johnatg

See here: https://www.gov.uk/getting-an-mot/after-the-test It's a bit ambiguous. After May 20th - I don't think they can actually prevent you from driving away, but there may be more consequences if you were stopped by the police on the way home (or back to the test place, come to that) I got a note saying 'dangerous' once - I had made a bungled attempt to adjust the parking brake soon after getting the car and it wasn't working on one side. (Is that actually 'dangerous' on an automatic?) - I had no issues with driving it home, fixing it and driving it back for the pass! But I suppose that might not have been strictly legal.

I see this morning that Bath may be going to introduce a congestion charge according to Euro emissions ratings (and some other cities already have) I visit Bath quite often as my daughter lives there, although I haven't driven into the city itself for quite some time. (Use the handy bus pass!!!!) The key ratings are Euro 4 and Euro 5. UK market IS250s met Euro 4 from 2005 to 2010. From 2011 onwards they met Euro 5. Not sure about diesels, but more restrictions can be expected!

Just thought it might be useful to post some definitive details about the changes to MoT tests from Sunday May 20th 2018. There are quite a few changes to the pass/fail/advisory system which is being comprehensively revised and in particular is introducing a 'Dangerous' category which means you can't drive a vehicle which has received a dangerous warning - previously if a car had a valid (old) Mot you could drive it home - now it seems you can't (legally). Too many changes to list so see here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mot-changes-from-may-2018-guidance-for-mot-testers/overview-of-mot-changes-from-may-2018 Then there are the new items which will be tested. Not all apply to saloon cars (as opposed to vans, pick-ups etc), and some items apply to newer vehicles only, but here's the list. See the link above and pages referenced from there for more details. (Incidentally, for IS220D owners, note 'EGR' and 'DPF tampering'!). Some people might like to get a test in before May 20th! brake fluid contamination additional braking device performance daytime running lamps front fog lamps reversing lamps bumpers prop shafts all rear drive shafts cab security cab steps floors passenger hand grips (quads and heavy trikes only) noise suppression material undertray security emission control equipment: oxygen sensor NOx sensor exhaust gas recirculation valve other emission control equipment engine malfunction indicator lamp diesel particulate filter (DPF) tampering fluid leaks - engine, transmission and so on

Just thought it might be useful to post some definitive details about the changes to MoT tests from Sunday May 20th 2018. There are quite a few changes to the pass/fail/advisory system which is being comprehensively revised and in particular is introducing a 'Dangerous' category which means you can't drive a vehicle which has received a dangerous warning - previously if a car had a valid (old) Mot you could drive it home - now it seems you can't (legally). Too many changes to list so see here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mot-changes-from-may-2018-guidance-for-mot-testers/overview-of-mot-changes-from-may-2018 Then there are the new items which will be tested. Not all apply to cars (as opposed to vans, pick-ups etc) and some only apply to newer cars, but here's the list. See the link above and pages referenced from there for more details. (Incidentally, for IS220d owners, note 'EGR' and 'DPF tampering'!) brake fluid contamination additional braking device performance daytime running lamps front fog lamps reversing lamps bumpers prop shafts all rear drive shafts cab security cab steps floors passenger hand grips (quads and heavy trikes only) noise suppression material undertray security emission control equipment: oxygen sensor NOx sensor exhaust gas recirculation valve other emission control equipment engine malfunction indicator lamp diesel particulate filter (DPF) tampering fluid leaks - engine, transmission and so on

Perhaps I could have put the bit about the noble gas playing no part in HID operation a bit better......the light is of course produced by changes in energy levels in the electrons of the gas through which the arc is struck. It doesn't really matter what gas is used - any gas will give out light when an arc is struck.

Can't let that go, Linas. My lights do not blind oncoming motorists - if they did, I would get flashed at and I have never experienced retaliation since my HIDs have been fitted. Also, the aim and beam pattern is checked at MoT time and is correct. And there is a very sharp cut off along a horizontal line between light and dark - lower and upper areas of the beam pattern. Sub-5000K HIDs produce white light - the blue/green colours come in above that. There is no similarity between the operation of HIDs and halogen bulbs. HIDs strike an arc between electrodes. The inert gas - be it Xenon or one of the other noble gases - is largely there to prevent too much erosion/burning away of the electrodes. The actual gas may affect the colour to some extent, but the gas plays no other part in the operation. HIDs are bright like a welding torch - the arc produces the light. Doesn't matter if they are cheap or expensive - they all work like that. Halogen bulbs work with a fine Tungsten filament. The Halogen surrounding it (Iodine) creates a chemical reaction with Tungsten atoms evaporating from the filament whereby Tungsten Iodide is produced which dissociates and redeposits Tungsten on the filament. In this way a very fine (and hence, bright) filament which would otherwise burn out very quickly is enabled to keep on working for a reasonable time as it is effectively reconstituted continually. Noble gases are present to fill the bulb and create the correct (high) pressure needed for operation - only a small amount of iodine is present, and again, the noble gases play no part in the operation. As for LED bulbs - they just don't work in headlamps not designed for them. They look bright but they just don't produce illumination. (Hence I can see that they work very well for DRLs in the fog lights). Cars which use LEDs have headlamps designed as a unit and they work - too well, as they are just too bright, as featured in the news a few days ago.

