johnatg

You must drive with a very light foot! I've never seen better than 35mpg and usually about 31. 50% on motorways with cruise set to - ahem - indicated 78 or so - much less in reality of course!!!!

I get oil filters from here: eBay item No.181423257800 (Genuine - Lexus Birmingham - £10.99 inc postage and a sump plug washer). But I'm thinking of getting them from here next time: eBay item No 301199651906 (A factor reasonably local to me - £6.95 + £0.95 post. It's a K&N filter - I like their filters .) Sump plug washers are available here: http://www.smartearlybird.co.uk/ - £4.95 for 10. I forget if that includes postage - I did buy 10 to keep in hand. I know conventional wisdom is to use genuine oil filters - however that's largely because of the quality of the canister, the relief valve and the anti-drain function. But all that is built in to the Lexus filter holder - all you get with a replacement filter is the paper part and a rubber sealing ring (some aftermarket ones come with a spacer and another smaller sealing ring, both of which you discard). I reckon K&N are as good as anyone and better than most for the filtration part. EuroCarParts are good, but they don't have much Lexus stuff. CarParts4Less are ECP by another name but cheaper (mystery, that) but have a slightly different selection. Apart from that, mostly it's a search on eBay or a Lexus dealer. Some common parts are available from general or specialist (brakes etc) factors. Blueprint do a good range, but make life hard unless you're 'in the trade' so you usually find their stuff by a Google search or on eBay. I get brake pads from EBC via eBay. (See other threads about brake pads and discs!) Edit: PS There's always lexusofficialstore on eBay - they don't have that much stuff though. It's managed by Pentagon (a major dealer group)

Ah..right. But isn't this going to have more to do with the door open switch than the headlight sensor? Do the interior lights work properly on opening and closing the door?. The headlights should, I think stay on indefinitely after you switch off until you open the door, so if they don't know that the door has been opened, they are going to stay on?

By 'lights' I assume you mean the interior lights? These are operated according to the illuminated entry system - no sensors involved (the sensor Normski refers to surely is for the auto headlight function for when you enter a dark place?) Can't quite envision exactly what is happening, but check the switch positions in the overhead console - or possibly a relay or an illuminated entry system ecu problem?

It'll be a SE. It should say that in the V5, but I guess you won't have that yet. Anyway, not definitive. I think you won't have the adjustable parking sensors - just the basic operation ones front and rear. As I said, mine just has the rear ones (it is an SE). So now just down to the lock function of the fob(s). Let us know how you get on!

They are not actually Canbus type, so they might cause errors or flash or something. Or they might work. Not road legal, but I doubt there'd be a problem for MoT (or anything else) I bought these: eBay item number 321462335826 - Canbus compliant, no errors, look brilliant (pun intended!) - MoT next week or so!

Just remove the front and both side engine covers (not the main one over the actual engine). The parking lights are dead easy - just twist into the back of the headlights. No other bulb is quite as easy!

It depends on whether the car is a (rare) basic IS250, a SE or a SE-L. Mine is an SE - doesn't have touchscreen, nav, etc and doesn't have front parking sensors. (OK - I know - but less to go wrong! :eerrrmm: ) I don't think there was an actual facelift in 2007 - the main change was to rear brakes - went from solid discs to ventilated - not sure at what VIN. (Fronts of course always ventilated)

Yes - but does it actually have the front sensors? You can see them if it does - little circular things in the bumper - as in the rear (although not all IS250s have them either!)

