zippyone

Hi all, bought a CT200h in December 2012, in December 13 a Daff lorry ran into the back of me whilst I was stopped giving way to traffic, at a roundabout near my home. ( new rear door and bumper + fittings). May 2014, I was near Gorizia on the border with Slovenia, again, I was stopped giving way to traffic at a roundabout. I saw a green Fiat Uno coming up behind me and thought no more of it, then thud! she ran into my rear. (new rear bumper). The woman said that she thought that I had gone, obviously not. Yesterday was good day for car cleaning, so at 0715 I began to wash, clay, polish/seal and wax my new IS300h. I took delivery at the end of January and it had been washed twice before, now, I wanted to clay it, to give the surface a nice silky smooth finish and remove all the muck from the paintwork. It took until 15.45, but the result was great, if I say it myself. The surface was like glass, gone was the fine sandpaper feel. My old body though was killing me. This morning at around 08.00 I set of for the big city to do a little work, as if yesterday wasn't enough. After about 10 minutes I arrived at the Milan east toll gate, hell of a queue as usual. I kept to my lane and slowly joined the queue, I watched a dark beemer pull up behind me and thought no more of it, then thud! thaaat's right, he ran into my rear. He said that he wasn't paying attention. I think that his eye was caught by the other lane moving, so decided to join it to gain few meters, but forgot that I was there. It cost him at least an hour. I have now filed my insurance claim against his firm (company car). Oh happy days'. enjoy the pics. Regards. Michael.

Great looker, nice colour, makes the beemer look light years old. I asked for a shark's fin on my CT but on the IS I think it looks out of place, seems to be too far back, spoils the line I think imho. Enjoy your new motor. Regards. Michael.

I bought my wheel from the Lexus dealer, it took a week to arrive, the tyre, they said, would take about a month to arrive, maybe more, as they are a specialist thing and not many people make them now. I then went to my usual tyre dealer, a good, honest, trusting injun ( not many of them about in this country) who knows me. He confirmed that few people make them, but that the tyre would be ready and fitted in a week (next Thursday). I left the wheel with him. Wheel...4261153320 ... cost with €6 discount....... €82.96 (£60.37) 22%vat incl. Tyre......T125/70D17.....cost.................................. €95.00 (£69.13) 22%vat incl. This, at £129.50 total compares well with UK prices quoted on the site. I paid with my UK acct. not in €'s. Tyre bags are difficult to come by, so I will pop into Snow's at Southampton in April, to see what they have. I usually find them quite helpful. I would think that any half decent tyre firm in UK could provide a space saver on the spot. Michael..... My wife is now learning how to skate board. Regards. Michael.

ref. 22. As a footnote regarding my puncture, I enclose the pics; I got the car back on Wednesday. The curved metal piece was inside the tyre when they took it of, it was 1cm across, 16cm around the curve, and 15cm across, from point to point. It seems to be a piece of another vehicle. The pressure valve and sensor were also damaged. My pocket was severely damaged also, €276.98 (£204.79) 22% vat incl. This was for a new pressure valve and set up, Tyre, balancing and 90mins work. I have now got on order a space saver. On a more cheerful note I went for a drive today, my home to Lake Garda and back, at most I drove 10km on normal roads and the ambient was 4°c at the start and 10°c when I got home. The journey took around 90mins each way and I tried to keep the speed between 110-120kph (68-74.5mph.) The car recorded these results: Total distance 236km (147m). 93kph (57.8mph) out, 91kph (56.6mph) return. 5.1L/100km (55mpg) 5.2L/100km (54mpg) respectively. Now, I think that is quite good, taking into account some of the findings/comments on the site. I have used less than half a tank of fuel since my first fill and have 668km registered. I can, at this moment, see no reason why I shouldn't reach the magic 700mile mark, without too much effort, more will be another story. We all have roundabouts and lights to deal with, just learn to get your foot of the juice earlier and to just 'tickle' the peddle to maintain velocity. However, I believe I can fly and I believe I can touch the sky, just of to tuck the fairy in at the bottom of the garden. Regards. Michael.

