ganzoom

A very very first world problem here....Expecting our first baby in April, it's both exciting and scary at the same time!! So fitted the newly acquired child seat in the back, was amazed how much space it took up. Now I know why all our friends with kids buy SUV type cars :). Luckly the IS300H isn't going to be the main vomit/poo wagon - that job is going to the Leaf, it's going back to Nissan in 2017 so they can have the vomit/poo covered interior back :). I'm now considering the unthinkable, replacing the Leaf with an SUV!! I don't know how people manage to transport their horde in small cars like a Yaris, but clearly plenty of people do...So may be I just need to man up :)

Cannot believe our IS300H will be a year old soon. Looked pretty good in the car park today...No risk of parking dents today at work :) Have a good break eveyone.

You simply have to show them your car has been serviced at a VAT registered garage, and the components used are OEM - Which mainly are simply rebranded Toyota bits.But what major 'repair' are you expecting?? Unlike new BMW/Mercs I've seen hardly any reports of a IS300H needing any major (£1k+) repair work?? I be very dissapointed if ours need any mechanicals repairs before it hits 100K. All of our previous Japanese cars have been 100% reliable regardless of age/price, though we've never owned a Toyota before.

I have no problems paying top £££ for quality service, I spent over £7k in aftermarket parts/labour for my old 335i. What I have a problem is what OP is highlighting. Main dealers charging stupid amounts for sometimes not even doing any work. I honesty don't see the point of main dealers, they are just middle men/women, in this day and age I rather just deal with the manfacutres. I don't mind people making a profit, that what business are there to do, but I rather th profit margin went straight to the manfacutres so that they can use is to improve their product line, rather than bone idle franchised dealers.

So what your essentially saying is all dealers openly commit fraud but because eveyone does it it's OK. I cannot wait till more manfacture go down Tesla's route of having no franchised dealers.

^^ Doesn't suprise me one bit. One of the reasons why I NEVER use any main dealers for anything. Our last Honda was serviced at the main dealer under the 'service pack'. When I eventually took it to my local independent they showed me the air filter that clearly hadn't been changed since new, the oil filter was filthy much more than what you expect from a 12 month old filter, and the there no signs of the dealers had touched the fuel fitler was supposed to changed at the final service. Take your video to the dealer manager, they will pretend it's something that's no happened before, give you a refund, and carry on as before. It wouldn't change the behaviour of the dealer but at least get your money back. Our IS300H is never going near any main dealer, even if the hybrid pack develops problems in later life there are plenty of independents who can sort that out.

Given my local independent charges me £60 for brake fluid change including the fluid, and £120 including any oil, the actually amount of time spend is probably no more than 1hr - 2hrs max. The hybrid 'check' is pulgging something into the OBD port and should take <5 minutes. What a main dealer will bill you for is anyone's guess :)

Although some owners here are barely managing to achieve 50% of the stated mpg :)

Guys the IS300H ISNT a electric car. The EV mode is really there just to improve fuel economy and let the petrol engine run the Atkins combustion cycle. As the weather is now cold the batteries become less efficient at discharging, and as far as I'm aware unlike a battery EV, the IS300H doesn't have a heat pump, so needs the heat from the petrol engine to generate heat for the climate control system. Any faults in the hybrid system will be picked up by self diagnostics. If you want silent electric running all the time, there are plenty of alternative cars on the market now that will do that - 12 months old 85kWh Tesla's have just fallen into the sub £50K mark :).

