DennisJ

Don't worry about the glass. I had to remove mine to take the shell of the mirror off for a repaint. It does need some force though, and the screws inside can be rather tight too. I'm sure there's some instructions on here on how to do it. Just held on by clips. It is a little more difficult to get back on and the bottom clip is more like a ratchet; makes quite a noise when taking off or replacing. Surprisingly the mirror base (which seems to be cast aluminium) had corroded badly and needed a good cleanup. You may find the same when you dismantle yours.

The patch on the roof is down to bird lime etching. It may be possible to use a polishing compound to reduce the effect, but not always possible to completely eradicate. Any bird poop on the car wash it off immediately, it's very bad for water based clear coat. The bumper seems to suggest a poor repair at some time in the cars life, certainly not stone chips.

Further update: Following Normski's advice and using the additives, and changing to Shell V power diesel I have seen a marked difference. However this may be due to the change in driving style I've adopted with the car. On my run to work, (17 miles of stop start and some A road), I was lucky to see 32-34 MPG now it's over 40. I've never known a car (diesel) that is so sensitive and affected so much by driving style. Just to recap 2000 revs should be the maximum you use for fuel saving; change up as soon as you can; try to run the car between 1400 and 1600 RPM, yes even in 6th. Take every advantage of downhill sections by taking your foot off the accelerator. Anticipate more and slow down by less throttle rather than braking. With the 220d if you want the extra MPG it seems it's the only way to go once all the cleaning is done.

Given the cost to replace and the trouble they cause, I think I would go for a complete DPF and EGR removal. Search on here as there is a company in the South West that offer this. You will have no further issues and according to the poster on this site the car will pass its MOT and feel renewed. The system will suffer no ill effects and no warning lights will be activated (their claim) They are only there to comply with the emissions regs for new vehicles. The cost is less than half the price of a new DPF (let alone fitting) and they can also use a piggyback remapping device (similar to the TTE system) that can offer up to 220BHP I'd love to drive one to see what the difference is

I think it was a combination of all 3 and a change in the way I drove around the foibles of the car. Just to complete the picture, if I do short journeys of up to 20 miles of mixed driving I will struggle to better 34 MPG. On all journeys change up as quickly as you can, don't be tempted to push the throttle pedal through it's natural stiff point. If you do you get the benefit of the performance but you pay heavily on fuel. I have found 2 choices with 6th gear; change up and run at 65 MPH around 14-1500 RPM or wait until 75MPH. If you try to use it in between the revs fall into the flat spot of the engine (around 17 - 1800 RPM) and the car struggles a bit. Always try to run down hills off the throttle and don't labour the car uphill. I tried using 5th gear at 70MPH, it works fine, the car is very responsive but the fuel consumption is heavy. Best results in all gears for maximum economy seems to be change up by 2000rpm and run the car at or below 1500. It's very hard to drive like this and sometimes I can't resist using the performance The car is very different to its German competition. I don't compare it any more I just enjoy it for what it is, a stylish, comfortable, well equipped cruiser that's not an obvious choice.

My IS220d 2009 takes between 17 and 20 miles to warm up and reach operating temperature. Lexus state this is normal

Seeking some confirmation or advice: My 2009 (late) IS220d SEi has what I believe is strange behaviour, but Lexus say is normal. When the car starts from cold the engine idles at 800 RPM nice and steady. It continues to do this until it is fully warm which can take 20 -30 miles and similar in time. The heater fan will not run on auto straight away it only runs on manual or if you select the front demister. When the fan does start on auto after about 5 minutes of driving, the idle speed does something very strange. If the car comes to a halt and in neutral or the clutch depressed, the idle speed rises to 1200. If you switch the heater off and stop the fan the idle drops to 800. When I'm waiting in traffic queues the engine idle rises as described which seems very wasteful on fuel Has anyone else experienced this? I've never had any other car do this as they have all maintained a standard idle speed. It's almost like putting the choke on in the bad old days. Should the car take this long to warm up?