Which lights are you referring to? The dip beams are projector lamps and have either Halogens or HIDs depending on model (SEs have halogen, SE-Ls have HID for example). The main beams are halogen and these cannot be changed for HID (or at least should not be) You can put HID bulbs in the dip beams - kits are available on eBay from £30 ish. They are illegal but work pretty well. I've had them for over two years in my SE and have had no problems with MoTs or getting flashed at. It is true that for EU type approval a car has to be fitted with headlight washers and self-levelling headlamps for HID bulbs to be used but this does not affect the MoT (but does make the HIDs illegal if the extras are not fitted). The MoT test checks roadworthiness, not type approval (and they are not the same thing). The MoT manual says that lights fitted with HID bulbs may be fitted with washers and self levelling and these must be working if they are fitted - but note 'may' and not 'must'. Don't think that by fitting HIDs to a halogen-equipped projector dip beam you will get the same result as an oem HID set up. The manufacturer fitted dip beams with HID have a shutter which opens when you switch to long range/main beam and closes when you dip the lights. This movable shutter is not fitted to halogen equipped dip projectors - they seem to be permanently 'shuttered'. It is a big improvement to the lighting to fit HIDs to the dip beams though, despite the howls of disapproval that will follow this! Use HID bulbs rated at 5000K or less - the higher temperature ones have strange colours and actually produce less light (fewer lumens). The after-market HID kits come with a ballast and the whole thing just plugs in using the standard bulb plugs. You have to cut a hole approx 1" diameter in the rubber dust protector on the back of the dip beam lamp. This is plugged with a grommet from the kit which has wires between bulb and ballast passing thought it (and fitting very tightly for water and dust protection). Fitting is a bit tight, especially on the left hand side, but not too difficult.

Those are neither the US nor UK paint names - maybe they are the Chinese or Japanese market names? My car, for example, is 6U3 - Sargasso Green in UK, Desert Sage Metallic in USA, Midnight Green Mica (above), also Mid Green and Medium Green Pearl on various web sites. Just goes to show - don't go by paint names - always use the code!

It may well fool speed cameras etc (or their ticketing systems) which are largely automated these days. Sent from my PSP7551DUO using Tapatalk

DG65 OHE Honest guv - I never noticed! Sent from my PSP7551DUO using Tapatalk

Sounds expensive.........

Pretty much what to expect - some tanks you'll get a bit more, some a lot less. Maybe you were pussyfooting a bit! [emoji18] Don't trust the computer for tank average too much. Sent from my PSP7551DUO using Tapatalk

Looking at that tyre wear - I'd certainly get an alignment check. That isn't the sort of wear I'd normally associate with under-inflation or 'too many roundabouts'!

Jack - see the thread where Paul posted - Oct 2017. 12.64 volts is perfectly adequate - you risk damaging the battery if you charge it more unless your charger is an electronically controlled trickle charger. Put it in the car - it will work fine!

758 (in C5C758942) - makes it Oct 2017.

If you use Dot 5.1 brake fluid, you certainly need to replace it every two years. Lexus specify Dot 3 fluid and if you use that or Dot 4 I personally think it is overkill to replace it at 2 year intervals - I consider it perfectly OK to do the change at up to 4 year intervals - I have always done mine (in all the cars I service) at 3+ year intervals with no ill effects - there's nothing different about Lexus brake systems to change that view, at least in the UK climate. Garages often don't bother to change brake fluid unless you ask them specifically, even when it's on the service schedule. Brake fluid (incidentally, don't call it 'oil' - no-one in UK does and it's not oil - it's miscible with water for one thing) comes in 4 flavours - Dot 3, Dot 4, Dot 5.1 and Dot 5. Dot 3, 4 and 5.1 have increasing boiling points as you do along the range but also increasing hygroscopic properties - they absorb water which is why they need changing. The absorbed water reduces the boiling point of the fluid. So Dot 5.1 has the highest initial boiling point but absorbs the most water. As the chance of boiling your brake fluid of whichever type in an IS250 in the UK is vanishingly small, I use Dot 4. Actually I don't really understand why Dot 3 and Dot 4 are sold alongside each other - they are, to all intents and purposes, interchangeable. Dot 5.1 is very hygroscopic and I would avoid it for that reason - its use is really only justified in race and rally situations. Dot 3, Dot 4 and Dot 5.1 fluids are Glycol Ether based and are fully compatible, except for provisos above. Dot 5, however is a completely different kettle of fish and is Silicone based. It has the advantage of high boiling point and is completely immiscible with water. Apparently however it is slightly compressible and that leads to a soft feeling brake pedal. Its use is really restricted to some specialised vehicles such as amphibious ones, some military vehicles and some motorcycles. It is also used in show cars which rarely turn a wheel and where the brake fluid is almost never changed. A tip re changing brake fluid - if you keep the end of the tube leading from the bleed nipple to the waste collection jar above the level of the nipple, you don't need to immerse the tube in the waste fluid and you don't need to worry about tightening the nipple whilst keeping the brake pedal depressed. You can do the pumping of the brake pedal then saunter back to the brake and tighten the nipple - any bubbles go upwards in the tube rather than going back into the brake caliper. One man bleeding with no special kit! I put the waste collection jar on the second step of a step stool - be careful it doesn't fall off though! Lexus specify some complicated procedure which involves using the Intelligent Tester to change brake fluid - this seems to be something to do with bleeding the Brake Actuator. But just doing it in the old fashioned way seems to work OK - at least it bleeds out quite a lot of old fluid. Air filter - Lexus specify every 40K miles - I do it at 2 year intervals (much less than 40K miles).

