bobbyc

In the past I have used Castrol magnatec 5w30 in my Lexus and it was fine but at this oil change the garage I used put in Millers trident 5w30 and I must say it has been good so far, although it is early days. They also flushed the engine with Wynns before putting in the oil, however I am not exactly sure what the procedure is for this. I was a little wary of putting in something other than castrol however when I booked it I asked for the part number of the oil and read up about it and seems to be quite highly regarded and is more or less the same price as magnatec, therefore I will continue to monitor it to see how good it is.

In relation to the caliper issue. I had mine in the garage yesterday for these to get looked at the mechanic nearly had kittens trying to fix them. He said the back two (surprise surprise) were very difficult to free and he had to take them off and get them onto a bench and use a considerable amount of heat to get the pins out (and ensure he never damaged the rubber boots on them). One of the front ones was also quite stuck but he managed to free them all and get them all working fine. I am convinced that if I had gone into Lexus for this to be done they would have binned these and told me to buy new ones. It is great to find a local garage who will put in a bit of effect to save their customers money. As a result the service plan with Lexus has been cancelled and I will be going to this garage for my services and MOT's

Hi All, Thanks very much for the replies and it is very interesting. A little of topic but what fuel addictives do you generally use. I know the BG stuff gets a good write up but there are STP etc for a lot cheaper. I have also been quoted approx £45 plus vat for a fuel and engine flush from Lexus Glasgow when I go in for my service and MOT (if I go in!!!! and dont go to my local garage who are doing my caliper slide pins and pads tomorrow) and wondered if anyone was aware what product they use? Cheers Bobby

HI John, Thanks for the reply, I was looking to use Castrol; Edge 0w30 or Magnatec 5w30, does anyone have any experience of either. I am sure it was magnatec I got put in by lexus at my last service and it seems perfectly fine for the amount of miles I use the car. However it is a good bit more expensive for 5 litres than £20.

Good Afternoon All, Can someone confirm to me how many litres of oil you will need to for Is250 service? Cheers Bobby

Hi Stuart, Managed to find out some more information (you really would think I have no work to do). Used vehiclesThe way a used vehicle is registered to you depends on whether it has a V5C registration certificate (sometimes called a log book). Vehicle has a registration certificate (V5C)The seller must: complete section 6 of the V5C (‘new keeper or new name/new address details’) sign the declaration in section 8 (you must do this too) fill in section 10 (‘new keeper supplement’) and give it to you - this section is also known as the V5C/2 send the V5C to DVLA DVLA aims to send out a new V5C to you within 2 to 4 weeks of getting the old V5C from the seller. If you don’t get it within 4 weeks: complete form V62 - ‘Application for a vehicle registration certificate’ send it to DVLA with the V5C/2 given to you by the seller - if you don’t send in the V5C/2, you’ll have to pay a fee Download form V62 or get it from any Post Office branch. Contact DVLA if you don’t receive anything 6 weeks after sending in form V62.

Hello and welcome and I am sure you find a lot of assistance and help on this forum if you require it.

Hi Stuart, I am sure it can take at least a couple of week to get the V5C. Will the dealer not have forwarded it direct to DVLA and they will then send out the new one to you. I am sure if in another week or so you have heard nothing you can contact DVLA and they can chase it up for you, but the fact you have the counterpart should be fine

Thanks for the numbers it is appreciated.

It is very true that it depends on the type of driving you do. John where is the best place to get the EBC pads from because any I was looking at are well over the £50 mark?.

Thanks for the information John and I will keep a note of it for when I need to replace pads and discs. My rear pads are getting done in the next few weeks so I may get redstuff pads then.

I completely agree with John's comments use good petrol and regularly change the oil and the likelihood is all will be well. Although there are reports of carbon build up it is far worse in the US because of the lower octane fuel. The IS250 IMHO runs far better on premium fuel than standard unleaded and the chemicals in the premium fuel should also keep the engine cleaner to a certain extent.

In relation to the seized calipers does anyone know if this is a problem with just the calipers fitted to the IS250 (i.e a Lexus design fault) or if this is common with all calipers? If it is just a desgin fault is there another make (type of) caliper that can replace the standard Lexus ones and reduce the need for these pins to be removed and greased every so often.

Sorry to see you go and have you any idea what kind of car you may buy.

