Postman

Here is our story.... Our 220d displayed similar characteristics last year and to that point fuel consumption was awful and acceleration particularly from standstill was awful, actually dangerous. I was all set to get rid when as a last hurrah I brought it back to my mechanic friend (from whom I had bought it). He had heard me moaning about it for a while but thought it was just me bemoaning the fact it wasn't a 3 litre Legacy, then he drove it and was shocked. He rang a contact in Toyota who suggested EGR valve. This I dismantled and cleaned myself, and I do mean dismantled as you cannot clean it properly if you don't, as gunk is stuck on the spindle and shaft. That and a couple of tanks of diesel treated with DPF cleaner has the car now running as it should. 45mpg easily attainable now on a run.

As above really. Want to change the thermostat after the new one has been sitting in the toolbox for two years! Followed top hose to back of block but doesn't look likely spot. Bottom hose looks more likely (pic) but there is an awful lot of stuff to get out of way to get at it if that is indeed where it is. So thought I would ask before taking half of the front of the car apart :) TIA Pat

It'll not be oil. It's diesel or partially combusted diesel leaking around the injector on the compression stroke. As I said should be easy enough to fix and not too expensive as long as the injector comes out easily.

Well lets hope it's not steam. At a guess your injector is leaking around it's seat ie either it has come loose (unlikely) or one of the seals has gone. Should be an easy enough fix.

Look on your door post and see what it recommends for winter wheels (M+S). I got a second hand set of original alloys on the net at a very reasonable outlay. Must get the tyres before I forget and they start to go up in price

IS220d buyers guide. Mine would be buy a Subaru Legacy 3.0R Spec B. That's what I wanted to buy but SWMBO had to have the stupid Lexus and I caved in. Now ours hasn't had any issues yet (mind we only have in 6 months or so) but it is painfully slow off the mark, actually dangerously so to my mind, how I missed this on the test drives I do not know. It gobbles diesel (my 535d is more frugal) and really does sound like a tractor. It is a nice looking car and in general is not too badly sorted inside, ours has everything and then some (hate the aircon controls on the stupid screen though). Unless you are fond of headaches buy a petrol one, I knew this and still got it, so please don't do as I did just do as I say :)

That's exactly what I used. I don't know what was put in her when we got her but the car is running sweeter and a few more mpg into the bargain. Turbo not so whistlely either so I dread to think of what crap was in there. I have been using castrol for over 20 years now in all sorts of guises and have a lot of faith in it eg pug 309gti 200k when sold in good order and scooby 180k and still going strong + several others

Sensor for wipers and lights should be up top of screen behind/front of rear view mirror. The wires you see at the bottom of the screen are the heaters to defrost your wipers when it is chilly outside. Why they don't have a fully heated screen beats me.

You must be kidding !!!!

That is encouraging. Mine has just short of 92k. Has been spewing out a little overflow too but am not 100% sure it wasn't overfilled slightly. Will monitor and maybe visit Belfast to see what they say.

Part of the problem is the gearing, seems to be about the same as my 535d in top anyway. The beemer can handle it though whereas the lexus cannot but it's not a fair fight. I think mine has a lazy wastegate so will look at if and whenever I get the time. TBH I don't begrudge the lack of punch on the move it's the liftoff from stop or low speed which is downright dangerous for me anyway. The sooner I get my garage built and my scooby back on the road the better. I ran out of AR6200 last week and I have to say the difference is astonishing, I don't know what that stuff does but the lexus misses it badly. One presumes you had gasket of the head problems. Did Agnew look after you properly and if so do you have FLSH. I don't and wonder will I be left on my own if it goes. Has FSH but only 2 stamps from lexus.