A bit of an update After following Normski's advice on the BG244 I purchased a can and added it to a tank of fuel. I then drove the car using lower gears than usual changing up between 3 and 4000 revs and giving it a good thrashing (once fully warmed up of course). After that I filed up with Shell V Power Diesel and oh my what a difference. The car will now hold 70-75MPH in 6th and only slightly grumble on steep inclines. The tank average has gone up from 32-34 MPG to 40 and now today 43MPG. This suggests the car is actually doing somewhat better than that on the motorway. I will continue to use the BG244 perhaps 2 or 3 times a year and use V Power diesel. It may be more expensive but the difference makes it worthwhile. Once I've used the next can of BG244 I'll check the EGR valve as it was only cleaned out a few weeks ago. Big thanks to Normski

Some cars are very sensitive to tyre choice and pressure. Just drive a BMW Z3 if you think your Lexus is twitchy. I have the same problem under braking. The car squirms and fights as the tyres want to do their own thing. The car is fitted with Dunlop's and I will definitely move to something else when the time comes. I've always had good results with Goodyear F1 and Continental tyres, so I will go for those.

Dromara1974, your story matches mine exactly. My car is a late 2009 facelift model but it behaves just as you describe. I can't believe any manufacturer would deliver a car with a 6th gear that cannot legally be used on UK roads. It's bad enough that 1st is so low and 2nd so tall with a huge gap between them. If we accept that Lexus would not do this then the car must be at fault. Lexus told me that the fuel consumption was normal. The official figures for this car are 35MPG urban, 55 Extra Urban and 45 combined, I have never seen 45 even on a motorway at 65MPH. My last car a C250 CDI Mercedes would deliver 40+ even if you drove like a hooligan, and mid 50's on a motorway run. I'm writing to Lexus for an explanation......I won't hold my breath though

My 2009 model returns low 40's on a run and mid 30's average. When I told Lexus I thought that was poor (certainly very poor compared to the usual German suspects), they said I was doing very well compared to what they usually saw. 6th Gear is utterly useless below 80Mph as any slight incline will cause the car to slow and grumble. My EGR valve is spotless and the car has done just 27K miles. Tyres are well inflated. The car seems to have a flat spot around 1800 RPM which coincides with 6th at 74 Mph. I have started to add a cleaner to the fuel to keep the EGR clean. Anyone who is getting 50+ MPG must be driving at 55, downhill :-)

Passed my test in January 1979....the only decent day in a very cold and frosty month as I remember: The day after I drove my father's Sept 78 MGB GT (Russet Brown with orange stripey seats), not strictly on topic. Car list as follows: 1973 Mini 850 Automatic......ran beautifully a very rare beast in Blue 1976 Mini 1000 Manual a right dog of a car in Black 1975 Austin Allegro Estate in Red..the most unreliable car I ever owned. 1982 Ford Fiesta 950 Popular in Red nice car nasty gearbox 1984 Ford Fiesta 1.1 Pop Plus in Paris Blue. I loved this car and through a tunnel the exhaust made a lovely sound. 1981 Ford Escort XR3 (not the i) in Red. Needed loads of work but easy to work on and very enjoyable. 1986 Ford Escort 1.3 Estate in Red. Family commitments, a dreary car indeed. 1986 Ford Fiesta XR2 in Nimbus Grey a great car to drive, a bit raw but quick enough for its time. 1989 Ford Escort 1.6 in Burgundy, the first car I crashed (not my fault), a boring box 1992 Rover 216 SLi saloon (the one with the Honda engine), in Red. Very nice car drove thousands of miles with no trouble 1996 Ford Fiesta 1.1 in Burgundy bought from new. No comment, wifes choice not happy. 1995 Rover 420D SLi in Blue, my first diesel and a great car.....yes really This was followed by two company owned cars 1998 Ford Focus TDi Ghia Estate, in Blue, my second diesel and a great handling car, carry anything go anywhere 2004 Ford Focus Zetec TDi Estate, in Silver. used it like a van very heavy on front tyres. I then started buying again 2006 BMW 120D SE in Sydney Blue. Powerful diesel, great handling car, converted me to rear wheel drive for ever. 2009 Mercedes C250CDi Sport in Grey, my second new car. 50000 miles 2 complete breakdowns (under warranty) but a very quick car......missed a little 2009 Lexus 220D SE-i in Cadoxton Slate.....still too early to give a verdict but comfortable and quiet. In addition I have had the pleasure to own (as second cars), and the word pleasure is used tongue in cheek for some: 1998 Ford Fiesta 1.25 in Burgundy, great little car 2002 Renault Clio 1.2 16V Dynamique in Silver......11000 miles in 4 years my wife loved it and still mentions it fondly 2001 Audi TT 225 in Olive Green very low mileage car and I loved it. My wife hated the 18MPG and after 8 weeks it was sold. 2004 Mini One Convertible in Blue with Leather, Sat Nav etc etc. Actually a very good car for those rare sunny days. 2006 Mini Cooper (Later Model) in Blue with all the trimmings. Ride was awful but on a smooth road it was fun. 1998 BMW Z3 2.8 Auto. Low mileage example and a lovely straight six engine....still on the fleet. I don't think I've missed any, and I'm sure there will be many more.

