J Henderson

Fantastic looking car! 👍

I can see the overhead lines being feasible on motorways, but not everywhere else. Even then, significant changes would have to be made. Most bridges only have a few inches of clearance for a double-deck trailer to pass under, as is.

Rear size for an F-Sport model not available yet, although you can get the older CrossClimate + CC2 though seems like a great suggestion. I got a set of them fitted last week and was planning on putting my summer wheels back on once I had broken-in the CC2s, but they feel so good I think I'll just leave them on.

Find somewhere that has modern equipment. Tyre changing machines these days (particularly high-end ones) are heavily automated with little risk of damage.

You probably just need to get used to the car, particularly it's dimensions, and maybe pay extra attention to your movements. ie: Can I really squeeze past this row of parked cars with that bus coming towards me? I drive something considerably larger than an RX for a living, and yes it can be intimidating at first, but after a while you just become "one" with the vehicle, to use a cliche, and feel more confident. Eventually you learn to anticipate what is and isn't possible, or safe, and act accordingly.

I'd say the latter is having more of an effect. 😃 A/C will have a small effect, as will bigger wheels. Plus, other factors like tyre efficiency, pressures, wheel alignment status etc. The biggest factor though, assuming all is well mechanically, is the driver & driving style.

Same method as any other "normal" car, really, but since its a hybrid, you'll have to enable Maintenance Mode so the engine will keep running. Top up coolant, squeeze radiator hoses. If level drops, add more coolant then re-fit expansion tank cap. Run engine with A/C off and heater set to max on low fan setting until the thermostat opens. Leave engine idling in this state for a few minutes so the coolant can circulate the whole system, giving the radiator hoses a few squeezes (careful - they'll be hot now!) to "burp" any remaining air.

Galashiels, yesterday.

😄

My initials are on the expensive side so I've never had a plate. A nice car with a nice plate can look good though. One of the best examples I've seen was a Ferrari F50 in Edinburgh with the plate PAS510N.

Standoff

I'm happy to be proved wrong, but I believe the auto-fold mirrors are only available on a car which has memory seats.

National Tyres currently have an offer available that could make a set of CrossClimates, or any other Michelin tyres for that matter, something of a "bargain". (Quotation marks since they're amongst the most expensive tyres on the market) It's actually been running for a while so this may be old news to some, but since the deal is due to expire in a little over a week, I thought I'd deliver a heads-up. I've personally taken advantage of the deal and ordered a set of CrossClimate 2 for my IS. They'll be fitted next Friday. With the discount code applied, the price for 4 18" tyres incl fitting was £499. Significantly cheaper than anywhere else. Cheaper even than buying loose tyres and having them delivered.

Rock

£1.78.9 for Esso is the cheapest I've seen today.

Another small update as I finally got around to installing the OEM window visors AKA wind deflectors to my car. I've seen enough comments on the forum over the years to know that wind deflectors aren't to everyone's taste, and to be honest I can understand the hate since some of the cheaper ones on the market look rather nasty and awkward. The genuine Toyota/Lexus products, however, look very subtle and stylish in my opinion and don't look out of place since they incorporate the same chrome-like garnish as the door frames. From a distance it's actually quite hard to notice them at all on a car with a dark interior and tinted glass, such as mine. Anyway, I was shocked to discover that I've been sitting on these for the past 3 years, and during that time the price on lexuspartsdirect for them has increased by over £100 so I'm glad I bought them when I did, and also to finally get them installed.

Robot

Don't forget the tyres. The rear tyres are also 30mm wider, which increases drag. Perhaps more significantly, the tyres available in F-Sport sizes are typically mostly geared towards sporty handling & grip and probably have a higher rolling resistance than the average 17" one. That said, your MPG figures do seem to be on the low side. In fact, they're barely any better than what I'm getting in an IS250 wearing 18" wheels and UHP tyres.

I must be driving like a great grandad then. My range after filling up is always 400+

Absolutely no intention of selling mine. It still drives great. I still enjoy driving it, and it doesn't cost a ridiculous amount to keep on the road. Plus, after all these years I'm still finding it pleasing to the eye whenever I walk back to it. Not just my own car, but the 2nd-Gen IS in general. It is ageing very gracefully in my opinion. In fact, I'm thinking of throwing a few quid at mine to rejuvenate things and keep it looking sharp. The wheels don't look horrible from a distance, but they do need refurbished. I also want to repaint the brake calipers and get a PDR guy to treat a couple of dings that have been on the car forever. Occasionally I'll wonder about getting something faster/newer, but when I look at what is actually out there that could be justified, it's a very small list, and any potential replacement would cost a fortune.

Based on the video that Texas posted? I'm sure your car will probably be fine since it seems the fuel companies are erring on the side of caution as very few, if any, of the fuels seem to actually have the full 10% of ethanol in them. I think I'd want more evidence though, over a longer period of time to be fully convinced. If you watch some of the other videos on that channel, there's some variation in the results. The exact same fuels being tested a few months apart can throw up a different outcome. Again, never with a full 10% of ethanol, but still. Plus, whichever refinery is/was responsible for the fuel being sold in your area will probably add another variable into the mix. We already know that Esso don't guarantee that their Supreme 99 stuff is ethanol-free in all parts of the UK. Only some. And since Scotland is one of the areas that doesn't have 0% ethanol Esso, I'm going to assume that all the fuel sold near me could potentially have a higher ethanol content than what's being show in the youtube tests.

Motivated

Spotted another Lexus in John Wick.

Looks pretty straightforward, just like the Mk2 IS. I would go the extra step and remove or loosen the airbox to gain more room to work with. As for error codes because of aftermarket bulbs...Doubtful. In fact, its very possible the OEM bulbs in the car are also OSRAMs.