bobbyc

Hi Geoff Is AR6400 and AR6200 required for the IS250 and if it is, what benefits does it achieve? I know there have been comments about carbon build up in these, however I was under the impression that was mostly in the US due to the low octane petrol. I have been using BP ultimate fuel to try and keep the engine as free from carbon as possible but I would be interested in your comments. (I apologise that this is not following the thread of the original comment, but I would be interested to hear about this, although it would maybe be more appropiate to start another thread)

Hi Ishaq. I have a IS250 SE and my lights (under the mirrors) come on when I walk up to the car. I certainly have not "set" anything to make them do that. Not sure if it is a feature on certain specs or not. As people have mentioned it is a nice touch in the dark. Have no experience of the IS220d so can't really add any useful comments to the main theme I am afraid. However I would agree that all diesels seem to have the same issues and at least Lexus are taking some form of responsible for correcting some of the issues.

Hi I just changed the battery in my key fob myself one week ago and it cost me £2.99 (and I got two batteries from amazon for that price). It takes 30 secs to change them and at least you would then know if it was caused by the battery or not. All you do is take out the key and insert the point of it into the little gap in the fob. Once in turn clockwise and it clicks open. It must be worth a try before you turn up at Lexus and get charged a fortune.

Sorry to hear about your car Richard that is an absolute disgrace. I hope that the damage can be fixed for a reasonable amount, however that is not the point, the car is your pride and joy and the idea of anyone damaging it is a nightmare. It seems to be jealousy in people. I had my IS250 for about 1 week when someone marked the boot. It is not a huge couple of marks but it has been done on purpose by someone. Funny how I had a red Mazda 6 sport prior to this car and the same thing happened to it, however when I had a 2013 Insignia as a hire car no one went near it.

Siadlo I think the Lexus dealer mentioned to me that it was the full windscreen defrost function which was patented by Ford, not just the wiper defrost function. Does the MINI have the full function or is it the same as the Lexus?

This is a very interesting thread and it is very relevant to a question I had. I have recently noticed that to the right of my steering wheel down at the bottom there is a button on my IS250 SE which looks like a windscreen with a heater symbol on it. I have checked the manual and handbook and have not been able to confirm what this button is. I had also assumed it was a heated windscreen button, however a Lexus dealer previously told me that Ford had the patent on headed windscreens and that Lexus could not copy this until next year. Therefore is this a windscreen wiper demiser button or something else altogther. Ps Every day is a school day with my IS250 at the moment

Hi Chris, Great car and you seem to be enjoying yourself. Life is to short to worry about mpg, although that is easier said than done when you are waiting on your wages. As everyone else has mentioned you seem to have got a bargain and hopefully it will run trouble free for a long time. Bobby

Hi Matthew, I have an IS250 and it is mostly used for the school run and short distances and I am averaging about 23 mpg. However it does increase to high 30's on a decent motorway run. In relation to more power I am sure I seen somewhere on here that you cannot remap an IS250 because the ECU is encrypted but I am maybe wrong. Is it an auto or manual you have, because I have the manual and it is will move at a fair rate if you need it too, however I don't think these cars will ever be Evo's or WRX because they were never build to be exceptionally fast.

I have just booked my Lexus Is250 Se into Glasgow for it service and have been advised that an IS300H has been set aside as a coutresy car for the day. I can't wait to get a shot of it after all the great comments on here about it, However I hope the Lexus dealer does not think I am in a position to buy one any time soon.

Hi Stuart As mentioned before I strongly suggest reading the comments about the IS220d. I also considered buying one but opted for the IS250 SE and can honestly say I am glad I did. Bobby

I had the Mazda 6 sport before my Lexus and I liked that car. Not nearly as powerful as the MPS but the same equipment levels. The gearbox in the Mazda was better than the Lexus one IMO. However overall I prefer the Lexus because it seems slightly better build. However I think Mazda's (like Lexus) get a bit of a hard time due to Top Gear's nonsense comments about them. In relation to the Mazda 6, they said it was a great car but shame about the badge. What a lot of nonsense.

Hi The 60K service is a "major" one and covers a lot of items. Although it costs a lot (approx £608 - quote from Lexus Glasgow) if you have a current full service history I would recommend that Lexus do it, unless you have a garage that you trust will in fact do all the work stated and put in the correct oil, fuilds etc and not some cheap rubbish from the local garage. However it is a lot of money and I can fully understand why you would want to reduce the cost. I was lucky enough to have purchased my IS250 at 66,000 and the 60K service had been completed by Lexus Carlisle so I have missed that bill, but I did call Lexus to confirm there had been no major issues reported, because it seems strange to pay all that money and then sell it 6,000 miles later. However the report was fine and touch wood the car is running great.

My IS250 SE 2006 is booked into Lexus Glasgow for an interim service on 07/02 and I have advised them that I want to discuss a service plan at that point, so I will post to let you know what price I am quoted. When I spoke to the service department they did say it was would likely be more expensive than the Lexus essential plan (which apparently you need to agree with Lexus direct and is £22.95 per month), however they explained that the essential plan is like a sort of limited service plan and does not include as much as the service you get direct from the dealership. I have still to get them to confirm exactly what is difference but I will let you know how I get on.