Hi Steve, and welcome. My IS Sonic T Exec. arrived on 28/01/15, it came with a full tank +/- ! I migrated from a CT which I always filled to the second click and was getting about 61/62 mpg from. I kept a daily record of the first tank of petrol in the IS of which there were 12, some were duplicated, all were from cold starts : mpg 34.4, 54.3, 55.3, 50.4, 51.4, 52.3. The average was 49.55mpg on first refill, over a distance of 562m with 11m spare (all recorded). The ambient temp. was -6/10°c, generally -1/4°c. To my office 20m away in the CT was a regular 67mpg, in the IS 54mpg, 60% motorway. When I put the data into ,'Fuelly' and 'Spirit monitor,' they came up with an ave. of 43.45mpg. It was a new car and in the cold so very happy with that. My wife was asleep within minutes, allowing me to relax and enjoy my new experience. Let me suggest that you get the wife to select the colour to give you a quiet life, they always know best, show her DJP's motor, she'll love it. I find the lighter metallic colours best as they do not show the dirt so much, they just go dull instead of shining, but rarely look dirty, look at other cars as your driving around. Buy the car for her, not the person that will buy it from you in 3/4 years time, it will probably lose at least half its value before then anyway, you are buying a cracking motor for your/her comfort, not someone a few years down the line. Yesterday, I filled up for the first time, 58.93L to the second click, this showed a range of 673m, I hope to get 700 + though. I generally drive at 10kph above the stated speeds and between 62/80mph on the motorway. I find it is difficult to judge speed well in the IS. It's a smooth operator. Just after my fill up my rear nearside tyre went 'pyong,' like a stone being catapulted from it, then, after about 500mtrs the ominus clunking of a flat tyre. The car remained steady and there was no need for that funny icon on the dash, to tell me the obvious. Upon inspection I found a split on the side wall, about 1/2cm long, near the circumference of the tyre just below base of the tread, it was probably caused by a piece of debris not cleared up from an accident. This was not a job for that silly ( IMO ) gunk stuff, not that I would use it anyway. Time to call ' Lexelpus from the legion Japanicus,' ( Latin you know) his man showed up after about 30mins and took the car away, leaving the wife and myself to make our way home, 4°c and raining, wonderful. (20 miles on the bus) We were lucky that we were besides the bus stop, it was Sunday, you know, the day when you can never get b all done. I fitted a space saver to the CT and will get one for the IS, I was only talking about it last week, but the dealer wanted too much. Probably the next generation of lexus models will come complete with a 3D printer made in plastic, or sugar cane, so we can print our own space saver as required, or, a small, flat bag, full of powder, just p on it and vwoluh (spelling) it will grow into a wheel. It could be called, ' Instant space saver .' It is the 21st century, after all. Enjoy your new car Steve, it's a wife pleaser. Regards. Michael.

As long as they had proper number plates and the drivers were not in unmarked green camouflage kit. :tsktsk:

Hi Sunil, welcome to the club, is it not illegal to sell a car with a damaged windscreen in the Uk? Personally I would have got the dealer to knock some cash of the car, at least 75% of the cost of a replacement screen, then, after a couple of months, claimed for a Lexus screen from the insurance. I am sure that insurance allows for one broken screen a year. I maybe wrong. Good choice of car bye the way, look after it and it will give you miles of trouble free driving. Regards. Michael.

Just a little thought to help eek out the mileage, every little helps. A piece of perspex A piece of clear tube. (to protect the paintwork) Three straps. I fit it at the end of November and remove it at the end of March, depending on the ambient temperature. Regards. Michael.

I used to have problems with tailgater's, now I have a dashcam fitted front and rear, so when the offender spots the black box with the light on it, they generally back off. I never get too excited about tailgater's, I concentrate on the road ahead, that is my prime concern, if someone wants to run up my rear that is their concern. It will be an inconvenience for me, but will get a free loan car, they, on the other hand, will foot the whole bill for loan car and damage done, plus having a fine and points on their licence, just for a moments stupidity. I do not condone tailgating, but would not take provocative action to agitate further the brain cell of the purputrator. I like to keep 1/2 car lengths behind the car in front and at least 4 metres behind lorries so they can see me. Regards. Michael.

