James Trendall

Hey guys... and girls. Recently bought my 52 plate IS200 SE and while everything seems great i have a few tiny niggles i would like to fix. Firstly when i start the engine from cold the power steering seems to bounce a little. I get a slight squeeling noise (Squeak, squeak, squeak) and the steering wheel judders as i turn it. Secondly under braking the car pulls to the left and it has a slight judder again on the steering. This only ever happens at a reasonable speed. Hard braking it seems fine and gently slowing down seems fine but that sweet spot in between seems to feel like a warped disc. Any idea's to help would be great. Thanks in advance James

Hello James. Have you tried to give the wires a wiggle? 9/10 times its just a loose connection. Go turn the lights on and give the headlights a rattle, then move on to the wires, and follow them back as far as you can go giving them a good wiggle while checking the lights. Apart from thisi cant offer much more advice but i'm sure someone else will chime in and give some more. Regards, James

I've just bought a 2002 IS200 and the running cost for fuel is very good (Fill your Nike air's with helium) On the drive home (Motorway) i was getting 40-60Mpg averaged around 50 most of the way. Now i'm home i'm getting 30+. If i drive it "normally" the gauge drops down to 20ish but still not bad for the car. Since i've only owned the car for 3 days i cant tell you anything about reliability and what not but they look fantastic. they feel and drive like a dream and they soak up bumps IMHO. Regards James.

That was with postage. Ok they took 30+ days to get to me but for that price i should've stock piled them up for now. Like i said the tires were really hard rubber but aslong as you gave them a good warm up they we're fine just like any others i've bought in the UK. All i remember about them was a single triangle, size and the EU/UK stamp.

I buy my tires online since the local garages sell winter tires all year long so in the summer months they just melt and you need a new set 1k miles later. I normally get the cheapest tires from Japan. Nice and hard rubber that last for EVER! Yes you cant enter corners like a mad man right from the get go but after you let them warm up they're just as good as anything else. The last set of tires i bought cost me £20 each 225,45,17's and the only markings on the tires were a single triangle, the size and the UK stamp. They lasted me the entire year even with driving like a tit, Burnouts, wheel spins, handbrake turns etc... 6k miles later i still had 6mm tread left. I just wish i could still find those exact tires online once again.

I have a couple of these dents which you cant really notice unless pointed to. I'm going to get round to fixing them some time next month. Lucky for you that its on a door and not the rear 1/4. I would guess it's cheaper to replace the door than to fix it. Swapping over the locks, cards etc... seems to be fairly easy. If you're handy with a paint gun and filler you could repair it yourself pretty cheap. Next time you feel like going out and spending some cash take a look at the 360* security camera systems you can buy. For the 4 corners they look like parking sensors and on top of that have front and back facing interior camera's. A friend has one and apart from the obvious great footage you get on great road it helps insurance companies catch the culprit and brings down your premiums.

I've just recently bought a 52 plate IS200 SE and the gear box also has a slight whine. It reminds me of a supercharger (Albeit a very tiny one). Nothing to worry about unless it becomes VERY loud then you may want to think about getting a new one.

I spent most of the day cleaning it.... AGAIN! Toothbrush and rag inside the car almost have the dirt out of the creases. I'll be spending tomorrow getting deeper down in the engine bay to get at those hard to reach places before giving the car another wash and a good thick coating of wax and a nice soft buff back to a mirrored flawless finish. Here are the latest pictures i took after a 270 mile trip home with it.

Thank you. Once i got it back i scrubbed the engine bay. I need to get down deeper tho mud/dust is EVERYWHERE. I spent a good couple of hours on a quick clean up heading out tomorrow with my trusted toothbrush to get at those hard to reach places. In September i'll be spraying the wheels a few shades lighter than the car itself (Dark car lighter wheels imho) Hubs, calipers, lights will all be re-done. My intentions are to build it back up to the sport specs (Lowered, window tints, LSD) apart from that keep it tasteful to show that a clean and looked after Lexus can stand out in the crowd while staying luxurious. Anyway time to get some rest. I look forward to spending alot more time on the forums getting to know most of you and if Lexus have any shows i'm sure i can drag (trick) the wife in to attending :)

Hello and thank you for the welcome. Glad to know since i'll be begging for help and advice later on down the line. Sorry about the pictures i see them on my end but Here is the link to the album anyway.

I found this on Ebay the other day Link From the side skirts i would assume its the same kit. I'm thinking about buying it for my Lexus in a few weeks time.

Hello, After a few random mostly pointless questions i finally made the dive and bought myself a 52 plate Lexus is200 SE (Sports started to climb in price) For a 13 year old car i cant moan about the condition as it's pretty much mint. Here's a few pictures after the 270 mile trip home and a good clean. The only things i need to do is spray the lights and wheels. Lower the car and get myself an LSD. Will not doubtly update on the forum very soon.

Ok then. Thank you for the reply. I'll keep looking to find the exact model/features i like and maybe i'll see you on here again very soon showing off my new pride and joy. Thank you once again Scudney.

Hi and thank you. the controller in the center of the car next to the handbrake looks like This I would like to swap it out with this Type I hope that helps a little.

I'm looking at buying a Lexus is200 but the only problem is that controller in the center is a small half size unit. Would it be possible to swap that out with the full size button type controller with ease? Is it a simple swap over the wires and that's it or more involved? It's a nightmare looking for my perfect lexus. What i'm trying to find is a Charcoal grey, Satnav, sport, very tidy no damage outside and tidy interior with 8+months MOT for £900 £1,000 if the car is perfect but means i need to wait an extra week to collect it. Why is it so hard to find the right car. Anyway back to the original question can it be done easy or not? Thanks James.

Not sure if it counts but i USED to live in bodmin trying to move back soon

The tuning box i wasnt to bothered about the power gain i was more interested in the eco mode to save fuel. I just cant get my head around how it would work. (sorry just relised camcon was cam conversion lol sorry) I didnt know they were 2 different engine's i thought they both were twin cam for the VVTI to work. An engine swap is out of the qustion as for some reason the is200 is to expensive on insurance being double then what it cost me for my 1986 3.0 supra and having an engine swap would be to expensive.... in a perfect world i would like to hit around 180-200bhp with the standard engine then maybe after a year or so i might invest in a TTE supercharger kit when the insurance drop a bit. Thanks for the quick reply.

Hi i was woundering the is300 has a bigger engine then the is200 but is the vvti engine the same with the cam's? my idea was to change the is200 cams for the is300 one's to increase performance in the power band. is this as simple as a straight swap over if so could you also use cams from the other lexus's? im looking to keep the lexus as lexus standard as possible by using other lexus parts but try to increase power/torque or just performance as much as i could without going forced induction. its a shame the is200 isnt as tunable as previous cars i have owned. also sillys qustion but i saw a tuning wizard £50 box that wires in to the fuel/air meter's it stats it can increase power the bit im interested in was it has a eco mode to help fuel economy does anyone know how this works and if it would be worth investing in just for the eco mode? thanks in advance. Ps. im off to hose down the kids will reply to any reply in 15minutes :)

Hello everyone im james i live in kidderminster im 24 years old. im looking at buying a lexus is200 the most standard and cheapest i can find as i need a family car that also can provide me with a laugh at the weekends and a lexus does it all luxuary style fun all in one car what can be better.... just had a flick through the things to watch out for when buying a is200 that was a great read. 1qustion tho the head gaskets on a lexus arnt they prone to blowing when the engine is under hard driving? is this for a long period or short periods advice please thanks in advance james