Mouser

If you want to be confident you won't need to change them, then order a set in - a nearby Toyota/Lexus dealer should be able to help you with that. My nearest advised it's not necessary unless damage is found, so I didn't.

Additional tips:

Don't use a ball allen for the cap head screws. I snapped a ball off down a long tunnel, but the ball got trapped because it deformed the screw head. I ended up having to epoxy a slightly too small socket to the bolt. The best tool is a 1/4" socket set with hex bits and a 15 cm extension bar - this works perfectly.

That's why I said "don't get the useless ones with a ball on the end". I tried with my socket set allen keys, but the one at the back isn't reachable using those. They're not torqued all that tight fortunately.

Toyota advise that it's not necessary to replace the gasket, unless you notice or cause damage, even though it's listed as a non-reusable part.

Has anyone ever found a good use for the balls on the end of allen keys? I tend to find they're only useful for getting stuck in nuts and requiring a powerful magnet or epoxy to remove.

Do they look like:

Yes - I know it needs a wash! :P

Yippee!! They are the same so I guess it's original.

I changed to some flat aero ones from eBay but am not too happy with the results, however the ones I took off which is exactly the same as yours Ian looked to good to throw away and also the design was not normal wipers or like flat one. Glad I still have them.

Will be ordering a pair from Official Lexus eBay store for £15 delivered :)

Thank you

Do you have a link?

To test whether it's a shim issue, you could try to apply disc brake grease liberally to the point that you're adding it as sound deadening rather than lubrication. I'd still expect my first guess to reveal something though, even if it's just a burr or loose bolt.

Since you know you're missing it, getting one from a breaker or from Toyota is worth doing anyway.

Part description & #.

Done, even added a small amount to improve it:

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/tutorials/article/228-tips-for-effective-diy-spark-plug-change/

Keefbeef, do you mean this one:

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-second-generation/520341-will-those-wheels-fit-an-is250-awd-part-uno.html

I did a spark plug change at 60k, following the usual pdf guide and thought I'd share some tips.

Remember to disconnect the Battery first. Note that doing so will cause a self check on the next start up and clear your MPG records. The first start also takes ~ 0.5 seconds longer, so hold the start button down else it may stall and you'll panic!

The 5mm allen key you need has to be a long thin one, multi-tools & socket sets are no use here. Don't get the useless ones with a ball on the end. Use a pair of pliers / mole grips to gain leverage if necessary. The one closest to the firewall is the most difficult of all, so do that first, then the one in the centre so that they are under the least load (less torque to undo them).

Have a nice strong magnet to hand to help draw bolts out (attach to screwdriver) so you don't drop them.

A 10mm ring spanner is essential for removing the bolt on the side of the throttle body unless you want to be frustrated. Also make sure you have a good 10mm socket and 10mm long socket, same goes for 12mm. Always make sure you know which way loosens and which way tightens when working in awkward places.

Removing the Battery and the case completely it's in might seem fiddly, but the improved access to the bolt at the rear of the intake manifold makes it well worth your time.

The spark plugs are down a deep (20 cm?) hole, so your socket extension needs to be long enough for the job. 16mm magnetic spark plug socket is what I'd recommend.

The large jubilee clip on the air intake hose may need some jiggling to relax its grip once you have loosened it.

The passenger side rearmost spark plug has something grounded kind of in the way, loosen that to rotate it out of your way, it's torqued down very tight from the factory, make sure it's gud'n'tite when you tighten it back up as well.

The spark plug connector is easiest to loosen using a fine flat screwdriver rather than your thumb. Insert from the spark plug side (not the wire side) under the catch and gently release it by lifting that side up a mm.

Undoing the 10mm nuts holding the plastic wire housing which routes to the spark plugs makes access much easier. Even if it's not obviously necessary. It's obvious how it goes back on, and you're not going to cross-wire your plugs.

