Dromara1974

Someone has mentioned this, I believe, but Bridgestone Potenza tyres are notorious for this - the main reasons why most tyre depots were getting them in at good rates! At the higher price they wouldn't sell, as informed buyers new they tramlined more than the competition.

Update; I thought I was on an upward curve and even managed to get an average of 41.8mpg after an 84 mile (mainly) motorway run (I had disconnected my battery for a few hours), but no the car has actually got much worse - it is so frustrating, as it is costing me money to do business miles!! After the hight point I then watched my average mpg drop to around 37.8 mpg after a combination of further out-of-town runs, and then a couple of short trundling to work days (only 8 miles).I then added the BG 244 treatment and thought my problem would be solved. Well, the treated tank achieved 36.9 mpg, despite mainly motorway/ A road driving at no more than 75 mph. I added the AR640 and after the first 128 miles (more than half of which was on motorways or A roads once again) my tank average is now running at 32.8MPG, and I only managed 34.1mpg after a steady 65 miles on the motorway. The computer is saying I'l get about 460 from this tank!! Frankly, this is just complete and utter pants!! Some observations; My car either runs o.k and goes quite well if you give it a fair amount of throttle, or you can feel that it is on the throttle and has the torque you would expect. When it has run well and achieved good figures, it will pull 3rd gear around roundabouts and 70mph in 6th gear - it also feels effortless and really goes if you do give it the beans (pulling well from about 1400rpm)! Mostly, however, you can feel that it doesn't run too well on a light throttle and you can make it choke, whereby when you feel the kick is not there you can then push the throttle and it will rev in a linear fashion without any major push - much like a petrol. I haven't checked my EGR , as I hoped the fuel treatments would clean this (and all the other bits they purport to clean ) gradually. I believe that the problem is elsewhere, as sometimes it seems to clear itself after it has idled in traffic - my BMW disliked this - and other times you can feel it come back on the throttle when you're going at a steady speed of say 40mph in 3rd gear, or 55mph in 4th gear. I haven't read (thus far) that there are major turbo problems with the IS220d, or many issues relating to the MAF/MAP for that matter, but I wonder whether it is potentially one of these items and the main problem is that the car manages to run well enough for most owners to just carry on regardless - with poor fuel consumption being the main issue! Usually, when these items are faulty in other diesels they tend to run very poorly, so it is very noticeable. My BMW has a sticky actuator for quite a while (happened rarely to begin with over 35k, but steadily got worse) and I wonder if my IS220d has the same fault, as it just doesn't seem to be boosting correctly for the majority of the time. On e46 3 series the actuator is mechnical and is difficult to check, whereas the 2005 onwards(e90) 3 series has an electric system - I understand this can be checked/activated when the engine is off. What system does the IS220d use - does anyone know? As a side note, we treated my wife's 2007 Golf gti to the AR 6400 (and then the AR6200), and yes you can feel the difference. The fuel consumption has gone up to a 30.4mpg average, but more importantly it has improved in 400 miles of local driving more so than it did in 600 miles of motorway driving before the treatments. My wife has achieved just under 36mpg during her 18 mile commute on B roads/urban roads , even allowing for rush hour traffic. I get less mpg and my car feels fairly gutless, whereas her car is now straining at the leash - the throttle response is incredible now! Any thoughts would be most welcome!!

@ Normski - my car is an SE car, though I didn't know that Sport models have different gearing; I thought they were only different from a trim/suspension perspective? I spoke with a friend to establish how he got on with his 2006 IS220d, which he ran from about 15k to over 100k in three years. He had no problems whatsover and achieved a combined figure of over 40 mpg despite driving it without a thought for economy. He had a long commute on mixed roads - including the notorious snake pass (about 120 miles daily) - and this will have allowed the car to run at a temperature suffcient to prevent carbon build up on the bits that affect the performance. His car was a Lexus demo car, so they will have driven it hard! Sheffield Lexus confirmed that the complaints usually come from second owners, and the cars suffering from poor mpg typically haven't covered many miles per annum(mine!) and were probably not driven sufficiently hard (or in a varied fashion)for lengthy periods. @ DennisJ - The 2009 car has a number of modifications(detailed somwhere on the forum) and these cars - in the main - tend to perform much better, however, I believe your car will have a fault or just needs a measured thrashing. I was told that my car was probably on the way to suffering more serious faults, but this could potentially be reversed if I drove it hard enough to (naturally) burn-off the suspected carbon build up. I know that Mercedes techinicians did this and other forums also suggest it, so I took the M1 back from Sheffield and didn't go above 4th gear as advised - keeping it at a constant 3000 - 3500 rpm whenever possible. Result - mpg initially fell from the 37. 2 mpg average, achieved on the way there using the 'driving Miss Daisy' style, to about 35.8 mpg and then started to increase (at 3500rpm remember) back up to 37.7mpg before I reached the town traffic. I reset the trip and did six miles through town and around one of the villages nearby (hilly on both counts), which yielded 34.9 mpg - I was actually really pleasd with that, as it did about 24 mpg on a 3 mile town trip on Saturday( not in stop-start traffic)! Perhaps there is light at the end of the tunnel, despite the speeds in 4th seeming vicious - now for the additives mentioned elsewhere on the forum and an egr check tomorrow! Then a bit more higher rev (cleansing) driving before an economy check on a longer run. I suspect that the Lexus, like Mercedes, has the ability to adapt to a learned driving style, which is not a good attribute. I did some development/competitor testing for Mercedes and the engine specialist that I spoke with said that it isn't just the gearbox that adapts to driving styles, but the engines do too. If you choose to thrash your own car, please don't blame me if it goes bang! It was unofficial Lexus advice that I decided to try!