Hi Geoff, my 'IS' should be here in a couple of weeks, so cannot comment on your question fully, but, can draw on my two year experience with the CT. I think that under the circumstances that you describe, your petrol engine will do most of the running, as the battery will not run the car for six miles without needing a recharge. It may be possible if you maintain a very low speed, say 5/6mph, but I doubt it. No battery that I know of, works well in cold weather, come to that, six miles battery only, would be a push even in the Summer. It seems a pity that you must park out in the elements, the 'IS' is an expensive motor. Is there no way you can park it in one of those tent type things, that you can buy to park cars in? It probably would not solve the cold problem fully, but would prevent ice from forming on the glass and bodywork and also give some protection from the cold. Regards. Michael.

Hi folks, two days ago I did a 4km drive to collect my wife from the bus stop. The bus was late so I parked as usual, shutting the car down and waited, the wait was about 10 minutes. When I went to start the car upon her arrival, it went stupid, all flashing lights etc. the works. Needless to say it would not start. Called assistance who arrived 45 minutes later to collect it, then walked home. Yesterday, Lexus Milan called to say that the battery had a malfunction and needed replacing, which they did under guarantee and I collected the car this morning. I also had the key batteries renewed whilst I was there, cost €27. I pressed them to say what the problem was, but they just avoided any plausible sort of answer and just said that it was old. The car had about a 600km run last weekend, it is always garaged and locked at night and it has a Blackvue Wi-Fi 2CH camera fitted, with a little box to prevent the battery running below a certain level, - professionally fitted in UK last April. I have driven since 1963 and this is only the second battery to fail on me, the other was many moons ago, it was old and filled with tap water, so expected to die. This battery was just 22 months old. I had the feeling that the girl at the assistance helpline seemed aware of the problem, from the tone of her speech. Is there a known problem with the batteries in the CT? Has anybody else experienced this problem in a CT? Or do you think that I just had a bit of tuff luck? Thanks in anticipation. Michael.

Hello all, Latest/last update Sonic Tit. IS300h: Saw dealer manager Friday last, he informed me that Lexus Italy will not let them sell car now, as it is loaned under some agreement that it has to remain a demo/loan car for so long before selling on, ( rubbish I think). He informed me that it has 2000km on clock now - it was 10000 before - and that it should be up for sale late December early January. I have to rattle his cage again at the beginning of December. That is no problem for me, as I can wait and if I ordered new, it would probably take 3/4 months to arrive. SWMBO got on his back as well. There are other dealers about, but more difficult to root out, this one is only twenty minutes from home. Maybe I should try Snows at Southampton, they're always helpful and have coffee as well, just a thought. Thanks for reading. Michael.

Hello all, Latest update Sonic Tit. IS300h: Saw the dealer manager again this morning - he is in good health again. The story today is, the car that he offered me is a demo. car -which we all knew from the start, and as such, is not theirs, it is registered with, Lexus Italy, so he can't sell it, something to do with contracts. Later this week though, according to him, a representative from Lexus Italy is coming to check the dealerships around the area. The manager told me that they have bought one car more than their required quota, - it was four before, so they will ask his permission to sell the sonic to me now, or I can wait until their contract runs out in January whenever. The manager will contact me on Thursday this week with an answer. I do not hold out much hope though. I find it obsurd that a small dealership, with two or three salesmen - for Lexus - one a manager and they do not seem to know what is going on. I think that they have fouled up and instead of admitting it straight away, they are stringing me along whilst they look for a way out. That is how they normally do business here, Italians' like the titles and the money, but take no responsibility. Lets see what the end of the week brings up. Thanks for reading. Michael.

Hello all, Latest update Sonic Tit. IS300h: Our appointment Friday was cancelled by dealer Thursday afternoon, because of an eye infection, said that he would probably call Saturday. - He has a bloodshot eye, but nothing serious. Being trusting folks and this being Italy, we arrived at the time of the original appointment, as we arrived outside the dealers he drew up in an apparent rush. After a few smiles and hand shakes he informed us that the car he had was the grey one, SHMBO informed him that she preferred the Sonic, and could we see him today, Saturday, 'no,' he said, as he was very busy on that day, but Monday would be OK. He then went into the dealership and within a few minutes was out again, in the car and steaming off into the Sunrise. No time was given, but I will go on Monday morning at 10.00 and see if we can FINALLY get a deal sorted. Things are easier for him now, as we are only talking about one motor. No disrespect meant, but '*****,' what an effort one has to put in to buy a car from this man, he is the Lexus manager as well. Best wishes to all my readers. Michael.

