JMAAGG

Did you get a refund for the unnecessary expense which came from an incorrect diagnosis?

I've not cleaned the EGR valve yet, but have seen the video guide and plan to do it next weekend. I appreciate the tip though. The car will be getting mixed use, but there will be plenty of longer journeys including a fortnightly trip from Windsor to Plymouth for the next 10 weeks (440 mile round trip) for my wife's work. The previous owner had a daily motorway journey and the average consumption is currently at 45 mpg. It was at 47 mpg when we got it, but I made sure I blew any cobwebs out during our first tankful, which is averaging 25 mpg. The interior was in great condition already, but I gave the plastics a good clean and I'm going to give the upholstery a deep clean next weekend too. Then I have some stonechips to sort out on the bonnet mostly followed by a good machine polish. I'm temping at a bodyshop as it happens and will get it done if we have a quiet moment or I might just buy a DA polisher and do it myself. The other thing I'd like to do is get rid of the awful front number plate holder. I think they really let the styling down. I haven't managed to find a guide to removing it, but I've not searched very hard yet. All that said, the car is great as it sits and drives beautifully. My wife is very happy with it.

Thanks Shahpor. The rear wheels are a little forward in the wheel arch, but the angle of the previous picture makes it look worse than it is. I checked lots of other pictures and it seems to be the norm for the Mk II IS. I can see why some people go for bigger wheels or lowered springs though because there's so much space, but I'm happy at 17" especially considering how the cost of tyres jumps up. I also found some reasonably priced aftermarket black centre caps. Hoping they will look ok otherwise will paint them to match. Anyway, here's a side on pic and a pic of the interior which is standard.

Well here is our 220d. My wife offered to let me have the Lexus and she'll use my Audi instead (2003 A4 2.5 TDI Quattro), but she does more mileage than I do so I'll stick to the Audi for now. Besides, I have a cunning plan which involves changing the Audi for an IS 250 with leather interior and premium sound at some point in the future :) Which wheels do people prefer the look of? The grey wheels do have centre caps, but they are silver so I will have to paint them before putting them on the car. Unfortunately the grey wheel colour isn't a perfect match, being a little lighter, but a few days worth of brake dust should rectify that lol.

I picked up some 17" 10-spoke wheels in good condition with new budget tyres for £200. My thinking was that I can change the wheels over myself when needed, but I can also get the original wheels refurbished without losing the car for a few days. My biggest problem will be storing the spare set, but what are friends/family for? Some tyre companies will store your tyres for you, though I'm not sure how much they would charge or whether some might offer it as a complimentary service if you buy the tyres from them.

Thanks guys. Sadly, the grey 10 spokes do have some marks, I just took a pic of the best one. Still more than presentable though.

Looks like I timed out and lost a long introductory post. Was probably for the best lol. So short version: Hello everyone. I just bought a 2008 IS220d with 88,000 miles and FDSH for a great price. I then stumbled upon a matching set of alloy wheels for less than the cost of the (new) budget tyres on them. Pick the car up on Saturday and will take some nice pics with the wheels on. Car is Cadoxton Slate 1GO and I hope the wheels are too!