Thanks for the replies and it is very interesting. My main point was I wondered if Lexus could even be bothered trying to unseize them if they appeared to be a little stuck. Whereas a "normal" garage may well have a good go at getting them off before resorting to the new (or reconditioned) caliper route.

Morning All, This is really just a general query and is more to do with my lack of mechincal knowledge. As everyone knows the IS250 is plagued with issues around seized calipers. However there is a lot of posts on this forum which state that when this problem is noticed that new calipers are required (funny enough it seems to be Lexus's answer all the time). Is this common or is it easy enough to "unseize" these and Lexus just can't be bothered with the hassle. I would be interested to know. Thanks Bobby

They do look nice pedro and the colour suits the car

Hi Pedro, I hope you don't think I am being cheeky but what price were you quoted for respraying the bumper because it is a job I may need to get done at some point (as well as the back bumper) and dont have must of an idea how much it will cost. Cheers Bobby

I have TSW Vortex 19 inch alloys on my IS250 and I dont notice the difference in ride quality. They were on the car when I brought it and had been completely refubed. I was initially not very sure about them, but I have grown to like them but they are murder for getting kerbed on the passenger side. The worse place for this is the school run where the streets are very narrow, but this is not the car's fault and maybe me and the wife should learn to drive better. The question about the brakes is interesting. I dont feel my brakes are as good as they should be but I suspect my calpiers are sticking a bit and they are going in to get looked at in the next couple of weeks, therefore once this is done I may have a better idea. As previously mentioned the tyres are quite key and I have Dunlop sports on the car and they seem to work very well and road noise is very acceptable. It really is a personal thing with 19 inch alloys, sometimes I think mine look a little boy racerish but other times I think they enhance an already good looking car. Really depends what mood I am in.

Very true, however it must be nice for her to drive a decent car once in a while instead of her Mini Cooper which has been constructed with fidge doors and recycled cans (well it certainly sounds like it has when you drive at 60 mph in it)

Little bit of a long shot, however I have this function on only 1 of my two keys. Therefore maybe your other key (if you have one) does not have it and if you really don't like it you could use the other key until you can get Lexus to update.

Hi, I have 19 inch TSW vortex alloys on my IS250 SE and the ride is very good and no issues. These were on the car when I brought it and had been completely refubed and I was initially not very sure about them, but I have grown to like them as time goes on. The curbs are a issue and it seems to be my wife likes to get the passenger side ones caught from time to time. However only a few scrapes and nothing major.

I agree with the comments above. I use to own a 02 vectra and I loved the car. very few things when wrong with it and when it did it was buttons to replace. The down side was that it was basic beyond words but it served me very well. On the other hand I had a 13 plate Insignia (1.8 petrol) as a courtesy car and would say it was the worse car I have ever driven. It was like driving a whale and had no power at all. I think what has been said above is spot on. The Lexus is a far better place to be, but you need to be prepared to look after it and the servicing costs are a lot higher than a Vauxhall. However this should be balanced with the fact that if you do look after it with oil etc it should be very reilable and a lovely car to own (regardless of which one of the two cars you mentioned). Take your time and ensure you get one which suits your needs. IMHO it is well worth finding one with the Mark Levinson stereo because it still brings a smile to my face when I turn it up and listen to the sound from it, I would find it hard to believe that there are many (if any) better factory fitted stereo out there on any car and that includes Mercs, Range Rovers and Audi's.

No recall for me, worse luck. But thanks for bringing this to my attention because I had no idea there was an recall on the go and it is just another reason why this forum is so good. Thanks again. Bobby

Hi Geoff, Another opinon you could look at (although it would not provide the same level of cover) would be the AA breakdown garage repair cover. It covers up to £500 per claim with £35 excess and you can make 5 claims per year (it generally costs about £18 per month). Now I completely understand that if you only ever get repairs done at a lexus dealer then this is not likely to cover the cost of them looking at it, but I have found that the AA cover is excellent and I believe they do also offer some form of warranty rather than this garage cover if you call them up. My wife has it for her Mini Cooper and it packed in the other week (again, BMW rubbish), They came and took the car away to an "approved garage" and it turned out the clutch slave cylinder was away. This was replaced and the car back to us within 2 days. I also had RAC warranty with this Mini when my wife brought it and had to claim for a gasket oil seal, They did pay out, but the garage I was dealing with said they much rather deal with the AA because the whole process is so much slicker and they have better customer service. So for some peace of mind it is something to consider and I have only had good experiences from the AA with anything I have done with them (including home emergency cover etc).