newtolexus2017

Hello,

I've just finished my first ever "detailing" of the car. So:

1. Washed - used Autglym Shampoo Conditioner. This felt almost like water because it's not very concentrated after mixing in accordance with instructions, however it does remove all the dirt and the water that comes back is pretty much black...

2. Polished - used Autoglym Super Resin Polish. I was so wary of using this after reading the comments about how it's removing a layer of paint, so I was pretty gentle and initially I was quite dubious as to whether it was doing anything at all. But after buffing it off, I could see that there were no swirls anymore which really made quite a massive difference to how the car looked.

3. Glazed - used Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection. This was wonderful - it was a liquid so had to be pretty careful not to get it everywhere, took 30 minutes to dry before buffing off but then the car just felt so much more protected, very reflective and clean.

The proof will be in the pudding however so will see how it feels like to wash with shampoo next week and how long the protective gloss protection actually lasts!

On ‎16‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 9:02 PM, rayaans said:

Its actually pretty potent stuff. 

From my experience, it can stain the plastics and paint. Quite a few of my friends (who dont know better and use hand/automatic car washes) have had issues with it. 

Its a hit with the car wash guys though, gets the car clean without having to do much!

Top tip right here - when buying a relatively young second hand car, check the sills under the doors. If they're bubbling/rusted 90% of the time its had TFR around the bottom.

I don't know how I missed this before but just opened up your PDF guide on how to detail the lexus.

So far I've washed the car using a mild soapy solution and will check out your guide on how to wax etc this weekend... will let you know how it goes.

I am in my 30s and have a IS300h white f-sport. Given it's undeniably good sporty looks, I naively hadn't realised the average age is more like 40s and 50s.

it doesn't change how much I absolutely love my car but would you say people would see the car as more suitable for someone in their 40s and 50s...?

just curious that's all - I bought it for its looks, reliability and the fact it's a hyrbrid

12 hours ago, Steve44 said:

The Fsport definitely has a firmer ride due to tyres and suspension. Only a drive will allow you to judge.

AVS does make a difference, subtle as it may be, but it is a rare option so finding one 2nd hand would be hard.

Personally I don't think the ride is bad, but only you can decide.

Interestingly I haven't found the F sport to be firm, but then ive only had it a week and new to lexus. 

How can you tell if a car has AVS?

This is a complete guess but maybe "computer"? I.e. It has sat nav? Hopefully someone else here can confirm what it actually is...

Finally picked it up today!

I was never even that into cars but now I am see that changing... have already set memory seats and taken it for a few drives. The little things like auto dimming rear mirror, f sport frontage and auto folding mirrors... I can see why you guys love it.

Photos...

I checked the 14 plate IS300h F Sport before I test drove, and it said subject to voluntary recall.

Asked the dealer, they said of course any problems would be fixed before handing it over to us.

Hoping this means there shouldn't be any problems...

Do recalls happen alot?

1 hour ago, J Henderson said:

To add to NemesisUK's very good advice. I'd recommend getting into the habit of doing a "pre-wash" instead of going straight to the bucket & mitt. That way you can remove or loosen most of the dirt without even touching the bodywork directly, which'll minimize the risk of scratches and swirls.

I used to enjoy using snow foam for this purpose, and I might start doing so again when the better weather arrives...but lately, I've been soaking the car with PowerMaxed TFR diluted to around 1:10 ratio with a cheap ASDA Pump Sprayer. Whilst it dwells on the bodywork for around 10mins, I then work the product into the badges, wheels, nooks & crannies etc with some cheap soft detailing brushes and then thoroughly rinse off with a pressure washer.

 

Thanks very much!

But after using this Asda product (thanks for this as I live just 15 mins drive to a massive one), and then using a pressure washer, is there any need to use a bucket / wool mitts at all...?

18 hours ago, steveledzep said:

Nice one Vince.  I was a Saab man too. two 95s followed by two 93 Aeros.  On my third Lexus now, two IS250s before this one.

 

I'm certain you're going to love your IS300h  K, just treat it nicely and it will look after you.  Bet you can't wait !!!

you're right, absolutely cannot wait - I'm such a geek though, already starting thinking of what to buy re cleaning products etc!

Hi everyone, after looking around for a long time and taking advice over the past few weeks here, I'm excited to say that I'm collecting our first Lexus this weekend! It's an IS300h F Sport in F Sport white.

I'm completely new to Lexus but also have no experience at all around taking care of the car, maintaining it or knowing much more than knowing how to drive it. So over the coming months I'll definitely be looking for tips and learning more about the car and how to look after it.

This forum is amazing so far and very glad to be part of it.

13 minutes ago, NemesisUK said:

1. Wash with a lambs wool mitt rather than a sponge. Rinse well and dry with one or two large drying towels. If you use a good quality wax such as Collinite 915 you should be able to go a good 3months between waxing. Just check how the water beads to see when it needs doing again.

2. Use Wheel Woolies to get into the barrel of the wheels and keep the insides clean. Again a good quality wax will help make cleaning easier.