Your car may not have the full parking assist sensor system. Do you just have rear sensors, or front ones too? My car just has rear sensors, which beep as you'd expect, but that's it. And my satellite switch only allows speed and tach settings. Fob - maybe the battery is failing - do you have two fobs? Does the other one work? Try replacing the battery or batteries - CR1625. You can always just press the button on the door handle (once for normal lock, twice for deadlock). I never use the fob locking function. (But it does work)

I get mine on eBay - eg current item no 130890591729 (redstuff) for front,190734772486 (ultimax) for rear. Use those numbers for an eBay search, or 'IS250 EBC pads'. Other brands are available! But I've found EBC pads are reliable - but you must bed them in carefully - no hard braking for the first 100 miles at least. (A friend of mine put new redstuff pads on his MX-5 then went out immediately on the track at Donington and destroyed them in 2-3 laps - bedding in is needed to complete the cure of the pad material) That applies to all makes of brake pads.

Actually, I don't bother with redstuff for the rear. I use Redstuff on the front for fade resistance - they work up to much higher temperatures than oe spec pads (having said that, I have had them fade - but I live close to the Peak District and North Wales, and there are a number of roads where I can guarantee to take the brakes on any car (that I can afford!) to the fade point!) As I said, I'll be trying Yellowstuff next time! The point is that the friction characteristics of Redstuff are much the same as oe pads but carry on working well past the point (much higher temperatures) where oe pads have faded to zero friction. But the majority of the heat (70% or more to grab a statistic) is generated at the front - rear brakes do relatively little work. So I use EBC Ultimax (oe equivalent) at the rear. About £21 a set rather than £50 odd for redstuff. (Over a reasonable mileage you will notice that the front pads wear much more than the rears - because they do a lot more work!) Having said that - I use Redstuff front and rear on the MX-5! It's a much lighter car and has more even weight distribution front/rear than the IS250. Just my opinion - your mileage may vary!

Guys - please understand what the adjusters and switches are for. The switch is to adjust the lights downwards temporarily to compensate for 'squat' (tail of the car going down) when carrying heavy loads in the boot (or on the back seat!.........). HID headlights don't have the switch because they are self-levelling. (Once adjusted with the cogs) The cogs are for the basic adjustment. You really don't need to bother with the rigmarole of 'preparation' as described in the instructions early on in the thread - just adjust until the lights are where you want them - but be aware the beams will be checked at MoT time so don't set them so high that they are going to dazzle people. I don't think you can adjust so that you lose significant foreground illumination - there's just so much of it. But you can easily get to a point where you are illuminating the hedge tops in the medium distance and losing light at road level in the range you want lit! Trial and error - but be considerate of other people when you're out testing! (BTW - the cogs you can't see (or only with difficulty (buried in the wings)) are for sideways adjustment - you can see the up and down ones easily - once you've realised where they are and what you're looking for! They are further back from the lights than you expect (or at least - I expected!.))

My take on this - use Vpower and change the oil every 5000 miles (with an engine flush additive every time). I think it will work and will be cheaper than constant use of fuel additives.

The lip looks quite nice, but you'll break it on speed humps! Stick with the chrome insert! (IMHO)

Welcome - but easy on the caps please! In short - all the good things about a IS220D and none of the bad things! (Well - except look out for seized brake caliper pins) Lovely engine, Get an auto - imperceptible gear changes, paddles, power, silence! What more do you want!

Thanks Normski - good idea! As you may have gathered from other posts, I generally stay as far away from dealer premises as possible, so it hadn't really occurred to me! :hocus-pokus:

Mine is not subject to this recall, but on recalls in general - what do you do if Lexus don't have your details? Surely if it's a safety issue (which most recalls, pretty much by definition are), the work required should be available to all owners, whether registered or not? On reviewing the bumf in my wallet with the handbook etc, it appears that I have to pay £20 to 'Retainagroup', whoever they are - and which I am not about to do, to change ownership details. I have never had any contact with Lexus apart from a couple of cash sales over the counter at Lexus Stockport and some eBay purchases from various Lexus dealers. I know my car was potentially (but not actually) recalled in Jan 2008 for the 'rubber-mat-getting-stuck-under-the-accelerator-pedal' issue. (it didn't have the accessory rubber mats then. Does have aftermarket ones now - I like to keep the carpets nice!) Ah...actually I might have found a solution for me - I have the above-mentioned recall letter, and it has a 'Change of Details' form attached. I'll fill it in and see what happens! (It has the name of the first owner and there's been another since then before me - that will confuse them!) But it's pure chance that I have that recall letter - obviously the previous owners were hoarders!

