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The passenger side was the difficult part. The washer tank gets in the way and it's a pain to get a screw driver in there to undo the clip. But generally once off it's the same process to get back on. Fairly simple bar the one setback.

It's not really helpful when it's cold conditions and your expected to use the aircon whilst freezing in the car...?

wait for the winter. Unfortunately the cold sound of diesel is much worse than cold sound of petrol... All these posts about the winter has got me looking forward to it!!

Invest in some winter tyres if you absolutely need to get around in tough conditions. Otherwise, why risk your car in snow?

This happened to me once!!!! But then I woke up from that sweatful dream and was relieved.... Anyway more to the point, and more irrelevant, I keep my finger on the cruise control switch, period. I trust the clutch and brake to release CC but I much prefer cancelling out the CC with the lever.

After further inspection, what I though wasn't EGR no.2 was actually EGR no.2 Jesus. As if the first EGR wasn't a pain to unleash...

My issue was a flywheel problem. It's an expensive routine but it nailed the problem. At least for a while I won't have to worry about spending £2,000 in one blow again. Again, Lexus and their rapier labouring. Phew.

Love that colour. Just love it. It compliments the model to ridiculous levels.

What experiences have you had in terms of start ups? I havent yet had the privilege of introducing my car to such conditions. But am wary of it coughing up in the cold.

Here's a tip for maintenance records when selling... Take your car to a Lexus service centre for interim services (every other year). That way you will build up a nice collection of manufacturer recommended stamps. The primary service can be done anywhere as it won't kill your pocket. But selling wise, a local service is far more cost effective. Unless you feel a buyer can chew on the latter and gain kudos for a dealer service?! It's your choice!

To compensate money with time, get under the car and unscrew the oil tank (not entirely) until it drips. Let it drip until you feel it's appropriate. Long winded, I know. But by far better than hunting down tubes an syringes!

The manual will tell you not to overfill, as would a speed sign state not to exceed the limit. The truth is, manufacturers these days tolerate margin for errors. Fuel tank, oil tank, master cylinder etc. The marks are there for factory requirements and as a precaution, they are not there to imply danger by excess. Sure, my brake fluid, coolant, engine oil all sit on the mark. But that's just pure measuring chance! I've never aimed to be accurate, rather I've aimed for the mark more or less. But more is better than less :-)

Motherf...!!

That sounds better. Lookers Hatfield is my local. They gave me the quote for the calipers. So i might get a quote from the Texas branch. Although I don't know whether the shipping will equal that quote from Lookers... I'll give them a call and let you know.

Can't seem to find them anywhere, nor salvaged. Lexus are asking £350 per caliper. That's £40 dearer than the 250/220. I suppose I'll have to put some coins aside. Appreciate your time to dig out the info!!

What years is the Mk3? And how much did you pay? I was thinking of getting them from a scrapyard or remanufactured ones but if the Mk3 isn't that old, it's unlikely I'll have any luck!

Looks brilliant! Those look like opposed calipers. I can't seem to find any to purchase, mostly GS300 calipers are floating/semi-loaded therefore 2pot with slide pint overhauls. Did you buy yours privately? I.E eBay etc or retail?

Nice! They truly are pads you will be saddened to replace if you ever had to. They warped my discs but only because I abused them for evidential reasons regarding this post. They do take a while to bed so if you have the patience, you'll be extremely pleased. They aren't as effective with dot5 brake fluid. I wouldn't recommend it neither because it impacts breaking with any aftermarket pads, even OEMs.

I second that!! How much did this setup cost?

Fantastic. Thanks for the useful information. I look forward to having a look at these pics!

