Rob64

My IS300H has started making a whirring/grinding noise on start up recently, after about 9500 miles. It only happens on the first start of the day, never subsequently, and perhaps three times out of four. It occurs about 10 seconds after pressing the start button, and before the petrol engine kicks in. It then only lasts a few seconds. I complained about it when the car went in for its 10k service last week, and left the car with them overnight so they could hear the noise when they started the following day. Of course the car refused to do it, so the dealer said he could do nothing. I have since recorded the noise on my mobile phone and e-mailed the sound file to my dealer today. I now await a response.

Hi Skench, The dealer fitted Hankook Winter i*cept evo tyres onto the original alloys. I can't give you a precise cost because I negotiated a deal which included the winter tyres and 3 yrs servicing. I also got the labour and storage costs for the first two tyre swaps thrown in. I would estimate about £700 for the tyres.

I had my winter tyres fitted by Lexus Stoke 12 days ago, and immediately noticed a significant reduction in tyre noise. There is very little engine noise or wind noise, so tyre noise predominated (albeit at a low level). But with winter tyres, the car really is whisper quiet. Has anyone else had the same experience?

I took mine in yesterday to have winter tyres fitted and the rattle checked out. It should have been last week but the tyres had not arrived at the dealer. On the way to the dealer I have to drive a section of road where the rattle is always present, and there was no rattle. On the test drive with the technician, there was no rattle at all. It was only about 8 or 9 degrees here yesterday, so maybe the rattle is temperature related.

Curious: the online review gives it four stars, whereas the one in the paper gave it five (I still have the copy and have just checked).

The slight rattle from the dash/steering column that I noticed on the way home from collecting the car is still there after 1100 miles. It is definitely related to the road surface being driven over. There is nothing on smooth roads, and only certain types of rough tarmac seem to cause it. It is very consistent and reproducible. The car is going in on Thursday to have its winter tyres fitted, and the dealer is going to check it out then.

I have now done 1100 miles in my Premier. I never expected to get anywhere near the official fuel consumption figures, especially as the test method seems to really flatter hybrids. I thought I would achieve about 45 mpg. In fact, I am getting about 42mpg on short trips (7 to 8 miles) and around town, about the same on a long motorway run at 75, and 51 mpg on cross country drives (mixture of A and B roads). Overall, the average is about 46 mpg. I don't use the eco setting, and only use the sport setting to overtake.

There was a very fair review of the IS300H Sport in Sunday's Telegraph Lifestyle section (10 Nov), which awarded it 5 stars. This was one of the few reviews where I felt the reviewer actually "got" the Lexus hybrid. It is perhaps telling that he had it for three days, rather than a couple of hours. Unfortunately, it does not seem to have been posted on the web yet.

I collected my IS300h from the dealer yesterday, and now I am ploughing through the manual. In the wallet with mine was a CD, with no title. I popped in the PC to find it was an electronic user manual covering all Lexus cars: CT, IS, GS, etc. The only trouble is, for the IS, it is the last generation that is described on the CD. Has anyone had a CD covering the current version?

Hi Roger I think that you may not be too far off the mark - the noise has totally disappeared today so it doesn't seem to indicate that something is particularly "loose" - the rattle has gone and re-appeared in the past and if it returns I will try your suggestions. Failing that the car is booked in for two days from Thursday with the dealership. I'm convinced that it is something really minor, no one else has, either on this forum or the Amercian/Australian forums, had such a problem and the technicians at Lexus Newcastle are more than a little surprised by it. I picked up my IS300h premier yesterday afternoon. Driving it home from the dealer, there was a slight rattle from the right hand side of the dash. When I used the car this morning, there was no sign of it all. Weird! I just hope it stays away.

I collect mine on Monday afternoon, and I intend to monitor the fuel consumption from the off using the tank brim to brim method. In a few weeks I should have some results.

That's very encouraging. When I did my comparative costings when going through the selection process, I assumed I would realistically get 45 mpg from the IS300h. Looks like I'll save even more than I thought

According to Wikipedia, it is only available in the USA, then will be rolled out in Brazil and China. Lexus Brisbane's website says it is "coming soon". Searching for it on Lexus UK's website produces no matches.

I think this is the one you are after Rob - I'd seen it months ago on the Club Lexus forum - excellent one it is too! http://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-third-generation/692853-the-amazing-shots-project-2014-lexus-is.html That's the one! Brilliant, thanks very much.

