is250darren

Damage? Sounds familiar! 😳

My IS250 had the recall done in 2019. The main dealer left the dashboard surface quite uneven in places, which was disappointing. They certainly knew how to give the car a 100,000 point inspection, to drum up a little profit 😏. Anyway, the uneven areas have since developed cracks. I can't be bothered complaining - it's an 18 year old car. Dealers will wriggle and deny....

IMHO many UK dealerships (of all marques) are a little bit crap. I have had some horror stories over the years. Imagine a main dealer selling a used car with less than four miles of fuel left in the tank? Disgraceful. These companies are about profit, and not much else.

Remember the IS250 airbag recall from a few years ago? My local Lexus dealer did a shoddy job of lifting the dashboard, leaving a raised area near the windscreen, and damaging the dashboard material in other places. The dashboard is now starting to crack in exactly the same places.  The dealer in question is part of a multi-marque operation. They are diluted, without any doubt.

Another problem is the demise of many independent garages, leaving us with very little choice. Do I choose the massively overpriced main dealer, who will do an average job, or choose the independent garage whose manager swears at customers? Hmmm

I have owned my IS250 for over four years. It has been a surprisingly fun car to drive, and incredibly reliable. The IS250 with 17" wheels has a firm ride .... the UK's crumbling roads are the main problem 🙂. The ride is tolerable, but I feel every bump and defect on the road surface.

On 3/24/2021 at 7:20 PM, MartinH said:

Apparently my car's failure was exceptional so I wouldn't anticipate anything like that in your own case, Darren. Yes it's thirsty but if you're not doing a big mileage that's not so important.  I would get the exhaust fixed before it gets any worse though.

Ok, thanks! 🙂

On 9/9/2020 at 7:40 PM, Tsukanmi said:

Hi Bernie,
I have a problem with my 2006 IS250 and i've tried everything. Don't know what it is, can you please look at the video i made for it and suggest? wheel bearing? front axle? differential oil? back axle? i'm loosing my mind. The sound seems to be from the front driver side. Replaced the front wheel bearings (driver and passenger side) about 2 times.
My mechanics are currently suggesting it may be a bad "auxiliary", "differential", "short differential oil", front axle or back axle. The issue is, there's no way to be sure as most mechanics here in Nigeria do guess work mostly.
Please help
Please see my video here. https://youtu.be/yrvFpm5jwSE

Sounds like a wheel bearing. I had a front wheel bearing fail on my IS250, and it sounded similar!

I own a very early model (2005 55 Reg), and this isn't the best news! 🤮. I am weighing up the pros and cons of keeping it. It has been a brilliantly reliable car, and enjoyable to drive. On the downside: it's a little thirsty, the wheels need refurbing, and the exhaust is starting to blow. It could be a handy backup car ... running on Super Unleaded

My 2005 is250 had the same problem. The noises were awful 😧. 

Here's how I solved 99% of my problems:

• Buy some black 10mm thick neoprene foam (eBay)
• Cut the foam into 50mm x 80mm segments
• Fold them, and stuff them into the gap between the dashboard and the windscreen

👍

My Lexus Main Dealer charged me £590 for new front and rear pads

On 7/5/2018 at 1:56 PM, baviaannl said:

As anyone who has tried to access that fuse box will tell you, it's bloody tight and access is very difficult even with the seat all the way back.

I have just replaced that very fuse, and I agree .. it's very difficult to access the fuse box.  I can't believe that Lexus put an important fuse box in such an awkward location! I have owned Italian, German, and American cars before .... all of them have fuse boxes in sensible locations! 😉

I would also check when the water pump was last replaced.

Thanks for the comments, Linas .  It would be nice to practice my snow-driving, but as you said ... snow is quite rare in the UK!

I know it's an old post, but I have to share my experiences in the Beast from The East 1.0 earlier this month!  My car is a standard IS250 SE Auto, with 245/45R17 tyres on the rear.  The rear grip wasn't particularly great in heavy snow, and I got stuck!  Thankfully I had some some snow socks in the boot .  I'm not going to lie to you .... the fitting process was a pain in the bottom.  There is very little space between the rear wheel arches and the tyres .... but I managed to get going within 5 minutes or so.

My Autosocks have paid for themselves already, but IMHO the is250 was never going to win any rallies

2 hours ago, Rebecca said:

Nice move Darren 👍you wont be disappointed. 

Be sure to post some pics for us all to see 😀

Hi, Rebecca

The is250 has impressed me so far.  So smooth, so quiet, and it can accelerate much quicker than any of my previous cars! I will post some pics soon ... once I get it polished!

16 hours ago, Shahpor said:

Excellent news Darren

Hopefully it will give you many years of trouble free motoring.

Mine passed its MOT today with the only advisory being rear brake pads, which I knew about.

I think the tester exact words were 'Serious Japanese over engineering' when he described it.

Thank you, Shapor!  My IS passed it's MOT a few days ago with no advisories .... I can't believe it's nearly twelve years old!

I was Googling is250 and E10 petrol compatibility, and a thread from this site appeared.

Hi everyone

I test drove a 2005 is250 SE Auto with 65,000 miles last week.  The ride was smooth, and I could barely hear the engine.  The car has a Lexus service history up to 2015, minimal external imperfections, and the water pump was replaced a few weeks ago. I decided to purchase it there and then!  I look forward to posting my experiences in the future

Ok, thanks for the info, guys .  I have bookmarked the buyers guide!

15 minutes ago, mk_lon said:

It's the smoothest in its category, beats a 3series, class, a4 etc (I haven't driven a X type yet). 

Tip stay away from the sport and buy an auto and you won't regret it. 

I live near speed humps so it was very important to me when I was looking at the time. 

Ultimately it can't beat a 4x4 or an S class with air suspension but those cars are a different category and a lot more expensive. 

 

Hello, and thanks for the speedy reply!  Hopefully I will buy one in the coming weeks!

Hi

I'm new on here ... and I've got a stinking cold , so please bear with me!  I am interested in buying an is250 from 2005-2007 ish, with standard wheels and suspension.  For many years I have been the owner of Italian cars, with their "sporty" suspension, but the state of the roads is driving me .  Crash, bang, wallop .... that's the sound of me driving an Alfa along a country road!

I hear that the Lexus is250 is very smooth, but I have also heard that the ride is firm?.  Can somebody shed some light on this for me, before I make a 200-mile round trip to look at a car?!

Thank you