approved and agreed work.

£200 is really not much to maintain a car of this standing, I'm afraid some whinging about minor costs when you own a car of this quality just is not justified. It is an expensive car but we live with that fact because it is the car it is. If you want a cheap car buy a Fiat Uno.

Hmm possibly a bit like mine then

though I'm prepared to wait and see what happens to the front ones before giving WIM a call.

It'll need a full geometry setup- the IS200 suffers from chronic inner front tyre wear.

Before we all get confused - does this geometry set up apply to BOTH FRONT and REAR ?

i have 215/45/17 rear tyres on my 04 is200, the drivers side REAR have unevenly worn very badly on the inside of the wheel and the passenger side REAR had done the same but not as extreme as the drivers side, can anyone help me with what could be causing this ? i understand about wheel allingment and tracking but isnt it harder to get done on the rear wheels ? i thought that maybe it could be a bush on the suspension ? any suggestions or know how would be much appreciated thanks

until they crash them :(

But that's caused by the driver not a fault of the car.

If a driver presses in the Sport button and turns the traction control off then attempts to "boot it" into a sharp bend or roundabout or while performing any maneuver in the wet then some experience of skid pans might be worth investing in.

I currently own a IS200, but will be moving from Ireland to the UK soon.

I'll probably rent near the office initially, but would like to buy a car to give me freedom to explore.

I may be a bit dumb here - but why not simply come across by ferry and use your current car over here?

Rather than have all the hassle of a car that you don't know and leaving one of your cherished possessions gathering dust back home.