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450H - You get in, press the pedal and the car moves without any sensation or noise at all - which strikes a bit spooky at first. As you speed up, you eventually realise the engine is running - it is hard to detect when it starts. The drive is fairly normal and quite brisk with a big V6 + electric motors for max thrust. It does feel a bit top-heavy which is odd, because the weighty batteries are at the bottom. Also at first, the display on the centre console is distracting, showing the constantly changing direction of battery and engine power etc. All in all, pretty good, but I wonder how long the rechargeable batteries last before they deteriorate & need replacement - how expensive is that likely to be?

Lexus IS200/300 Worshop Manual here http://bahamutcars.free.fr/workshop/. In the electrical wiring diagrams section under headlamp levelling control there are detais of the circuits if that helps - and might let you work out how to simulate the sensor to prove it one way or the other.

With the ISF, I don't take a lot of notice of the average mpg figures the car displays and just keep a running total of litres of fuel bought from till receipts and the total miles done. A bit anal I know, but effortless with a computer. I expected my ISF to guzzle fuel outrageously and was just curious how much. To my pleasant surprise it is just over 23 mpg overall, although draggable way down to 4 mpg when you have fun - seldom because speeds etc. are mainly dictated by traffic. With the ISF's clever auto; town, motorway or being in a hurry makes very little difference. With my IS200 manual - which needed a bit more more rather satifying effort when you pushed it, there was a huge difference. Hope you can get the mpg you want because I can't think of any other reason to have to put up with a 4 pot diesel after the IS200s lovely smooth straight 6.

I had the very same problem found it dangling when being tracked...gotta be a design fault!!! otherwise never knew anything, had the bracket mended the same way (WELDED) ,plugged back in but unlike you ,no warning light..so ok there.. Try unplugging and replugging check wiring to plug might have broken when dangling if no joy there, you will get 15% to 20% off as a gold member!!!(just joined myself!!!) chaZT hanks for that, wierd that no light shows when it is hanging off ! will try re connecting ,certain no damage has happened to wires. If no damage to wires or sensor, the bracket may not be in the EXACT same orientation which defines "level", and can take the automatic control out of range. The headlamps should move up then down to the correct postion when switching on in auto. If they do this but if the "correct" position they settle into is too high or low, it suggest this is the problem. Tilting the sensor should make the headlamps move up and down.

The F sport has gear ratios which probably suit your IS200 driving style better to give higher mpg. With your IS220 you need to change earlier - but not too soon, and not to use 6th unless you are cruising fast. By comparison to the IS200, although the diesel has higher BHP, that is only over a relatively narrow rev band, and both power and efficiency drop off rapidly either side of it. Also, you will find a lot of situations where more right foot doesn't actually make any difference but ups the noise and fuel used. Don't expect rocket-ship acceleration - its not going to happen. The manufacturers rated combined mpg is over 50 which doesn't seem realistic for real-world driving, but 40+ mpg when everything is sorted out is likely achievable unless you are always in a big hurry.

The mpg will get much better as you get used to the very different way it needs to be driven, particularly as your driving style only gave you 22 mpg with your IS200 (unless it was all hectic stop-start in town). Also the tank average mpg etc is only an indication and isn't particularly accurate - you need to work true mpg out from the distance driven against the amount needed to re-brim the tank. You can then relate the tank average and use it to see how actual mpg changes with what you do.

IS250 auto superb - smoother, quieter, more powerful and economical. IS250 manual - not the greatest gearbox in the world and VED is higher because of greater CO emissions than the auto. They have more toys - most of which are useful, and have better sound systems, especially MM versions. The 250 feels like a bigger car than the 200 and is bulkier to park. It doesn't seem quite as compact and taught. Handling is very good but different. In my opinion only, the 250 has more up-to-date styling although is not as outstandingly good-looking as the 200 was - but is now starting to become just a little dated. 3rd generation - who knows, but suspect likely to be based around a hybrid.

I agree and think the IS200/300 may be on its way to becoming a classic. Just compare the drive, equipment and looks to any other 2 litre car from 1999 - and for that matter, is there any current 2 litre car that betters it overall, even against an IS200/300 that has already completed an interplanetary mileage? It set new standards for quality which don't seem to have been surpassed, giving really exceptional reliability and requiring virtually no change throughout production. The look showed that the Japanese could do simple, unfussy and sophisticated - almost timeless - styling that made the car a bit special, conferring much more "presence" than its competitors. Yes, there are cars now which improve on some things and return higher mpg; but I don't think there has been a better total 2 litre package since its introduction. Lastly, owners are devoted to them, and non-owners still admire them; what else is needed for a classic?

