andy w

if you are half as happy as i am with my 1st lexus then you,re gonna be pleased , , been in germanic motors for 17 years but this IS 300 has impressed me no end

could you have a faulty caliper ?

1st call to main dealer to check what my 2002 53k sportcross should require from a service point in near future

service desk was busy so reception took number , phoned back within 15mins apologising for not being able to take call , not the service i get from VW or MBenz , rarely ring back & usually struggle to answer my questions satisfactorily

they explained the "essential package" my car qualifies for £119 for minor service(oil/filter&check) but then things got a little silly , she said " plus we can collect the car from home or work & leave you a courtesy car "

what ? for £119 ? i live 25miles from the dealership , , yes no problem !

now that,s what i call customer service

joy , mot today & all is well in my sportcross world , my technician is mobile & comes to the house,takes car & returns

he was staggered when i told him how much i had paid for what i got,

i know 9 yrs & 53k isn,t exceptional but ive had enough cars in 25 years to know a good one , this hasn,t a squeek,creak or rattle,barely audible on tickover & drives great

still impressed :winky:

my 1s,t japanese car since a trusty nissan silvia in 1991 arrived last week & goes for mot day after tomorrow ,

it,s 9yrs old & i really don,t know what to expect ,my usual german motors are pretty predictable

workhorse 141,00mile 03 passat was serviced & mot,d 3 weeks ago , no problem,s

not a thing wrong in 4years/48k

hope my lexus will reward me in similar fashion

weather ? fuel economy drops as temps drop + darker commuting in morning & evening slows traffic therefore increasing consumption , my petrol passat is down from 34/32mpg on same daily commute

studying the service record on my 300 the last service was 11months ago & it has covered just 3500 in that time , what are the standard service interval,s on this car & what else should i look into changing after 9yrs & 53k covered ?

fuel filter/pollen filter/brake fluid/autobox fluid&filter/plugs etc

the stamps in the book don,t reveal much

i,m not a fan of leaving oil in longer than 12months or 8/10k miles so that will get done whatever , 5w 30 fully synth but which brand would you guys recommend?

thanks

still not put ours on the road , it,s nestling on the drive ,it,s going for mot on wednesday & hoping to complete the sale of our 5tourer thursday so will switch over insurance & get some miles done , it,s been hard being a petrolhead having to wait but sure it worth it

Have you thought about booking it into your Lexus dealer for a free safety check? They wash and vac it too!

i like that idea

brakes would top my list of probables , , when were the discs last replaced ? were they factory item,s or a budget buy ? some can warp long before they are worn out & this can result in wheel wobble transferring back through steering wheel ,

can be front or rear

is it rude to ask for some after pics ? just to see what i,m up against of course B) only had mine 4 days & its had a carnuberising it won,t forget in a hurry :P have to compliment lexus on their paint quality , 9yrs old & showroom shine no problem , , unlike my previous mercs

afternoon lexus friends , thought i,d brighten your day , probably best not to be drinking coffee or eating toast as i was , , took me ages cleaning the keyboard & screen

only did it once , ,painstaking process , ,the "clay" is best described as a small lump of chewing gum ,

basically apply some spray lube onto the car then rub the small "clay" piece in circular motion over the paintwork ,

this removes tars & oxidants in preparation for applying a wax coat with good carnuba content

finally apply a sealant coat then relax for 6 months before doing it all again

or cheat like i do http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/500mls-SHIMMER-PROFESSIONAL-CAR-POLISH-CARNAUBA-WAX-/300467715523?pt=UK_Car_Accessories_Car_Care_Cleaning&hash=item45f5457dc3#ht_1080wt_944

gives a great deep shine with very little effort

interesting post as i will be happy if my wife gets 20mpg through the week & should we hit the motorway at weekends i,d like to break the skin off 30 ? ;)

thanks all, gave it a thorough inside & outside wash,wax & clean earlier & struggled to find any exterior marks .

