Carl911

I need to replace my cracked windscreen but the insurance company I am with only allow you to use there own glass people which is called Chauncer glass. They use a like for like product produced by pilkington glass which is a reputable glass company. Has anyone had any dealings or have any recommendations.

No problem. I think part of solving the issue is just having the right type of sponge. As you say this is very soft yet expands once in place. Hope the rattles stay in check. Carl

I have heard that tyres can make a huge difference but I still find it ridiculous that so much emphasis should be on tyres when better sound proofing could have been more consistent,Maybe I drove a ropey one but to be honest it also felt cheaper and more plasticky and it had this strange device called a key which apparently I had to insert and turn, just crazy. I'm going to wait until I can afford the latest shape. Carl

That's lucky, cos the other option is faulty ballast which I have on one of my lights which is a pita to do, bumpier off and headlamp removal.

Thank you SA....sounds like a good idea, I shall try this over the weekend. At my own risk...LOL Currently I have cheap rubber door stoppers cut in half and wedged in!!! Friend: Whats that shoved in your dash/windscreen Me: oh...they are sensors Friend: Wow....I have always wanted a Lexus man!!! Me: :whistling: - Thanks for all your help!! I had my dash clips changed and it rattled in a different place afterwards. I got some form from Lexus, it's black in colour and expands once fitted in place. It's quite a soft feel to it. I place three pieces, all folded in half to double its thickness, one either side by A- pillars between dash and screen and one centrally. I have had no rattles return since doing this. I think part of the key is using the right type of foam odd as that may seem. Carl Thanks Carl, So did you purchase that foam from Lexus? A nice man from Lexus gave it to me. If you pm'd me your address I'd be happy to send you some to try as I have a bit left over. You don't need much. Because it is softer it allows for expansion and contraction. A hard rubber will probably do very little as soon as the temperatures start changing. Carl

That surprises me that you would find it hard after a BMW. I had three Bmw's prior to buying my two Lexus and the Lexus is a far more supple ride in comparison.did you have an older shape 5 or 7 series as these were a bit softer than the newer cars.

Thank you SA....sounds like a good idea, I shall try this over the weekend. At my own risk...LOL Currently I have cheap rubber door stoppers cut in half and wedged in!!! Friend: Whats that shoved in your dash/windscreen Me: oh...they are sensors Friend: Wow....I have always wanted a Lexus man!!! Me: :whistling: - Thanks for all your help!! I had my dash clips changed and it rattled in a different place afterwards. I got some form from Lexus, it's black in colour and expands once fitted in place. It's quite a soft feel to it. I place three pieces, all folded in half to double its thickness, one either side by A- pillars between dash and screen and one centrally. I have had no rattles return since doing this. I think part of the key is using the right type of foam odd as that may seem. Carl

Hope your LEDs last longer than mine, six months and two had stopped working in the front dome. I thought the led bulbs had a much longer life expectancy than a normal bulb but apparently not in my case.

As per title I have been considering changing up to something like the RX as this I'm told is a quieter, more luxurious lexus model and it might be more useful in say bad weather. Anyway, I took one out recently, a 2007 plate hybrid. First impressions, slightly more torquey engine, made the vehicle feel light under acceleration which I'm not sure felt stable. The seats were slightly more comfortable than the 'is' and there was much better space for rear passengers. Obviously the RX is wider although this would mostly benefit a third passenger in the back. It had the illuminated scuff plates in the rear as well as the front which was nice touch. However, overall I was quite disappointed. Firstly I expected it to be quieter, it wasn't. I'd say it felt noisier, the road noise was no better than my is250, the wind noise seemed worse and the engine had a slightly more gruff note to it which sounded not unlike my diesel. The engine noise was definitely more noticeable when pulling off compared to my is250. It wallowed around corners and the brakes were not as sharp. I got back I to my is250 SE-L after and it really seemed a much quieter, smoother car all round. I shall be trying out a GS at some point to see how that fairs but I'd imagine this should be an improvement. Wondered if any other is250 drivers tried these cars and felt under whelmed. Carl

As per title, I need to remove one of my headlights to replace the ballast. Is there a step by step guide showing what bolts and screws are where etc. Cheers carl

I must say I have no idea why a head gasket should cost so much. I replaced many head gaskets on my rover cars as they were quite a common failure and on average the gasket kit was £200 plus a possible head skim. I'd like to know what Lexus do that creates such a large bill. It would be interesting to find out the total parts replaced and why as I suspect as a recall much more than just head gasket are replaced and also you have the main dealer labour which is probably 70% of the cost anyway. My 220d had the recall work done at 40k and I have now done 85k. I have to say beside the afore mentioned odd gearing I still enjoy driving mine. I have had mine almost three years and touch wood it has been faultless and driven the same every day since I bought it. My journey to work is mostly around 40-60mph and the car runs beautifully at these cruising speeds with plenty of torque for over taking. I agree they the gearing can make it less than ideal when pulling off in first and second gear smoothly but once rolling the car is impeccable. I've said this before, as much as Bmw's often seen as the best mid size car perform better and are more economical, they are not nearly as reliable. I've own three BMW's and spent more in a year on them than I've spent on the Lexus in nearly three. I also own an is250 sel so I drive both weekly and both cars have there pros and cons. I also agree that the 250 is overall a better car but I still find the 220 feels more nimble to drive and not as heavy feeling. Despite both cars being similar in performance I find the diesel to feel the faster accelerating of the two cars. This may just be the fact that one is manual, the other auto. Anyway, as others have said, test both and make your mind up. Carl

