IS300Hdriver

I think it's worth comparing mpg when accelerating vs time taken. Thrashing it will see mpg of around 5 whereas calmly sees more like 15-20, plus hard acceleration can use up the hybrid battery charge rather than charge it. I'm still not sure what's best, also whether to use Eco over Normal in city driving. Hard to keep the engine warmed up when it keeps turning itself off. Did notice the heated seats preventing EV mode on cold mornings. Get about 53mpg at 70, 63mpg at 60mph. London start stop traffic around 42.

Got the same issue, also have used warranty (1yr plus paid extra 2) but expect this to be excluded under trim exception. Have purchased some plastic polish both for this and the scratches on the instrument cluster plastic but yet to do it.

Would definitely get it seen to ASAP especially as it's still in warranty, very odd to have the oil level drop much at all, and all those messages to pop up. In general every day driving as mentioned above, don't idle much before moving off, maybe just enough to get the engine oil circulating and starting to warm up. I've personally been quite surprised at how the recent cold snap has negatively affected mpg. When I got mine I left the car in normal mode due to liking the throttle response but after struggling to get above 40mpg in the city, I now keep it in Eco and get at least 5mpg more. Lots to be said for coasting where possible, and when braking, do it well in advance and gently to keep the needle as high as possible on the charge gauge. Also an advocate of branded fuels, usually Shell, BP and Esso. To be fair it's all just about the additives, I think with any cars that stop and start engines frequently, the injectors need some TLC. Much more so on diesel cars (as I found out).

Just want to clarify the issue is with it turning on immediately when entering tunnels or going under bridges rather than a time of day issue, my previous car (Volvo) would wait a bit before turning on the headlights to account for going through brief areas where the light may dim such as going under a bridge whereas with the IS, even on the lowest setting the lights come on straight away. Is this just normal for Lexus?

Many thanks for the replies, Have set the light sensor to the lowest setting but doesn't make any difference at all, perhaps this is a software issue with the latest update. As for the tyre pressures, here is the sticker (apologies, only seems to upload in landscape format despite original in portrait): 250kPa throughout, unless carrying more weight in the back, a little odd to such uniformity on a tyre pressure sticker, but i'll go with it. I've taken the tow ring and wheel nut wrench out of the plastic tray in the boot and put each one in a seperate seat pocket, will see if that eliminates the cracking noise. Also relubricated the rear door locks with PTFE spray.

Still enjoying the relaxing drive of the car, but there remain a few things annoying me slightly, wonder if anyone has any solutions for the following? 1. The auto lights come on far too quickly when going under short bridges and tunnels, I take it the light sensitivity settings are for ambient light rather than the timing delay as changing this setting doesn't seem to make a difference? Thankfully they go off just as rapidly. 2. Is there only one figure for tyre pressures? On previous cars I've owned there is usually a lower "comfort" pressure setting but I take it these cars are all about efficiency. Finding the suspension surprisingly firm for a car of this type on 17" wheels. Nowhere near as severe as my previous car on sports suspension thankfully. 3. Have managed to eliminate most rattles/creaks bar one very annoying and loud creak remaining which comes from the the rear boot area, probably passenger side. When going over a jolt in the road, there is a pronounced plastic/metallic single "crack" sound, so far I've suspected it could be coming from the following: Boot door Cover for 12v battery compartment Fuel flap Rear centre brake light or speakers in rear parcel shelf Plastic cup holder assembly in rear centre armrest Something in Hybrid battery bay which wasn't secured after service Really is a mystery but now that I hear it I can't ignore it any longer. Car is out of the 2 year period for rattles so not sure what to do next. Have removed the tyre puncture kit to eliminate that rattling about. Rattles are what led me to get rid of my V40 and come to Lexus so hopefully this can be solved as I really like the car and the brand in general so far. 4. On a related note, does everyone else's boot door creak when closing it? I guess this is just the spring? Just wondered if this could be related to the noise above if unusual as that sound comes from the same side. 5. Does anyone know the capacity of the windscreen washer fluid reservoir?

Ok! So what exactly does this do as I interpreted it (incorrectly) as energy efficiency i.e weaker

Ouch! Around £180 from online battery shops but still very high.

Would be interesting to find out what this recall is as I checked this about a week ago and nothing due but now, as you say, something is due. EDIT - just called customer service, turns out mine is for rear wheel arch corrosion of some sort?

The book will be stamped in the relevant intermediate of full box, older (5+) cars may be serviced on the essential plan where you pay less to not have a stamp in the book but a seperate booklet which shows it's had minimum servicing which maintains any extended warranty it may have. Year 3 should be an intermediate.

Also found an option in the vehicle settings - climate, for an efficient ventilation mode, might be worth turning this off?