Before you go for a new stereo, get a cheapo standard car aerial and plug it into the socket on the back of the OEM stereo and just stick it out of the window. If FM is then good, it is not the stereo and a new one will be just as bad!

I thought the sports grill was a modification for all IS No it wasn't. Lexus accessory catalog just shows side-skirt kit, rear spoilers, illuminated sill plates - I don't think it is standard on the sport model Yes it was like the tints, LSD & lowered suspension, perforated pedals etc. Maybe the sport grille does look better - but I think the point I am making is that the grille was about the only thing that distinguished a sport at a glance & it reminds me a bit of when loads of standard Minis were tricked out as a Cooper S. As a principle, mods to make a car look better to you are fine, but sorry, fitting bits which tend to make it resemble another model doesn't seem right. However, that's just a personal view which I am sure many don't share.

If you bought from a dealer, this is 100% down to them - the lights have to work regardless of whatever warranty provided (or not). Even if you had an Owners Manual, the only information it gives is "D4-S discharge lamp". They are quite expensive from Lexus, but at least guaranteed to be the right ones. If time is on your side, you could always prove if it is the lamp itself by swapping them L-R - if the fault stays on the same side, it is likely the ballast.

[(2) When it is actually foggy, HID fog-lamps are virtually useless. The colour-temperature of ALL HIDs provide a blueish light which is almost totally reflected by fog giving a really bright wall of light instead of a view ahead. The opposite, Amber/Yellow light gives the best penetration in fog (one of the reasons for sodium streetlighting)!! Not quite right, its because they are low cost and long life. What you say is true, but there are other even cheaper long life discharge lamps which are no longer used for street-lighting because they do not penetrate fog/mist as well. It still remains fact that HID fogs might look good, but don't work as well as the original filament bulbs.

The Halo HID fogs look good, and it is nice to see effort put into making custom parts. However, there are 2 things to consider. (1) Here in the UK it is illegal to run foglamps when there is no fog/mist and bright HIDs make it a bit obvious - although just the Halos on may be OK. (2) When it is actually foggy, HID fog-lamps are virtually useless. The colour-temperature of ALL HIDs provide a blueish light which is almost totally reflected by fog giving a really bright wall of light instead of a view ahead. The opposite, Amber/Yellow light gives the best penetration in fog (one of the reasons for sodium streetlighting)!! eh??not all hid light is blue,blue/white it all goes on the temp... 12k purple 10k blue 8k blue/white 6k white 43k white/yellow 3k yellow........................................ HIDs with colour temperatures giving yellowish light are not freely available - and because of fundamental technical constraints are much less efficient (less light per watt) than conventional bulbs because they attempt to filter through the minimal yellow component of the spectral output which is fundamentally bluish-white.

Not sure fitting a sports grille to a base model is the right thing to do. Strapping breasts onto a man doesn't turn him into a woman. Base model???? just makes the car look better. I really admire those who use their skill and talent to design/fabricate modifications to enhance the appearance of their car and make it individual. I only slightly less admire those who know their limitations and use mod kits for the same purpose - which results in something a little less individual. However, bolting on bits from models further up the chain is just too close to "forgery" even if that is not the motive. Strangely, nobody seems adds details to top-end models from base models even if they are aesthetically better.

Not sure fitting a sports grille to a base model is the right thing to do. Strapping breasts onto a man doesn't turn him into a woman.

The Halo HID fogs look good, and it is nice to see effort put into making custom parts. However, there are 2 things to consider. (1) Here in the UK it is illegal to run foglamps when there is no fog/mist and bright HIDs make it a bit obvious - although just the Halos on may be OK. (2) When it is actually foggy, HID fog-lamps are virtually useless. The colour-temperature of ALL HIDs provide a blueish light which is almost totally reflected by fog giving a really bright wall of light instead of a view ahead. The opposite, Amber/Yellow light gives the best penetration in fog (one of the reasons for sodium streetlighting)!!

I am glad I did. Apparently they made a mistake telling me the CAT had gone. The EGR had failed but not the CAT. They said the EGR wasnt covered but replaced it free anyway. They also flashed the ECU, car picked up this afternoon cleaned with no charge. The Lexus Extended Warranty seems to be an integral part of the overall Lexus quality and reliability image, and is usually interpreted in favour of the owner as well as being linked to their high standard of customer care to make sorting out problems painless. By contrast, third party warranties are plain Insurances and seem to involve the provider seeking out all possible exclusions plus a complete disinterest in making resolution of your problem a positive experience. This is something where paying a bit more for the Lexus-backed product can be well worth it - and a discount is often available as a sale-clincher at the time of purchase.