3. I usually finish the windows with a proprietary glass cleaner, get rid of those annoying smears and water spots.

Inside

1. Vacuum seats carefully then wipe down with a damp microfibre cloth, dry with another clean cloth. Every 2-3 months a good clean with a cloth dampened with 5% wool detergent in water. Wipe over with clean cloth dampened with clean water. Dry.

2. Vacuum carpets after removing the over mats. Give the mats a good beating!

3. wipe trim with an interior quick detailer spray applied with a microfibre cloth.

Thanks! It sounds like all I will need is to check out some lambs wool mitt, collinite 915 wax, some wheel woollies and glass cleaner.

Hello everyone,

This forum has been an absolute god-send so far so thanks for all the advice everyone's been putting in. I'm picking up my IS300h F-sport in F-sport white this weekend and want to start thinking about all the kit I will need to care for it properly. I've read around a bit but I'm really a complete novice when it comes to maintaining a car, so want to get your thoughts around my "master plan" for trying to keep the car in mint condition...

Exterior :

1. Body: Get 2 buckets and wash with soapy water using a sponge, then wipe clean with micro-fibre cloth. Every 6 months, apply generic car wax (ebay/amazon?) and buff off using micro fibre cloth. Do I even need things like Meguiar (never used anything like that before).

2. Wheels: Again, use bucket/soapy water/sponge to clean the break dust / other dirt off the rims. Is that sufficient? 

3. Windows: We live in a car water area so it's a bit annoying but I'm assuming nothing more than soapy water and sponge.

Interior:

1. F-sport seats: hoover and micro fibre

2. Carpets: hoover

3. Plastics/leather: micro fibre, and leather wipes?

Please now rip it apart...

Thanks for all your helpful tips.

Test drove an F sport today and all my concerns were gone:

- ride was very smooth even over bumps

- ECVT was completely fine even with hard acceleration and higher speed

- low seating position completely fine

- remote dial is not as bad as people say

- the rear wheels do stick out a bit but you get used to it very quickly 

There were some fixes needed but the team at Edgware Road are so professional - couldn't praise them enough. Looking forward to working with them for many years to come.

Ended up buying it and will be picking up next weekend! Absolutely cannot wait to drive it home...

2 hours ago, PaulWhitt20 said:

If you decide to buy. Don't forget to ask for a full tank of petrol. I didn't and had to fill up on the way home from picking it up. Still annoyed about that.

Good point - I hadn't even thought about things like this or what to ask from the dealer.

1 hour ago, Caspa said:

I'd definitely go for an F Sport, the improved spec is worth it for sure... I just have myself and should be picking it up on Saturday!

Had a couple IS200's and an IS250, but replacing a BMW 320D coupe that I bought after a write-off. Can't wait to get back into a Lexus, never had a single issue with any of them, but not been the same with the BMW!

It's a 63 plate in Ultra Blue with red leather and premium navigation, little under 22k on the clock...

Congratulations! Sounds like it will be a similar model to what I'll be going for - must be very exciting. Just out of curiosity, were you not tempted to go for a 2015/2016 model that is still under warranty and have better conditions inside/ less used?

20 hours ago, rayaans said:

Well the Sport has much less kit on it compared to an F-Sport.

It has cloth seats - not electrically adjustable and only heated, not cooled. It won't have memory seats and it comes with standard nav only so you don't get the 2 extra speakers and connectivity. 

The edgeware road one appears to have no pictures on the Lexus Used website and therefore I can only assume they put on a generic photo.

Yeah, the F-sport model does seem to have a hell of a lot going for it and is a clear winner really.

The only concern I had was more around the fact that it's 2 years older than the sport version, much higher mileage (so driven a lot more), older engines etc, and out of warranty... future value I imagine would probably be much less as well.

Thanks for all the comments to date - so helpful and glad to have found this pool of knowledge and experience!

2 hours ago, Steve44 said:

Bear in mind Fsport with leather seats also come with electric memory drivers seat, they are  heated and ventilated, has electric steering column adjustment, folding mirrors with dipping mirror in reverse and comfort access ( seats and steering wheel move back on entry/exit). It was  a £2k option new and well worth having over std seats as a used car.

Also, you will only get a reversing camera if an Fsport has Nav fitted.

the later 2014/15 cars had improved interior trim, not the hard black scratch prone stuff on the earlier cars.

Make sure the alloys are good as kerbing  damage is a bugger to fix due to the paint finish on Fsport wheels.

Thanks - very helpful tips, will definitely check out rim damages. I was initially relying on Lexus's "make over" for used cars hoping these might get rectified...

14 hours ago, rayaans said:

Tyres won't be that much! Front's are about £100 and rears are £150 max so they'll be about £500 fitted. I wouldn't pay anymore than that for all 4 tyres!

Besides, I believe all Lexus pre-owned vehicles sold at their dealership has to have a minimum of 6mm on the tyres. 

