BigChange

With a 48,000 miles 15 plate IS 300 I was alarmed to read PaulWhitt's problems. Am due for a service in a month. Was the aircon compressor failure very noticeable and is a regas covered by warranty ?

Who would have thought that wheels (alloys) would make such a difference to the car's look !

Can anyone comment on "Also how much hand scraping will it be to swap the bulbs.." ?? My 300H is nearly 5 years old and I thought it was my eyes getting dimmer. Maybe not, after all.

Silly question maybe but what/where is HJ ? All those mileage tales are happy reading. Just need some stories of long owned hybrid batteries to complete the picture. Not sure when Lexus first introduced these.

Steve, was the bumper not repairable ? From the photo it just looks like scrapes rather than dents. £2.7k for a car park bump.! No wonder the cost of my (accident free) insurance has increased.

At the risk of stating the obvious, the regen operates when the traction battery needs it. Regen happens whenever foot off the throttle, at any speed, and especially when using the engine for braking, on a long downhill for example. Acceleration lag is normal and very frustrating. My solution is to change down or switch to sport before accelerating. Pure EV only seems to operate for 4/5 kms. Rest of the time it 'supports' the petrol engine.

Only one point on the beeps which I am noticing. My satnav map is not kept up to date and I think the beeps are based on camera locations at date of the map creation.

Last change was to Michelin Cross Climate which give a comfortable ride and are snow rated.

Simpsoid, is your full/dip mechanism automatic or manual ? Mine is manual and it is the quick 'flick' from full when driving which doesn't always fully dip the lights.

Similar problems with my 2015 IS300H. I have manual full/dip controls and when moving from full to dip using the dip lever the change does not always happen The only way I know this is when I start getting flashed. I then pull the lever more forcefully and the beam dips. It's a "sticky" lever and impossible to demonstrate at the garage. Very difficult to have them replace the switchgear under warranty. Really frustrating.

The 'button' is a round black disk about the size of a wine glass bottom. Once you have activated it - by depressing the throttle pedal as far as possible - you will know. But don't do it in a 30mph zone or a narrow country road. It provides a real power surge (and ruins the mpg stats).

Have also owned mine for 3.5 years and main gripe is the way the driver leather seat is wearing. Creasing and a few scratches. Not sure how to prevent/protect this or if it is just a feature of getting older ! Performance is better, if anything, and once I had found the "button" below the accelerator pedal, still punchy.

Interesting that the "old favourites" - BMW, Audi, VW, Jaguar are so comparatively low on the list . Maybe the diesel effect ?

Found to my cost - 2 blown turbos - that relying on 18k service intervals with a (diesel) 3 series was not a good idea. Afterwards found I should have gone for 10k intervals so maybe the Lexus service interval makes good sense 😏

My last 40k full service cost was £446 with no extra work so next time I might combine a service with a holiday in Ireland (Dublin) 👍

Very good price. I paid £382 in January from Formula One autocentres - perhaps it is the same company Their prices were the best I found at the time. Unfortunately no cashback offered then 😪

Noticed on a recent trip to mid-France that there are lots of new sites. Most were disabled while they are being calibrated for the new, non motorway speed limit of 80 km, down from 90km. Great pity as the well maintained roads, in comparison to the Uk, are little used. Better road safety step imo would be to increase penalties for poor driving. Too much tailgating and overtaking on solid lines or around bends.

Having had two blown turbos on previous BMWs (both on German roads) and resultant hassle, the Lexus breakdown cover is a huge comfort blanket. Cherry on top you might say. Not that I have had to use it but it also covered our 15 year old Subaru in France. That was an even bigger comfort blanket even though Subaru ranks highly in the reliability stakes.

Complex mechanics beyond me but thanks for the informative and well presented post and utube video. Must remember to extend my warranty ! 😵

Car computer is usually around 10% optimistic. My annual average for all roads, conditions, seasons etc for each of the last 3 years is just over 47mpg. Have to assume that you need a very light foot indeed and French autoroutes to achieve the Lexus published numbers.

Have to confess I am baffled by the DAB radio tuning and having struggled for some time, abandoned it and stuck with FM. It's a ridiculous setup. My inexpensive home DAB radio puts it to shame.

William, have done more miles than anticipated and can make some informed comments. The miles cover awful country lanes, uneven and broken local roads and the M4 motorway. Replaced tyres were - rear Yokahama (originals) at 38,000 - front Dunlop Sport Maxx at 20,000miles. Fronts did not need replacing but decided to bite on the (cost) bullet and do all four. · First impressions are good. The car rides more comfortably, what you might expect from ‘normal’ tyres and not the low-profile harder ride. Tyres seem to smooth out road unevenness and imperfections. · Noise level is slightly reduced – hum rather than roar and a comforting swish when driving through snow melt wet roads. · snow use was limited but excellent and this will be further tested in France at month end. · Cornering and braking appear to be much the same although I do not push the limit. Maybe imagined but I do feel as though I am in “safe hands”. Certainly don’t regret the change or the slightly higher cost.

William, only put them on Friday afternoon and have hardly driven since. Will follow up with fuller response after one week's use.

Just changed to Michelin cross climates and thought what a comfortable ride, ignoring the TPMS warning light despite reset attempts. Will settle down the supplier said. But I checked at home and found all tyres set at 29psi. Goodness knows why. Use my foot pump to correct to 36psi and bingo, warning light off. Message for me is not to ignore the warning.

It is explained in the handbook and simple to do. I'm no engineer and managed it !