J Henderson

Filled up last Friday and took this pic on Friday just past after a week of commuting. Definitely drove slower than normal for this to happen. eg: 60Mph on motorways instead of 70-80.

Poorboy's Black Hole is great at hiding scratches and stuff on a black car. Ignore the fact that a machine polisher is used in the video. You can get the same results by hand. As for washing the car with no hosepipe or pressure washer. You could invest in a large bucket with a sealable lid, fill it with shampoo and water at home, and then take it with you to a petrol station and make use of the coin-operated machines. A pump sprayer filled with snowfoam or some other kind of pre-wash could be welcome extra step to the process. Obviously, it would be ideal to do this at a quiet period, to avoid hogging the machine. 🙂

CrossClimate 2 are indeed very good, even in current 25-35 degree weather. However... ...if this is a common activity I wouldn't recommend them. Not sure you can get them in suitable 19" sizes anyway, but although they do have lots of grip, they're not really designed for sporty driving. The shoulder of the tread pattern is rounded off to maximise water & snow dispersal, not steering response. Better off choosing a genuine UHP tyre.

It's recommended to be changed every 2 years, regardless of mileage, or car. Not sure on current Lexus servicing practices, but the brake fluid change was included in a biannual "major" service a few years ago... If the car has been serviced by Lexus previously, I would question why they think it should be changed again.

Bilstein B6 are a heavy-duty shock so probably a bit stiffer than normal, but are fine with standard springs and can be used as an OE replacement. Pretty sure someone on the forum had them fitted quite recently if you have a search. One word of warning though. Check stock availability. I actually ordered a set of them for my car, and was told there would be a 2 month lead time, which I was fine with. But, once those 2 months had come and gone, I queried what was happening and was then informed of a further delay of 4 or 5 months, so I just cancelled. If you want them. Order them NOW.

Spotted this one this morning.

Voxels

Indeed....

Argyle

Thanks 🙂 Interesting to see that the vents were also one of the things changed during facelift. I had never noticed that before.

Thankfully they're not a thing where I live (yet), apart from the temporary ones outside schools, which I agree with and always respect, but permanent 20MPH zones have been in place in certain parts of Edinburgh for years (probably as long as London). Mostly busy areas with lots of pedestrians, shops etc. That's fine and makes sense, and it also makes sense to have them near schools, but they're also enforced in stupid places like Industrial estates with little risk to lives or property. Even worse, Scottish Borders council have adopted a blanket policy of a 20MPH limit in every town and village, regardless of size, with no mitigating factors taken into account. So, there are many long stretches of roads down there with no homes nearby where it simply feels unjust to be driving that slowly. Especially when you've just been travelling at 60MPH in a NSL area. All of these 20 zones are not "policed" by cameras but by those digital signs that measure your speed, and display the number in red when you're exceeding 20MPH. They're pretty effective tbh as a lot of people seem to make the effort to make the number turn green, despite there being no immediate risk to wallet or license. As someone who has to travel in the Borders multiple times every week, I feel the 20MPH limits are mostly a nuisance. There's definitely areas where it is genuinely a good idea, and justifiable, but they're without merit in a lot of ways. The only genuine benefit is that a pedestrian is more likely to survive or avoid serious injuries if they're hit by a vehicle doing the lower speed. They don't reduce emissions, or reduce fuel usage since they lead to extended journey times, and a vehicle that runs for 45mins instead of 35 or 40mins, will always pollute more. They also force drivers to operate their vehicles with less efficiency, perhaps having to drop a gear or two to avoid putting undue strain on the drivetrain. Most of all though. It could be argued that they actually add an element of danger with agitated drivers tailgating those that observe the 20MPH limit, or performing risky overtakes. I've personally had Police vehicles tailgating me, clearly desperate for me to speed up or get out of their way when I've been sticking to the speed limit. On the flipside, I have, on a few occasions gone through villages with a 20MPH limit at about 40MPH with a (unbeknown to me) Police car following me. Since it was about 4:30am at the time, they didn't care. TL;DR - they're a nuisance.

