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First check with your insurance company to see if theft of essential parts of the car is covered. If not and unless your thieves spent time wrecking other bits, loss of compression will have nothing to do with the coils and is probably a red-herring. If the engine ran well before the coil-theft it is almost impossible for compression to now be an issue unless the thieves also damaged the cambelt or otherwise somehow changed its timing position which could cause damage to the valves. If they just took the coils, this is really very unlikely. The only certain way of properly checking your new coils is for them to be tried on another IS200. NO OTHER TYPE OF TEST IS GOOD ENOUGH. Bearing in mind the main reason for 2nd-hand coils to be available is that they are faulty, it is vital that they are genuinely proved to be good coils. Also it may be time to invest in new plugs of the exact correct type to eliminate these. Also check that none of the pins in the connectors are bent and don't make contact anymore. Check none of your fuses is blown. It would also be a good idea to check that none of the sensors and particularly the Lambda sensor got smashed during the theft - these could make the engine run very badly or fail to start. Finally, unless the thieves either ran the engine and revved it until it died before taking the coils, or shifted the cambelt on its cogs until the pistons could clash with the valves, there will be no reason to get another engine.

To summarise. IS220D fuel economy is never good enough to make up for having to drive a diesel. Comparatively the IS220D has limited rev range, lower power, pointless high torque, increased noise/vibration, uses dearer fuel and has a gearbox which is not outstandingly good. To be fair, the latest incarnation despite lower power output drives considerably better. The Lexus is no worse than most diesels; but complexity needed to keep emissions within increasingly stringent limits has worsened both basic fuel economy and importantly, the reliability/consistency of fuel economy. It also seems a strange idea to buy an expensive car with the aim of economy. A Toyota Avensis diesel seems a more appropriate package. Ultimate economy depends on all the emission-control components continuing to work properly (this forum indicates that is not altogether likely for the IS220D) and how you drive - particularly modifying driving to take into account the different characteristics of the engine. These two last points largely explain the huge variation in mpg actually achieved.

Model year 08 has slate black seats only and 10-spoke wheels are standard. The ONLY UK option is the sunroof and of course a range of body colours which do not include Ultrasonic Blue. In other countries - particularly the US, some of the equipment like radar-controlled cruise control and 10-spoke wheels were extra-cost options, but in the UK only fully loaded versions were available. The UK MY11 version also has NO options other than the sunroof, but the body-colour range has been increased to include the Ultrasonic Blue with white seats now available. Thorsen LSD, DAB radio & Running Lights added, Satnav now uses Hard Disc. Dashboard updated. Adaptive Front Lighting has been deleted. Copies of the full specifications are issued to dealer sales departments who may make one available. The full MY08 UK spec is attached to this. It contains an error - it states the ISF has tyre-pressure monitoring when it doesn't. ISF Spec MY08.pdf

You should be very releived that white seats were not available on 08 models you are thinking about. If you have ever had white leather car seats, you would know they are a disaster - particularly if you drive in jeans. The white turns bluish where jeans rub as you get in and out, and this cannot be removed by cleaning. The same is also true with other fabrics than denim but to a lesser extent. White leather also gets to look a bid sad much sooner than any other colour. Regular cleaning and maintenance actually makes it become greyish and grubby looking. It is a shame that the ISF seats are only available in either rather depressing but practical black or totally impractical and slightly "Essex" white. But the ISF is not about the seats and trim. It is the engine/transmission that makes it special together with just enough luxury and toys. It is a lot of car for the money. Maybe not quite a supercar and certainly nowhere near as expensive as one.

It is not only seriously illegal with penalties that stretch up to custodial sentences (and rightly so) to operate an entertainment video screen within view of the driver of a moving vehicle, but also illegal to install or cause to be installed any means to do this. It is perhaps unfortunate that Dalcocaraudio have publicly stated here they have done just that. A little more work on the Hardware/Software to blank just the front screen when the vehicle is moving and DVDs are playing would make it safe for everyone, is common sense and would protect installers and drivers from prosecution.

In the five years I had my IS200LE, it gained 11 significant scrapes, dings and gouges in various car parks that cost a total of £2830 to repair. Individually, each was below my insurance excess, and NOBODY ever owned up to any of them; so I had them fixed at my own expense. I suspect you will end up doing the same to maintain peaceful relations with your neighbour. The assumption by many is that these minor grazes etc. don't matter or cost virtually nothing to repair - the rest just don't notice/don't care what they have done/will say parking spaces aren't big enough (but would be if they lost weight or took some care) so it isn't their fault..... In the grand scheme of motoring expenses, although annoying and unwanted, this is at the small change end of things; so suggest you get it fixed, stick a copy of the bill through her letter-box and hope her conscience makes her cough up.

Standard 4300k to 6000k are for HIDs to help you to see better where you going at night. Above 6000k is for attention-seekers who don't mind trading pretty blue beams for reduced effectiveness.