Welcome and enjoy you new CT; I bought a CT-SE in December 12. I was advised by the dealer to use 16s, for a better ride and economy and, I believe, most others use the same. However, if this is your first hybrid you will find it a new driving experience altogether and have to adapt to a new way of driving. Read the road ahead and avoid braking hard, try to glide to a stop, and do not be too heavy on the juice peddle, or brake, get up to speed and just gently hold it there. That is just a start. Look through the threads on this site, there is a wealth of information, both technical and practical on how to get the best from your CT; provided by other users. At the end of the day though, it is YOU and YOUR style of driving that will improve your mpg. not the car. I have about 20,000mi. on my clock and am getting around 61mpg (according to Fuelly, 'zippyone'). I am though, in the process of changing up a grade to an IS300h, for a little more comfort in my old age! I find the CT; very good and would recommend it. Look after it, it is very reliable, and comfy, all be it at a price. Then nothing is free nower days eh! Good luck. Michael.

Hello all, just a quick update, went to dealer yesterday (Monday) as per an appointment to see the black IS300h. I had intensions to buy the car on offer. I was informed that a salesman had sold it on Friday last, I was not too pleased and made it known. However, all was not lost it seems. The manager told me that he had two other Executives, one grey(1h9) and a sonic titanium, these were loan and demo cars, with about 10,000km ( 6,213mi) on the clocks, price around the €28,000 (£22,343) mark +/-. The sonic was the car that I had on loan for a day a few weeks ago, and was first registered during the last week in June, so really it's had around two months use, (they were closed for holidays in August). Next move is an appointment on Friday at 10.00, to look over the cars, but I have told him that the sonic is the main point of interest. If all is well, I will buy it there and then. It will just be a matter of checking the guarantee side of life, and the software updates. I think that the latest updates are VC03102F, and nav. micro SD 86271-53242. Correct me if I am wrong. Finger's crossed for Friday then. Thanks for your interest. Michael.

Hello all, thanks for the replies so far, please keep them coming, many different views maketh the decision easier. On Friday last I spoke to a German at a motorway café near home, he had a ten year old Audi, metallic black. It was in very good condition, just dusty, no real grime. when I asked if he hand washed it, he laughed and said that 'he always went to the car wash, as he had not the time for hand washing.' I could not see any noticeable stone chips either, since then I have looked at a number of black/dark metallic cars and that seems to be the norm for them. Maybe I worry too much? Michael: Never gave the white sport a real thought, €2.5k is not a lot more when talking these prices. Economy, well I generally get better economy than most ( almost a Miss Daisy type!). Comfort may be the problem, will the sport 'jarr' our backs like the CT? I agree about the colour. Martin: I hand wash the car each week, even under the bonnet. I use Autoglym products, they work well for me, also use woolly mitt and micro fibre cloths, have hard water. Hose off car, wash, hose off, dry, resin polish*, high definition wax*, I also wax the windscreen and wheels. I clay the car about every six months. (* circa every three months). Thanks. Michael.

Hello all, Just a quick up date The colour black is Celestial black ( 217) Michael.

Hello all, (follow up to my post 02 September) yesterday I went to the dealer to see what he had on offer, I had a little spring in my walk. I want an IS Executive, Sonic titanium and thought I might get one. The dealer had: IS300h F-sport, white, nav. €49,157 (£39,376) discount price €36,000 (£28,837) 0km Luxury, black, nav. ML, sunroof. €54,500 (£43,656) " €41,000 (£32,842) " Executive, black, nav. €46,057 (£36,893) " €33,500 (£26,834) " The black is metallic black. In Italy they have the SE, Exec, F-Sport, and Luxury models. The Exec. model is a higher spec. than in the UK, the premium nav. is on offer this month, free. The Lexus site Italy quotes the Exec. at €41,600 (£33,335) but the going price at dealers seems to be €45/46k. I am not too interested in the toys, I hardly ever use the radio in my CT, do not have a Nav. and drive all over Europe. The interior colour is not a problem either. The economy and ride have proved to be what I want, ( see post 02 Sept.). The deal for the Exec. is quite good, new car, 0km, free nav. €33k. The dealer will give me a minimum of €15k (£12,000) for my CT so my new Executive will cost me just €18k. (£14,500) A gift horse in fact. Now, I have never seen a black IS accept in a showroom and never metallic black. I really want Sonic Titanium. Black, I fear, will show up all the little chips as white spots, also swirl marks from washing, and the dirt and rain spots, even though it will have a weekly wash, or am I being a little neurotic? However, metallic black may be different, I do not know. Black also reminds me of a Benz or beamer they're mostly black, like a hearse! Will the black take away the good looking lines of the IS? This is a private purchase, (I'm a pensioner) the fiscal part of the deal is great, just a colour problem. Do I take the bargain as my pocket is saying and 'stuff' the colour, or, do I say, 'no, I'll pay twice as much for the same thing, only with the colour I want, but will never see when I'm using the car? What would you do? All comments welcome Thanks. Michael. A bit overcast today DJP.