The words performance and IS220d I wouldn't use in the same sentence in a positive fashion anyway. Maybe it is just ours but it's akin to going back into the 80s as far as get up and go goes, absolutely gutless is what I would call it. Terrible lift off, gets a little better over 2k revs but no barnstormer. Any 320d I've driven would murder it with both hands tied behind it's back. I've driven a couple other IS220d and indeed IS250 and none of them are quick, but that's not what they are about either so no really big surprise. I hate driving ours as it nearly always catches me out in traffic at junctions overtaking etc

I have the IS220d and changed the oil there a couple of weeks ago. There are a couple of oil filter wrench caps out there (I ended up with 2). One is just a bit of pressed steel which sits over the very end of the filter housing and was not quite up to the job for me so I went and got a sealy aluminium one which is a lot bigger and protruds up the housing and fits over two lugs on the housing. That worked a treat. I bought mine at a local factors but here is a link to a similar one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sealey-Oil-Filter-Cap-Wrench-64-5mm-x-14-Flutes-Oil-Filter-Wrenches-/300883318263?pt=UK_Hand_Tools_Equipment&hash=item460e0b15f7 If that doesn't shift it nought will. I had to do mine from underneath the car as there isn't enough room up top to get a wrench moving. HTH

Mintex are not the answer as I can attest. I've never seen pads that generate so much dust and I have had mintex on several other cars without the current amount of dust.

I currently own 2 Japanese cars and one German one. A 1999 uk turbo 2000 impreza, a 2007 is220d and a 2007 535d. Each has its own qualities and drawbacks. My preferences are at the other end to my wife's. She likes the toys and the perceived class of the lexus which to be honest whilst nice when waiting for the kids to come out from one of their never ending activities, leave me a bit cold. The subaru is by a country mile the most reliable, the BMW the most comfortable and the Lexus has a DVD player, and the subaru wins hands down to put a smile on my face. Having lived and holidayed in the USA I have driven many of their home brand vehicles, and can see the attraction of the Lexus marque over those. If BMW et al were a bit more affordable over there they would be more common IMO. Most of us compromise when we buy cars, I know I do. How we compromise tends to define how we look at life or what makes us enjoy life. For me a car is a tool not a status symbol or any other statement for that matter. Unfortunately the world seems to be full of people who refuse or maybe are incapable of individual thought and will go with whatever herd they want to be in, which is why we are flooded with BMW and Audi models over here (most of which I wouldn't take home if given as a present) In the USA I think Lexus has somehow replaced Cadillac as the statement of success. The reference to auto boxes above makes me smile. The single drawback on my BMW is that it has a stupid slush box. It is great on the motorway slog I suppose but kills the enjoyment of driving a very capable car on A and B (and indeed c) roads.

Is there anyway of knowing when a regen kicks in?

Sounds like a synchro problem to me. I don't know if warranty would cover that or not as they may claim operator error. I have an 07 220d and the gearbox on that is very stiff when cold. Will be looking at changing the oil etc when I get 5 minutes.

To be correct it wasn't changing the discs and pads that made the difference but freeing up and greasing the caliper slides. I'm at the start of a garage build (just got the plans 5 mins ago via email) and when that is up a proper caliper build will be undertaken, as will the wheels (paint etc is already sitting here ready to go)

Since I bought our IS220d a couple of months ago I haven't been exactly impressed with either the pick up from stop or the mpg. Did all the egr cleaning put some 244 through and use AR6200. All helped a little but no real gains. Then a couple of weeks ago one of the rear brakes started to squeal a bit from time to time. I decided to put on new discs and pads as the old ones had certainly seen better times. Turns out one of the calipers was sticking. Mpg has leapt to the dizzy heights of about 36mpg for pretty mixed driving and the car is not as sluggish to get off. Will replace the fronts whenever I get around to pulling the wheels off for some paint. How come lexus wheels are so bad for corrosion?

I'm not really trying to compare the two cars. I have owned and driven 4 cylinder diesels over the last 30+ years. The effort in the IS is the worst by a margin. I bought it eyes open but am still a little disappointed. It's not a bad little car but would be considerably better if a 30 year old peugeot lump and gearbox were dropped into it, and could be great if a modern diesel were utilised. It's our second car and apart from dropping the kids to school and a weekly run of about 90 miles return to keep it healthy doesn't really do alot. The GS is just a little too big and what happens when the duracells wear out? At the moment I am not convinced that our car is performing as it should and is the reason I'm on here moaning and trying to pick people's brains to see how I can improve it. I'm a bit of a silly sod and will persevere even if the engine goes bang and I have to put a new lump in (myself). If that does happen I might try and convert it to petrol.

