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Compared with the 250, just a slightly harsher ride which you will only notice if the roads near you are badly rutted or potholed and drive in sport mode where the suspension is stiffened even more.

Sorry, I find I have confused the issue: IS250, IS350 & ISF are ALL within the US tier 2 bin 5 Greenhouse ratings of 240 - 265 gm/km. Even the Lexus Japan site does not give more detail. Parthiban - was in a good mood so my 220D comments didn't include "because diesels are the work of the devil" or " Its no surprise the inventer Adolf Diesel commited suicide by jumping off a cross-channel ferry"

Search every source you can find and don't rely on comparison sites. Be VERY careful to check that a low quote does not involve a really huge excess which you could end up having to pay out.

My IS250 Auto is 214g/km - a strange situation where the Auto is more economical than the Manual. Mine too, also the published figures make it more economical on mpg than the manual, which, when I bought it in 2005 was the complete opposite of the norm. It was one of the reasons I went for the auto, but the main reason was the incredible smoothness of that auto box B) . I presume the emission figure for the IS350 is for the auto, considering it came from a US source. IS350 is tier2 bin 5 greenhouse emission rated as 0.85 lb/mile to 0.94 lb/mile which is sort of equivalent to 240 - 265 gm/km, but the measurement method is slightly different. Nevertheless, the European rating is likely somewhere near these limits. This is fairly good for a 306 bhp output from the engine. For me, the IS350 was always a better idea than the IS220D - but I am no market analyst.

I never managed to get my IS200LE down to 16mpg although it was a manual, so unless you drive very fast or aggressively (I live nearby and there isn't a lot of chance of that) or spend most of your time in crawling traffic; that isn't reasonable. I get about 23-24 from my 5 litre ISF! Recheck by filling to the brim, making a note of the Odometer reading. When fuel is getting low, fill it to the brim again preferably at the same pump so the car is tilting the same amount, making a note of exactly how many litres it took and the new odometer reading to get the miles driven. Then recalculate mpg, remembering to divide the litres by 4.544 to get gallons. If you have the wrong size tyres/wheels on it can ruin the calculation. This isn't 100% accurate but it is the best you can do without going to a lot of trouble. The official figures are 21 mpg Urban & 28 mpg Combined and you should get a bit nearer that.

Mine just started dribbling and I think this is fairly common. To change it separately takes nearly as long as changing the cam-belt, but only adds 20mins or so to that job. It is a bit like insurance to change it at the same time. Personally, I think it is worthwhile.

The locks - yes, it tells you how to do it in the handbook. The lights - no.

When you trade in your car, the Lexus dealer will remember that it is one from the generation that had the problems - but the new one of course will be made after everything has been sorted. Yet another tool to keep the margin up between buying and selling. It will be like that until another manufacturer is singled out.

Digital Kettles !!!... YES !!! now there's a product to market to the masses... add that to my digital torch and I'll be all set Still I am afraid it is a bit like the "intelligent" detergent that you can use in a washing "system", wax extracted from a turtle that might keep it waterproof - but doesn't do anything for shine on its scabby, flaking shell, or an extract from Avocados that mercifully doesn't make women's hair look or smell like the fruit!

Errrrrrrr........ Cos we wont spend the money! We used to be the envy of the world with the quality of our television broadcasts utilisg PAL etc.... Now (as is the norm)... we are falling behind the rest of the world when it comes to technology. Why didn't we take the opportunity to go high def. What was the question again??... oh yes DAB Still Well better late than never - Freeview HD TV broadcasts started in January in London and will be widespread by 2012. DTV is much less power-hungry to transmit, but technology at the time of its inception meant using a system which allowed reasonably cheap receivers to be made. Things have now moved on and receivers for better but more complex systems can now be made economically. The same applies to DAB. We jumped in too quickly in both cases because the home technology market needed the jump-start given by attaching the buzzword "Digital" which people have been conditioned to think automatically means better in every way when this is not always true - but does mean that shops can sell "Digital" Kettles!

