Sanman

You can try ebay - saw some earlier for £45 (Nankang ones) see the link below. http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Rochford-Tyres_Ty...displayZ2QQtZkm The same guy has got brand new Pirelli P7000 for about £60 each, but the shame is that they are 215/40/17 rather then the standard lexus size. Cheers, Sandeep

I got the Denso Iridium IK20's from AutoPartsWarehouse2000 on ebay. Cost me approx £37 including postage. They come pre-gapped so it was just a matter of 'plug and play'. Shipped from the States in 3 days with no additional customs tax to pay. Sandeep

Shahz, I changed my washer jets yesterday and it literally took a couple of minutes. I used a small flat screwdriver wrapped in some cloth to prise the old ones out. As Phonedrome and Colin have said, make sure you keep hold of the pipe! The new fan spray jets work a treat - a big thanks to Chris Shipley for sorting. Cheers, Sandeep

PM'd you Chris. Thanks, Sandeep

Thanks for the advice. I've seen some pics on LOC of someones timing belt that was seriously close to breaking - was that yours? How much did it cost to get the belt done and did you have it done at a Lexus Dealer? Sandeep

Just had the 80k service (even though it's on 72k - it's been 12 months since it's last service) and MOT done on my IS. It needed a new n/s ball joint, which funnily enough was only replaced 12 months & 5k miles ago. Has anyone experienced such premature wear on such a component? Front discs were replaced as they were warped - the juddering had got a lot worse over the last few weeks - seems fine now. Dealer also replaced wheels under warranty (3rd set in 12 months) as the refurbs that were put on a month ago were suffering from some type of reaction under the laquer that could be best described as little cracks forming on the face of the alloy. They also replaced the Bridgestone tyres under warranty due to the cracks that had appeared in between the tread groves (see my earlier post on this) - they had only covered 5k miles. Dealer provided GS300 to use over the weekend while work was carried out. Sandeep

My bridgestone RE040 are showing some strange signs of wear. Cracks have appreared in the tread grooves on all 4 tyres, which extend around the entire tyre. The tyres have just about done 5000 miles in the last 10 months. I have mentioned this to my dealer when they repalced my corroded alloys (which lasted 10 months before the dreaded corrosion started). They have taken pictures and will speak to Bridgestone about the cracks. Has anybody else had this on their bridgestones?

I agree with Claire, get them to knock the refurb cost off the asking price. The corrosion is still an issue on IS alloys. Mine were replaced when i purchased the car back in June last year, and they have started to corrode again. I have spoken to my dealer who is supposed to find out from the Lexus Warranty department if they can be changed again. The only thing is that my wheels will now be replaced with 'refurbed' wheels i.e. fully powder coated, as opposed the ones that i have at the moment which have a chrome/diamond cut finish on the rim and edges of the spokes.

Cheers for the info Chris.

Hi guys, I've been looking at some GS's recently, and a couple that i've seen have got the 17" Aurora alloy wheels (look like the recent generation LS400 wheels). Are these an expensive option on the GS? Cheers, Sandeep

I have mentioned the issue of non-lexus stamps in my service book to Lexus GB. They are going to find out exactly what 'lexus approved service history' means and get back to me.

Cheers guys, i really appreciate all the support and advice. I spoke to Lexus GB this morning relaying on what Lexus Worcester have told me. The chap at Lexus GB was very helpful. When i mentioned that Lexus Worcester thought that it was no big deal having a service missing, he told me that Lexus GB would see this a serious issue. He said that if the dealer had not checked that the service history was up to date then they had acted with negligence. I highlighted all my other concerns too, i.e all the issues i had with the car when i bought it. Anyway, he is going to speak to the dealer manager when he returns on the 24th and also to the regional manager to see if they can offer some sort of solution. The other issue, is that of the 5 service stamps i have, 2 are Lexus, 1 is some independant garage and 2 are a Vauxhall dealer. Since when did Vauxhall dealers have the diagnostic computers for Lexus cars! So can this really be a 'Lexus approved' service history? The ironic thing in all this is when i PX'd my '98 Passat at Lexus Worcester, they were adamant to see the service book as i told them it had FVWSH. They religously looked through the book to see that all the stamps were there and that they were all from a VW main dealer. If they had done this for the car they sold to me then all this mess would never have happened! A mini-meet at Lexus Worcester on the 24th sounds like a great idea!! We could even try to get the dealer manager who was in charge at the time to come along! Cheers, Sandeep

