Linas.P

Lets first clarify what you want to do as it sounds like a bit of mixed up for me. You want to change Pre-Face (2005-08) lift IS220D rear lamps with IS 300h (lookalike chinsese) rear lamps - I guess something like that? - If so there should be no difference whenever it is Pre-Face lift or Post-face lift mode (09+). That is true - Post-Face lift model has different style rear lights, but that has no difference if you planning to use aftermarket ones - check with supplier if the wire harness is provided at all. Usually, rear lights are plug and play, only the front ones are tricky ( I guess the difference you referring to was about Fronts not Rears). You cannot use IS 300h lamps thought as IS 300 is 3rd generation and has completely different shape.

As I said FLSH is as good as bunch of papers if you don't read it and check what was actually done. Exhaust can be replaced with aftermarket ones -£350-£600 for rear section (the one which rusts most). Well.... if you lucky enough to buy form owner directly ... dealers usually have loads of experience of how to hide the issues and answer uncomfortable questions. From my own experience if I would buy IS250 again (and I might do... would be the 4th for me :D ), I would look at: Front Rotors / Rear calipers condition. Pads and rear rotors are usually fine (and cheap to replace). Water pump must be replaced at least once if 100k+ Chain must be checked and "passed" - if no sign of check should ask why! As few as possible advisory items postponed (just shows good care) Worth taking a look under the car and behind engine covers Do a bit of driving and push it to red line (just in case any nasty noise pops up) Do quick and cheap check on MOT history - another source to see if owner was doing maintenance on time. I usually found that owners fails MOT and only then goes to fix something - not good practice.. the car to avoid. I would expect the proper care to include pre-MOT service to make sure all is fine and no advisory items on MOT. Obviously, except ridiculous ones - I have the following: "Advisory notice item(s): Under-trays fitted obscuring some underside components Engine covers fitted obscuring some components in the engine bay" Would have strangled the guy with my hands, what a ridiculous advisory notice - "have you seen Lexus before Mate?! maybe that is by design and you should get over it, or should I remove all OE covers before going to MOT garage?! ". Final thing - contact the dealer which was servicing the car and ask when the last service was done and if you can get the copy of invoice. If you have V5C they usually can do this. The reason for this - people go to do service and get astronomical bill (lest say £4500 for example). Then they do not accept any items, replace only what is induced in service fee, go to the car detailers for "Full valet", then do the part-exchange. The dealer who gets the part-exed car (usually the third party) then trows away the last "shameful" service and claims that cars is FLSH and show the history up to the last invoice. In such case you can easily bring the car back and ask for all your cost to be reimbursed as this is fraud and you can easily win it in Small claims court.

Hello Steve, I believe we have answered you question in the previous tread : http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/107304-from-ls-to-is/ Generally, except of the model related issues buying any used car is the same. Complete service history is always a good sign, but my personal advise is to actually check what is in the history - e.g. are there any advisory items or deferred repairs. That could give a good indication how the car was maintained. Sometimes there are full service history with all stamps from dealer, but if you check what was done you will see that only oil and filters were changed (which are included for free in service anyway), but not any other parts. In such case it is fair to ask why the service was delayed and what is condition of those parts at the moment. This as well gives good reason to ask for discount based on the actual service history quote e.g. if front brake rotors were on advisory items during last service it is quite clear it is now due for replacement - straight on is £300 of additional cost (and possibly discount when buying). Good luck with your purchase

Thank for link, I have visited the page but missed the price for the battery. Lexus Woodford is a bit strange place - I put in service booking online for Minor Service and MOT and asked for some other parts prices like battery. Online and in my information e-mail it states £159+£49 making total of £208. When they called me to confirm the reservation, they not only didn't know what I am booked for, nor my number plate, nor name or any other details (not very professional the least). After giving all than information + VIN number they quoted £195 for Minor Service and £54.99 for MOT - that is where I have disagreed and said that the price is incorrect. The lady called me back later to say they can't find the price (I have quoted) in Lexus website (have no clue which website they were looking at), but they will honor the quote if I bring it with me. So you are right - "it should be", but they quoted £143 over the phone. As I have not checked the price on the website I haven't pointed it out over the phone. I believe I can get them to do it for £95 after all, just by quoting the price from main website and "bringing evidence with me". Though, for £95 I will probably go for Bosch (or Exide).

