is200 Newbie

2 days to replace key fob batteries .... good job they didn't charge labour !

I have had a car (non Lexus) fail an MOT before ant it was a seized calliper but there's a lot of ways to detect this - - I would have to agree with Steve, how did they detect the problem if it was in for a non related fault, unless it did have a safety check at the same time. Correct me if I am wrong but they must know the weak areas of the cars they sell so they know where to look and the callipers are a weak area with recalls being issued on them previously for seizing.

I would like to - that's all that's missing from it !!

Mark - I needed a quick solution to what was, I thought, a dry system. Turns out that the quantity was only just a bit more than the expansion tank empty. I believe the system holds around 10 litres so I don't think with what I have added has caused a problem as I am banking on it blending together - I am monitoring it as I cant understand why it was empty in the first place but suspect it was empty when I bought it. One twentieth of the overall solution in the system will be the blue coolant which I don't think is a lot but as you say it does need the Toyota coolant. I have found a Toyota dealer selling the Red coolant so I will quiz them on the compatibility of using this as the alternative like you stated will be expensive. I have just bought some time really in getting through the winter which so far has not been too cold.

The previous owner has probably rotated the tyres not knowing the backs are bigger than the fronts. Also check the rotation arrow when putting then back correctly - make sure they are turning the way they should. The rear wheels are bigger than the fronts but I am not too sure on the correct sizes so may be worth you checking you have the correct ones for the car.

I would have to agree with Jonny and Micheal above - its a hard thing to diagnose especially when you cant replicate the noise when stationary. It does sound like shocks though and I do seem to remember someone posting something along the same lines on this form a while ago - it may have been for an is200 or a 250 (not sure) it was something about old shocks producing the noise (knocking) due to I think air dampners within the shock unit, I think??? Try a search on this on the forum for this ....

You have probably tried this but if the noise is loud enough have you tried "bouncing" the two front corners up and down while the cars stationery by pushing each down as if testing the shocks out - its possible you can narrow the noise down to a specific area?

saddening - very poor customer service especially with your loyalty to the company

2 pints of fluid (1 litre) is what it took to top up with just under half a pint of that being actual coolant. Will keep on monitoring it until I manage to get the flush done. Water gurgling noise has all but gone in the cabin and heater on max is hot.

:shifty: HAVE HEAT :shifty: HAVE HEAT :shifty: HAVE HEAT I TOPPED THE EXPENSION TANK UP LAST NIGHT FROM WHAT WAS A LOW LEVEL (BELOW THE LOW MARK) TO JUST UNDER THE MAX MARK. ENGINE WAS WARM SO AM EXPECTING THE LEVEL TO GO DOWN A BIT. AS OF YET I HAVENT CHECKED IT AS I WANT THE ENGINE COLD SO I CAN DO A PROPER CHECK. WENT OUT TODAY AT LUNCHTIME AND SAT IN THE CAR PARK WITH THE CAR IDLING AND HEAT WAS COMING FROM THE VENTS (NO MORE COLD HANDS !!) I DONT THINK THERE WAS NO COOLANT IN THE ENGINE AS IT WOULD NOT BE RUNNING NOW - JUST THINK IT HAD BEEN LOW FOR A WHILE (NEVER CHECKED IT WHEN I PURCHASED) I DID HOWEVER EXPERIENCE A GURGLING NOISE WHEN STARTING THE CAR A FEW TIMES WHICH HAS BEEN SUGGESTED COULD BE AIR IN THE SYSTEM - AS I HAVE TOPPED IT UP WITH NON TOYOTA COOLANT I PLAN TO DO A COMPLETE FLUSH AND REFILL WHEN THE WEATHERS A BIT BETTER - I HAVE FOUND A TOYOTA DEALER SELLING 5 LITRES OF THE RED CONCENTRATE COOLANT AT £26 SO MAY BUY A COUPLE OF BOTTLES OF THIS, ESPECIALLY AT THIS PRICE. THE WATER PUMP SEEMS OK - BUT SAYING THAT I WILL MONITOR THE LEVELS FROM NOW ON JUST AS A PRECAUTION.

Have found a garage selling 5ltrs of the Toyota red coolant concentrate for under £30 (Burrows Toyota dealers in Sheffield) so will give it a go in a few weeks time ... I would like to flush the system out while I am at it - have found a link on the forum on how to do this on the 250...doesn't look too hard a job. If you are draining the full system out is there any point in flushing it as well due to the fact you are emptying it anyway- would the flush just remove any sludge etc that's in the system?

