Shahpor

The Century sounds like a great car, so it is a shame it is JDM only. Smooth, unstressed V12 would be so nice to drive around. I also love the idea of a wool interior. I wonder why wool isn't available on any other car? It sounds very comfy to me. I agree a flat cap and pipe would be required though

Welcome Hamid, This is an odd one. Does it turn over slowly, or does it have trouble starting? After replacing the battery and starter motor, there isn't much left that can cause it to turn over slowly. Perhaps a quick video to illustrate the problem?

Ok, I feel a little picked on now But seriously, I think I might have misrepresented myself somewhat in my last post, so let me clarify. Paul, I did say that since the warranty company is paying, so if it wasn't free I wouldn't have suggested the dealer replace it. I am certainly of the opinion that you should make an effort to look after your car yourself, wherever possible. In fact, if you browse my old posts, you will see that one of the first things I did to my car was unstick and grease the front calipers when I bought it. Recently, I noticed a neighbours car had a flat tyre and told him so. Looked out of my window a while later to see him struggling to figure out how to get the wheel off; he couldn't figure out which way the wheel nuts turn to undo, and worse, he was trying to undo them with the car jacked up. I went out and showed him how to do it. I just assumed it would be obviously how a wheel is changed and even more so on which way a thread unlocks! I feel that it does help if you have an interest in cars or how things work in general which, unfortunately, excludes most people, who would rather just pay someone else to fix it for them.

While I agree in principle with what you say Paul, since the extended warranty is paying for the work, why would you go to the trouble of greasing the slide pins yourself rather than have them fit a new caliper for free?

No, actually, I don't need to know that you object to someone looking over your car. Do they also need permission to breathe the air in the car too?

Then where was the ? I agree in the hope that nothing happens to the 450h. It does seem like an ideal configuration; rapid and relatively frugal.

Every time mine goes to the dealer, regardless of why it is there, they will do a visual safety check. Why would they need permission? I can't imagine anyone objecting to the technician giving the car a once over. It is not like you are charged for it, or that you have to even listen to what they say.

Sometimes they will sell you the warranty over the phone, so no need to go there. It varies from dealer to dealer, and might have to do with age, mileage and service history as well. Mine needed the visual safety check before they would warranty it.

It is a bit of a tricky one because if you successfully claim under the warranty then the warranty company pay the investigation charge, otherwise you are left to pay the bill. The problem, of course, is that you won't know which it is until after you have committed to having it checked. Having said that, my local dealer (Lexus Reading) haven't charged me a fee in the past unless they could give you a definitive answer on the cause. They also didn't charge me when it was something simple that didn't require too much time. Shock replacement under warranty is a bit hit and miss since people on here have had inconsistent results from claims. At 80k miles, if it is a shock, you have a better chance at getting it approved since that isn't a particularly high mileage. If it turns out to be something like a top mount then I would be surprised if the warranty people approve it. Like others have said, if the noise really is that bad then it is strange that the MOT didn't find anything. And yes, the hourly charge Lexus set for labour is about the norm for luxury brand main dealer prices these days. Annoyingly, the dealer previously charged £86 for their investigation because it used to be half an hour, but they have since stopped doing it.

@rayaans I agree that I also have a sense of foreboding when it comes to this subject, but locking a thread before there is reason to is a tad excessive. Perhaps people will play nice this time? @Ala Larj Well, seeing as Linas's objection is based on the fact that the GS shares the engine with the IS300h, I am curious to know if you have tried a IS300h, and if so, what are your thoughts on the similarities/differences between the two? I have driven quite a few IS300h now, but I have never been lucky enough to try a GS.

Assuming you have a DVD based system, then the disc is inserted behind the clock display on the dash. There are two pins at each corner that will release the display when pressed. You then insert the new disc and it will automatically update the firmware if necessary. Should work seamlessly from there on in.

Well, that is annoying. I admit the voice command is quite useless, but I have found one use for it. I have set my home to the 'quick access slot 1' in the nav as opposed to 'home'. It never understands me when I say 'home' but it recognises 'quick access 1' every time. Quick and easy way to set the nav for home. It would be a shame to lose that functionality.

Sounds good. Did it update the firmware when you inserted the disc?