on interior there is a 3 inch piece of seat piping come away otherwise unmarked again , in fact almost as new,

faults found / interior light in front no action & 1 key remote no action , yep that is all , 9yrs 53k & almost faultfree

i,m liking it more & more ,

it seems especially nice in the dark ,almost cocoonlike behind the wheel ,also extremely comfortable with well laid out dash switches & control,s

you have yourselves a enthusiastic lexus novice friends

transporter arrived at 6pm with my 300 sportX ,extra £50 but i couldn,t face the return trip in evening traffic to collect & weekend was a no.no ,

downsizing to release some £££ for a property venture so gotta sell my 520d sport tourer but had a quick drive around in the lexus & i,m staggered , the drive,condition of interior & general feeling of quality throughout has opened my eyes ,

http://pictures2.autotrader.co.uk/imgser-uk/servlet/media?id=1811881627

am finding it hard to believe that my 07 bmw is £12k(78000miles) & the 02 lexus(53,000) is mine for £2700 ? yet i can,t feel a drop in standard anywhere

should i prepare for a sting ahead maybe ?

remember the sport cross 17's are diff from the saloon 17's they are wider at the rear..you have to go 18's at least..

18,s may spoil the ride , look good though :winky: the 17,s will fit though ?

thanks all ,did squeeze 2 testdrives in on the way to really convince myself i was heading in the right direction ,318 bmw & a 325 , both considerably more money & both rough round the edges & not at all enjoyable to drive , once i,d viewed & driven the 300 it was a one way ticket , anyone looking for a IS200 saloon i also drove this http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201120387740867/sort/priceasc/usedcars/price-from/3000/model/is/make/lexus/quicksearch/true/radius/30/postcode/bb120hr/page/1?logcode=p

54 plate with good history in excellent order & hard to fault , £3300 was the low price but the 300sportX beckoned me B)

they looked to be embossed as with brembo or mercedes-benz ones , will post up pic when it lands on the drive

think 17,s will be on asap , what about the brake calipers ? haven,t noticed any saloon IS models having branded lexus calipers ?

can you squeeze another in ? took the day off today & spent it car searching , happy to say i was won over with the quality of material finish & spec together with the sublime drive of this machine http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201140419723224/sort/priceasc/usedcars/price-from/3000/model/is/make/lexus/radius/30/quicksearch/true/page/1/postcode/bb120hr?logcode=p

owned last 4years & fastidiously looked after & maintained by a chap who makes model aircraft & sell,s them throughout europe ,

4k /yr with annual service/4 as new bridgestones & all brake calipers have LEXUS livery ? is this a 300 thing ?

looking forward to a complete change of motor from my usual german choices , should be interesting & sure i,l be communicating regularly with you chaps , , 1 thing though , ,not quite sold on the alloys ? 16inch ? they could be heading for upgrade with some winter tyres , after all £2700 for this much car means a bit left over for luxuries B)

deal done , collect in a few days http://pictures2.autotrader.co.uk/imgser-uk/servlet/media?id=1811881584

used them regularly for all sizes & found them faultless on choice & price , just helps if you know a good local fitter

thanks steve , some great value 200 saloon,s but really the estate is for me & the 210bhp creamy 24v 3.0 does appeal to the petrolhead in me , i thought the timing belt was 100k on the 3 ? if not what kind of ££ is belt kit/labour ?

i don,t mind spending on maintenance/servicing , like to have them in top order , Castrol edge in my passat every 7k & run,s like a rolex after 141k

hi all , a quick intro then down to buisness , age 43 , love cars predominantly german & in last 10yrs have had mercs/bmw,s/911,s & currently run a 03 141k vw passat 20v sport remapped for my daily donkey & a 520d sport tourer family motor ,

well aware of the legendary lexus reliabilty & great standard spec

am downsizing to free some cash from the tourer & have a budget of £4k & here,s where you guy,s come in , whilst the saloon IS200 is easier to bag the estate is more suited to our needs , frequent round trips(monthly) to scotland of 300miles + 3 or 4 juants over the channel of 1000 miles

i like the interior & exterior + the 3 ltr auto but what should i expect in routine service work/running costs on a 8yr old example 65k ish miles?

wife is main weekday user covering 8/10miles a day so if 20mpg doable can live with that but would i break the skin off 30mpg touring at 75/80mph ?

come on chaps ! convince me to leave the german,s behind