Frankiethebear

look, I know what it feels like to find something that's just out of reach. I you give me your word you'll take it, I'll keep it for you. If you said you wanted it to make me feel better, thanks for thinking of me! I can put it aside, no probs. Frankie

Hi Chuck, welcome. I've just put up a post you may be interested in... Search on Race Chip Pro2 and see what come up. 🙂 Frankie

Hi all, been quite a while since I've been on here and it's changed so much. The site is far more professional looking than it was back in 2010 when I was last here. I had an IS220D on a 56 plate that I had for a couple of years then moved on to something else. I loved the 220d, even with a remarkably short first gear in the manual. Anyhoo, I cam across the Race Chip Pro2 with all its connections in the cupboard when I was tidying up. It's no good to me now as I no longer have the car. i approached Race Chip for info on how to have it reformatted to work on a MB E class 220d cab, but they were unable to trace my chip. Even passing on the serial number didn't help, so I won't be using my Race Chip Pro2 on the new car, so it needs to go. On the race chip site, they give figures of going from 177 bhp to 219bhp and from 400nm to 489nm. Personally, I think those numbers are just a tad optimistic, but it did give the car an almighty boot up the backside. There was no noticeable increase in smoke and it flew through it's mot's too which was a major bonus. The rest of the car was unmolested and did seem to revel in the increased power and torque, it was much quicker up through the gears and it was able to hold its own against most other modern diesels. I swear I was getting an extra 7mpg on a tankful. This is a cracking wee piece of technology that has more than paid its way and if you've never had one or your a bit apprehensive about using it, Race Chip are charging £200.00 for the new model of this one, but this one is already set up for the 220D, so plug it in and fly away. All good things come to an end, I suppose, so the Race Chip Pro2 is looking for a new home if anyone is interested. £75.00 is a very fair price, especially with no P&P to be paid. Drop me a line if you're interested. Cheers guys Frankie Incidentally, I checked out he homepage looking for a Classified section, but there doesn't seem to be one. If I've placed this in the wrong section, I apologise for the mistake and would appreciate you pointing me in the right direction. Ta.

gaz, i use millers in mine. frankie

shipz, i think i'm going down the s/s route. I don't want it to sound like something its not though. I nice refined rumble would do me. with what i've been on here i think you may have to cut a deeper notch from the right hand side too due to the downward angle of the current bumper/tailpipe set up. have a look at some of the other posts here for more info. Frankie

shipz, I'm averaging 40 miles per day from dundee to perth and back. I posted some photos in one of my posts of the various readouts form the gauges. I'll find them and point you to the post. I'm still consistently getting 530-540 from a tank. As i've said in my other posts, i've no evidence other than what I observe and the post pictures. I'll track them down and get back to you. Like I said, I am absolutely delighted with the car and cant really fault it in any way other then the sharp crack that comes from the heater. frankie

shipz, no worries dood, if you're not fast your last! Read the other post in answer to mine. I hope it goes on ok. keep us informed for future reference. what else did you have to buy or order to complete the job and how much did it all cost? By the way, the seller quoted me £78.00 to deliver to dundee. Frankie

hello, me again... I've been looking at an exhaust system off an is 250. Found it on ebay. seller states that its off a car with 8k miles on it and is made of mild steel, i assume thats standard for the is 250. Can some one tell me if £80.00 is a good offer? well taking postage into account it would be nearer £150 as its coming from Jersey. Let me know as quick as you can so I can arrange delivery. I'm aware that i would need to alter the rear bumper too any idea how i can do this accurately. Finally, what would such a thing cost new? PS its from the cat back. Ta Frankie

Hi Stuart, The first two fuel ups have been from just a mm or so above the R indicator to full tank and I've had 530 miles from both. The last one I fuelled up from a quarter tank. The range indicator showed exaclty 100 mi,es left in the tan, but the trip computer was sitting on499.4 miles. No kidding. I know this is all anecdotal, but its what the numbers are telling me. When I got the car on 29th sept the ave mpg was 32.4. 2000 miles later and its up to 37.8 per gallon. I'm travelling around 200 miles per week to work, from dundee to perth and can use 6th and cruise on occassion. I'll take a couple of pics of the readings and post them when I get home tonight and put them up over the weekend. I know there have been some horror stories about the 220D on here, but I've had nothing but good things to say about mine. I love the car and even though i've gone from an s class mercedes to the lexus 220d, i don't have any complaints. I love the car, but as always, do your own research as the things I say are only anecdotal. By the way, I've also installed a chip on the car, so whether this is making a difference or not is open to discussion. Good luck with your choice!

cheers for that newbie, i got a reply to an email i sent to a company in glenrothes, fife, about 30 miles away. They've asked me to take the car in to let them have a look and they'll give me a price, down to the last penny. I'll wait till the end of the month and make an appointment and see what they have to say. I also asked about a stainless steel exhaust manifold, but they neither carry nor fabricate them. You don't know anyone that does this type of work do you? Frankie