But did you get many like that before? :D

Cheers dude. I'm ordering in an SRT Intake w/ ECU mod over from the states to start with. Then I'll be looking to drop her 40mm or so. Maybe tint out the rear windows a bit more and get a new 'zorst. I was also thinking about getting new wheels, but tbh the only others I like are the Lex 18's. I also pulled a load of stereo gear out of my IS200 before I sold it...but not sure if I want to reinstall it in the 300 or not. Looks really great. Seems a shame to drop it by 40mm - that much just makes the IS200/300 look ridiculous, as if the suspension has collapsed plus gives no real benefit in handling unless you know a good deal about spring rates and the effect on unsprung weight ratios of effectively shortened or stiffened springs, plus makes it susceptible to lots of damage from scraping on things. Also, unless the SRT Intake/ECU can guarantee at least 30 - 50 bhp more without making the power curve peaky; you will not notice any significant improvement in driving acceleration, so that could be a lot of work and money for very little result.

The Is300 is a great car and with the worthwhile extra power over the IS200, drives exceptionally well; but when new it was a lot more expensive than the IS200, and on paper did not offer much more for it - particularly because the later IS200s were loaded with most of the toys - plus it was auto only, so sales were always a bit limited. By comparison the IS300 has always been rare and I think your mileage restriction may be slightly unrealistic for cars which are a joy to drive and are now over 6 years old.

After checking all fuses (the lamp fuses are separate, so the lights coming on OK is not a clue), the first move is to open the bonnet and take off each of the connectors on the headlight assemblies in turn (the ones not obviously going to the lamps), clean them up if they are corroded and put them back on. Often just taking connectors off and putting them back on will clear a bad contact. If the self levelling is working ok, with headlights in auto, switch igntion on when it is dark so you can see the beams - each beam will move up and down before settling in the correct position, and if either doesn't, it is probably the positional sensor in the headlight assembly or the motor that moves the reflector. It is up to you how adventurous you then are in taking the assembly apart to try to fix it, but it could be worth the effort because they are not cheap.

Cassette players detect that tape is running over the head assembly at a reasonable tension while playing. They will attempt to reverse at the end of a side when the spools stop and/or the tape tension changes - otherwise will assume the tape has jammed or broken and spit it out. So try what Bobba77 suggests. Some decks take into account whether the spools turn or not or if there is a signal from the heads (a long silence means end of tape etc), and I don't know which of these extra factors is involved with the Lexus deck. Car cassette players are generally more cautious in their reqirements because it is so tedious to extract broken tapes etc - perhaps somebody on here can advise on specific details of the Lexus player functionality. The adapter has to cheat the player into thinking the necessary conditions to play are fulfilled, and yours probably fails to entirely meet all those needed by the Lexus deck. Assuming actual cassettes work OK; there is probably nothing much else you can do. Without taking anything apart, the best solution is probably to use a better quality FM transmitter, which should theoretically be much more than capable of getting the best out of an iPod - again perhaps somebody on here can recommend one. Otherwise, just keep poking it back in again!

Different colour temperature filament bulbs really just look different when you stand in front of them and don't improve your view of the road ahead because of the characteristics of the human eye and the colouration of roads and surroundings. The only way to go is HID because they are actually brighter and not just a different colour.

In this recent hot weather a good idea anyway. The original "titanium" gear-knob gets hot enough to take the skin off if the car is left in the sun - so bad that I used to put a jiffy bag over it on hot, sunny days!

Cons - (1) If you use the extra power, a potential for shorter engine/transmission life and reliabilty as with any power mod on any car[b].(false if it was true tte would never have done this) (2) A smaller resale market(false a lot of people want the charged versions i have had lots of offers for mine) (3) Worse mpg as an everyday drive[b].(yes and no if i drive it normal a notice no diff if i give it the beans then i notice)Pros - (1) Fun (2) More fun (3) you forgot the noise its so adictive and you get some looks Check that suspension etc. has been uprated to cope with the extra go and that it doesn't have an exhaust system that is a magnet for every patrol car in your county. suspension doesn't need to be touched its fine as it is....when tte converted these cars they left the suspension alone as it could coupe with the extra grunt just coz its charged makes no diff to how you look over the car just do the usual checks service history,timing belt etc.. Re suspension: Sorry, really should have said check/replace dampers because car has done a lot of miles and they need to be in good nick. As for potential reduction in engine/transmission life with mods to increase power - this is nothing to do with TTE or any other supplier. It is an inherent unchallengeable fact - but the degredation may well not be significant. Nevertheless, with an already high mileage, it should be considered.