Not sure, but it talks on a common bus, similar to the ipod interface, so in theory it should work. The Antennae is just a screen sticky, very similar to the Pure DAB unit I have at the moment... As for the new MM system, not much change out of £2000 would be my guess. I think most people will be disappointed with DAB in a car. The UK system was designed specifically for fixed installation and not for use on-the-move where poor coverage and complete drop-out with low signals stop it from being suitable as the only Radio source. On a technical point, the Codecs used provide significantly worse audio quality than FM, and are power-inefficient to transmit. For these reasons, it is strongly rumoured that it will be abandoned and replaced with a different, better but non-compatible system before FM is dropped. Being able to have a huge number of stations none of which you can reliably receive doesn't seem worth spending money on.

You would not really be able to detect any genuine improvement in driving performance with less than about 30-40 bhp increase in power. Because efficiency is sacrificed it will slurp a bit more fuel though

39 psi all round (according to my gauge that is) - supposed to be OK to 156 mph and seems a goodish compromise between car with just the driver and with 3 passengers.

Good thinking. Proper reasons for changing from IS200 to IS220D include: Your wife hates the IS200 - its just too easy to drive & park Newer IS220D styling, some extra toys, kudos from newer number plate Better IS220D fuel economy if you are lucky while everything is working properly Your IS200 is a completely worn-out dog You want people to think you are a sales rep The IS200 is too quiet, smooth and nimble for you You are bored with IS200 reliability You want to try disappointment for a change and pay a lot of money for it B)

So do I, but I need to get it fixed as that's the one I rely on when parallel parking to prevent kerb rash on my alloys. Tango, if you can spare a long winter evening to get the mirror open, the problem is:- a) Power isn't reaching the motors - which you can prove with a meter (or a small 12 volt bulb on the end of two wires) connected to the motor leads when you actuate the switches. The problem may not even be in the mirror unit. b) The motor(s) don't even twitch or try to move because they are dead. c) The gearing is jammed, mangled or jumped a few cogs etc - which you can check by moving them manually. The only problem with doing this is that you may break the glass when getting at the mechanism behind because it is never obvious how the glass clips in place, and you may find a fault you can't fix - but faced with a huge replacement bill, what is there to lose? I have done this with other cars and then prised the actual motors apart to fix them or replaced them with motors from Maplin - but have to say that a small tame octopus would be handy to refit concertina moisture seals etc.

This is the best suggestion so far. The job is not rocket science - you can tell that because those who do it for a living don't need to be rocket scientists, they are just everyday people who have learned specialised but fairly easy techniques. So please take up Phil67's kind and generous offer. All the routine servicing jobs are within the grasp of anybody who has the time, doesn't mind getting a bit dirty and isn't completely kack-handed. Doing them yourself can save you a fortune and give you the assurance of knowing exactly what has been done to your car. Someone who is prepared to pass their knowledge on in this way is worth their weight in gold.

I would, but it is nearly impossible to get a decent view to show both pipes sticking out of each silencer or how far they reach into the trims. And yes, each pipe is round and relatively small to allow clearance to move about within the extensions. I know the issue doesn't matter anyway, but I do wonder how it is that people give precedence to the delusions of those who have never seen one over clear statements from quite a few who actually have one and have had a good look? I don't think it will ever get put to bed because there are those who just don't allow facts to get in the way, convinced that Lexus set out to hoodwink us with the exhausts :D

Your questions suggest that you should really leave brakes to someone a bit more familiar until you have done more DIY manitenance; but we all have to learn, so attempting to answer your questions. This is not a complete guide and I am sure others will add to it:- 1) No grease ever on the braking surfaces of either pads or disks 2) Personally I would restrict cleaning to brushing away anything loose & dry. Anything sticky or oily suggest leaking brakes - a different ball-game. 3) When you ease the caliper-pistons back to make room for the thicker new pads (find a book to tell you how to do this without damaging anything), hydraulic fluid will get pushed back into the brake reservoir and the level in it will rise - often a lot, and can overflow or squirt out of the little breather hole in its top. Be ready - you may need a length of plastic hose to suck some excess fluid away and dump it in a jar etc. 4) Fit the new shims as and where the old ones were. MOST IMPORTANT (i) Do not even attempt this if you don't understand these answers or are not completely confident about doing the job. This is a really major safety area. (ii) Find out how to visually assess if the disks are OK and not worn or distorted before you change the pads. (iii) When you ease back the pistons as in (3), you may disturb the safety features of the dual-circuit braking system and leave only half working. Make sure you know how this can happen and what to do about it before you start. (iv) Make sure you have some of the correct brake fluid handy to top up the reservoir to the correct level when you have finished. Do not reuse old stuff. (v)Test your brakes somewhere safe before you go on any journey. If they are worse than before you started GET HELP. New pads will need only a little bedding in before they are at their best.