Hi David Thanks for the reply and could I ask what intake cleaner you used. I have been googling and have ended up googly eyed. The best seems to be a BG product but you need a special rig to put that in. The car is definitely better than it was but is still very lethargic till it gets to 2k revs. We are averaging 30mpg around town which isn't too bad I suppose. The take off from standstill though has had me worried a couple of times as I got badly caught out.

Hmmm something got lost in the translation or my rambling. What I was trying to say was if you spec the BMW properly it will be a very nice car to drive and be in. Reliability and price may be an issue. I have yet to find the "perfect" car so everything is a compromise. Before I bought the 5 I viewed and tested the LS and was left rather unimpressed, a nice car to be driven in not drive. The same for the GS. Both marques have their strong points and weaknesses, on balance I think BMW are the better bet. To be perfectly frank I think subaru are better than both of them but SWMBO vetoed that idea as the IS is her car and it was time for hers to be changed. Lexus trade strongly on their equipment, reliability and dealership support. The first I will not argue with the other two particularly the last have large question marks. We all value things differently and for me Lexus just doesn't quite hit the mark as well as BMW.

Not exactly a like for like comparison to the model you have asked about above but I have a 535d and an IS220d. Dealers can be good or bad for either marque so that tends to be luck of the draw. In the past Lexus had a very good network but I think that has/is slipping. As to build quality. Our lexus (both cars are 2007 BTW) is nowhere near the build quality of the BMW. Now I know the two models are at slightly different aim points in the market but that doesn't excuse all the interior rattles in the IS. Both cars seem to have the proper materials from a structural point of view put in them, given a choice of which to get hit in I think I would plump for the BMW. Handling. BMWs are very finnicky about wheel and tyre setup and on the newer 5 series the general consensus is to go for the dynamic suspension. Get all that correct and the BMW is a very nice handling car with a slightly maybe too firm suspension. Our IS has a good balance but is severely compromised by a poor drivetrain. Engines. Don't make me laugh. Lexus haven't a clue about diesel. BMW are leagues ahead. Comfort. If you spec the BMW properly you will be ahead but the the std Lexus is ahead of the std BMW. (BMW has more choice though remember). Reliability. I don't have our Lexus long enough to make a judgement but they are not without problems it would seem. BMWs are not worry free either. I have an extended warranty on mine, something I never considered doing before I bought a BMW, and I have had my moneys worth out of it so far. Overall. I prefer my 535d. Why? More comfortable, quieter, relaxing and doesn't use any more diesel (a tad less if anything) for what feels like 10 times the performance. A friend has a GS450h and I would have the 535d over that any day too. New 4 series if you spec it correctly will be a very good car. The new 3 series handles quite nicely in comparison to the older models I have driven anyway. You will pay for the privilege though. As for how many others drive them etc.. I don't know but that sounds a bit vain to me. If I'm going for a short spirited drive I prefer hopping into my 14 year old subaru which has stratospheric mileage (for a turbo scooby anyway). Maybe it's just me.

It's more to do with environmental emissions. If you can smell fumes in the cabin I'd be looking elsewhere for the culprit like maybe the fuel rail.

Winter tyres are designed to perform better at temperatures less than 7C, than summer tyres. This is regardless of road conditions. Now we can be talking apples and oranges when comparing one tyre to another as no two are the same but when I researched mine the braking distances for the winter tyres on cold wet roads were better than my summer set up which were made by the same manufacturer. I have noticed when the temperatures get above about 10C the winter tyres tend to go off a bit and are very soft and squidgy so performance is affected. I would suspect that all season tyres are a compromise between the two, being adequate all year round but not as effective as either specialised tyre in it's proper environment.