You only need the belt. Get one made by Gates - eg there's one on eBay for £13.90. Dead easy to fit - just turn the tensioner with a socket, insert an allen key to lock it, slip off the old belt, on with the new, use the socket to release tension on the tensioner, remove allen key, release tension. Check that the belt is running true - not overlapping an edge of a pulley. Make a note or take a pic of the routing before you start! I changed mine a couple of years ago as a precaution as it was 10 years old. No symptoms and the old belt looked to be in good nick. Your problem may be something else. Or not.

PS Check this - http://www.comparaboo.co.uk/best-car-batteries Based on an agglomeration of feedback reviews I think. And mostly for the very common type 063 battery rather than our rare 068! Not included there, but maybe the 'best battery' could be the Optima Red Top - but it will cost more than twice the price of a Bosch in 068 size. It's specified as 50 Ah and 815 CCA. They are frequently fitted to SUVs etc. But it won't do any better job in an IS250 than the Bosch.

The only specification Lexus publish is 12v and 55 Ah - they don't mention CCA. The Bosch S4026 is 70Ah. £68 too cheap for you? You can pay £94 if you like from alternative suppliers (and maybe more). But you'll still get the same S4026 battery. Bosch do 5 year warranty batteries (they come in a silver case rather than blue for the 4 year ones) but not in type 068. I'll repeat for the umpteenth time on this thread - the Bosch S4026 or Varta E23 are probably the 'Best Buy' for an IS250 battery. You can get better batteries for a lot more money, but battery life depends quite a lot on how you use the car - no battery likes standing unused for days or weeks on end, or short journeys. Medium length journeys every day with minimum electrcal accessories in use make the battery last longer than other types of usage.

If you don't mind me saying so - a pretty daft question to ask on this forum! (Or on a Mercedes Benz forum!)

Interesting that Tayna give the incorrect battery if you type in your reg - they suggest 069 with the terminals in the wrong orientation. You can't be too careful out there!

That's the wrong battery - like many battery suppliers Halfords try to fob you off with one that will do (as indeed it will). It is a Type 030. IS250 needs a 068 - that's a rare size (it doesn't even appear on many battery size specification charts) and few battery suppliers stock them. 068 is the same size as 069 but with the terminals in the opposite orientation. I'd suggest you get a Bosch S4026 or Varta E23 (they appear to be identical). Suppliers include CarParts4Less, GSF etc. You are unlikely to find it in stock in a shop. It is likely that your battery is knackered - modern batteries frequently fail without warning. You don't mention what year your car is (and your profile says you have a 2001 IS200) but I think all IS250s need the same battery size.

Wasn't that VAT you were stung for? It's pot luck - sometimes you have to pay it, sometimes you get away with it. The duty / VAT will be the same from Australia as from USA. I don't think I paid any extra when I bought my PO-40.

I agree that it makes negligible difference to fuel economy (even on smaller engines such as our Seat Mii) and any vehicle aircon should be kept on at all times to minimise problems. (Although, Linas, keeping it on hasn't avoided your problem!). It is essential for the lubricant (suspended in the gas) to be circulated whenever the engine is running.

Well, you've had some good advice from this forum - most if not all the many tyres mentioned will do the job for most conditions in this country and I doubt you would notice much difference between any of them. (Unless you do a head to head test in varied conditions - even most tyre test mags can't afford to do that with many different tyres and even then the differences will not be great and only at the limits of performance) And unless you do drive on snow and ice, in which case you will notice a difference and that will just demonstrate that the Costco guy soesn't know what he is talking about. And anyway, all rwd 'executive' saloons (Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, Lexus etc) are pretty useless and a handful on almost any tyres on wet snow and ice. Things get better on dry snow and ice, but it doesn't get cold enough here for that (but it might this week!) You did ask about all year round tyres - there is little choice in UK for tyres meeting that description = almost all tyres sold here are defined as Summer tyres. The only sensible all round choice (which means they have some winter tyre characteristics), are Michelin Cross Climates - they are head and shoulders above everything else with usage defined as all year round. Or you can go for two sets, winter and summer. Winter tyres work all year round but they wear rapidly when the temperature is above 7 deg C and they don't perform quite as well as even medium rated summer tyres when it gets warm.