Firestone

Decided to treat my car to new boots a couple of weeks ago. The tyres in question were Michelin CrossClimate 2s and I had them fitted to the F-Sport wheels that I normally run during winter. Perhaps tempting fate, they have replaced the full winter tyres (Pirelli Sottozero 3) that were on there. To be honest the Pirellis had plenty of life left and would've been good for another season, but since recent winters have been pretty mild, and also because I fancied a change, I opted for the all-seasons. At the same time, I also took the opportunity to replace all the wheel nuts and locks with new items. They were really beginning to show their age, especially the locks. Having now put a few hundred miles on the tyres, I can see why they are so highly rated with other forum members. Fresh tyres always seem quieter and better riding, but the CC2s feel remarkable at coping with bumps and poor surfaces. They're also very quiet compared to UHP tyres I normally have. Of course they are not perfect. For one thing, they are pretty expensive. Even comparing Michelin with Michelin, they're about 10% dearer than "normal" tyres. Thanks to a promotional offer I was able to kit my car out with them for under £500, which I felt was pretty reasonable. Other sizes can be very costly though. About the actual tyres, the most notable negative point is how less sporty they feel compared with the previously fitted Michelin Pilot Sport 4. The steering response is massively inferior, and I'm sure ultimate grip is too, but they seem to be grippy enough for normal driving in wet or dry conditions. With the PS4s, the car reacted to minute steering inputs, and reacted quickly. Whereas with the CrossClimates you have to steer more, and earlier. Because of this, I wouldn't feel as confident of ripping it on a back road like I might have done. On the flip side though, you get accustomed to how they feel and the CC2s don't suffer from tramlining so driving on them is a more relaxed experience. With the PS4s, you need to keep a firmer grip on the wheel and be more vigilant to counter the small tugs you can feel as the tyres react to undulations, painted lines etc. Of course I haven't experienced any snow or ice yet, or even any cool temperatures, but by all accounts they sre supposed to be very good in such conditions. Plus I haven't noticed any drop-off in fuel economy, so these are tyres you could easily leave on all year round. However, because I appreciate sporty handling, cornering & braking etc, that's not something I'll be doing. UHP tyres will be going back on the car at some point, but until then I'll continue to appreciate the smooth ride.

Just filled my car with Momentum 99 @ 179.9. E10 was 172.9 Still a good 5p dearer than it costs in the Scottish Borders.

Probably a simple cost-cutting exercise. Manufacturers are always looking to cut costs (and save weight) in their cars. It would cost a certain amount of money to design and produce the small screw caps needed. It could probably be whittled down to a few pence, especially if they were produced to be one size fits all. But when you (TOYOTA) are making over 10m cars a year, that'll be a sizable sum to spend each year on something that most people don't notice. A more visible form of "cheapness" to me are things like door and boot hinges. Compare between 2nd-Gen and 3rd-Gen IS models, and they are exposed on the newer car, and in the case of the boot, intrude into the loadspace. Older car has them covered-up.

Same issue as Shahpor for me. Around half the images in OP just broken links, but can see the reposted ones just fine. Nice turnaround though. Always super satisfying to achieve this kind of result when the starting point is a "pig sty". 🙂 Re: the central vents. What method or technique do you recommend to remove them without causing any damage? I want to try and solve the creaking sound that comes from that area when the car is cold.

The wheels in the first picture. I think you only got those on (09+) facelift SE-L. Not sure if they have an official name, but I've seen them referred to as "Lobster Claws" on Clublexus. 😄 I always fancied putting the facelift GS F-Sport wheels on my car, but gave up waiting for a set to appear. There was 4 wheels on ebay at one point, but all single wheels with damage from 4 different sellers, and £200+ each. PS. if anyone has these wheels and would like to sell them, please let me know. 😃

Agreed about the wheels thing. Kinda makes me regret selling the OEM wheels my car came with as they rarely come up for sale. There used to be a company on ebay that would regularly sell full sets of freshly refurbished Lexus wheels. Literally every wheel design and all a similar price. Even ones that normally command a higher premium. It's how I acquired my Hoshi wheels, but they just seemed to disappear all of a sudden.

Looking good. Red is a good match for a white car. I need to re-do mine as the rear calipers got replaced and are unpainted still.

From 2018, but should still be relevant. Lexus - Service Table 0418.pdf

This is the key aspect of "intermittent" definition. Both of the speed settings are continuous. They just sweep endlessly until you intervene. No pauses. You've just described an intermittent wiper setting. My car doesn't have this. It appears some IS250s without rain sensing wipers do have it though. The manual mentions South Africa only.

intermittent /ɪntəˈmɪt(ə)nt/ adjective occurring at irregular intervals; not continuous or steady. "intermittent rain"

Yes it can. There are occasions though where the wipers just sweep constantly for no reason, regardless of speed setting. Like, late at night when the car is cold with a light film of condensation on it. The auto wipers will quite correctly wipe this away when you start the car, but then they'll continue to keep sweeping a bone-dry screen for ages until I disable the wipers manually. They can be a bit hit and miss in foggy conditions too. There's no intermittent setting. Otherwise I wouldn't have said what I did, erm 6 years ago.

Destitute

Perhaps give 0w30 oil a try. This is what the Lexus dealer always filled my car with, when it was still being serviced there. It falls between the 2 grades that are recommended for an IS. 2005-2010 - 5w30 2011+ - 0w20