They are great cars, I usually drive the 220 as I do more miles but whenever I drive the 250 it just feels so much smoother plus like yours it's an SE-l with all the toys. I even have the sunroof on mine. I find the blind particularly satisfying when Mr Audi pulls up to my boot on the motorway as the often impatient drivers do and I put the blind up. It's kinda like saying up yours. Almost thought about sticking a finger on my blind, that could be novel.lol

Cheers

Pm.d regarding tyres if they are still available. Carl

Yeah, I often wonder about all that. Honestly, like buying an A-rated washing machine or A-rated windows for your house, the real world difference is extremely slight and I mean probably a couple of pounds a year. Not really worth the paper it's written on in my opinion. I certainly have not noticed my difference in economy since changing tyres. I'm sure there is a difference between the worst and best ratings but it will be of no discernible amount. I did look at the dunlops and was going to try them on my other car next month as they also need replacing on the rear. Let me know how you find them. Carl

This topic has come up before but replies have been so varies that its difficult to decide what is the best tyre. On the Lexus I only look for quiet tyres as most tyres these days have reasonable wear and grip. I recently tried some Barum Bravuris 2 which are £140 each which is not cheap but they currently have a special offer where buy one gets the other free or near enough anyhow. Even though I have never heard of these I thought I'd go out on a limb and try four as all my tyres were low. It cost me less than£400 fitted so a pretty good price. I'm led to believe they are made by continental. My experience is that they feel softer than previous tyres I have tried. The side walls not as stuff which gives the car a feel of more roll on corners. I don't really race the car about so this is not too much of a concern. However, they are a quiet tyre. Much better than the Bridgestone potenza's I had before. I'd be surprise of they last as long but then they were over £100 cheaper for four tyres so we will see. All in all? In happy with these and could recommend them. I think it's only Natoinal tyres that are doing the deal and only on certain sizes, not the 245 rears, only fronts.

I checked with Lexus on a new casing which comes in at a mighty £264. That does come painted though. Perhaps ill look at the eBay ones at half that price providing they are correct colour.

Could be, I'm probably thinking of the BMW I had before.

Thanks normski, its only the outer case I want really rather than pay for a whole unit although it may turn out to be the cheaper option yet. Not into the bling thing so ill keep to oem. It's actually my other is which I think is artic silver or something like that, light blue silver colour. I will have to check on that. Carl

I had a lovely day out in Poole yesterday and left the car in a designated parking space on the side of the road. Unfortunately, when I returned I noticed my driver side wing mirror pushed forward. On closer inspection, its been hit hard and broke the plastic outer casing. I was rather annoyed to say the least. At least the mirror still functions and the glass was not cracked amazingly. Anyone know what a new case cost and do they come ready painted? Carl

Yes, that is the interior of my is250 SE-l, although I also have the 220d SE with same leather interior. The ML is rather good, one of the main reasons I wanted the SE-L. If all else fails, then the ML will certainly disguise all noises with its healthy speaker and amplification setup.

Probably the worse part of these cars is the road noise. Although quieter than most other marques it is one of the things I notice most especially on bad road surfaces. Tyres can make a huge difference. I had two tyres that made it sound like my two front wheel bearings had gone and got noisier under breaking. Once replaced with a different tyre the problem was greatly reduced. Firstly I would never have odd tyres either side. It's always best to keep matching pairs at very least. It's unlikely that knocking the hub with the wheel would have damaged it. Given the problem started when you changed the tyre I'd consider replacing the tyre with the brand you had before as you were happy with those. Ideally, replace both sides. Carl

As Normski says, there is plenty of threads on the forum which cover most the known problems. To be honest though, buy, enjoy and hopefully if you look after it your car will be fine. I have had mine nearly three years and only ever had to service it so they are not all as bad as they are made out to be. Mine is a daily driver and covers about 400miles a week on A-roads. Carl

I'm imagining they got a lovely lump of slime out of it... eww! Access looked rather restricted in the PDF I linked to, hope I don't have it happen, but £76 isn't the end of the world. They made a point of telling me it was a pita to do and required lowering the exhaust and prop shaft. Definitely did the trick though. Carl

Just to update on this thread, I had Lexus remove this grommet which cost me £76 and apparently was a real pain to do. Anyway, after 300miles of flat out air conditioning, the car is dry with no wet spots so the removed grommet is certainly the cure to the problem should anyone else suddenly find themselves with wet carpets. Carl