If you need to change, Uniroyal Rainsport 3 are the best options IMO and they're relatively cheap. Buy them off the net, get Lexus to fit them and you'll still be better off than going for the Bridgestone's that Lexus sell!

Right I think Ive found the cars you are looking at - 2 at Lexus Croydon and the other at Lexus Edgeware road?

The White/Red one at Lexus Croydon is on the higher side. Its got 46k miles on it for the sake of red leather seats. Should be between £18.5-19k.

The White/Black one at Lexus Croydon doesn't have full leather seats - it has half cloth seats hence the price. 

The White/Black one at Lexus edgeware road (on autotrader anyway) has fake pictures. The interior and exterior photos are both taken at Lexus Leeds of a different car! However, the price is good but don't expect more than £500 off it. 

You would make a fantastic detective! Yep those are the ones I was looking at. Putting aside the dodgy photo (impressed you spotted that so thanks) I think the edgeware road one is the preferred stock right now so will test drive it.

The only other competitor now is a 2016 sport (not f-sport) for £23k with only 5k on the clock. Battling myself to decide whether it makes more sense to get this much newer car with less mileage... if only I can accept it's not an F sport and that it's not white.

1 hour ago, RichardM1142 said:

Premium sat nav or standard

Mark Levinson stereo or standard 

AVC adaptive suspension or standard

These are the big ticket options that affect value in conjunction with the colour combo. 

Don't forget tyres for an F-Sport if they are close to replacement you are looking at £500-£750

All the ones I am looking have normal stereo and none have AVC adaptive suspension. Thanks for the tip re tyres though - had no idea they cost that much! I suppose I could just replace with normal tyres...?

9 minutes ago, rayaans said:

Depends on the spec and colour combo

Some combinations are more sought after and that will reflect on the price. 

Do they all have full service history and at Lexus dealers?

They are all white F-sport with black leather, except for option 3 where the leather inside is red. All are at Lexus dealers so assuming full service history but will need to check once I can make my mind up over which to go for...

Hi everyone

After all the helpful comments, I've decided to test drive an F-sport (and hope that we can accept the rougher ride) and found 3 similar F sport models.

Option 1

£20,000

May 2014

21k mileage 

Option 2

£20,250

Nov 2014

13k mileage

Option 3 (same but red seats)

£20,000

Nov 2013

46k mileage

To me option 2 seems the best but what do you think? And are these priced high and therefore with room for negotiation? I appreciate we will need to see the condition of the car, seats, floor, exterior condition etc but thought I'd see your views.

Many thanks

Still surprised at how helpful these comments all are - so glad i discovered this forum to help the decision.

I had no idea you can retro fit the reversing camera. If it's possible then that opens my range of options up as that's a "must" in what I'm looking for. I'm going to give the Lexus dealership a call as wouldn't want to get that done by just a garage.

An additional question about driving positions. I know people say low driving position is comfy whereas high ones in 4x4 gives more visibility. Do you find that it's harder to judge distances (e.g. how far is the car from the kerb)? I know it's subjective and you get used to it etc though.

Thanks so much for the responses everyone - I hadn't expected so many helpful comments so quickly within a day!

It sounds like most people are confident that a 2013 300H shouldn't provide too many costly issues but that I should check out the recall (sounds worrying but will ask the dealer before buying).

It also seems the F-sport ride comfort is dividing opinions so, if the dealer doesn't get bored of me by then, I'll ask for a test drive of the F sport model on the day that I may potentially commit to buying that particular model.

Want to get it right with the right model and right age of car so I might keep my eyes peeled and if I can resist, I may wait til March when more used models should hopefully come onto the market (I think).

Hi everyone,

I'm currently looking to buy a used Lexus IS 300H and have discovered this forum recently. I would be driving only at the weekends for a couple of 50 minute drives so really we'd do only around 5k miles per year. I've read most of the relevant threads which are amazingly helpful but still have a few questions. Wondered if anyone could share thoughts on the below?

1. Currently my eyes are on a 2013 300H F-sport with 22k mileage. For the same price I could get a 2015 executive with 7k mileage but no reversing camera or electronic seats. The F-sport looks great but would it be a more sensible decision to go with the newer car?

2. I've read many reviews about the F-sport being much rougher than the other models. Is this very noticeable? I couldn't tell from the brief test drive. If so, perhaps again makes more sense to go for a non F sport?

3. Realistically, for a 2013 F sport that's done 22k mileage, how much incidental repairs and expenses would I likely have to prepare for? Just wary of astronomical costs if the Battery goes wrong or the sat nav goes odd etc.

4. Damages in car parks - I would take care of it so well but it's inevitable that I'll have to park it in a supermarket car park every weekend. With people parking so close (no spaces without people around), do you find that realistically, all your cars get scratched doors and mirrors? I would absolutely hate that...

Hopefully I've provided enough info but let me know if anything else I can clarify. Thanks so much for your thoughts in advance - really excited to get a 300h but want to make sure I get the right one!

Thanks