I've noticed a lot of people asking for advice on EBC stuffs, so I carried out my own research with the pads on the Lexus IS220d SE-L. Firtsly, I'd like to point out that I jumped in to RedStuff after getting hold of my IS. When people ponder whether pads and disc combination is crucial, it really does come down to driving style. Let's start off with RedStuff ceramics. They are bloody brilliant. To an extent that once warmed they perform well, and the biggest perk to these pads is simply the fact that they stand strong by their word which is that they produce little to no break dust. They are true to their word trust me. Break fade is not an issue with dot3. It's a big issue with dot5. I don't fully understand why I was sold in to dot5 by Lexus but it doesn't help as explained further on. A Combo with MTec grooved and drilled discs, they did well. If your a city driver, they take forever to bed. Took mine 1800 miles. For motorway, be careful with aftermarket discs as they are so solid and heat tolerant they can easily warp your discs with prolonged braking. I downgraded to GreenStuff. These looked odd on red callipers so I sprayed them black. They performed well, in comparison to RedStuff their initial bite was immediately noticeable. They are not as dust free as they claim, in 2-3 weeks they start to coat your rims. Break fade is less evident than RedStuff but marginal. In reality, they are a better but dustier version of RedStuff but cannot sustain the powerful temperature of RedStuff. Ultimax. Initial bite equivalent to that of OEMs. Break fade equivalent to that of OEMs too. Break dust, by far worse than OEMs. One trip after a car wash and your wallet would be better off in soap. They are renowned for their superb part in OEM replacement, but if you can't stand break dust, these are just not the right pads for you. With standard discs these pads don't have any difference on aftermarket discs. It truly comes down to how they are used and abused. Respect the pad and disc bedding instructions and you have no problem. A lot of people tend to suffer because they unify the average time they believe or are used to for bedding. It's simply wrong, unless you know your car too well. I have used all three EBC pads and my final thoughts are that RedStuff are perfect provided you bed them patiently and put up with the occasional squeal for the first 1500 miles or so. They really are beautiful with it's acclaimed dust-free abundance. GreenStuff I would recommend, no doubt they do take around 500 miles or so to bed with, again, the odd squeal but once bedding they do the job perfectly. Ultimax, well I don't know where they went wrong. Mintex pads in comparison, produce GreenStuff equivalent break dust. But I found their break fade to be less tolerant and really struggled with them. Break fluid is also important. Dot3 and GreenStuff sit well. Dot3 and RedStuff you just can't go wrong. Dot5 and any of the above, you'll be burying your pedal before you feel the pinch. I hope this gives you an insight to the pads. These are all from my experience only, the weight of the car also impacts the pads and discs so take consideration but it's not so difficult to make the right choice. How you drive, and what suits you is truly down to individual preference. Anyone can say this pad and that pad is recommended, but that is down to their car setup, their driving style and their preference. You have a choice, and follow what your mind agrees too. Experience makes the difference. I carried out these tests for so long now, keeping a watchful eye on threads here. I did these tests for the forum solely for my own experience and to share that with you. It doesn't bother me the money I dished on discs and pads, that's another story ;) But I hope you picked up something from this and gives you a little confidence. PS. I have Black Diamonds and GreenStuff all round. My alloys are black, therefore GreenStuff performance is my preferred choice, but the dust is irrelevant because it's hardly visible on black rims. Of corse.

I've read somewhere on this forum where you've expressed vividly that the stock 17" do not fit the 350 kit. Firstly, the dustcover and plate will have to be replaced since the ones on the 250 and 220 are a set for the size of disc dimensions. Are you saying the 350 cover and plates won't fit? If not, what are alternatives? Secondly, what offset do you recommend if someone wishes to purchase a set of aftermarket alloys to assist the 350 kit? Finally, how much of a struggle was it for you to get the 350 installed? Whether you did it yourself or not, was it an entire hub job or a simple replacement of disc, dustcover, plate, an calliper kit? Many thanks for the info.

I rarely listen to Lexus when they tell me "I have to" and quote me a price. I prefer it when they ask me. Having stated that to them they actually advised me what needed to be done to the car, giving me the option to find the best deals. That's why I went aftermarket. After quotes on discs and pads I started to wonder whether the Lexus was an investment at all. But with the m-tec discs and GreenStuff pads I'm chuffed. The pads have taken nearly 800 miles to break in but that's because ive been doing a bit of city driving lately. I've heard that the Mintex pads are exceptionally good. But the problem I've run in to is, once you get pads that offer next to no break dust, you never want to go back!

I have the 220d SE-L and have only the single valve. As mentioned earlier, the pipe attached to the engine body feeding through to the EGR valve is a bit tricky to unscrew if you don't remove the battery. Removing the battery also helps reset the ECU, in the time it's taken you to clean the valve and pipe. My MPG improved slightly by 5-6 mpg. The most noticeable different was the smoothness in pickup. Previously I got flat spots, specifically in 2nd gear and this no longer exists. I can't confirm the engine being any quieter, but smoothness was at it's best. Huge difference when you notice it.

The disc spec for the 220d is the same as the 250 so if the 250 can accept the 350 kit why can't the 220? Also 220d SE-L come equipped with 17" minimum. I have 18"