Yep, even though I only use Shell V Power diesel in mine, I still need to clean out the EGR Valve regularly. I suppose as long as there is unburnt carbon coming out of the cylinder, the EGR will eventually get clogged unless you clean it. That is why I hate the EGR system; in the majority of cars it seems to be a case of when, not if, the valve will clog. The issue is - in its current form - the system seems to be designed to need regular cleaning in order to keep functioning? I can appreciate that things like air and oil filters need cleaning/replacing, but the EGR valve shouldn't be class like such items. Granted in the case of the IS220d it isn't difficult to remove and clean, but it is still significantly harder than changing an air filter is. It is frustrating because you know the car would run much better without the EGR system if only they could find some other way of reducing emissions.

Yep, my brother had a 2.8 VR6 Golf back in the day. I will admit I wasn't a fan. Like you say, very nose heavy. The biggest problem was when the timing chain stretched and you found out that it was at the 'back' of the engine so you needed to remove the gearbox to change it. Not exactly sure why VW decided to put it there.

I suspect he is referring to the VR6 engine that VW produced for a while? If so, then it was a kinda hybrid inline/V6 where each bank was only offset slightly. So, since the angle of the V was so small, all the cylinders could be covered by a single cylinder head. The block looked like so: Or he could be talking about something completely different, in which case just ignore this post

I am interested to hear of any other experiences as well. If it works out then it would make for a very cheap upgrade.

Hi Gordon, I know what you mean; car electrics scare the life out of me Have you tried replacing the battery? It has been known to through up all sorts of random errors when it gets weak. Also, has anyone tried to read the fault code from the ECU? If not, then that is where I would recommend to start. You can get a fault code reader cheap enough from Ebay which should give you the code. Even if the 'Check VSC' message isn't currently on there is a good chance the ECU has stored the code. If you can get that, it will help diagnosing the problem much simpler.

I have never actually come across a situation where I didn't want them to tilt, at least not yet. Although I have parked so close to a wall that I needed to retract the mirrors before parking. Thanks for the link @normski2. They do look like the right ones and I guess they are a standard size. I suppose getting the cogs is not so straightforward.

Welcome Zabz, This is slightly confusing. You say that you got 2 injectors from a breakers, but are you sure they were working before you fitted them? Also, when you tested them outside the engine, which ones are spitting and which ones are doing nothing at all? Lastly, did you code the injectors to the car when you got them?

Welcome Matt, I can't really comment on the gearbox oil since I have never had it done, but I did have a rattle until recently (hopefully!). It can be tricky to diagnose, but my local dealer has had a go at fixing it. Basically, I had a rattle appear after having my dash taken out for the air bag recall. I then noticed a sound similar to what you describe. Now, I have only had the car back since yesterday, so it is too early to be sure, but the dealer claims that the technician heard the noise and has now taken care of it. Anyway, he said it was actually the instrument binnacle that was making the noise and he had put some padding around the clips to solve it. Not exactly sure how helpful this is for you. Perhaps other on here might have similar experiences that could help. Also, pictures of your new ride are always encouraged

Yeah, a friend of mine was complaining to me that his BMW only tilts the passenger side one. I do use the drivers one less, but it is still useful, especially when you have just had your alloys re-furbished !

Yeah, I suppose it is possible that the IS they had at the dealer also has the same problem, so they would think it is normal. I am tempted to go back now to show them how it is supposed to work I think that is grease on the cog in that picture. They looked good when I had it apart, but I didn't give them a very detailed inspection. Nothing substantial looked out of place anyway. I didn't test them while it was apart. I would have been a good idea to do so, but how do you test them under load without putting the mirror back on? By the way, where did you get your replacement cogs from?

Well, using @is200 Newbie's guide, I have just taken it apart and had a look. Pretty straightforward job (apart from losing one of the plastic locking pins ). Surprisingly, it looks pretty good in there: As you can see, there is no visible damage to the cog or motor. I sprayed the motor with WD40 anyway. What's strange is that it seems to be working better now. Perhaps it is has been all the playing with it recently that has freed it up a bit? I have also noticed that when you put it into reverse, it lowers the mirrors by a set amount, not to a predetermined position. So, if you have the two mirrors set at different angles to start with, then they will not show the same when lowered. Of course, you should ideally have both your mirrors the same, but it is quite easy to not have them so without noticing. I suppose all I can do now is keep an eye on it and see if it gets worse again. Although, this would suggest that the dealer is still wrong in stating that the drivers side mirror isn't suppose to move as much as the passenger side one.

Well, after tell them what I discovered on here, they are still adamant it is supposed to be like this. The service guy told me he has spoken to some of the other technicians, including a master tech, and they claim it is working correctly. Also, he said he tried it on a IS250 he had in and it did the same. Perhaps I will give it a go myself since it doesn't look that hard.