Hi Chris Sorry - resurrecting an old post .. I had the "gurgling" noise in my 250 a few months ago but presumed it was the air con - now find my expansion tank is nearly dry = don't think any damage has been done but what could happen if the system ran dry of coolant? I have topped mine up - just under a quarter of a pint of blue coolant and the same of water just to get me by until I can get some red stuff either this weekend or next. I presume its the same process of topping up for all cars - should I keep an eye on the level until it stabilises. One thing I have never done is change coolant but may give it a go.

I have just topped it up with blue coolant - just under quarter of a pint of coolant to the same in distilled water. Knowing the luck I am having with this car its probably the water pump !! - is that an expensive repair? there's no tell tale noticeable rumble though and no apparent leak around the parts.. The top up is only temporary - id rather have some coolant in there than none at all. Ran it for 10 minutes (idle) but still no heat.

I have an issue with the heaters in the car not blowing hot the past few months - I can get them to work and blow hot when in manual but think that's a strange situation to have as they should work in either drive setting..?. There's nothing at all wrong with the switches etc in the cabin. I have noticed it more when sitting in the car when its idling as it blows cold even when set on max I have checked the coolant level tonight in the white bottle reservoir by the radiator and noticed its just below the minimum level but that was after driving it home so I am guessing it may get lower when cooled down. Question - I can see its red coolant in the bottle - for the time being am I quite safe in mixing a small amount of normal coolant in this just to top it up - think it will take approx. half a pint of liquid to top up. I am thinking this will be the cause of the heat loss in the cabin but it may need a flush through in a few months? Anyone know if there is an issue in mixing the coolants at this quantity - I don't think I have a choice really and I would rather have fluid in there than none at all. Question - where could this coolant have gone? There's no leaks and no coolant in oil or visa versa - If I am honest I never checked the coolant level when I bought the car so it may have always been low - anyone with any ideas.. Appreciated - thanks .

I stripped the two front calipers down on my car yesterday after replacing the discs and pads a few weeks ago I just wanted to check all was ok. I have taken pictures of the process and posted below although I cant get the pictures to show properly they will however show if clicked on ... 1/ Chock wheels / jack car up and remove the wheel 2/ To remove the caliper from the assembly, locate the 2 bolts holding it on (you will need a size 14 socket to remove them) - remove the caliper from the assembly and place on a support - I use an old plant pot which is an ideal height which doesn't allow too much pressure to be put on the brake hose. Picture below shows the bolts (ringed) to remove and what I mean by supporting the caliper on a pot 3/ Remove the slide pins (shown ringed in the picture below) - these are easily located - the two bolts previously removed were bolted into the pins themselves. When removing be careful not to damage the rubber boots on the caliper itself and also when removing the pins be carefull with the top pin as it has an anti rattle rubbber seal attached to the pin itself so may seam stiff when removing the top pin. You may need to twist the pins when pulling out if the old grease has hardened. 4/ The pin locator holes can be cleaned with a wooden pencil or a pipe cleaner brush with a bit of WD40 - when clean dry them out with cotton buds and tissues. The pins, if in bad condition, can be cleaned with a fine wet and dry paper wet with WD40. Any staining on the metal should come off in the process. Careful when cleaning the top pin as this holds the rubber seal. I have shown the pins before and after a clean below before after 5/ I use Castrol LM grease which can be bought from Halfords and the amount I use I have shown in the picture below. I load the end of a pencil and apply two lots in each pin recess. I will wipe the pins with a bit of grease just so they slide in easy. 6/ When re-inserting the pins there will be a vacuum created by the new grease - slide pins in and out until they settle in the recess so the caliper can be placed back on the assembly. Any excess grease that comes out from boot - wipe this away and place the end of the boot back in the recess in the pin. Refitting is the reverse of above. Also - when doing this job its a good idea just to check if your pistons are working ok - have someone press the brake pedal gently so you can check to see that its not seized and working correctly. I use a G clamp to press the piston back in.

Did you check for oil in the engine or did you hear the radiator fan coming on excessively when driving?

A-MEN to that ROYT ! If the machine the cars plugged into says there's no fault then there's no fault ... apparently ??!!!