@gene d Lexus Uk is your next stop, on the basis the dealer is not prepared to fight your case. Is your service history patchy or mainly non-lexus, as I visited Lexus Sheffield to discuss recall work and they said that Lexus will not do the work at their expense if the service history isn't good. I would think they would play ball if it had full Lexus history, on the basis it is a smidgen past the the mileage figure and is a known problem.

Hi Chaps, I read this thread with interest and I agree that driving style is relevant, but much of it just doesn't add up in a logical way - the variations are too wide in my opinion!! Firstly, whilst I only collected my first Lexus yesterday I know - as a self confessed car nut - that Lexus don't make obvious mistakes; such as making a car that is at odds with the gear ratios! The engine was surely one of the most powerful(and torquey) in the class so it could easily deal with high gearing, so if it can't (mine can't) there must be a reason why. From reading other threads it is clear that many cars have required serious engine rebuilds, or even complete replacement. It is no coincidence that those saying they are getting better mpg are predominantly in 2008 cars or newer, which I read elsewhere was the build year that Lexus modifed the engine, and those achieving frankly abysmal mpg are in cars in the 2005 - 2007 age range. As far as i can see, those who have had the engine work state that the mpg/driveability is from another planet. I have driven many cars and weight is not the issue, as I have driven the W211 E220CDI auto and - this engine is a good comparison (same torque, but a bit less bhp) - achieved much better mpg (about 44 combined) despite it being heavier and having a less efficient auto box. My BMW320d (2005 E46 model) is still much better on fuel, despite having a few issues(suspected wastegate actuator problem and worn injectors) that have seen the combined consumption drop by about 6 mpg. The car doesn't boost properly and there is no power after 3000rpm, yet it can still return 45mpg on a run. I did about 90 miles on the A1/A1M after collecting my IS220d (2007 - 39,000 miles) yesterday and whilst it seemed o.k on the test drive (local roads and a short burst on the A1 at about 65mph) and in town searching for fuel, it was tiring/frustrating on the motorway and produced a feeble 37.4 mpg despite my best efforts. 6th gear was utterly useless below 80 mph and even at that speed the rear view mirror vibrtaed and the engine sounded gruff and laboured, with no real get up and go. I tried 70 -75 in 5th gear, but the average mpg started to fall below 37 mpg, so I stuck with 80mph and changed down for the hills! I fear that a few of the cars are not suffering from drivers who cannot drive in an economical fashion, many can't in fairness, but rather the cars are just not performing as they should. What exactly will Lexus accept before testing your car to see if it needs a heart transplant - is poor fuel consumption and poor motorway performance sufficient, as I want my car checking to see if it is one that has worn prematurely? Sorry for the long post, but frustration is getting the better of me so much so that I want to hand the car back to the dealer!

Hi All, I've just collected my first Lexus (57 Plate IS220d SE) today, having had BMWs for over 10 years and thought I ought to join a decent forum in order to gain some knowledge. First impressions of the car are mostly good, as it is very smooth, very quiet, has a taut/quiet ride, feels solid and has a fantastic spec. However, the gear ratios are (almost) ridiculously high geared, the fuel consumption is abysmal and in my opinion it doesn't quite feel as quick as 175 bhp/295 ft.lb should. I travelled 110 miles home and achieved 37.7 MPG despite driving with a very light foot!! My wife did 34.8 in a MK6 Golf GTI and that pulls about 2600 RPM at 75MPH. I look forward to being part of the forum. David