Thanks bluenose1940 and normski2, your previous experiences may prove very helpful.

2 months in and around 1500 miles; I thought I would recount my experience of Lexus ownership so far. In my introductory post I said I had moved from Mercedes after my C250CDI had two complete failures due to injectors. Luckily under warranty. I wasn't prepared to pay the £1000+ if they failed again so after a derisory attempt to keep my business I moved on. I have owned BMW diesels and Audi too, so feel I can comment on all. First the bad bits: The Lexus (IS220d SE I 2009), lit up with the engine warning light and the VSC light and the power drop was significant. I stopped the car, restarted it but the fault remained. The car has covered 25000 miles from new and just 500 with me. After talking to Lexus they sent out the AA. He cleaned out the EGR valve in situ and all was resolved. Lexus were not happy with this, but as the car was due its annual service they would inspect the car then. The 'crack' sound from the dash surprised me a couple of times, but Lexus have fixed this at the service and no rattles or squeaks since. Fuel consumption; average 34 on a run 42; this is poor. The much more powerful BMW and Mercedes engines can better this by at least 10 MPG without stop start technology, with stop start then 15 MPG+ The manual gearbox is notchy (maybe it will get better), 1st gear is very low with a huge gap to 2nd, and 6th is purely for illegal driving speeds in the UK (or downhill at 70MPH). The lack of Bluetooth connectivity on all but the SE l or Multimedia cars is unforgiveable on what is supposed to be a junior exec car, all competitors have this on cars of the same vintage ( as do most family runabouts) The Good The car is quiet and refined providing you don't push on over 3500 revs, the car is comfortable, the ride is supple and the interior quality is very good (although the leather does scuff too easily). The dealer is very good, loan cars are readily available if required and the pick up and delivery service is very welcome too. I drove the CT200h last week and the car achieved 52MPG around town; very impressive. Well built car but the boot space is much smaller than my IS and the CT is a hatch. The prices are shocking too given that it is an Auris underneath. Despite the foibles I'm enjoying the car and hope to start a few modifications (the Po40 mirror mod looks useful).

Just wanted to say hi..seemed rude not to. I have bought an IS 220D SE-I to replace my 2009 Mercedes C250 CDI C Class. Why? two complete breakdowns with injector failure one after 5000 miles and one after 35000, has broken my desire to run a Mercedes Benz. Out of warranty the cost would have been well over £1000. I've had BMW's and Audi's but everyone is running a German car these days. My Lexus is in dark Slate Grey with Ivory leather. Very impressed with the quietness and the design touches. Reliability should be top drawer.