Can a serious build up of carbon around pistons / rings or and valves cause an engine to seize up?

I have attached pictures to this post but don't know how they will turn out.... Sorry - pictures a bit naff but can be resized by clicking on them - haven't mastered how to upload them to the forum yet. I cleaned my air filter today - I have a K&N oiled one and tend to clean it twice a year (every 6 months) - once in the summer as I find the filter sucks up all the dust from the road and leaf bits etc and once in the winter. To be honest the summer clean is needed as it gets quite dirty but with the winter one its quite clean with only a few specs of dirt which I think is from the wet weather. Anyway - I have cleaned it today - removed / re-oiled and replaced. Below is a walkthrough on how to do it - although mine is a K&N it will be the same process for a stock filter (I have not shown the re-oiling process for the K&N filter) Take off the 5 press studs on the engine cover ringed in the picture and you will need a pozi screw driver to release the screw indicated by the arrow The last locator stud which is attached to this cover is located in the part of the cover that is tucked under the front radiator cover - lift the front cover gently and lift out the stud from the hole in the body. The cover should now come off by lifting it up. The picture below shows the engine minus the cover required to be removed before taking the air filter out. The arrow indicates the front cover area that needs lifting slightly to remove this cover and the circled parts are what need to be removed in the next process Next - unclip 4 catches around the air box. Slacken the screw on the rubber air hose (no need to remove screw) and also unplug the air sensor off the box. The air box clip under the front cover will be a bit awkward as it should lift up which is the opposite to the others. Below is a picture of the air sensor and how to remove it Press gently on the small lever (arrowed) while pulling it off the connector at the same time - it should slide off quite easy The filter can now be removed - pictured below is a K&N oiled one. The picture below shows the air box minus the filter - its a good time now to clean around all the fuse boxes and wiring At this point you can also see the left bank of 3 spark plugs that you can get to in a future job in changing the spark plugs - it does not look to difficult to do although reports on the forum have reported that is a bit of a b*&ch to do? I have arrowed the plugs on this bank that you would need to get to ... This last picture is of the clean filter after applying the cleaning solution and drying it before adding the oil - before the clean it was hard to see through it but it didn't seem that dirty - now its clean and a lot of light can be seen shining through as per the picture. Fitting of the filter is the reverse to taking it out.

Just seeing how I can upload pictures ... how does everyone else do this ??

Any help or information appreciated The heater on this car doesn't seem to work that well - doesn't heat up that well if at all. I can get it to heat if I drive the car using the gears but when in Drive it wont heat? Seems strange to me but have I set the heater settings wrong? I have skipped through the cars manual trying to find out if any settings are set wrong but cant find anything. Did spot that the heater had a small generator but don't know if that applies to my car??! Fan is working as its blowing cold air and all switches are working - air con is ok and off. Any suggestions?

I may be wrong with the service interval for the plugs - I am pretty sure mine have not been done at 73k - had it in my head from somewhere that it was 100k they needed replacing (maybe that was my old IS200?) Mine is an SE-L and has the Mark Levinson kit on it and I think a lot of the SE-L models do have it - I had read on another post someone thinking they were looking at an SE-L but it was actually an SE-I (Worth a check) I think its worth it if you can find one with the Levinson system on it if you can. The Sat Nav is out of date but it works pretty well - has not let me down - sound is good from the system and the reversing cam is a handy gadget to have. Rear pads are a doddle to do - will cost you around £30 for a set of Mintex pads. Drivers side mirror will be expensive as they dim along with the rear view mirror when headlights hit them. When mine went on my old 200 the mirror "bled" like the old LED screens did when they broke and they are expensive to replace. Also if its cracked does it heat up? Check movement on it also - does it tilt down when reversing? When you said the spot light is missing on the passenger side mirror do you mean the puddle light under the mirror itself or the spot light on the bumper. Price would be ok at 4200 if he goes for it - definitely get the exhaust checked out.

Let me know how you get on - mines a 2007 model on 73k with a full history but one is not with Lexus - they would not entertain a FOC replacement for my calipers.

On ebay - they were collected. They went the week before Christmas

Sold the back boxes from mine for £80 - less than what they were worth but it put a bit towards the new exhaust. It was only the centre piece that went on mine - the back boxes looked in good condition.