Simon_D

Apologies, I've just seen your reply. I was being facetious - I suppose you could ask a dealer what the minimum thickness for the disks is but if you are using standard stuff I would replace the disk if there is any significant sign of a wear ridge. The parts are pretty cheap - buy on ebay from Lexus Birmingham.

Nothing wrong with a stainless exhaust to replace a rusty mild steel one but I don't think loud exhausts suit the car - particularly the auto. Amplifying the slushy gear changes never sounds good.

I need some new boots too but my main concern is longevity. I still have the original Dunlop Sport Maxs and assumed that the Michelin Primacy would be the best bet. Any higher mileage owners with any experience?

A micrometer and a spec sheet! I replaced mine when there was a significant wear ridge on the fronts. They seem to wear quickly - looks like a car that will need front discs at every pad change with the oe stuff.

I would say that a Main Dealer service history is a must when selling a car that is less than 3-4 years old. This is purely because it is what the market expects. Beyond that (and if you intend to keep for a long time) it is less important. Once the car is out of warranty a known, good independent is probably a better bet. In my experience most large main dealers treat services like a production line with the work being carried out by the most junior staff. I was shocked by the number of cars that my local Mercedes Dealer services every day. When it comes to my bikes, I would never let a Tech that I didn't know touch them and often travel to Manchester (from London) to get major work done by a well know independent.

Cheers. I remember reading somewhere that it was stainless and doubting it when I looked at the silencers.

Are there any stainless components in an IS250 exhaust? I haven't looked closely.

If buying secondhand, the salesmen are generally keen to avoid contact as they know the bodges usually applied to tart up used stock. The best car/dealer experience is one that does not necessitate contact.............. that is to say a well built car that doesn't go wrong.......................

Unless it's a tight bend and the steering wheel is still upside down! ;)

For the last 10 years or so mainly Buells with the odd KTM here and there.

Had you driven over some bumps just before this? I haven't experienced this in a car but on bikes if you hit some bumps or have a bit of a tank slapper the pads/pistons can move away from the disk and the first brake application will bring the lever back to the bars. They are fine once they've been pumped back up.

Now you've done it :). I once posted on a bike site about the longevity of my bike's battery.................... guess what happened within a week......!!! ;)

I wasn't suggesting that there was anything wrong with your wheel refurb. I can see from your other posts that you take great care with your car. It was just a general comment about the poor quality of wheel refurbishers. Any decent job would be impossible to do in a van. In my opinion these mobile refurb jobs serve only one purpose and that is to tart up a car quickly and cheaply before sale.

I don't see how most of these "refurbishments" are ever going to last. Unless you strip the wheel, make good any damage then powder coat it has got to be a waste of time. By definition any mobile wheel refurbisher won't be able to do a decent job. It is clear that Lexus dealers use these guys to give their secondhand cars a blow over for resale but the "repairs" show up within a few weeks of regular use. Mine were clearly bubbling then bodged by a "refurbisher" before the car was put on the forecourt.

Yeah you are right that would invalidate insurance,it would be dangerous as well..better leave it as it is now:) you conviced me ,i won't do it!thanks a lot for advice on this topic cheers Good move...... and I know it should be creek but I've got creaks on the brain since buying Lexus!

Don't do it. Apart from being bloody silly, you'll invalidate your insurance (they check for this kind of thing) and leave the poor sod you run into up the creak too. Lexus isolate you enough from the outside world as it is without you trying to turn the car into your front room!

Leave the callipers as they are if they are standard. You don't want to draw attention to the fact that the car has tiny discs and single pot sliding callipers under those lovely new wheels! ;)

Unlikely.....unless you drive it off a cliff!.........or buy an ISF.

Mine are like that too. I also don't notice any difference when adjusting the "sensitivity" settings. I just use the manual controls. I'm always afraid of leaving them on auto in the winter because if you switch the ignition on with a frosted windscreen you'll wreck the wipers instantly.

I didn't notice any functional differences other than the ability to program on the move (vs the originals in my '07). I'm more interested in the road updates.

I've come from Subaru's and BMWs and find the IS (250 auto MM) heavy, slow, quiet, smooth but poorly screwed together. The brakes are poor and wear out fast but at least they are cheap. I started looking for something else within a few of months of getting mine as I realised that Lexus quality/reliability/customer service is no better (worse in some areas) than other manufacturers. I'll probably stick with it for now as it is a comfy undemanding drive and I still enjoy the toys but I confess to being somewhat underwhelmed by the whole experience. Sorting the interior quality, brakes and giving it a tiny bit more rear legroom would make a world of difference but while its steering is sharp you could never say it handles particularly well. This and the poor customer service has lost them a new RX sale to my wife............ thankfully!!!!

This is my first auto and it is pretty good. My problem with autos is that they only change gear when they get it wrong and that a gearbox cannot anticipate what is unfolding in front of you so cannot change into the right gear in advance. The success of an auto box IMO is therefore down to the speed and smoothness of the changes. I personally find Mercedes autos to be the best I have used but the IS250 'box stands up pretty well in comparison. The other thing about the 250 is that the engine is almost silent and completely gutless. There is nothing worse than a manual box on a whisper quiet engine that also needs a lot of revs to get going. That may sound a bit negative but I honestly think that the 250 engine and the auto box complement each other very well. It may not set the world alight but it is a very smooth combination.......and not as slow as it feels! If it weren't for all the feckin' rattles and creaks it would be a very relaxing place to be ;).

...but at least with BMW you're generally not compromising with driving dynamics or engine choice. The only BMW I've owned was a MCoupe bought when it was one year old. It had a few problems but everything was sorted by BMW even outside of warranty. There's a lot to like about the IS but the bad bits have certainly dispelled the Lexus quality/reliability myth.

I'd agree about the six cylinder diesels. Not sure what your budget is but if it stretches to the new shape C-Class 320CDi then for me that is the best bet by a mile. Presumably you could get a 330 BMW for that money though. The old shape C is not nearly as good in terms of build quality. The IS 250 is very slow and manages to feel even slower than it actually is! Very smooth and comfy though.

......oh and don't forget that the Sat Nav doesn't have full postcode input. Apart from that it is a very good unit but this omission means that it is impossible to enter an address accurately if you don't have a house number - and very slow if you do!