Did you mean IS200 Sport? If so, the service intervals are the same for all IS200 versions which are mechanically totally identical except for a LSD on the sport - but I can't remember what the intervals are except the recommended interval for cambelt-change was revised. An owners handbook would be a good idea for this and other things too - also an asset when you come to sell the car. They are available through Lexus or eBay. The same applies if you really do mean IS250.

In the ISF development program, Lexus found that a LSD produced results which were slightly different but not measurably better than the "electronic" differential eventually fitted. Despite this, they have now responded to consumer expectation that the more "hardcore" LSD ought be fitted to this type of car. At the same time, they have also responded to the criticism that the ride is harsher than necessary when used for general road use, and to the universal recognition that the sports etc buttons were in a really stupid place by the knees. This, together with cosmetic changes means they were able to make a model upgrade with a hefty price-rise. Perhaps if driven competitively and when pulling off on loose surfaces, the ISF is going to feel better with a LSD. With only a brief test drive, I noticed no difference at all in the suspension etc. but conditions were far from challenging. The new dash is a just matter of style & taste and is no big deal - although my choice would have been for the speedo to be bigger than the rev counter - particularly since the car prevents you from being able to over-rev it - or to be in a gear which is grossly wrong when driven in manual mode. Overall, if cost was no issue; would I chop my 2008 ISF in for a 2011 model? No. Also, if the first version had been like the 2011 model, "upgrades" could just as reasonably have turned it into the 2008 version!

Can't answer that, but my insurance company and most of those that I contacted would not consider insuring it without a Tracker. This covers most of the issues - although stealing the wheels probably remains a possibility.

Find a longish hill. Drive at 30 mph in 4th or 5th gear. Put your foot down and if the revs go up without the speed increasing it is clutch-slip for sure. There won't be any smell unless you keep slipping it which is a bad idea because it can damage the expensive flywheel surface - hopefully this hasn't happened already and usually shows by clutch take-up when pulling off being excessively juddery. There is a very faint chance that the clutch is not releasing properly when you take your foot off it - just make sure nothing is stopping the pedal coming fully up or (extremely unlikely) the clutch slave cylinder is sticking before it fully releases. The final and worst possibility is that the clutch-plate is oiled because the rear main bearing (or gearbox drive-shaft) oil-seal is leaking. Not common these days and always shows by oil permanently dribbling out of the bottom of the bell-housing.

Because some time passed after you bought the car before you found these problems, and have carried out electrical mods yourself; the dealer would probably try to wriggle out of full responsibility for the faults. But given your excellent photographic evidence, and that you appear to be more technically competent in the electrical side of the car than you would even expect from a Lexus Main Dealer's technician; I think you ought to at least be able to persuade the Dealer to contribute to the parts cost of this repair to protect his own reputation. This particularly because he stated that repairs to the lighting system had been carried out while the car was in his possession which may well have made matters worse rather than better - but certainly must have ignored some glaringly obvious problems that inspecting the lighting wiring & fuse-boxes etc. for repair should have revealed. Technically, it can be easily demonstrated that your electrical mods have nothing whatever to do with the problems, because they involve totally separate circuitry. Nobody wants to get involved in Legal Process, so some sort of agreement should be possible if both parties are reasonable in their approach. I hope you can find a replacement Theft Deterrent pcb, because sourcing individual components for it would be difficult, and the damage may well go beyond the obviously burnt ones.

After the total control the IS200 Manual gearbox provides; I can understand why you want to stay with a Manual gearbox. However, the IS250 Manual gearbox is just reasonably good where the Auto box is SUPERB - generally including manual shift by both lever & paddles. Auto suits the car much better and also gives better fuel economy with lower emissions, so the Vehicle Excise Duty is actually cheaper than for the Manual version. The only really common issue with IS250's is a range of rattles/creaks from the dashboard which are particularly annoying because the car is otherwise so quiet. These can be sorted as can the cold-start engine rattle some have had. Models with MM are more desirable, also having a wider range of goodies like the reversing camera - which is more helpful than you would ever imagine. Alloy corrosion exists, but is much the same as for alloys on any other car. Money can be saved by choosing one of the more unfashionable colours available. The IS250 is very reliable, but a more complex car with some frighteningly expensive bits; so a Lexus Extended Warranty could be a good (but not cheap) idea.

matus,i have a 200d for a day on the 25th.i will apply your motorway test to the 200d and to my 220d for a comparison. Jumping from a petrol to a new IS200D for a day, I found it drove much better than the IS220D, with gear ratios etc seeming better matched to the engine etc. I would be interested in how you find the comparison.