Thanks ... this info will come very handy :) So basically it is even better, I can blame both sensor and Lexus fuel if anything goes wrong during MOT emissions test :D

As my oil is changed by Lexus I don't pay much attention - they "probably" knows what to put - but it is Castrol Magnetic. If I do oil myself I would just use cheapest 5-30w ( and now I know I need A type) - the reason is that over the years oil improves and what the Lexus used to put in my car in 2008 from Castrol, now is available on supermarket shelves at discounted price. Obviously, current Castrol oil is better, but for engine with over 100k it is unlikely to matter anymore. Premium oil only for the cars under 5 years or under 60k - personal opinion.

I don't think that in short term there are any difference in MPG regardless what you use. If you use only the cheapest and dirtiest fuel over the time you will get built up, which will eventually impact the MPG. However, premium fuel itself doesn't burn better or result it better MPG, it is more for maintaining engine condition. Though, I personally believe that carbon built-up is inevitable and with premium fuel you just accumulating it slower. I am looking into "hydrogen-cleaning" my engine. There are as well plenty of videos of how to DIY it with simple water (just don't use tap water in UK, it is so hard that you get calcium build-up instead of carbon - use deionised water). Myself I am doing cycles of filling every 2-3rd tank with Super Unleaded (whichever brand) between cheap supermarket fuel. The only positive thing is that Super Unleaded have additives to clean the engine. Now it is my 3rd tank on Super Unleaded as the MOT is soon and emissions are a bit of worry. The good news are that Lexus informed me that I have recall for fuel sensor which is not done yet - so if any issues I will blame it on them :D I actually get better MPG on cheap fuel from Asda. Normally 34-38 on motor way, 24-28 in urban. Long term consumption 28.7 MPG.

Thanks for all replies, Bosch is definitely on my list. Has anyone tried Exide? I was quoted £143 for OE replacement at Lexus Woodford, not sure where the price of £95 comes? Anyway I though that for same price (or actually less) I can get really good battery - especially, as I consider OE a bit underpowered. Well The proof of age is on the battery - it was manufactured only 2,5 years ago, so no way older than 4. The problem is that I don't know where the receipt is, so small claims court won't help. The Halfords Service said that battery was sold by Halfords Retail, so they won't honour the warranty and the retail store probably won't take it without receipt anyway. Myself - I will probably keep it as it is, as I have so far not experienced any issues. Just had "fun time" running out of fuel last week (as couldn't believe it, I gave few tries before picking up fuel can and going on foot to petrol station) - the battery gave at least 5 long cranks and another one after refuelling - no issues at all. Now wondering maybe they exaggerated the battery status a bit?!. As well I have checked on ODB and it seems all ok when battery is connected, as well when engine is running, didn't attempt to check battery itself.

That is surely "face-lift", but might be some kind of concept which might materialise partially in 2019-2020 (that is when the life-cycle comes for changing IS). As for Audi A4 I strongly disagree, but we probably need to look at what are your personal criteria for the car, every car has cons. and pros. if the cons. of Audi is not very important for you e.g. poor interior and base trim, dull styling and the pros. are what you looking for e.g. resale value, reliable diesel engines then yes - Audi is for you. As I don't care about diesel (and don't even want to hear about it), want to have well equipped car (Audi and MB are notorious for additional equipment prices) and want it to be petrol/auto (not that much hybrid, but don't mind), and want top class interior materials and build quality... I would stay with Lexus... and with BMW if I want to enjoy driving (fast)..

Hello All, Just did pre-service (at Halfords) of the pre-MOT pre-service. Few advisory items come up - rear brakes pads 8mm, one parking light bulb and failed 12v battery. No surprises there, knew that battery is not in best condition already - just nice to find out why. So the report says that battery failed, performance 0%, the cells shot and short, voltage - 10.29v. Funny enough as car is garaged both at home and where I work I have no issues with battery. Furthermore, it is Halfords own battery (some kind of Platinum with 4 years warranty) and Halfords doesn't want to fulfill their obligation to replace it under warranty. To be fair I don't have a receipt, but the battery is made only 2,5 years ago and fitted just over 2 years ago, quite obviously within the warranty. That said I decided not to replace it until it completely fails. However, already doing some research for the day of failure. My personal opinion is that battery is bit under powered for car with so much gadgets and especially mine being SEL just drains even more power, obviously living in UK have its own benefits e.g. no cold winters, so even cheap batteries last (or at least should). Based on all the information I though that I might go for Exide or Bosch. Cannot say much bad about Halfords, especially considering that it doesn't develop much issues even in such condition, but it is principal for me now not to get one from them, because I feel like their warranty is rather unfair .. Any other opinions or suggestions? Thanks in advance,