Hello again, DJP Have a nice bit of R&R after you leave the toll gate at Milan east you will pass my place (Cavenago/Cambiago) I live 5 mins from the autostrada. Bluenose1940 For the last 18yrs I've been going back and forth to Portsmouth, often the back is half full of ASDA / Belgium chocs from Ypre, stones ginger wine/Wood's from the ferry.. I just cover it all with coats, maps, a blanket etc had no problems. I will just put a spare in the boot, wrapped in the special tyre bag of course. Think about it, most of the time the boot is going to be empty anyway. If you have extra stuff it can go on the floor at the back and be covered over. Get the guy at the dealers to put a space saver in for you so you can see how it fits in. I fitted one in Mr. Jingles, took their junk out, it added just 12kg to the weight. I wrote about it around March last year with pics on the CT200h page. Now it is 14.56 here and I am going to believe it or not Pescara del Garda, an hour there, 2 hours walk about, an hour back, it's a nice day today. On the walk about I can exercise my legs and rejuvenate my body looking at the local 'wildlife,' browning off. Michael.

Hello all, well I'm a CT boy, (boo, boo, hiss, hiss.) my CT is now 21 months old and had its 30,000 service two days ago. It had 31,690km on the clock and the service cost €408.93, (£324.38). I felt chuffed when the mechanic came up to me afterwards and told what good condition the car was in. I explained how I hand clean it each week in and out and also wipe over the engine, (weather permitting) and never let the dealer clean it. I am very happy with 'Mr Jingles,' (that's his name). I have a 21 month average of 61mpg ( actual) and a regular 64/72mpg (indicated) daily average on all types of road, with 16" tyres. I generally drive with a sports shoe on, gives more control on the juice peddle than a thicker sole. If I have any negatives about Mr Jingles they would be: lack of good rear vision when looking over my right shoulder when crossing lanes, (left hand drive). Difficulty reversing against a kerb or wall, just can't judge the distance well, even after 21 months, also, the hard ride and road noise, sometimes it is almost like being tossed about in a rally car, changes in tyre pressure make little difference. I think poor road surface, Bridgestone and suspension are the main causes here. Like Bluenose1940, I too have been eying the IS300h. Had a look at one at Snows Southampton last year, was offered a three day test drive but did not have time. (was on holiday). This year though, I asked them for a drive round as a passenger, SWMBO was quite impressed with the roomier interior and more comfy ride. I have followed this section for over a year now and decided the IS300h Executive, sonic titanium, was for us. Whilst Mr. Jingles was being spruced up, we had the use of the above IS for the day, even the correct colour. We drove around Milan for just over an hour, especially over the worst bits of road (cobbled) that I knew. Then a 32km motorway dash home, off the road and a sharp 90° right, 20 meters then a sharp 90° left, then down a 45° slope to my backyard. The car was easy to get into the garage next to the Impressa, reversed out, turned around in the yard and reversed into the garage, wonderful. (The CT is a tighter fit in the garage and harder to manoeuver in the yard.) Fuel consumption so far 59mpg (indicated). So far so good, wife and myself quite happy, now the serious stuff, coffee! Before we left we checked under the bonnet, quite spacious compared with the CT, not very clean though for a two month old car, neither was the bodywork clean. Checked the boot, big enough for our needs, but having had hatch backs for many years the entrance to the boot seemed small, but I'm sure we'll get used to it. Will have to buy a spare wheel to keep in the back, I fitted a space saver in the CT, I do not like the rubbish tyre filler that the car comes with. We then spent about an hour going over local roads in our area that we use on a regular basis, to get a comparison for comfort and road noise. There was no comparison, it was chalk and cheese. The holes and lorry ruts were still audible but just, but the vibrations were rarely transmitted to our backs. We then set off on a long journey eastwards, using the old 'A' 'B' roads, lots of roundabouts, traffic lights, small towns and villages. The idea of this was to get a better idea of the comfort over distance, we could also change the seat settings, and had varying speed zones to contend with. We finished near lake Garda, where we joined the motorway to Milan. I did not use the cruise control as there are too many lorries and people in all lanes doing incredibly slow speeds, I did however try to keep a steady 110/120kmh all the way back to Milan, around 100km. I did not check out the toys as we were only interested in comfort and economy. The comfort was much better than I truly expected, the economy was 63mpg, I was expecting about 53mpg, but I am used to driving a Hybrid now and know many of the tricks. There was also a feeling of better road holding and it gave better response when leaving roundabouts and corners. The wife liked the, 'snooze mode,' but I was put of by the, 'snore mode.' The dealer has offered me €15,000 for Mr. Jingles just under half of what I payed. (the next owner will get a snip) I will try for €20,000. He also has four new cars coming in next week, to make up their quota from Lexus, (whatever that means) He thinks that he can do one for me at around €32,000. It is just a matter of wheeling and dealing now. The Lexus cost of an Executive IS300h is €41,600 in Italy, no leather, no navigator, as in UK. SWMBO was on board from the start and is even more so after her test drive, now we open a new pack of cards and start dealing, and if the price is right, then bingo. I should have started with, 'once upon a time,' nothing like a good read eh!. Michael. (another one)

