RCAnderson

I did, yea (unless I'm mis-remembering!)

Thanks guys.

@johnatg: As I mentioned before, I tried it with glass cleaner & with isopropyl before, but it didn't seem to help, but I'll give it another go, might have been I missed a spot!

@normski2: I had a quote for new blades from the dealership when I took it in for it's last service (blades were getting old, so needed replacing), and they quoted something around that mark I think, so if I come to it, I'll give them a call first, see if they'll honour the same price again, if not, I'll try those ones!

On the drivers side, my wiper leaves a smear in the middle of the blade (about 2" wide) on the downward stroke (upwards is fine).

I initially thought it was due to the wipers getting old, so I replaced them a couple of months ago, but the replacements did the same, so I wondered if it was due to a dodgy replacement wiper, so I contacted the site I bought them from, and they sent me another replacement, but that does the same.

I also wondered if I managed to get some grease on that portion of the screen, however after it persisting 2 months of use (including rain & wiper fluid), a couple of manual cleans with glass cleaner, and a clean with isopropyl, it remains unchanged.

The only thing this leaves me to wonder, is if it's something wrong with the wiper arm itself. Could it be the arm's not pushing the blade onto the screen enough/too much?

Has anyone else experienced a similar thing? How did you manage to fix it?

Almost forgot to mention, I'm using Bosch Aerotwin blades (previous owner had them fitted, so I don't have the OEM ones to try)

Ah, cheers for that. Looks like it'll probably have what I need, and isn't too expensive for temporary access :)

There's a couple of things I've been wanting done differently with my IS250, firstly, I would like the wing mirrors to automatically fold when the car is locked (but I could like with when the ignition is turned off) and unfold again when unlocked. The second is for the doors to auto lock when travelling a set speed.

I know you can buy units that do this, but that got me thinking, would it be possible to make my own? For example, if I made a module powered by a micro processor, would it be possible to control these things myself?

The main thing stopping me giving it a go, is how any signals are communicated through the car. For example, how much is direct connections, and how much is done over a network. If all the signals I need are done with the former, it's quite doable, if it's the latter, it would me more complicated/not possible. Does anyone have the wiring diagram, or information themselves that could help me decide if this is doable or not?

Ah, shame. From a but more of an investigation round the site, it looks like they sell them as "backup disks" meaning they're probably copies, and will therefore either not work (due to the change made in ~2010 I believe that stops copied disks working) or they'll have the old firmware on it, and therefore won't allow usage whilst moving. Seems like eBay is going to be the best bet!

I decided to have a look at costs of a sat nav update for my 2006 IS250, and I came across this place offering an update disk for £33. Has anyone used that site? Are they Legit?

When checking the update on here I get a part number that is exactly the same, except for the suffix is 0E on the cheap version, and 0F on the official, but I assume that means the cheap one is just slightly older, correct?

Any other options for getting cheaper updates, other than the Bay?

Thanks for the input Bobbyc, but you're mistaken about the road tax (or at least partly). What you said is true for Manual vehicles, however the autos are £280, as they have a lower rated CO2 output than the manuals.

If the light came on straight after getting the pads/tyres changed, then it seems to be quite likely that they damaged the sensor (possibly just haven't plugged it back in properly, which is why it's intermittent).

The ABS malfunction code is most likely caused because of the intermittent sensor, so once the sensor's fixed, that should be clearable. As for the Battery voltage, I would have thought that's unrelated. Have you had your car sat using juice without the engine on for a prelonged period of time? (might have even been when getting the pads/tyres changed, if it was sat unlocked for a while)

I have been thinking it's probably worth a look. Don't think I'll be able to get the extended warranty though, as the Lexus website says the vehicle must have less than 140k miles on the clock, and this one doesn't. Dave, do you have a warranty on it at the moment? As apparently the 140k doesn't matter if it's an extension to a current warranty.

Hi Richard

Did you get one?

If not and you're still in the market you might want to have a look at mine. I bought as an approved Lexus from Lexus Leicester in 2008 with 18k on the clock, it's now done 152k but drives just the same as the day I got it. Serviced by Lexus every 10k miles (on the dot). It's the SE multimedia. I've agreed to trade it in against a new car for £3.9k. New rear tyres and MOT until end of February. Let me know if you want to take a look as I'm only in Derby.

I haven't got one yet, so I'm still in the market for one. Thanks for the offer, in principal, your car is very promising, but there's a couple of problems. First, I was wanting to buy from a dealer as there's less risk, as if there's any problems I've got some legal comeback. Other problem is that yours has more miles on than I was originally hoping for.