PWR is OFF? To be honest even with PWR-ON I have no such issues. Sound weird.

That is off topic, but you have weird tax in Belgium. Fist of all IS250 doesn't have high performance engine ~205hp (obviously depends what you comparing with), but generally IS250 is not performance car (maybe US IS350 is something closer to performance car). Secondly, IS220d is very close with 177Hp (are you sure there are tax difference?) - and actually pollutes much more (as any diesel). As well check if IS250 AT and MT tax is the same, because at least in UK MT is twice more expensive to tax than AT (£495 vs. £295). Then next - IS220d really doesn't worth Lexus badge and if you really looking after more "practical" and less luxurious car (which lexus suppose to be) - I would consider diesel options from BMW,MB,Audi or even Toyota (IS220d is based on Avensis if I am right?) as they will have much more options available and will be cheaper to maintain. Maintaining IS220d and driving with warm engine and long distances might actually improve reliability, but as we are talking about used car - How do you know previous owner have done that? Basically, you have a risk associated when buying IS220d, might get lucky and might not. Finally, as you know IS220d is Manual only, and probably it is not that much the gearbox, nor the car is no reliable, but rather combination of both (and why on earth Lexus decided not to make AT 220d?). So you have less reliable engine in IS220d + less reliable Manual gearbox which requires more maintenance. All in all there are much more maintenance required for the car. Maybe taking this in consideration the Tax offset will by not that much when comparing with IS250 (not to mention it is BETTER car as a whole).

Just to advice - tried sourcing the rear and head lights from breakers recently and asking prices are £600+ for fronts, £350+ for rears per side (not per pair). The pre-face-lift ones are about half price £350/£150 respectively. after that I though I might look to "IS-F look" rear with white indicator (instead of yellow) which I actually prefer over the face-lifted "L-finesse" design - "IS-F like" costs around £300 a pair (Chinese LED), the originals are like £1000+. That is obviously personal, but I found this being too expensive as cosmetic upgrade, especially for late pre-face-lift models like mine (end of 2008), where the price difference between the newer and older car would be similar to the cost of the lamps alone (not to mention there are many other differences in face-lifted model).

Just quick update - I have been driving with PWR-ON on the last 3 tanks (~1000 miles) and have not seen any difference in fuel consumption. Car is more responsive, but in other hand the mode is not as polished as standard one. I would highlight few situations where you DON'T want to be in PWR mode and I suggest switching it off: When doing 90MPH on motorway and using Auto pilot - Keeps changing to 5th gear and that obviously hurts fuel economy(whenever it is legal or not that is another question , just something I have noticed). Especially, true in heavy rain or after heavy rain in "Very Wet" conditions even in speeds 70-80MPH. Not good for rolling "without power/acceleration" e.g. what I usually do before traffic lights.. slow down in advance and then just roll to the lights and if lucky don't need to do full stop/start. Which is great for fuel economy. With PWR on that doesn't work as it automatically changes to the lower gears and stops you quicker than usual. Not good in heavy traffic when jumping the lanes. Quite obviously the fuel consumption is already high in such conditions, but PWR just kills it e.g. you jump into the free lane and accelerate, PWR drops the gear and keeps it in low for very long without any reason and then if you need to brake it drops it even further to assist braking.. something you don't want. Sometimes it seems like PWR logic just crashes and it keeps far too low gear without any reason when cruising. Switching to "S" and back to "D" usually helps in decision making (I guess for face-lifted models clicking "+" would do the trick as well). Generally, it is great for average driving conditions in city without excessive speeds as it makes car more responsive and hardly ever increases fuel consumption.