Might be worth running a couple of tanks of premium fuel through it and see how it gets on, usual things go without saying such as checking oil level and tyre pressures along with wheel alignment if you notice it pulling to one side at all. A few hard brake applications from high speed (obviously checking behind that it's safe to do so first) may clean the brakes a bit if they are possibly dragging. As for everyday driving below 40mph, I keep it in normal as get too frustrated with just how hard you have to press the pedal to get decent progress out of Eco mode. Best technique I've found so far is to accelerate sufficiently with engine only (ideally low enough on the eco gauge as possible to charge the battery at the same time) then foot off at speed and back on gently to run in EV mode on level roads for as long as possible. Coast as much as possible as this is the most efficient way to recharge the hybrid battery (until reaching crawling pace when it then uses energy to keep the car moving along), brake gently to keep the needle as high as possible in the charge range but only when safe to do so. There's a whole load of prius videos on youtube about the "pulse and glide" technique but far too much effort for me, and inconvenient for those behind you too. You may also benefit from having the car in Eco mode when using cruise control, obviously a patient 60mph will see much better mpg.

"Newest data" indeed...

As everyone says, keep your air con on at all times, it's not just for the summer and runs very efficiently in more recent cars. Worth running it at full fan speed and high heat to dry out the damp in the channels every now and then too.

Another thing I'm getting fed up of are "download not done" messages, have no idea of traffic info is just radio or internet at times, Google maps it is methinks! Would strongly recommend any sceptics to give it a shot, you'll miss out on speeds and speed cameras but gain the very latest map and incredibly accurate traffic info, all for nout but data usage.

Having just tried the updated maps it's still routing me down congested or slow urban streets when selecting "quick" mode to work, which coincidentally remains the longest timed route out of the 3 options. Streets that no other nav or nav app would ever consider the fastest route, which really makes me doubt the routing algorithms, and I must have used around 5 different navs/apps over the past 3 years or so for my commute in London. Have to also say that I don't find the turn information particularly clear, i.e. which lane to be in, which roundabout exit. Many motorway signs are missing or it just shows ****** on the motorway exit view which is crazy when so many others offer an accurate real life view of motorway roadsigns. Apparently the maps are so old as Lexus needs to verify the information and it takes HERE a year to collate the data, ridiculous. Already spotted many incorrect speeds that were changed many months ago. Bit peeved having just paid £70 quid for a map update however I'd be absolutely furious if I'd paid for the nav option!

Just bought the £70 latest euro maps on official Lexus micro sd card from ebay as mentioned in this topic, however I am still finding the satnav itself just too dumb when it comes to routing, thinks very much like old sat navs of 10 years ago. The "quick" route nearly always shows as taking longer than the ecological and shortest options??? Modern sat navs are much more intelligent as the maps (in partcular TomTom) include historical traffic information. I'm torn as I do like the intergration of the system and don't want an ugly phone holder getting in the way. Google maps navigation has come a huge way and tends to be very accurate for traffic (including central London where I drive) which is what I mainly use mine for, you can also download areas of the map for offline use. Lacks detail though and no speed info or cameras. Plus point though is that it's incredibly easy to search for places. TomTom Go app next best thing but power hungry, Sygic too optimistic on route timings. Co-pilot, wouldn't bother.

Just a little update, ordered the micro sd card maps off ebay as mentioned elsewhere including above and it also updated my firmware to VD12103B, result!

Have a look here: https://www.lexus-tech.eu/Bluetooth/search.aspx Latest iPhones with IOS 10 seem pretty good bar email readouts

If there are loads of them it'll probably be this, page 163 of nav manual

Hmm bit of a mystery then, here's what it showed me:

I updated my firmware last week to VD12103A however I'm still having issues with receiving premium traffic via wifi tethering so went on to the Lexus phone compatibility checker and it listed VD12103B as the latest available software version so it does appear there is a recent update, it's just a matter of finding the matching bulletin number and following your procedure detailed here, any chance you've got access to this? http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/108014-new-firmware-may-2016/#comment-956005

Thanks for all the info Rayaans, most helpful!

I guess that must be the oil then, bit of a relief, thanks for checking for me. Just realised the armrest catch is creaking like mad when my arm is resting, and rattles when not, think I remember seeing a fix on here with adhesive felt which I'll have to find as it's driving me nuts.

Enjoying the IS so far, here is a pic of the worn leather which was touched up by the dealer prior to collection but you can still make it out: Still waiting for the leather dye from dynamix dyes to arrive but will post an update once that has been done. The windscreen has seen better days, tons of wiper smear scratches, and isn't even an official Lexus one so a poor replacement. Will have to look at getting this replaced in due course, anyone with an idea of prices with reputable glass repairers? Another thing that is a bit of an eyesore is that the coating on the infotainment screen is pretty badly scratched, had a few rough cloths over it no doubt in it's 3 years. I doubt there is a solution for this but any ideas? I realise it's another one of those common issues with these cars. Am I right in thinking the straps in the boot are for the warning triangle and first aid kit? Have just used some Autoglym Interior Shampoo on some dirt marks on the white headliner, just waiting for the patches to dry to make sure I haven't messed it up before tackling a few more. Also got some hammerite and touch up paint ready for a couple of particularly bad rusty scratches on the edge of the boot door and some other chips. Unfortunately the Toyota modification sticker that was on the fuse box was taken off prior to collection, but the service printout states the following: Code "INV" Description - Fit new mass damper to rear ax Parts: 41196-53010 Damper, Differe 89685-20010 ECU name label Also noticed it's 40k service a couple of months ago has the following parts which I'm not sure about: 08885-80616 Gear/Differentia 17801-31170 element sub-assy