Who are you trying to kid that they're not fake/cosmetic Trying - and obviously not succeeding. Of course they are cosmetic i.e done that way for the look; but that doesn't stop them from being 4 real outlets for 4 tailpipes. Mine are better fitted than in your picture - there isn't a gap to get your fingers between the pipes and the chrome extensions/trims, and they are properly aligned so that the pipes fall in the centres of the trims. The main point is that if they were fake; when you took off these "cosmetic" trims, there would be no pipes behind to feed them with the exhaust gases. So they are either ALL fake - and that just won't work - or NONE are. On reflection, your picture actually proves they are NOT fakes and should put an end to the curious suggestion that they are :D

I agree that the lever could be a bit more child-proof. As an eventually removeable do-it-yourself solution, you could use a piece of thin plastic (maybe cut from a washing-up liquid container etc) with a hole for the lever to poke through, stuck on with double-sided tape and positioned to fix it in the locked position. As a more radical idea, and one that will prove really useful in the years to come, help keep him safe from everyday dangers and prevent him becoming a pest:- Make your child do what he is told. Then when you tell him to leave it alone - he will.

I think your seller is either deluded or trying to delude you!

The picture doesn't reveal much. Unless the 2010 model is different, on each side, two shortish pipes stick out of a silencer and these extend into chrome oval-section extensions rigidly mounted in the bumper. These are not physically clamped/connected to the pipes from the silencers because if they were, the plastic bumper would catch fire from the heat - if the vibration and movement of the silencers had not already smashed it. Hope this clears it up.

Driven gently in traffic in ordinary auto, mine reaches 8th gear at about 43 mph. In a flat car park will shift up to 3rd gear at tickover. The harder you drive it, the later the gear change. This seems to be how the good economy is achieved for the engine size. In sport, gear changes seem more optimised for performance as well as having slicker throttle response & taughtened suspension. As you describe it, yours doesn't seem quite right?

Very true, but I think that accidents provoking recalls wil become increasingly common as drivers assume absolute perfection and allow commonsense to desert them to the extent that simple problems cause easily preventable accidents. A sticky throttle is mainly an accident threat to those who have not noticed it getting stiffer for months - and for whom an oilcan is as likely to be one of their possessions as a brain-surgery kit - with its use an equally closed book. Similarly, carpets tangling with pedals should be obvious and initially sorted out by any driver not needing care in the community - even in the USA. I take the view that drivers have a major responsibility to gain enough very basic knowledge to recognise if their car is fundamentally fit to drive before using it. If they find anything has changed or is abnormal; they should do SOMETHING - like take it to the dealer or temporarily sort obvious things themselves until they can - rather than wait for horrific, sad accidents to spark recalls. Because so many drivers lack this fundamental knowledge or can't be bothered, accidents occur which are really as much their fault as the manufacturer's. At the same time, manufacturers need to take more note of customer feedback and act more quickly to address issues. The Prius brake charactersitics are not a sudden, new problem, they affect all of them right from initial production. It may or may not pose a safety threat; but drivers have repeatedly expressed that it bothers them, yet it only this far down the line that Toyota has acted to improve it. Regrettably, the stance of all manufacturers seems to be to insist that problems just don't exist until the Media force the issue - usually because people have died. Toyota has acted to resolve the recent issues - maybe not as well as it could have bearing in mind the number of cars affected; but at least they have acted (albeit in a blaze of adverse publicity). This has seriously dented Toyota/Lexus's reputation. It is the nature of the media to now seek out any other issues trivial or otherwise to further damage this before the story goes cold; yet they still probably retain exactly the same position in tables for both safety & reliability, but will have to try much harder to restore the perception. Because of this concentrated effort; is there going to be another brand with better reliabilty or safety?

I would be a bit worried if I were you because mine are neither fake nor plastic! The four pipes from the two rear silencers poke into chromed steel extensions (a magnet sticks to them). I use Brasso Duraglit Silver-Polish wadding which removes tar/carbon deposits well, and because it is for silver; has a fine texture and is a gentle abrasive.