Finally managed to speak to Lexus Oxford (the original supplying dealer) who have verified that the 30K service was indeed done by them, however that still leaves the 10k service as missing. I have relayed this info on to Lexus Worcester, who called me back later once the salesman had an opportunity to talk to the Dealer Manager about my predicament. The salesman informs me that it isn't a big deal if one service is missing. I however beg to differ as the car has covered a distance of 21k on the original oil etc. As far as i am concerned, they have sold me car described as having FSH when it clearly doesn't. I paid a price that reflects the Lexus Approved status and that is what is really bugging me. From what the salesman said to me, he said it was of no major concern and that it wouldn't make too much difference. I am still of the view that i bought an 'approved' lexus and therefore it should have (as quoted on the Lexus website) "an approved, checked and up to date service history". He could offer me no further answers/solution and to make matters worse the dealer manager is now off for a week. I will call Lexus GB and let them know what is going on as they have asked me to let them know if i don't get anywhere with my dealer - as far as Lexus GB are concerned they see it as misrepresentation if a car was sold with an assumed FSH and it doesn't have it. Looks like i'm going to have a battle on my hands....I'll keep you posted on future developments. Cheers, Sandeep

Cheers folks, I have looked at Tony's thread on this and surprise surprise, we are talking about the very same dealer. I'm not happy about the situation - I'll have to wait and see what the dealer comes back with i.e. finding the details of the non stamped services, or worse 2 missing services. I'll keep you posted... Thanks, Sandeep

I purchased my IS200 SE from a Lexus Dealer in July last year. Now i am thinking about changing for a GS and was looking through the service book (i wish i had done this sooner). Both the 10k and 30k service stamps are missing as well as the vehicle details and suppliers stamp on the front page. I purchased the car as an approved Lexus and as such expected a full and verified service history as that is one of the main criteria of it being an 'approved' Lexus. I have spoken to the dealer that i purchased the car from and they have told me they will try and trace it. My ultimate worry is that they can't find the details of the two missing services which then leaves me with a car that doesn't have a full service history. Any ideas on what i should be asking my dealer to do? Thanks, Sandeep

I suppose it depends on the nature of the claim. My brother-in-law took out a warranty with them recently, and then experienced problems on the autobox in his 2000 Chrysler Voyager. They made him take the car to 3 different garages over a period of 2 weeks, then they refused to pay for the reconditioned autobox and the car that he had to hire. Left him out of pocket for close to £1700. The case is currently working through the small claims court.

Cheers guys. Colin - what were the main changes to the post Nov 2000 models. Were there mechanical changes, costmetic changes or a combination of both? Of the ones i have seen, I have noticed the Sat Nav unit on the newer models looks slightly different.

I'm considering replacing my IS200 with a GS300. I'm specifically looking for an SE model with Sat Nav, probably upto a 2000 year model. What should i be looking out for - are there any known problems that i need to be aware of? Thanks, Sandeep

Suppose it wouldn't be too bad if i got it painted to match the car ;)

I have recently ventured into parenthood and it is already becoming increseasingly apparent that i need a bigger car - one that can cope with all the paraphernalia that accompanies a 2 month old baby. Don't worry though folks, i'm not going to leave the Lexus brand - I'm looking for a GS300 SE with Sat Nav to replace the IS. What do you reckon i should be asking for the IS? It's a 1999 T IS200SE finished in unmarked Granite Sky with 70k. Excellent condition (purchased from Lexus Worcester in July 2003) with new tyres/alloys and rear lip spoiler with brake light. Cheers, Sandeep

I purchased a rear lip spoiler with the built in brake light from autocosmetics uk. They were able to provide the spoiler ready painted in Granite Sky for £180 and paid my local body shop £30 to fit it. The quality and finish of the spoiler was spot on and it was delivered on time. The guy who runs the company, Nick, knows Steve (our discoverer of perfection!) and that was what swayed me to buy from him. Cheers, Sandeep

My Lexus dealer replaced the rear disks again for me yesterday after the set that was fitted back in July started to corrode. Apparently they had fitted the wrong ones last time (ones with silver paint on the hub), and that's why they started to corrode. The ones fitted now have the hub area painted grey/black. Lets hope these ones don't corrode as quickly.

I have used the sticky pads from halfords and they seem to do the job perfectly well.

Cheers Guys. It's been a great couple of weeks and i think i've just started coming down to earth again. The only bit of bad news is that while at the hospital, someone thought it fit to scrape the corner of the front bumper and not leave any details. Luckily there was no damage to the wing. The car was booked into my local bodyshop to have the rear spoiler fitted last week, so i asked them to respray the bumper at the same time. They done a cracking job and now looks as good as new. Sandeep

Hi Guys & Gals, Sorry for the recent absence - I've been busy with our beautiful baby boy who was born on 9th Decemeber :D I'm sure he'll grow up to be a lexus fan too as he doesn't utter a sound when he's in it!! Wishing you all a very merry christmas and a great new year. Sandeep.