Rob2

I won't be ... but thanks for offering. Just called Lexus in Aberdeen and they do have some in stock now so I'll drop by at lunch time. They didn't tell me how much though. Next question I will probably be asking is: where can I get it cheapest? ;-) If it's more than £10 at Lexus then I might get Lexus to give me the paint code and get Halfords to mix up some for me! Even if it isn't a perfect match, the mark I'm touching up is less than 1cm across (...but it is brilliant white which is why I'm touching it up)

When I asked them a few months ago they didn't have any. I'm not sure whether they meant they didn't have any and never will have, or if they just meant it was out of stock. I'll try giving them another call...

Just wondering where/if I can get a hold of some touch up paint for my '99 Royal Sapphire Blue IS200. As you probably know, Halfords doesn't sell any.

That's just what she said on the phone. I have to admit that I was chuffed about not having to pay for anything so just agreed to bringing the car in. The garage is 2 minutes drive from my place of work so I'm not going out my way too much either. I'll maybe ask when I see them.

I'll also ask the "experts" to see what there opinion is when I go to Lexus tomorrow to get the unit removed. FYI, the two CDs I have jammed in there just now are original CDs and as far as I can remember I was fairly careful putting them in. Tried giving the side of the console a good thump (several times now!) and no joy either.

Just spoke to Lexus Aberdeen on the phone and they confirmed that the CD is covered under extended warranty. The first thing she asked was how many miles the car had done (rather than the age???) and said the warranty covered up to 100K. Mine has done 51K so I was covered. I've to take the car in the next time I'm passing as they need to take the existing unit out to get the part number (which is supposedly a 15 minute job) before they can order a new unit. Bit of an inconvience but at least I'm not having to fork out any cash. :)

Hi Colin, I'm not Pete and I'm not in the US, oh, and my car is of UK spec. also ;) You say that Lexus UK have extended the warranty on the CD players due to problems so I might be OK as my car is less than 5 years old ... just. I'll try giving Lexus a call and see what they say. Cheers.

I've got the same problem where the changer whirrs and clicks for about 30 secs. before returning the infamous 'Err3' message. Previously, when I've had this message the CD changer has always managed to sort itself out after a day or so, but this time it's been like this for almost a week. CDs won't go in or out and the CDs that are already in won't play So, looks like I may have to make a visit to my local dealer. As far as I know, my car doesn't have an extended warranty (I bought it second hand) and the standard three year warranty expired a long time ago. Has anyone had to pay to get this problem fixed and if so, how much should I expect to pay?

> I bet it's only faulty batteries in there worth about £20. Well, exactly. The receptionist said the job would only take 1.5 hours. Does this mean mechanics make approx. £100 an hour?! (I bet they don't see much of it) I'm in the wrong job me ;)

Just got of the phone with the Lexus garage and, as Duncan suggests, the siren itself is faulty in the alarm i.e. the alarm unit would still be activated if some one was to break in, just no one would be able to hear it! Lexus in Aberdeen have quoted £200 for the replacement unit and £166 for fitting it. This includes VAT. Ouch! I haven't agreed to anything yet, although I will probably get it replaced. They don't have it in stock just now so it gives me some time to think about it. Can't complain too much, I've had the car for more than 3 years and this is the first time something has gone wrong. Even now, I can still drive it without needing the job done.

Yep, my fault. It read 11V when I had the keys in the ignition but hadn't actually started the engine. I noticed when driving home last night that it was reading a much healthier 13V. The local Lexus garage are going to check it out tomorrow so I'll let you know what they come up with, and more importantly how much it'll cost to fix!

Yep, it's not the sliding that bothers me. In fact, I quite like a bit of oversteer :D ... in a controlled manner of course. Well, I like to think so anyway! About a month after I bought my Lexus i.e. Mar '01 it snowed quite heavily whilst at work and I couldn't get my car out of the car park when I tried to leave, as it just spun on the spot. At the time it never occurred to me about sand bags or deflating the tyres and in the end I got one of my mates to tow me out. V.embarrassing. Brand new flash car and stuck in the snow - I can still remember the office jokes. Anyway, since then I generally avoid driving in the snow unless I have to. I have been tempted to buy winter tyres but wasn't sure how much of a difference they would make. Going on what you said, I'm more tempted to do so now. Just unsure if I can justify the cost for the few days a year we get the snow.

Hi, Just thought I'd submit my tuppence worth to this discussion (even though it ended a week ago and there isn't any snow now!). As far as I can see, nobody seems to have mentioned the fact that the IS200 is rear wheel drive. This has a significant impact on traction as most of the weight in a car i.e. the engine, is in the front of the car over the front axle which greatly improves traction in the front wheels. This is why your Fiestas and Fiats, usually front wheel drive cars, have the big advantage in the snow. You can improve the situation in rear wheel drive cars by putting sand bags, or something equally as heavy, in the boot (over the axes) but I can't say I've ever noticed a significant improvement doing this. On the whole, rear wheel drive cars are pretty crap in the snow. My girl friend has an MX-5 (she doesn't get to drive the Lexus ;-) and has the same problem, being a rear wheel drive car. I generally avoid driving the car in the snow at all and stay at home. Fortunately, I have a very understanding boss. To emphasise this point, I was at home last week (snowed in) and saw a BMW (also rear wheel drive) skidding all over the place and getting no where fast whilst a Renault Clio casually over took it. Power to the small cars! Of course, tyre size also plays a part and, as already suggested, the thinner the tyre the better (... in the snow).

OK, will do some further investigation when I leave work tonight. Thanks again.

Thanks for that. Just checked Battery charge and the instruments on the dashboard is showing 11V (should it be 12?). How long are the batteries supposed to last anyway? As far as I know, mine hasn't been replaced since new. The car is 4.5 years old and has done 50K miles. Will keep an eye on the charge.