Isn't that only in sport and manual mode that it locks up the torque converter after 1st gear? Don't know a huge amount about modifying the IS-F but I'm sure there must be adjustable suspension kits out there for it that may allow raising the ride height slightly - again something maybe the US forums may have more information on. I think if I had bought a good IS-F, towing would not be a problem. I didn't realise that there was anything unusual with mine. It appears I have bought a wreck! Someone has bought a damaged car and made a cosmetic repair. The front crash bar is bent and incomplete, front bumper etc is 10mm too far back and rear wheel is way out of allignment (two rear tyres shredded within 200 miles). The offset on the rear wheels puts the edge of the rear tyres in contact with the arches. I will get my money back from the garage and get another from a Lexus dealer. Thanks for all input and look forward to discussing this again when I have a straight car. I hope you don't have to remind the seller that a car-trader is legally responsible for undeclared faults with the vehicle and not you as the buyer - particularly if the vehicle is unroadworthy which this one seems to be. He can't even hide behind "as seen & without guarantee", "selling on behalf of a third party" or "just selling a few cars on the side" etc. Hopefully you will get a proper refund without having to involve Trading Standards etc. I just suspect a whiff of fraud here, and given that the vehicle may not even be roadworthy; if it has a recent MOT, I would not be happy about that either, particularly if was issued by this dealer or an associate.

Oil-cooler is probably not necessary because ISF only uses torque converter in 1st gear - but check with Lexus. Also doubt if rear suspension needs raising or spring assists - just a towbar with a raised towball if anything - but again check with Lexus. Would think Lexus US is more likely to have experience of these issues.

Do not disagree with what you say - but was trying to point out that with Lexus, "Sport" more refers to trim than anything else - with performance identical to non-sport versions. Your "not great off the mark but it is a diesel" tends to reinforce the IS220D's lack of Sporting credentials. Everything is relative, but connecting "Sport" to diesels is about as realistic as connecting "Ambassador" to Ferrero-Rocher chocs. I still think that as a replacement for the IS200 from the 2nd Gen IS range; the IS250 Auto MM will tick the most boxes. People also seem to have fewer moans about them on this forum and in surveys. Incidentally, I believe IS actually stands for International Saloon :<)

Just as with the IS200, there is nothing remotely sporty about "Sport" IS220Ds/250s. Applying the word to the Diesel is a bit of a joke, definitely more bowl of porridge than ball of fire. Versions have better overall gearing a little less inappropriate to the engine. This site shows the 220D has many more problems and niggles than petrol versions - but still looks good and is a bit cheaper to run. Compared with IS200 or IS250; the IS220D is noticeably rough - but only what you would expect from a 4-cyl diesel compared with 6-cyl petrol engines. The general conclusion is that the IS250 with an AUTO box & MM is the best, least troublesome of the breed with economy that may well be better than your IS200.

Although you have done your wrap very well, it still doesn't look right. Maybe because it is so blank/empty. Perhaps fitting controls for rear reading-lights or the like would help. Leather trimming could look good but slightly "invite" sitting there - which might be why Lexus didn't.

Been playing with skinning the plastic rear seat trim with 'aluminium' carbon fibre (actual CF, not the vinyl) so have had the rear seat squab out and it's fairly obvious that it's the size of the rear differential that prevents fitting a middle seat in the IS-F so the 250 squab would not fit. Despite a good reason for the trim, wish Lexus could have fitted something which looked a bit better to fill the gap.

It is your choice of course - but there is a fine line between uniquely individual and Chavvy, and gold wheels crosses it :<)

It will make absolutely no difference you could measure without specialist equipment except an increase in induction noise. You can prove the point simply by taking out the existing element for a while so there is no restriction at all on air-flow.

No fuel-additive has ever been found that gave any cost-effective benefit. Most don't give ANY benefit. Some cause harm. When you see a wonder fuel-additive advertised - think SNAKE-OIL! Impressive mpg improvements are possible for free with a light right foot and anticipation. This makes for a really boring drive, but you will be amazed how little - if at all - it increases journey times.

So is the TomTom speed reading the most accurate indication of my actual speed? As it's measured by the GP Satellites. The two wheel/tyre combinations have exactly the same rolling circumference. The TomTom would be more accurate except it measures assuming you travel in straight lines between its measuring points and there is no update delay. The speedo is subject to analog linearity errors whereas the odometer is a simple count of revolutions of the wheels ratioed according to the calculated rolling circumference - so is subject to error which depend on tyre pressure etc. plus the circumference increases slightly with speed and tyre temperature. None are capable of accuracies better than about 2% - 3% with the speedo worse than that at some speeds and biassed for the errors to be positive i.e. indicate faster than true speed. There is no easy way without laboratory equipment to show which gives the most accurate result.

Thanks all for reply. I am not sure if this is AC or not. I put the AC knob on off but still the same sound. I was thinking to do AC service anyway because my central AC vents were blowing cold air in the winter when heater was on. Could that be related to this issue? I checked again it defintely stop when car is running (checked at very low speed). The air-conditioner will blow cold if turned on even in the winter. This is deliberate and can be useful in reducing/clearing the steaming up of the windows. If the noise changes when you manually change the heater speed, it is almost certainly a dried leaf or similar rubbing against the blower impellor "blades". This can sometimes be cleared by running the blower at max speed and blowing an airline down the outside inlet vents near the wiper shafts.