What might you forget to do back up? The jubilee clip on the air intake; the clips which secure the vacumn hoses to the intake manifold; the bolt that secures the intake manifold to the engine block; the nuts on the battery; the hose holders which help with routing and secure hoses to the intake manifold / air intake; the wire which connects to the air intake; the Battery sensor on the side of the Battery case.

Overall the job is very easy if you use those tips.

I assume that the shims (anti squeak plates) were cleaned and lubricated and everything went back in as it should.

My first guess would be you have something caught on the brake rotor itself, or damage to the surface, does a visual inspection reveal anything? Check everything is tight whilst you're there.

I tend to get 40-45 on a run, depending on whether I'm doing 65-70 or 70-75, best I've seen was 49.7 when I had a slight tailwind and a lot of roadworks with a 50 limit, and I'd filled up partway when the engine was already warm.

If you've found a leak, then that's what should be fixed first. Could you take a photo and highlight where the leak is, it would make it easier to advise which part it is.

As rayaans points out, washing up liquid will remove everything. The water that remains is going to be sitting directly on the paint with no wax, so it's going to dry there and leave water marks. Using proper car shampoo will save you time and work a lot better.

If your garden vac has a blow mode, and blows clean air (no grit!) then that'll cut down the amount of work you need to do. A drying towel is what you want to get the rest off. Start at the top and work downwards - the dirtiest grittiest bits are at the bottom.

As far as soft / hard goes, yesterday I used a DA with Meguiars 105 and an orange hex logic pad to take out some small scratches, swirls and marks, and I'd not say the paint is soft. It took a normal amount of time and effort to get the job done. German finishes are usually hard, but having dealt with several panels, I'd class ours as medium.

In theory it's soft paint, but certain areas will probably have been resprayed at some point, so don't put much stock in that. Nothing you're talking about would lead to it being an issue anyway/

How are you washing your car at the moment? What steps / resources do you have? (Power washer / microfibre cloths / car shampoo / snow foam / wash mitt / ...)

Claying is worth doing if it's needed. Do it in very small (~1sqft at a time) patches, in the late evening in a garage ideally. Use lots of the right lube e.g. this one, and really take your time. Unless you buy a strongly abrasive clay, have poor technique or don't use enough lube (more lube!, MORE!) then the hardness or softness of the paint isn't going to be of any real concern. Test whether it's needed using a very thin (like the free ones for veg at a supermarket) plastic bag. Put your hand inside the bag and run it over the surface after you've washed it. If it does not feel smooth then it's worth claying that area. Repeat the test once you have clayed the area, to see if you've done enough. Have a look at this video for more guidance.

If you're only able to wash your car outside in the sun, then using an air dryer is advisable - a leaf blower will suffice if you've got one with an intake filter, although it's quite large.

Someone did this to the rear bumper/quarter on mine a few weeks back and drove off. £350 to fix it up :-( I doubt most people would consider stealing that sort of money, but owning up to damage you've done through incompetence, hardly anyone will :tsktsk: .

Edit - no creases in mine fortunately

Plenty of cars are being broken for parts, you should be able to pick up a set for about that, although they may need refurbishing. Check on eBay for availability.

Change your oil. There's been talk about this for years, and this almost always fixes it. Nothing's really wrong, and you're not doing damage, but it's a good sign your oil is past its best.

Are any tools required for this, and how long does it take? I've installed stereos in older cars, so I'm not a complete muppet, but usually you need to have some tools on hand and know which pieces of plastic to pry in which order.

Biggest thing IME is driving style. I get 30-35 on short to medium runs, and the other half gets 20-25. On long runs I'll be seeing ~45.

Once up to speed, the car doesn't slow down anything like as fast as most do, so you can let it coast down gentle inclines and as you approach drops in speed limit / junctions / roundabouts. The other car is an Audi A3 diesel, and in comparison that feels like the brakes are dragging it slows down so quickly off throttle. Remember that hard acceleration burns slightly more fuel than gentle acceleration (for the same change in momentum), but all the energy you lose when you brake is wasted, so it's best to work on that angle with mixed driving.