Hi all, Does anyone know of a stainless steel exhaust manufacturer and fitter in the East of Scotland that can manufacture and fit on a 220D? I'm struggling to find one reasonably close to Dundee. I would do a s/s free flow straight swap, but would prefer the twin back box set up of the IS 250. Also, the fitter would need to be able to notch the back bumper to an acceptable standard. Can anyone help with this or has anyone had one fitted to the 220D? Ta Frankie

I heard that Jeremy Clarkson has a huge p enis such a shame its on the end of his neck.

hotwheels, If you want to stick on a bigger turbo in order to get 230-240 bhp, you should seriously consider upgrading you engine cooling system and a much bigger intercooler as the one on the 220d is very small and is hidden from view basically. I would also look at a new head gasket before doing anything. Alvo is right about the timing. You will be able to get the hp you're looking for but to do it right would cost you a small fortune and if you don't do it right you're looking at a 5k minimum bill for an engine rebuild. I'd forget it matey, you'll be leaving yourself open to a lot of heartache. If you don't mind me asking, if you wanted that sort of power, why did you go for the 220d in the first place? There are plenty alternatives out there. Frankie

hi gaz, just a brief update. The car was showing 499.6 with 100 left in the tank this evening. I had to top up with £20.00 as I'm going to Aberfeldy tomorrow afternoon as part of work. I would have had more than enough to cover tomorrow's mileage, but I've run it down to the line on the last two fill ups, so I don't want to keep doing that in case it starts to draw up all the gunk from the bottom of the tank. It'll probably be ok, but I don't want to upset the car! You have my word of honour that the figures i've posted here are the correct figures as per the read outs from the dash. I find it hard to believe that I am getting 600 miles from this last tank, I find it simply incredible. It may be hard to believe, but I have nothing to gain by telling porkies, in fact I am leaving myself open to ridicule posting these figures, but every one is correct. I did put the chip on the car a fortnight ago tonight, but I don't think that's what's doing it as it is much quicker off the mark and the acceleration has improved drastically. Although all cars of the same marque are built to the same standards, no two cars will ever be the same as there is always small variations in components and a car built on a Friday at 4pm may not be as well put together as one built on a Wednesday at 11 am! Some of the cars will just perform better than others and I'm beginning to think that I've just been lucky and got a really good one that runs as sweet as a nut. For anyone reading this, I am open to suggestions as regards explaining why my mpg is so high in comparison with the vast majority of the other contributors. Frankie

sorry, forgot to talk about the prefect...oops! Its the noisiest, stinkiest and most uncomfortable car I have ever driven and if you can get it to go from 0-60 in a week, you must've had the sport version... Still, I wouldn't change it for the world. It is a fabulous little car and it was at the start of the period where motoring really became something that was becoming just within the reach of the masses and as such its a piece of history and it was a very advanced car for the time as it actually had indicators and not the ones that popped out from the side and thereby running the risk of decapitating tall cyclists when turning. I won't talk about the anaemic poo coloured paint. Some readers may still be eating! Frankie

ah, but i've not decided which half you'll get.... will it be the bony half with the eyeballs, skull and brain or the tasty end with the erm...intestinal tract, genitalia and other reproductive organs, anus and swim bladder.... I'm not doing very well at promoting this prize am I? Frankie

Hi Janet, I see from your on screen details that you have an 02 car. I've always went for older cars myself primarily because I like older cars. Nah, its usually because i'm broke! :( Its because I like cars that look a bit special or a bit different. That was one of the reasons for my previous car being an S Class Mercedes; you don't see many of them around and I liked that. I've had quite a few distinctive cars, alfa romeo 156 veloce, bmw 328 convertible even a 1987 e300 Mercedes. In short,I'm not a fan of metal boxes on wheels. I like the thought of people asking what it was that just drove past them! Before I decided to buy the IS 220, I looked at all sorts of pictures, figures, availability of parts, servicing etc, but I also looked around for several weeks beforehand travelling between home in Dundee to work in Perth as well as travelling around Perthshire as part of my job and in all that time and in all those miles I didn't see a single IS 220, not one. There were countless bmw's and c class mercedes around, but I honestly didn't see one lexus. That was my decision made even though the others give better stock figures for economy, paying the extra in fuel is more than worth it to me especially when you consider I was getting 20 mpg from the s class mercedes 320. I know people ask themselves what just went past them, even though I don't hear them! When I got it at first every single one of my colleagues asked me what it was. I liked that and I took great pleasure in telling them it was a lexus. Happy man. Frankie