I agree with the comments above. I still maintain that a Lexus is a more refined car than a BMW. Yes the BM has it good points (large range of engines, good craftmanship, etc). However as it stands at the moment it cannot match the Lexus for reliability. People associate BMW with well made German technology and to a point this is true. However there is no point in owing a car which delivers 20 mpg more than the Lexus if it keep breaking down (and they do) it is a fault ecomony. To me the quietness of the car and the feel of the cabin is worth the extra cost of petrol, because as has already been mentioned you do look forward to driving a Lexus.and you cannot really put a price on that. In relation to the diesel v petrol debate. I am very wary of diesel cars for the simple reason almost every forum (all brands) have endless complains about things going wrong. If I was buying one I think I would have in the back of my head that a dual mass flywheel was on the cards at any time and that would be £1500, the values would block, the head gasket would go etc etc etc. This could very well be a completely illogical view but it has always concerned me to the point that I have never really considered one.

Hi Tim, Welcome to the club. I have recently joined as well and the knowledge of these guys is second to none. Cheers Bobby

As per the previous comments the multimedia pack is excellent, especially if you get one with the Mark Levinson sound system. the reverse camera is also good because the back of the car does slope up a bit and it could catch you out if you were not paying attention. I have the manual IS250 SE and to be honest I find that gearbox excelllent, however I have never driven the auto so am happy to accept the comments that it is better. A lot of the SE have a very high spec and I think the only think my car may not have is memory seats and automatic window wipers. It does have full leather seats (heated and cooled), multimedia sat nav with mark levinson audio, sunroof, xenon headlghts (automatic), reversing camera, bluetooth and voice commands.

Thanks for the reply, I was not aware that the autos had lower road tax so thanks for pointing that out. To be honest it was the only thing I had not checked up on when I purchased the car and got a bit of a shock. (The dealer must have seen it and agreed on the spot to pay £160 towards the 6 months tax). Out of curiousity are the autos considered better than the manual. I have never had an auto and did not really consider one, but the comments on car reviews etc seem to vary with there being pro and cons to both, but some mentioned that the manual was more "punchy" than the auto. However there are certainly more autos about than manuals because ever the dealer I purchased from mentioned that he did not come across many manuals.

One thing to watch on the IS250 is that road tax is £475 if the car is registered after 31/03/06. However it is £280 if it is registered before that date. It is not a huge amount of money but it is worth considering. I have a IS250 manual and do not do huge miles and I find it is more than suitable. The mpg round town are fine for a 2.5 V6 (average 25 mpg for the school run) and this is greatly improved on the motorways. I do agree with the last post I have driven the IS220d and I personally believe the IS250 is a better drive, however it really comes down to what you require for your lifestyle. Another point would be that the "major services" for these cars are at 60K and 120K and these can cost over £600 a time from a lexus dealership. I purchased my car at 66,000 and it had a service with Lexus Carlise at 60K. So I called them up and told them I was thinking about buying the car and asked them to confirm that the "major" service had been done and there was no issues that they highlighted to the previous owner which he had descided not to get carried out. There were very helpful and gave me a lot of good information which I was really surpised about considering I had no previous dealings with them. Therefore just be aware that some people (particular with full service histories) can look to offload these cars before these major services are due and maybe factor that into your buying costs.

I think that John's response is spot on. There is a little bit of the unknown about Lexus compared with BMW and Audi. My brother in law has a 5 series BMW and he swears it is the worse car he has ever owned. It has cost him a forture and when he compared it to my IS250 SE he claimed the spec levels of the Lexus where miles better and also that it was a far more comfortable and refined car than his 5 series. People can't see past the badge, however I know mechanics who told me not to go near a user BMW or Audi because it was a certainly they would breakdown and cost thousands to fix. The UK public seem to think that Japanese cars are great shopping cars (Mazda 2, Toyota Yaris etc) however they cannot seem to get into the mind set that Lexus with the IS (and other models) have managed to create a car which can match the undoubted crafmanship of the Germany brands but can go further by adding the reliabilty aspect which the German car makers have never quite managed to master. I am be sure that if BMW and Audi drivers actually drove a Lexus at least 60% of them would seriously think about buying one. However to be honest I quite like the fact there are a limited number of Lexus on the UK roads, because somehow it makes you feel like you are in on a secret that most of the general population have not been made aware of yet. :ooh-ducky:

Yes ideally I am looking for an original gear knob. I have spoken to a company in US which specialise in Lexus parts and they are claiming it just screws of and there parts will fit the car with the lever for the reverse gear. When I get round to buying one I will let you know how I get on.

Hi thanks for the reply. Does it make any difference that the gearstick have the lever for the reverse gear.

Hi Spike, Thanks for the reply, I am not surprised about the petrol consumption as you say it is a 2.5 V6 and I have not really had a chance to have a long run in it. If I could get over 40 mpg I too would be over the moon. Yes you are correct the Mark Levinson system is excellent. My previous Mazda had a Bose system which was not bad (if not a little heavy on the bass). However the ML system is crystal clear and given how quiet the car is it is a joy. No I must admit first impressions of the Lexus have not been disappointing and it is so much better to look at that BMW and Audi.

Afternoon All, I have recently purchased a IS250 SE 06 plate and the gear knob is quite scuffed at the top. I had viewed quite a few cars before I purchased this one and it seems to be a common issue. Can someone please confirm where I could get a replacement from and if it is easy to replace? The car has the level for the reverse gear therefore I assume this makes it more difficult than simply unscrewing the top and replacing it. However I would be grateful for any suggestions. Bobby

Good Afternoon All, I have recently purchased a IS250 SE 06 plate with Sat Nav, Mark Levinson, Sunroof and Leather Interior. My previous car was a Mazda 6 sport which I loved, but I must admit the Lexus is in a whole different playing field. It drives beatuifully and is very smooth. It is not the best for petrol but I was more than aware of that when I brought it and I will happily pay the extra for such a refined car. Bobby