Hi Roger. Unfortunately no, this isn't the video - I haven't seen this one before. But thanks for the effort. I don't have my IS yet, the dealership say it will be with them on Sep 13th, so allowing a couple of days or so for preparation and the fact that the 14th/15th are a weekend, then I expect to pick it up about the 16th. Based on several test drives, the ISdoes not have the instant urge at any speed of the Jaguar: in the IS there is a slight but noticeable throttle lag - a bit like an early turbocharged car. Having said that, it is deceptively fast. I think partly because it is so quite and refined you do not realise how fast you are going. It is definitely quieter than the Jag around town in EV mode, and maybe slightly quieter on motorways (though there isn't a lot in it). The low speed ride is noticeably better than the Jag, the high speed ride about the same (which is very good). In terms of handling, the Jag is sublime and the IS is not quite as good, though it is still very good indeed. I'll post an update after I've had the car for while.

A couple of months ago, whilst researching the IS300H on line, I came across a rather good video. It showed an IS being driven at speed in a warehouse which looked a bit like a film set, with lights on stands etc, and the IS was using these as a slalom course. At the end, the IS stopped with one of its front wheels on a pad on the floor which set off a light display. Unfortunately, I didn't bookmark the site and I can't find it again. Has anyone else seen it, and can they direct me to it?

This will be my first Lexus, and their reputation for quality and reliability were big factors in my decision. My experience so far has been very positive, from the first visit to the showroom to collect a brochure, through several test drives and the ordering process. I have found my local dealer to be extremely helpful and pleasant, without being in any way pushy. They have let me have four test drives (one short, one long in a Premier, and one short and one long in an F Sport. At no time did I get the sense I was being a nuisance. I have had two Audi A6's in the past, the last being 10 years ago. My local Audi dealer gave me such appalling service both in terms of fixing faults on my last car, and in fixing a test drive on a new one, that I swore I would never set foot in an Audi dealership again - and I haven't. As well as test driving the IS300, I tested a BMW328i GT. The BMW dealer sent me out in a car which had an almost empty tank - as I found out after 3 miles when the low fuel light came on. It was the first test drive I have had where I had to put my own fuel in! I had asked for a quote to be ready on my return, which it was. The salesman said "we have only quoted a low trade in price for your car because we have taken £2000 off the list price of the new car". I questioned if this was in addition to the £2000 deposit contribution being offered on BMW's website. This threw him completely - he could not answer and claimed he knew nothing about the offer on the website. When I asked him to bring up the BMW website on his computer, he was unable to navigate around it. I never did get a satisfactory answer out of him. I still can't decide if he was an idiot or he was trying to bullsh*t me. I also went to the Mercedes dealer to arrange a test drive on an E200 coupe. After two visits and several phone calls, (and they never returned my calls) I e-mailed Mercedes UK head office to see if they could help. After 48 hours, I got a response: "see your local dealer". On my third visit, I finally got to do a test drive. However, I really got the sense they weren't that bothered about selling me a car. Today, the Lexus dealer came to my house to complete the final paperwork on the IS, as I could not get in to the dealership. I have ordered winter tyres to go with the car, and I queried if I had to collect them at the same time as the car. "Oh no sir, we will store them for you. At the end of October, we will fit them on your car free of charge, and then store your summer tyres. In April, we will swop them back, again free of charge." I was very pleasantly surprised. For the record: I loved the performance of the 328i, but I did not think the handling was any better than the Lexus. Ride quality was inferior, and the car was noisier. The dashboard looked like it was made of recycled cardboard, and the leather seats looked and felt like PVC. The whole car shuddered every time the stop/start cut in. Finally to kit it out to the same standard as the Lexus would have cost me several thousand pounds more. I loved the look of the Merc coupe, but the back seats are for hobbits only (so what did I expect?). The ride however, was very, very hard.

I currently have a Jaguar XF. In snow and ice, it handles like a hippo on an ice rink. So when I ordered my IS300H, I did a deal which included 3 yrs servicing and a set of winter tyres. Obviously when required they will be fitted to the standard alloys. I will use the Lexus dealer to do the swap, so if there are any problems, the responsibility will be clear.

When my wife first sat in the IS300H the first thing she noticed was that there were cup holders where she wanted to rest her arm! Like Wicksy I will never use them as cupholders, so I agree that some kind of padded filler would be a good idea.

I suspect that the reason that servicing costs look expensive to someone living in Eastern Europe is the difference in labour costs. I'm not sure exactly what it includes - I suspect oil change, spark plugs, lubrication of locks etc, general check-up. From my experience of a similar service plan for a Jaguar, they do not include any consumable parts (brake pads, wipers, etc).

I loved the red leather seats in the F sport, and was very tempted by a white car with them, but at the end of the day I preferred the more comfortable suspension of the Premier, plus the Mark Levinson stereo, blind spot monitor etc. I have gone for Mercury Grey with black leather (the contrasting white stitching looks very elegant). I just wish the red leather wasn't confined to the F Sport.

I am awaiting delivery of a 300H Premier in early September. I did a deal which included 3 years servicing. However, I was given a leaflet which quoted £773.09 (including VAT) for 3 services, payable by 32 monthly instalments of £24.15 per month.