Saying that, however, I'm still considering it as the money saved could provide myself with a bit of money for any repairs needed. What's the reasoning for you changing cars, and what are you changing to? Have you had any problems with the car whilst you've had it? Anything to suggest it wouldn't sail through the next MOT?

I would say look at the 220s then, just look for a good maintained car that is running well and has done some long runs in the past rather than used for just short journey s only. Like any diesel, a good thrashing on a long run is good for the engine just to clear the system and let dpf regenerate but what you mentioned about frequency seems fine, defo look for se-l bud with media pack :)

A long run every 4 weeks or so with hot engine and running slightly high revs should be ok. Just keep it in your mind and it will all fall in place naturally! Mine has never had an egr clean nor dpf issues so far ( touch wood)!

I would guess higher mileage could work in my favour to know the vehicle has done mainly longer journeys. The SE-L with Media definitely seems to be the spec I'm going to want. I've been having a little look today at getting a non-media spec, then installing an after market screen. However from what I've found, it'll be quite a bit of effort, and looks like it'll cost much the same (quite possibly more) so it's probably not an option...

I have had auto IS 250's since early 2006 and, when I have put my car in for servicing, I usually get given a 220D as a loaner. In my view, the 220D is greatly inferior to the 250 except for mpg and road tax. If your mileage is low, go for a 250 and you will not be disappointed. Opt for a 220D and you might not be disappointed......... until you drive a 250.

What makes you say the 220 is worse than the 250? Are you meaning in general feel of the drive, power, gearing etc, or was it something else?

I thought diesels were meant to be more expensive to maintain, but with savings from the MPG making up for it?

Main reason I ask, is there's just such a huge choice of 220s compared to 250. (e.g. at the moment, on Autotrader it found 117 220s within my budget, and only 19 250s, and that's before any mileage filters.)

I was originally not looking at the 220 because I have previously read about issues with them, but the more I think about it, the more it seems to make sense to look into them more, as there's so much more choice! If I did get a diesel, would there be anything different I would have be careful for because of the short distances? (I remember reading somewhere that you're meant to do a bit of dual carriageway driving every so often to allow the DPF to regenerate, how often is it actually required?) I would probably be doing ~2 mile trips 8 times (there & back 4 times) a week as my main use, with longer journeys every 2-4 weeks (but still only 30-45 mins) Is it stupid I'm even considering a 220 now?

I think our opinion on "lots" is quite different. There's no more than a small handful of auto 250s available within my budget on eBay, pistonheads, or autotrader. Even less of which have the media spec, so I think it's just a matter of keeping my eyes open for one.

Pretty much, I had already thought about tax & fuel costs, so I was just wondering what else there was that I might not have thought about. Having a manual is only not an option due to the poor gears & the difference in tax bracket, so if I ended up going for the diesel having a manual wouldn't bother me.

How much of an issue would it be having the 220d if I was doing <5mile journeys 95% of the time? Wouldn't it cause problems with the dpf?

Unfortunately you're correct, there's not a lot of choice with the auto, which makes everything that much harder!

I did think about the IS200 briefly, however I'm not so much a fan of the looks, and it doesn't have the same technology in it, so it's not really the car I'm looking for.

What sort of running costs does the 220 cost you each year, and how much more do you think the 250 will be (excluding insurance, road tax & fuel)

And I was planning on getting one from a dealer, rather than privately, as it gives me some legal comeback if there are any problems.

Thanks for the info! I was considering the 220d, but I heard there have been a lot more problems with the 220 than the 250? Also, most of my trips will be fairly small trips (<5 miles most of the time) so I thought having a diesel was a bad idea!

As for the drop after 100k, I was thinking much the same, which is probably why I've found some 120-150k cars for 4-5k, whereas cars with half the mileage are about 2k more.

Are there any specific things I should look at at any specific milestones? (e.g. cam belt at around xxk miles etc)

I've been considering the IS-250 as my first car, but I don't have a huge budget (around £6k) Although there are plenty available, most are with a reasonably high mileage (over 100k miles) What sort of mileage should I start being concerned with? When do running costs rise? Should I be looking at sub 60k only (in which case I need to choose another car as there aren't any in my price range) or are 160k cars still fine?

I'm looking for an auto, with the media pack. Most of the other options I'm not too concerned with (if it makes a difference)

Any advice would be hugely appreciated!