When I bought the car it was financed through Toyota financial services. The fellow who worked it all out also did the insurance for me. The insurance company is called Direct Line. In the mass of paperwork which I have never read, there is also a Japanese insurance company mentioned. I pay the third party insurance annually, it is now £793. (car eighteen months old) The rest I pay every six months: Fire & theft £152.80 Acts of vandalism £29.00 Glass £16.42 Natural disasters £41.94 Cover for damage that I may cause £299.26 Special guarantee (whatever that is?) £2.91 Total £542.24 (I have rounded the numbers from Euros.) It might be a lot, I do not know to be honest, but when you buy a roller you do not ask the price of petrol. I just asked to be covered for all eventualities. Going to the original post, I think if David had - cover for damage that I may cause - for £300 per year, he would be a happy bunny, from what I can make out to remove a bad scratch on a door panel costs about £200 and there are a lot of bad scratches on his motor. Michael.

'Pappa smells a rat.' I read the original piece and looked at the pictures earlier in the day, when there was only one reply. I did not feel that those scratches were consistent with tree branches, they seemed too deep, unless of course, the branches had been cut back and were mere stumps. I am old enough to know the difference between a slap and having my cheeks scratched. To me the car was closer to the trees than we are given to believe, maybe even off the road a trifle. However, I must accept the writer's account of things. Solution for the future, insure the car against such occurrences. I have to pay a little more but am covered for tree, keying, shopping trolley...........damage, but I sleep well at night. Maybe a little more to this story than meets the eye, hence its removal. Michael.

Hi Kevin, not sure where you are now, but if you are near/in a reasonable sized town/city there will probably be a Lexus dealer there who will sort the glitch out for you. Most continentals speak English well. I am sure that it is probably something simple. The problem is that if you wait until you get home, it will be another year before you can test it out again. I go to England every year and never bother changing the clocks, I just deduct an hour from my phone/car clock time, it saves the hassle of changing them going out and coming back. It is also better for my body clock I think. Just have a comfy journey and return safely. I live five minutes from the Milan - Venice motorway and it is getting more busy and dangerous every day and night, with all the foreigners bombing along foot to the floor to get to the lakes five minutes earlier, it is bad enough with the natives. Time? that is not important, bye the way, where are you now? Best wishes. Michael.

Hi Tim, page 219 in the manual, item 7, for the outside temperature. Good mpg for a new car, but what was your average speed? I am getting 4.7 l/100km (60mpg) ave. out of mine after 18 months, check me out on 'Fuelly', you'll get used to the road noise as time goes on and the tyres get less noisy as they wear in. Nice colour car, look after it well, remember, it's not a Fiat . good luck. Michael.