It doesn't flash when it's on. It doesn't need to - you get warning by both direction indicator lights flashing on the instrument panel. The hazard switch does have instrument illumination - the triangle should glow red when the parking etc. lights are on.

It's a common problem, I think mainly with japanese cars - my MX-5 (Mk 1)(1992) is almost exactly the same design (doesn't have auxiliary drums at the back) with, commonly, the same problems (I used to be tech adviser to the owners club, then Chairman, so I've had plenty of contact with many owners - I 'retired' from the committee three years ago but still have my car and will keep it indefinitely). I must be pretty unique in that my car has all its original calipers - careful cleaning and greasing on a regular basis! There are alternatives for the IS250 - various big brake kits tend to use fixed calipers with multiple pistons either side of the pads rather than sliding calipers with one piston. But they cost an arm and a leg - certainly not worth changing just for this. (Although they have their advantages - ie better brakes!) Looking after the brakes properly will avoid the problem completely and use of decent discs and pads will provide better brakes than Lexus originals. (I use MTec discs (grooved and drilled) with redstuff pads (but will get yellowstuff next time)) I did have a problem with my IS250, but that stems from previous owners just relying on Lexus service! Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance! (not necessarily Lexus service, though!)

i'd endorse that - Bosch S4 batteries are superb. Lexus don't make batteries - you don't need to go to a Lexus dealer. Of course, if you like to pay for the ambience......they'll be happy to take your money!

:flowers: - (They wouldn't allow me to use the ROTFL emoticon I wanted to!) Apologies, George - but like a honey bee to a sugar trap! Good one, Eric!!!!

Hmm - you may have a faulty fob - take it apart and examine it closely, especially where the buttons are 'under the skin'. Make sure everything is in the right place and there's no damage to solder etc - not that you can do much about that. Do you have another key? (not linked?) Might be worth re-linking the one you have partly working and any others. Need Techstream for that - Lexus dealer, or you can't be a million miles away from me - send me a pm and tell me where you are.

Usually the problem is with seized slide pins. I never quite understand why front calipers need to be replaced for this - you can virtually always get the pins out because they have hexagons and are in 'open' holes. Once the pin is out you can clean everything up and if necessary replace the pins and dust seals. The rears are different - one of the pins goes in a blind hole. This can seize - often the caliper can be worked off, but sometimes it is just impossible to remove the caliper from the pin without damage. If you can separate the caliper from the pins, the caliper at least can be saved. Sometimes of course it is possible for the piston to seize in the caliper - then you can rebuild the caliper but it's a lot of work and may not be worthwhile. As long as the caliper is undamaged you can exchange at much lower cost than new ones (but check with Lexus, especially for the rears - sometimes they have special offers). But you always need to get the caliper off the mounts if you get exchange calipers - they don't come with mounts! Speaking from personal experience - I damaged a caliper trying to get it off the mount. In the end, I cut it off (by cutting through the pin with an angle grinder) - probably should have done that right away, then exchanged the caliper - the rebuild people accept ones with pins etc stuck in them, but not if you've damaged the caliper by hammering it (!) or tried to drill out a seized bleed screw. To avoid all this grief, remove the calipers from the pins on a regular (annual?) basis and clean and grease the pins and holes they slide in! This is not included in Lexus service schedules - it should be.

Does the fob work for starting the car (properly wirelessly, rather than holding the fob by the start button)? Maybe the fob has not been coded correctly to the car, or maybe the drivers door lock has been changed - but actually that shouldn't make any difference. Does the mechanical key fit the door lock? Do you have two key fobs or just the one?