I'm running 5W20 full synthetic, you can get 0W20 if you prefer. When the car is being used primarily for shorter journeys thinner oil will lead to less wear as you achieve sufficient flow to lubricate much earlier. Tyres are at, or slightly above spec as the car's often loaded with stuff (babies - yay!), and aircon / heater / seat heating / radio are all used a lot.

The tach is useful only when the engine isn't warmed up - if that's coming on then back off a bit would be my advice.

Speedo at 76, mpg is dropping rapidly by the time that lights up.

Paint issues aren't too expensive to fix, I had F&R bumpers + bonnet stripped and painted with the wings blended in for £650 incl. VAT to give you a feel. Do take a closer look at the lines though to make sure panels are lining up, at the tyres to make sure there's not uneven wear (due to warping) and get the car background checked.

2" lower than standard is likely to mess up the handling. Have a read of this to understand why.

48mpg from a 2.5 V6? That's crazy - I'd say that I would get 48mpg from my 2.2 IS but I have a fairly heavy foot and ever go below 70 our old 1.8 VVTL-I Corolla T-sport would have been mid 30s with the same time of driving at best (and that's not even taking it over 6,000rpm)

That was between Lewes and the Dartford Tunnel with two passengers, full petrol tank, at 30 ambient and air con set to 20 (auto). There are a lot of hills to deal with, but roadworks kept one section at 40 and another at 50 for a while, otherwise 65-70 depending on conditions with an occasional tailwind where the road was exposed. The car had about 10 minutes to warm up prior to the fill-up, so it wasn't quite cold. I continued on to Basildon to visit a friend, then drove back late evening when the (head)wind had dropped some and it was cooler outside. Similar to +5mph speeds, and by the time I got home the tank mpg said 45.3.

However, a great deal of my driving is short distance (train station / Tesco / baby centre), so the overall average is a long way down on what I can get on a long trip. Because of this I run a slightly lighter oil to help out with engine wear when cold.

From my experience the 250 would get nowhere near a healthy 220 mpg wise, as I said ours had cracked 50mpg on long journeys loads of times, our old 2.0 duratec-HE focus (same engine as fiesta ST) was at least 13mpg down driven the same way at the same speeds.

My IS250 is showing 37.3 mpg so far. With the current tank I filled it up just prior to a long motorway trip, and at one point it was showing over 48 mpg (with air con on all the way). If I didn't live in the hills and do lots of short journeys 40+ average would be normal. When it's got up to speed it seems very keen to carry it unless I brake, far more so than other cars I've driven. Servicing, insurance, breakdown & cleaning are costing me much more than petrol so far.

Does sound like a battery on its way out. Make sure you get the right battery...Halfools have been known to get the battery 180 degrees out (puts your connectors at the front....not good!)

Window syncing is also here on this forum

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/tutorials/article/200-initializing-windows-after-battery-change/

It's on the forum, but not in my bookmarks :)

didn't look like they sold.

Indeed. Glad I've got the guys on here to offer advice on what the ups and downs are. Now bring on the IS Coupe / GSF :)

my guess... it will be 3.5litre V6 engine from the IS350 but with twin turbos strapped to it.. power figures 420- 450bhp.. similar concept to what Nissan did with GTR but in their case was a 3.8litre V6

Given the engine configurations offered by AMG / BMW M3 I'd be surprised. There's definitely the skill in Japan to tune turbocharged engines, but most of the market at the moment is a large engine with turbos offering improved fuel efficiency. The latest M5 M5 claims 31% improved efficiency despite weighing as much as a small continent. Having a big engine is also a selling point - 6.3 litre twin turbo v8 sounds much more exotic than turbocharge 3.5 V6, regardless of actual performance and feel.