It does adapt to the road quite well, thought when parking it doesn't turn enough - I had WV Toured with "steerable" headlights, that is on another level when parking or turning in slow turns, but nowhere near the clarity and brightness of Lexus otherwise.

Is that including UK versions? I might be wrong, but never heard of UK IS250 Sport? I have owned IS250 AWD Sport, but that was EU version, not UK. In EU and US.. and maybe other markets Lexus used Sport, Sport Premium and Premium (and later F-Sport and Premium F-Sport) trims, while in UK there were SE, SE-i and SE-L (and later SR, F-Sport).

Yes that can be done (ATS does it for sure, Kwik Fit does it, but I wouldn't recommend them). You probably know that you need to replace those trashed tires before alignment i.e. alignment won't resurrect the tires which are already unevenly worn?

It should not have impact on MPG, what does have is planning. If you accelerate then immediately brake and you driving in queueing traffic, then obviously you will use more fuel, but if you just accelerate on the motorway entry or from the traffic lights it doesn't matter how quick you will do it the fuel consumtion is going to be the same (except if there is a wheel spin - obvious waste). As Clarkson says - "the worst enemy of economy are brakes" - the less you use it the better MPG you have.

What you mean by IS250 "sport" is that "SR"? If the miles are genuine and the car was serviced I would say - no problem. As well learning from my own mistakes - some cars have beed services, but you need to check what big ticket items were replaced e.g. Water pump, Main belt and similar. It is important, because these items are "check only" after 100k Miles and car value can depend whenever they are already replaced or not.

Add as well: Windshield mouldings (I know minor) - replacement is ~£200. If lucky only need to replace clips which can be bought of eBay and alike for ~£15, but mouldings brakes itself quite often ~£80 each. Corroded main grounding leads (more likely for wet climate) ~£600. Very hard to spot, most likely - hard cold morning starts when battery is getting old. If the windshield is cracked or was replaced possible issues with rain-sensing wipers and wiper defrosters. Some cracking noises from central console or front speaker mounts are common if not fixed while new by the dealer. Generally, very reliable cars if looked after. The only issues by design are the undersized brakes, upgrade from GS300/(US)IS350 is nice addition. Except, of that excellent cars.

As other said, Lexus IS HIDs are quite good - maybe no BMW laser, but one of the better ones on the market. What about your headlight "glass" (or rather hardened plastic), maybe it is oxidised? My ones are excellent on the road, but I know many people have issues with them in the hot climate (like US California or Middle-East), where the headlights oxidise to the level they become matte or yellow. Maybe polishing would help? I hate those cowboys two... blinds everyone in the dark and hardly see anything better themselves. Though it would be quite unlikely that insurance going to check bulbs (not unless somebody is stupid enough to smoke their headlights, which is also illegal.. but we seen these on the road as well).

Blown through engine gasket - very common on IS220D. That could be other things, like bad quality diesel or contamination in the tank (or other components), but the first one is most likely. P.S. I have seen people mixing diesel with used engine oil with various ratios (like 30/70), but that si on old non-turbo diesel cars... I know nothing dumber can be done and it is environmental disaster in terms of emissions, I assume that is very unlikely that somebody would do that in Lexus (that would surely kill than already unreliable engine and turbo).

Thanks, that must be it, but I have not seen any issue. Maybe they turned it one and forgotten to turn-off. Yes it stops as soon as you press any button - at first I got worried as I though it is something related with my own car's alarm e.g. maybe key battery is low and car is going to immobilise the engine soon :D

You are right. Sorry, I must mention - I compare it with IS250 which is by far not the fastest car around, still huge difference. And again you right, comparable car would be sluggish as well e.g. BMW e91 320d manual with the same 177hp is exactly the same. To clarify. It is not sluggish when compared with similar cars, but it is generally sluggish car. Huge part of it is that it is Turbo diesel - meaning until turbo spins at ~2k RPM you have maybe half of you horses... that eventually turns into driving like crazy, Hitting gas pedal always hard, because you always feel that lack of power on low RPM etc. This completely doesn't suite the car character. This is not limited to Lexus IS220/200, but rather to any "small" engine turbo diesel car.

Well.. you won't lose horse power compared with stock. Unless it is really badly designed.. which would be a bit strange as exhaust design is not rocket science.