Hey doods! After counting fivers in both Normski's and Bluesman's wee brown envelopes, otherwise known as a recount, I have decided that the prize should be shared. Although Normski was first to correctly identify the car as a prefect, it was Bluesman who gave the most details. So, as I am on a par with Solomon in the wisdom stakes, I have decided to split the fish down the middle and give you both half each. No. no. no, don't thank me. Its the fairest way to do it. I had no idea the 1172 engine was essentially ford's generic engine as it was also used in the Anglia too. The wee car's name is wee car. Original or what?? As I said, wee car is completely original and has not been modified in any way and that's the reason that its been placed well in the rankings. It is a beautiful little car and Willie (paw in law) keeps it in tip top condition. He was a car dealer in Dundee for thirty odd years so he's been able to dedicate the time and care it needs to keep it running as smooth as it does, he deserves a lot of credit for that. One thing that really surprised me was how easy it is to get original replacement parts for it. I've sourced indicator lenses, full exhaust system, brake master cylinder and others with no difficulty whatsoever. He even has the original receipt for £628 and several shillings and pennies. Wifey and I were able to get him an original ford parts price list and owners manual for his Christmas last year. They didn't cost much, but I would've gladly paid 20 times more than I did just to see the look on his face when he opened the presents and saw what they were. Sorry for rambling on, I thought it would make a change from everyone telling everyone else what's gone wrong with their car this week! Take it easy guys and Janet Frankie

Bluesman, your prize of a goldfish in a bag is on its way through the post to you. Yep, it is indeed a 1955 Ford Prefect 100E 1172 cc side valve engine. All original with no modifications. Father in law has had it since Moses was a boy and is still in use. He takes it out for special occasions as well as taking it to Glamis for the Extravaganza. Well, that was fun, what's next?? Frankie

Spoiler...love it! Frankie

I've got some more pictures of different cars that caught my eye this year, if anyone would be interested in seeing them. Frankie

bratman, you just made me spit coffee over my keyboard. Cleaning bill on its way to you! That is exactly what it is, citroen Maigret. well spotted. It was in pretty good nick, but on closer inspection it had been resprayed and there were one or two things that weren't original. The owner wouldn't let me see what was under the bonnet, so you can take from that what you will. Roy, Normski and Bratman. You are all right insofsar as it is a ford. Normski, would you care to expand??? Hint. 1172cc side valve engine. The car will be 59 years old in 2014. It is all original and won third place in the Glamis Castle Classic Motoring Extravaganza in July this year. Last year it wasn't placed, 2011 it didn't enter, 2010, was placed third again and in 2009 it was placed second. Iys a two owner car with all receipts, MOT's and service history. No accident damage and absolutely everything on the car is original, from the paintwork down to the door seals. Frankie

hey gaz, hope you're still enjoying the car this time next month! The first time the light came on i decided to top up even though the gauge was showing halfway between 1/4 tank and reserve. it took 50 litres or 70.00 quid on the nose and indicated something like 480 miles range, cant remember exactly. Next time, feeling a bit more confident, I let it go down further until it was a couple of mm's from the R indicator, I topped up and it cost 74.00, can't remember exactly the number of litres, but range indicator showed 530. Next time it cost 66.00 plus pennies, but still showed 530 miles, so i took 530 and 70.00 as the mean figure. This time i let it go down till it was on the R level and topped up to the brim again. This time it was 76.00 plus pennies and again it showed 530 miles. At first i thought it was an error or maybe that was the max the car was able to show, but after a 150 mile run and travelling back and forth to work, its showing 443 miles done and 143 miles range giving a total of 586 miles. I have installed a diesel chip on the car, so whether this has made the difference or whether its down to a long run, i don'don't know, i can only tell you what i've observed, but if it is due to the chip it will have paid for itself in no time. I'm not going to give the company free advertising, so if you want to know more about it, drop me a line. The chip wasn't cheap, but I am delighted with it. I also use a cetane booster from the local car and bike shop that begins with an H and ends with alfords.... I also added an compression booster to the oil as well as 750 ml of slick 50. These things may or may not work depending on what you read, but i've always used it in my cars and none of them have blown up yet!!! anything else i can help with, let me know. Frankie

Just for a laugh and to test your knowledge. Does anyone or can anyone identify the car in my avatar? Its been in the family for what seems like hundreds of years! No prizes, only the glory of being first! Frankie

hi all, last weekend i did a run from dundee to airdrie and back and a total of 160 miles. Average mpg was as reported previously, sitting at 37.0. when i got home it had gone up to 37.4 and as of friday 15th its up to 37.6. One thing that is really puzzling me is that the car told me today, saturday 16th that i had covered 443 miles since last fill up, but there was still 143 miles in the tank. This adds up to a ridiculous 586 miles from a full tank. Surely this cannot be right? That gives 53 mpg. From registering on empty to filling the tank is almost exactly 50 litres. so, according to fag packet calculations, i'm getting about 53 mpg from this tankfull. the only difference from previous fills is the run to airdrie. Again, this is all anecdotal and I may be missing something silly, but i don't think so. I have to meet with a client in aberfeldy on tueday afternoon. its a windy road from perth to aberfeldy so i expect the mpg to drop, we'll see. At the moment though after reading a lot of posts from various contributors stating that they're getting 32-38 mpg I can't equate those figures with my car or my own experience. Just how much of this improved mpg (in comparison with others) is due to the tuning box i fitted and how much is due to economic driving style is open to debate. In any scientific experiment there must always be a control in which everything is standard, but i haven't been able to get a baseline for any of this so take all this with a pinch of salt. All I can say is that compared with my previous car, an s class Mercedes 3200 v6 with 20mpg, I could not be happier with every aspect of the 220d, apart from noise. I love it and its more than paying for itself. Frankie