Ours have less than 6k on the clock. Let's blame the hills :)

^^ Sadly not. Probably the most exciting/aspirational thing to happen in the midlands region is when Tesla opened a set of 6 superchargers at one of the local Motorway service stations :)

I suspect it's because the battery in the Yaris isn't that much smaller than the IS300H, but the car overall is much smaller/lighter, so therefore is naturally more efficient, and the EV mode will last longer.

oh stop moaning, you live in one of the most amazing parts of the world I've ever been to. I suspect if you drive for a few hours in the right direction this is what you get treated too... If I drive for 1 hour, this is what I get to see, I don't think any amount of christmas cheer can make anyone smile when they are greeted with such a unique sight :)

I persume she must leave it in 'sport' mode and bury the loud pedal at evey opptunity....Hope your budgeting for new rear tyres soon :)

You really need to go and try a full battery EV!! Just don't blame me if afterwards you find the Toyota/Lexus hybrid tech a bit outdated ;)

I would really love to know how your wife is managing to get those kind of numbers...The last few trips in the IS has all been less than 5 miles, all from cold, temperature in single digits, yet it's still getting close to 40mpg!!

But what is actually been 'cleaned'??? Petrol is a highly refined liquid that is brunt at stupidly high temperatures. Which part of the fuel/ignition system is been 'cleaned' and too what effect?? I don't mind paying extra for things which are worth it. I tell you what I can source you some 'premium' water which will hydrate you better than any other fluid. I'll even send you a video of how amazing it is, just send me £10/month (forum rates) and I'll arrange for the water supply in your house to be upgraded ;)

Cleaner how??

^^ I think we can all agree the IS300H is a really good car, and leave it at that. We're all use to various different cars, so if your happy it's all good. :)

Drove the car for the first time after nearly 2 weeks of it sitting idle. Was amazed quickly the engine warmed up and traction battery recharge. Within about 2 miles of setting off was able to run EV mode. Our old diesel use to take about 10 minutes of warming up before it the heater even started working properly!!

^^ The IS300H has as much 'sporty/performance' credential as a Prius. Rember the TopGear episode where a V8 M3 managed a better mpg than a Prius around a track?? Sometimes in life it's worth paying extra, but 'premium' fuels isn't one of them. But the cost difference isn't that much though, so for placebo effect and making your self feel better than its no harm done....There are plenty of other ways to waste money.

The drive train from the IS300H originated in the Prius, I would be amazed if Lexus/Toyota spent time running the drive train to increase output based on fuel grade. I could be wrong, the only real way to tell is to stick the car on a dyno - but the hybrid system will cause with the dyno since 'revs' in the IS300H really have no meaning. There's a local garage whom I've used a few times for dyno runs at £40 a go, one day if I'm ever bothered I might ask them to stick the IS300H on and see what happens :) If you want to use 'premium' fuel go for it, but just don't be under-illusion that it's some how it'll offer any objective benefit, apart from helping the petrol companies keep their profits up....Which they will no doubt welcome given the way oil prices are sliding.

You CAN get more BHP from using higher octane fuels (V-power etc), but you need adjust the timing on the combustion cycles to take advantage...ie: Tell the engine to advance/retard the ignition because your confident the higher octane fuel is more stable under pressure and has less chance of uncontrolled detonation - which can can cause damage to the piston head (knock). Most turbocharged 'Performance' petrol engine can do this to a degree, there are also various third party options for you to change the timing/map of the car if your going to be 100% of the time running higher octane fuel. But on the whole most petrol engine are designed to run at a set operating premature, you can go and pour in some of the stupidly expensive 102 octane BP ultimate fuel, and in 99% of cars your get no increase in performance. On the IS300H it's 100% pointless, the whole hybrid setup system is geared towards economy, and locked down tighter than Donald Trump's mansion in Palm Beach during Ramadan :).

I've never used 'premium' fuels in any of my previous cars, and have never had any problems. Not even on a tuned 3L twinturbo in-line 6 that dynoed at 380bhp. Higher octane fule gives you more knock protection, and better controlled detonation, neither of which matters on the IS300H. If your really want a bigger 'bang' methanol injection is what you want, better cooling, more controlled detonation, but your need be prepared to carry a boot full of methanol...Again not relevant for the IS300H. Petrol is petrol, and advertising clearly works, which is why so many people presumably think BMW/Audi etc are some how 'superior' to a Ford or Toyota :)

^^ It's got basically no worth while features and about a decade behind the likes of BMW's connected services...and a whole century behind what Tesla have implemented.